Whispers and discussions about the title "White Wolf" filled the throne room.
As Jon's fame grew, everyone in Westeros learned that he owned a white wolf. The title "White Wolf Knight" naturally followed.
Moreover, even before Jon, people in King's Landing liked to spread rumors that "the Stark family kept Direwolf as a nanny."
This is certainly a prejudice and a rumor, but Jon being crowned the White Wolf Knight is a genuine honorary title.
Although knighthood is only the lowest rank in the nobility system, it is also the starting point for obtaining higher titles.
Not to mention that it was personally conferred by the king, which is of great significance, indicating that the rewards Stannis would receive afterward would certainly be substantial.
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Westeros has many knights, but only a few are well-known, even including the infamous Laughing Tree Knight.
Even though "Knight of Flowers " Loras is more of a compliment than an honorary title.
In short, Jon's title of "Knight of the White Wolf" was extremely prestigious. Some of those who participated in the discussion about bestowing honors upon Jon suddenly remembered Petyr's suggestion—to unite Jon with Margaery and bestow upon him the titles of Warden of the West and Lord of Casterly Rock.
While the latter is unlikely, the former goes without saying; Stannis will definitely find a way to push it forward.
However, Jon, who was kneeling on the ground, was thinking about something else. The culture of chivalry came from the belief in the seven gods. Stannis had converted to the Red God. What kind of ceremony would he use to confer the title upon himself?
Soon, a servant brought a fine steel longsword to Jon's side. Stannis took the sword from the servant and said, " Jon, this sword used to be my personal sword. Now I bestow it upon you. From now on, you are the White Wolf Knight!" As he spoke, Stannis drew the sword and lightly tapped it on Jon's shoulder.
With the king's sword, the prestige of this investiture was even greater.
However, the exclusive prayers used when knighting were no longer available. After all, the Father, the Mother, and the Maiden are all from the Seven Gods, and it would be somewhat inappropriate for Stannis to recite the Seven Gods' names when knighting.
Because there were no prayers, the whole process was brief, but the "equipment" was very high. First, the place of investiture was chosen to be the iron throne, and the person who made the investiture was the only legitimate king at the time.
Jon, being a Northerner, wasn't particularly interested in the Seven Gods' faith and didn't say anything. The Loyalists were somewhat dissatisfied, while the Queens Party members were the happiest, as it meant their king was more inclined towards the Red God faith.
Jon raised his hand above his head to receive Stannis's steel longsword, the hilt of which was engraved with the head of a stag, its eyes inlaid with sapphires.
Although it's not a Valyria steel sword, it looks like a fine sword.
Upon hearing Stannis's announcement, everyone present knew that Dao could no longer call Jon " bastard" or "Snow," at least not in public, no matter how unhappy he was.
"Get up, Jon Stark!"
Stannis's words echoed through the hall, seemingly reaching across the entire throne room and throughout King's Landing. Dondarrion was the first to speak, shouting, "Long live the White Wolf Knight! Long live Jon Stark!"
With him taking the lead, Thoros, Martin, and others also spoke up.
The Loyalists Seeing that Stannis did not object, the Queens' Party's retainers also joined in.
"Long live the White Wolf Knight!"
" Long live Jon Stark!"
However, the most excited person at this moment was not Jon, but Sansa. She clenched her fists and said to Arya, who was jumping and shouting beside her, "From today onwards, Jon is no longer just our half-brother, he is our real brother."
Hearing Sansa's words, Arya turned to Dao in surprise: "He's always been our older brother, hasn't he?"
When Sansa saw that her younger sister was contradicting her again, she instinctively said, "That's not the same!" But she quickly realized that perhaps Arya was right.
I will never forget the moment when Jon rushed into Maegors Holdfast to save me. Even as a brother, how many brothers would do that for their sister?
In fact, Jon wasn't that concerned about Stark or not; he wanted to know Dao. Where exactly will Stannis seal himself off?
Although Jon's attention is now entirely focused on Stannis, he can sense that many people care more about the final award decision for Stannis than he does.
Especially the two Frey brothers, who arrived at King's Landing early on, not only to help the Frey family gain a foothold in the new Stannis regime, but also to arrange a marriage alliance with Jon at the right time.
They also believed that a ducal title was not impossible for Jon, since a duke's fief would not be small or barren.
They had already planned that as soon as Stannis gave the word and the betrothal gifts were in place, they would immediately discuss the marriage with Jon.
Everyone knows Dao Jon's bestowal of titles was far from over. Stannis then proclaimed, " Jon Stark, like your father, you fought for the justice of the nation and the honor of the royal family. You reclaimed King's Landing, executed the false king, and maintained the livelihood of the people during your defense of King's Landing. This is commendable. I have decided to bestow upon you the title of Lord of Harrenhal!"
Lord of Harrenhal! Upon hearing this, everyone's first reaction was that Jon had indeed risen to the top in one step, from bastard to duke. What else could it be but a meteoric rise?
The second reaction was that Stannis wanted to use Jon to achieve his goal of splitting the Riverlands and fighting against Winterfell and the North.
Rhaegar Frey and Stevron Frey naturally had no objection; their father, Old Walder, only dared to call himself a marquess because he controlled both rivers.
There is absolutely no problem with Jon marrying Roslin as a duke.
Moreover, the land surrounding Harrenhal is not particularly wealthy, and with civilians displaced, Jon cannot do without Riverrun if he wants to develop his territory.
Now that Jon has become the Lord of Harrenhal, the territory that originally belonged to Harrenhal will likely expand further. The Frey Family will also gain a steadfast and powerful ally as a result.
"The Duke? Jon is just like his father now!" Arya exclaimed in surprise.
However, at the age of ten, she couldn't comprehend just how vast the North was; she simply felt that since they were all dukes, they must be the same.
Sansa never expected Jon to become a duke so suddenly. She had originally planned to marry her best friend Jenny Poole to Jon, but now it seemed that Jenny was not qualified enough.
Dondarrion and Thoros smiled at Jon, and the two joked that Dao would have to call Jon "Your Grace" from now on.
The members of The Queens Party and The Loyalists had even fewer objections; Stannis's promotion of Jon, a bastard, to duke was already quite generous.
After all, Jon is arguably the first person in thousands of years to have made such a contribution, so there is really no experience in how to reward him.
The Lord of Harrenhal's reward was enough to shut most people up, and these defeated generals could also receive some recognition for their "hard work".
Varys, standing beside Pycelle, narrowed his eyes, watching Jon intently, wanting to see how he intended to respond. If Jon didn't truly want to go to the Wall, then he would have no choice but to accept Harrenhal's investiture.
But something completely unexpected happened. Jon knelt down again and said to Dao, " Your Majesty, please take back your gifts to me, not only Harrenhal, but also the Stark surname."