Crops have been replanted in the open fields, but they are sparse and scattered, and it is clear that they are the survivors of the destruction.
The sparse crops resembled the lonely wisps of smoke rising from the distant farmhouses.
The skeletons that used to be scattered along the road are gone, and people have returned to the village.
The wounds of war seemed to be healing, but the overall feeling was still somewhat desolate. A group of about twenty people were walking on the main road when they suddenly stopped and decided to rest for a while.
Arya was the first to jump off the carriage, turning back to the slow-moving Sansa and saying, " Sansa, are you still going to practice your swordsmanship?!"
"Coming, coming," Sansa responded from inside the carriage, though she still seemed a little shy. She kept adjusting the narrow sleeves of her training clothes, feeling quite uncomfortable without the flowing movement of her wide-sleeved long dress.
Jenny, also dressed in her practice clothes, followed behind Sansa, intending to study with her.
After experiencing this series of events in King's Landing, Sansa also realized the importance of practicing martial arts.
The thought of wielding swords and spears like Arya still made me feel a little guilty.
But Jon encouraged her, saying that adding some exercise could improve her skin, so Sansa decided to learn Arya's water dance.
However, Sansa's athletic talent was clearly inferior to Arya's. She and Jenny arrived in a Domain they were unfamiliar with and experienced Arya's situation in the needlework class.
" Sansa, Jenny, can you please use a little more force?! Your movements are so weak you can't even pierce a piece of paper!"
" Sansa, move faster!"
" Sansa, when you thrust forward, you also need to step forward."
" Sansa, you're moving like a duck!"
" Sansa ————"
Arya experienced a mischievous pleasure and finally made Sansa cry.
"I don't want to practice anymore!" Sansa threw down the wooden sword in her hand and turned to go back to the carriage.
Seeing Sansa leave, Jenny also chose to leave, as both of them found Arya's "suppressive" teaching style unbearable.
Sandor, who was not far away, watched the three playing around and chuckled slightly before turning his gaze to Jon and Davos, who were talking by the river.
Jon set off almost immediately after being betrothed to Margaery in the presence of Davos, accompanied only by a dozen or so attendants and guards.
The army is still being reorganized. The army of King's Landing will not set out until Jon has settled things with Robb.
Jon's army consisted of over eight thousand men, not including Harken Sora who returned to the Mountains of the Moon.
In addition, Stannis provided support with about three thousand men. In fact, he did not go from more than twenty thousand men to only about two thousand men during the Blackwater Rush.
Most of them were simply captured.
Stannis currently has over 10,000 troops that he can directly call upon, and they are rapidly recovering.
In addition to Stannis supporting Jon's army, the Frey Family will also support Jon with a thousand men. Stannis has completely pardoned the Frey Family for supporting Robb's claim to the throne and has brought them into his new court.
By this time, Jon had already told Davos about Robb, Catelyn, Brynden, and some other Northern nobles, and the two were analyzing their attitudes toward ending independence and how to deal with it.
"You mean Brynden might be the most stubborn one of them all?" Davos asked Dao thoughtfully.
"Yes, Brynden and his brother Horst Tully both adhere to the Tully Family motto— Family, Honor, Duty. When Brynden left Riverrun for the Vale, it was only because he refused the marriage arranged for him by the Family. When Tywin ravaged the Riverlands, he rushed back almost immediately. If Robb gives up his claim to the throne, Riverrun will lose the support of the North, but the threat from the West is very real."
" Where is Mrs. Catelyn?"
" Lady Catelyn was no less, and perhaps even more, than Cersei in her attitude toward the children. I think she was inclined toward peace talks. She was not actually that supportive of Robb when he first became king."
Jon and Davos also analyzed some centrists, such as Roose Bolton. In this timeline, Roose Bolton hadn't yet had the chance to do anything bad.
At most, one could say that he wasn't decisive enough, and that we shouldn't presume guilt. In comparison, Jon seems more like the villain.
But Robb's situation has changed, so he should stay put and not betray the company.
Furthermore, given that the North and the Riverlands now have an army of over 30,000, Stannis, after careful consideration, decided that if Robb was willing to lay down his crown and submit to him, he could grant him the title of " Prince of the North ".
After all, the last King in the North, Toren Stark, was known as the King of Subjugation three hundred years ago.
The one who accepted the surrender of the King was Aegon the Conqueror, riding the giant dragon Balerion.
However, the Northerners didn't have high hopes for Stannis, especially since he had just suffered a crushing defeat. Only with the unexpected arrival of Jon could he find a place to stay.
Therefore, offering the title of prince as a condition for negotiation can be considered a compromise by both sides.
"Alas— Robb Stark still lacks decisiveness. As king, he is not thorough in many aspects of his actions and is somewhat willful." Davos refers to Robb's marriage to Jeyne. The Westerling incident.
" Robb is only fifteen years old and doesn't have much experience yet. These things can't be entirely blamed on him. If he were to be surrounded by a large group of nobles and become king, I don't think many people could resist such a temptation," Jon retorted to Dao.
"Ah, Jon, you're right." Davos nodded, but then suddenly realized that Jon was only fifteen years old. How could he say something so old-fashioned?
Davos reflected on himself and realized that the main reason was that he had spent too much time with Jon during this period, and even subconsciously thought that a fifteen-year-old should be like him.
Looking back on what Robb did, he was still a very outstanding young man.
If only Stannis could have such an heir, it's just a pity—
An image of a little girl with a large gray scar on her face flashed into Davos's mind; that was Shireen, Stannis's only child.
Shireen was born with gray scales, a contagious disease, which is why she cannot be as affectionate with her parents as other children.
Shireen was even unable to attend the coronation ceremony. This was a decision unanimously agreed upon after discussion.
"Alright, alright, you can take a break now." Arya, experiencing the joy of teaching for the first time, gave the order from afar.
She wanted to talk to Jon, but Jon was still talking to Davos, so she didn't go over. Seeing Sandor standing there like an iron tower, she walked over to Sandor.
Stannis offered quite favorable terms for Riverrun: the Marquis of Old Walder was made a Duke, and the Frey Family was no longer a vassal of the Tully Family, but an equal.
This is essentially a weakening of the Tully Family.
In addition, some Freys will be recruited into the King's Landing Guard, also known as the Gold Cloaks, to become officers.
Because of Jon, the Frey Family also benefited from the war and avoided being wiped out by Arya later on.
Ultimately, it was Stark who broke his alliance with Frey first, but Frey's method of collecting the debt was too crude, or rather, they overreacted.
Jon and Davos' first stop on their mission is Riverrun, where Davos will represent Stannis in bestowing titles upon Old Walder and accepting Old Walder's allegiance to the iron throne.
A mutually beneficial and win-win situation, the Riverrun trip is sure to be easy and enjoyable.
However, Davos had one concern, which was about Jon.
Jon had previously confessed about his relationship with Roslin, but Davos was worried that Jon might call off the wedding.
He decided to give himself a heads-up beforehand.
Jon, about Roslin " As for Young Miss, I don't know if you, Dao, are you—" Davos began cautiously, but his words trailed off mid-sentence.
However, Jon knew what Dao was going to say. Before leaving, he had already written a letter to Roslin to express his apologies.
"Don't worry, Ser Davos, I do indeed trust Roslin." Young Miss still has some lingering feelings, but I won't think about taking anything further. I'm a bastard, and I know what the strange looks from those around Dao mean to a bastard. I will never let my Bloodline endure that again.