When Jon and Davos left the hall, Ramsay remained standing outside the door, his cheek so swollen that he could barely open one eye.
" Jon, actually, I don't think things are that serious. Balon was once a king too. Even if Robb didn't make the right decision, as long as he's willing to surrender and hand over the crown, that's fine. His wife is already pregnant, isn't she? He can be taken to King's Landing as a hostage." Davos tried to persuade Jon not to be so extreme.
"Hmm." Jon nodded, knowing he had acted quite well. It would be best to persuade Robb to go back and deal with the Wildlings ' affairs first.
The two men didn't know how long Dao had been standing there, but in any case, there was a constant stream of heated arguments and even curses coming from the hall behind him. Finally, a series of footsteps approached, and Robb, followed by Catelyn and Jeyne, arrived before Jon and Davos with a group of lords.
But he was still wearing a crown.
Robb came up to Jon, opened his arms and hugged him tightly, remaining silent for a long time.
This left Jon somewhat undecided, when he suddenly heard Robb whisper in his ear, "This crown is so heavy, Jon."
After saying that, he put his hands on Jon's shoulders and said, "Thank you for bringing the sisters back."
Jon still didn't quite understand Robb's meaning, but he glanced at the expressions of Catelyn, Edmure, Rickard, Brynden, and others behind him out of the corner of his eye.
Greatjon isn't here!
Jon felt relieved upon noticing this detail. The next second, Robb was about to remove his crown and kneel down, while the expressions of the lords behind him were not very pleasant.
Jon quickly caught him and turned to Davos, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness doesn't need to kneel, right?"
"A prince?"
Everyone was puzzled. A prince? What prince?!
Only then did Davos realize that he had forgotten to mention something very important.
"I'm so sorry," Davos said, somewhat flustered, as he produced a warrant and addressed the crowd: "In the name of Stannis Baratheon I, King of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the entire realm, the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Robb Stark is hereby granted the title of Prince of the North!"
"Your Highness!"
Upon hearing this title, the expressions of the feudal lords visibly softened.
During the Targaryen era, Westeros had at most two princes.
One was the Prince of Dorne. Dorne resisted fiercely even after the other six kingdoms had submitted to the Dragon King. The Targaryen won them over with a marriage alliance and promised them the title of Prince and a relatively independent status, which finally made Dorne also pledge allegiance to the Iron Throne.
Over the next century, people in the North often thought that if Toren hadn't surrendered so readily, and had fought for a while longer, they might have also earned a princely title.
When Davos read out the decree, everyone felt that their efforts had not been in vain.
Catelyn even smiled at her daughter-in-law Jeyne, and the two women even showed a sense of relief at surviving a disaster.
Seeing that the mission was perfectly accomplished, Davos happily said, " Your Highness, now everything is fine. Mothers will not lose their sons, wives will not lose their husbands, sons will not lose their fathers, and brothers will still be brothers."
" Long live the prince of the north!"
" Long live Robb Stark!"
" Long live Jon Stark!"
"
The soldiers of Riverrun erupted in heartfelt cheers, scattering the crows, and the sun pierced through the clouds, further dispelling the shadows of war.
After the banquet, the Stark sat together again, without Brynden, without Edmure, and even Davos made time for them.
Inside the room, Jon, Robb, Catelyn, Jeyne, Sansa, and Arya sat by the fireplace, reminiscing about the past.
Jeyne was already showing when Jon asked Robb, "Have you decided on a name for the baby yet? "
"If it's a boy, we'll call him Eddard." Robb smiled at Jeyne, then at Catelyn. "If it's a girl, perhaps we could call her Lyanna, in memory of our aunt."
When the conversation turned to their future children, Margaery inevitably came up, and Jon took the opportunity to tell them about his and Tyrell's wedding plans.
If you conquer Casterly Rock, you can get married there; if you fail, you have to go to Highgarden.
" Jon, I was able to penetrate the West Frontier thanks to Grey Wind discovering a hidden path, which Tywin has probably blocked by now. If you want to attack the West Frontier, you either have to break through Casterly Rock head-on, or you have to take a long detour from the south. But if you do that, you will definitely encounter a lot of resistance, and in the end you will still have to face Casterly Rock." Robb said to Dao with great concern.
Jeyne, who was standing nearby, also noticed that her husband seemed much more relaxed and talkative after he took off his crown.
At this moment, Catelyn couldn't help but speak up, saying, "Yes, Jon, Harrenhal is actually quite good, three times larger than Winterfell. Daven is now guarding Casterly Rock. Rickard killed his father on the battlefield, and he's determined to avenge him. Tywin has also returned to the Westerlands, and the entire Westerlands obeys his commands. The Westerlands is unlike any other place. Tywin has already shown his cruelty as soon as he became Lord of Casterly Rock. Do you know about the rainy season in Craster May? The Mayes Family, a legion of over a thousand years, was wiped out by him! He's a formidable opponent!" Since Jon's heartfelt words, Catelyn hoped Jon would be more cautious and prioritize his own life.
"Thank you for your concern, Lady Catelyn, but I believe there is no family that lasts forever. Tywin is ruthless and cruel, but he is old. The nobles and elites of the West have suffered heavy losses in this war and are now weak. Not to mention Lannister, even the gods bowed down in the era when the Targaryen dragon soared. And what was the result? They are all gone now. Only the legendary Targaryen princess is stranded overseas. There is no invincible opponent. Tywin's many sins in the Riverlands must be paid for with blood!" Jon said resolutely to Dao.
Sansa felt a little scared when she saw the light and shadow dancing on Jon's face, while Arya was eager to try it out.
Seeing the strange looks he was getting, Jon tried to ease the tension: "Don't worry, Robb, Mrs. Catelyn, I know what I'm doing. Please be sure to attend my wedding as an elder."
"Don't worry, I definitely will, " Catelyn solemnly assured Jon.
" Jon, how about I leave you five thousand troops to help you conquer the West?" Robb said generously, but Jon refused.
Jon believed that these soldiers who had experienced the entire war were already considered elite, and would naturally be good to use.
The problem is that they have been away from home for too long, and it is unknown how long it will take to conquer the western border. If war-weariness spreads among them, it will affect morale.
"No need, Robb. These Northern Soldiers have been away from home for too long and too far. You should take them back. I have already recruited a group of Western soldiers, and House Tyrell will also send troops to help me. Tywin is just temporarily conscripting Soldiers, and they are all untrained and unbrave recruits. It's not about the quantity of soldiers, but the quality. I have enough manpower."
Finally, Jon talked to Robb about the Wildlings, asking him how he planned to deal with it. The Nights Watch's plea for help wasn't just sent to Dragonstone and King's Landing; it had been received by almost all the major lords.
Robb excitedly declared, "Those mere savages, at least they killed their king beyond the Great Wall!" Mance Rayder, then just send them back.
But Jon offered a different perspective. Catelyn realized that Jon and Robb had something important to discuss, so she took Sansa with her. Jeyne has left.
" Robb, these wildlings are people too. There must be a reason why they suddenly launched such a large-scale attack on the Wall. I hope you can focus on appeasement and find them a place to settle down. I know this might put pressure on the food supply in the North, but what if they turn into White Walkers?"
"White Walkers!?" Robb had always considered White Walkers as mere legends. " Jon, are you talking about the legendary White Walkers?"
"That's right, I saw them on the Great Wall! Not long before I received the news of my father's framing, several Night Watches who went deep into the borderlands with Uncle Banyan disappeared for a long time. In the end, we only found the bodies of these Night Watches. As for Uncle Banyan, there was no news of him. For some reason, the bodies of these Night Watches all turned into monsters that only knew how to kill. They felt no pain when stabbed with swords. Only by burning them or cutting off their heads could we truly kill them."
As a Transmigrator, Jon naturally knew about the White Walkers' weaknesses from the very beginning.
He devised a plan to deal with the White Walker-turned-corpses on the Wall, and although he didn't swear an oath, he was effectively Commander-in-Chief. Jeor Mormont is interested.
Jeor Mormont could tell that Jon was postponing his oath, but he just couldn't bear to see him leave. That was why the Commander-in-Chief was so annoyed when Jon left the Great Wall that day.
Seeing Jon talking about these things with such a serious expression, Robb looked very surprised and even swallowed hard, saying to Dao, " Jon, you must be joking, right?"
" Robb, if even you think so, what do you think the attitudes of the lords in the south would be?"
"It is Winterfell's responsibility to guard the North. I need your assurance that you will take this matter seriously and not take any chances!" Jon said, leaning close to Robb's face.
"I, I understand. "
"Those Wildlings are enemies, but they are enemies who can become friends. Our differences with the Wildlings are at most about fighting for food, but what the White Walkers want to fight us for is life! Think of our sister, think of the child in Jeyne's womb, Robb, you are not going home, but heading to another battlefield!"
Even with the crackling of the fire right next to him, Robb felt a chill run down his spine as Jon warned him.
As a military genius, he certainly knew how terrifying an enemy like Dao was—an enemy that could only be killed by burning or beheading.
Fortunately, Jon gave him another piece of information— Dragon Crystal.
" Dragon crystals, also known as obsidian, from Dragonstone seem to have a special effect on these White Walkers. I will have His Majesty Stannis mine Dragon crystals on a large scale at Dragonstone and transport them to Winterfell and the Wall."
Upon hearing that obsidian could kill White Walkers, Robb's tense expression relaxed somewhat.
Finally, Jon suggested that it would be best to also dispose of the bodies in the Winterfell crypt to avoid any accidents.
However, Jon miscalculated this point, because Robb said that most of the remains in the burial pit had long since turned to ash, and it would not be a good thing to disturb the ancestors rashly.
In the end, the two decided to place a Dragon Crystal into the mouth of their ancestor's remains just in case.
"Alright, Robb, there's one more thing I need to tell you: under no circumstances should you trust Mrs. Catelyn's childhood friend, Petyr Baelish. You can use him, but never give him any trust!"
This time Robb didn't ask why, but simply agreed.
He might still be somewhat unwilling to admit defeat in military command, but when it comes to understanding people's hearts, he acknowledges that Jon is superior to him.