The military camps around Riverrun shrank rapidly, and the northern troops began to leave in batches, undoubtedly relieving the fortress, which was surrounded by the two rivers, of a huge burden.
Even the city walls seemed to have been stripped of their armor, with the number of flags hanging rapidly decreasing. Even including the Tully Family's fresh fish flag, there are now only a handful left.
Apart from Arya, who kept insisting on staying to fight alongside Jon in the Westerlands, almost everyone wanted to hurry back and sit with their families by the warm fireplace.
Even ordinary soldiers want to go back to their own little nest.
The shadow of war dissipated further, and the country, which had been thrown into chaos by Robert's death, seemed to finally be getting back on track.
Meanwhile, Jon's army had only just set off from King's Landing and would need at least half a month to assemble. As for Highgarden's 10,000-strong army, even if they marched directly to Casterly Rock, it would still take them quite a while.
Jon finally got a rare period of leisure, and during this time, he sought out the famous kingslayer, Jaime Lannister.
" Casterly Rock will never fall, you can't take Casterly Rock!" In the dungeon, the emaciated man, who looked like a vagrant, spoke, and only his facial features could be seen in the lantern light.
Jon sniffed the damp air of the dungeon and remembered how dashing Jaime was when he first met him in Winterfell. Now, his cheeks were sunken and his muscles had atrophied considerably.
Now, upon closer inspection, Jaime not only has a stubble beard, but his blond hair has also lost its luster, and there are even straws stuck in it hiding fleas.
No one would have guessed that the person in front of them was Jaime Lannister, a former Kingsguard who had been personally trained by Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Dawn.
He was captured almost at the very beginning of the war and has been imprisoned ever since.
Because of Robb's coronation, Jon came and left in a hurry last time and didn't get to see Jaime, who had been locked up in the dungeon. Now, with some free time, he finally has the chance to see him.
"The Great Wall is currently short-handed and needs a skilled worker like Jaime."
Jon intends to persuade him to stay on the Great Wall, at least in this timeline, as his right hand is still intact and won't cause his martial arts skills to permanently decline.
After a period of rest and training, he will once again be a top-notch swordsman of Westeros.
"Is that all you're telling me? I protected your sister, and you and her child. If I hadn't intervened, Cersei would have committed suicide by drinking poison, and Myrcella and Tommen probably wouldn't have survived to adulthood. Shouldn't you say a few words of thanks?" Jon wanted to get closer to the cage bars, but was deterred by the smell inside.
After listening to Jon's explanation, Jaime hesitated for a long time before finally speaking: "Thanks, but I still advise you not to get involved with Casterly Rock. Casterly Rock will never—"
"Alright, alright, have you been in the dungeon too long and your language skills have deteriorated?" Jon interrupted him, then brought up the Wall. " Jaime, the reason I came to you is because of the Wall. I saw wights, or White Walkers, or White Walkers, in short, the legendary things on the Wall."
"Are you making fun of me?" Jaime clearly didn't believe Jon's words. After all, this man had killed his son Joffrey and his beloved Uncle Kevan on the battlefield.
"I'd rather die than go to a place like the Great Wall that's full of garbage!" Jaime said resolutely, emphasizing the word "garbage".
In his view, freezing himself in the Great Wall was no different from being dead. Jon remembered Tyrion saying that his older brother Jaime wasn't very bright, but he didn't expect him to be this dim-witted.
He started by mentioning Cersei and the two children, just to let Dao know that there were still things in this world worth caring about, but Dao didn't seem to make any connection to them.
" What about Cersei? What about Myrcella? What about Tommen? If you can do something good on the Wall, maybe they'll have a better life. But if you die, Cersei won't have a single thought left. She can't even heat up a meal, and she might end up selling her body. As for those two children, they won't even get to be Varys's little birds—"
"Stop talking!" Jaime exclaimed, as if pricked by a needle. "I'll just go to the Great Wall then."
Spurred on by Jon, Jaime's almost rusty brain seemed to start working again. He opened his mouth again, but Jon interrupted him.
"I know what you're going to say, Dao, Bran, right? I've asked Cersei to keep this a secret, and I won't tell Catelyn or anyone else. But Bran is now disabled because of you, so Myrcella will take care of him for the rest of his life. Lannister always pays his debts, right?"
Jaime wanted to say something more, but after thinking about it, he nodded.
Having Myrcella serve Bran at least means you don't have to worry about her being bullied. Although Lannister and Stark have become enemies, Stark's character is still trustworthy—at least he wouldn't use the child for personal gain.
After explaining everything, Jon prepared to leave, but Jaime spoke up again, saying to Dao, "You can't take down Casterly Rock."
" Jaime, you personally killed Aerys's men, and as a Kingsguard no less. Even the Dragon King has vanished without a trace, let alone your family hiding in the rocks? Here's what I'll do: after I take Casterly Rock, I won't wipe out the Lannisters. As for what I do, that's none of your business. Just leave with the remaining Northern army tomorrow. Besides, if you really think I can't take Casterly Rock, why keep emphasizing it?"
In the end, Jaime stopped talking. With his limited understanding, he simply couldn't figure out how Jon was going to conquer Casterly Rock.
Finally, Jon spoke up, "Is there anything you want to say to Cersei? I can ask Ser Davos to pass on a message to you."
Robb has relinquished the crown, and Jaime has also left the Riverlands with the last of the Northern army.
Jon originally planned to have Robb write a warrant to release Sam from his oath, ordering him to leave the Wall and stay in Winterfell until Jon captured Casterly Rock and had him come to help him. Jon even wanted Robb to send Aemon Targaryen... Old Maester's oath was also dissolved.
But after careful consideration, he gave up. Sam had gradually found his place and value on the Great Wall.
The reason Maester Aemon was so excited to leave the Great Wall to help Dragon Mother after hearing about her resurgence in Slavers Bay was because they were both Targaryen.
Jon is nobody right now, and it's impossible for him to reveal his true identity. If he were to do that, the two might not appreciate it and he would end up in an awkward situation.
So Jon plans to wait until his territory is stable before secretly bringing Maester Aemon to live in Casterly Rock, just in case he can't find a way to hatch the giant dragon and prove his lineage. But with him as an intermediary, if he wants to seek a connection with the Dragon Mother... Alliance is also more convenient.