Once Ned and his wife had left, the atmosphere in the hall immediately lightened.
Arya, who had been silent the whole time, felt relieved. She had thought her mother was going to scold her again, and it had kept her from enjoying dinner.
Rickon excitedly ran over to Robb and asked him to play knights with him.
Robb patted Rickon on the head and indulgently agreed.
Garon watched it all with a smile.
He looked around the hall and happened to meet Theon Greyjoy's furtive gaze.
Remembering what the Three-Eyed Crow had told him, Garon's eyes suddenly turned dangerous.
Theon shuddered and hurriedly looked away, inexplicably uneasy.
"What does he mean by that?"
"Could he know that I reported to Lady Catelyn?"
"Is he planning to get back at me?"
"No, that can't be!"
"No one else knew about it besides Lady Catelyn and me..."
Afraid someone might discover his secret, Theon didn't dare linger in the hall.
He forced himself to act calm, said goodbye to Robb, then hurried out without looking back.
The scene left Jon deep in thought. He couldn't help turning to glance at Garon.
He saw Garon's lips curl into a knowing smile.
Just as he was about to go over and ask Garon about it, Sansa suddenly looked up and gathered her courage. "Garon..."
Garon's gaze immediately softened. He turned to her and replied, "Lady Sansa, is there anything I can do for you?"
"Would you play a couple of games of chess with me?"
Sansa made her request, then added, "Since you invented Westeros Chess, you must know the rules best."
"Robb's not very good. I want to play a couple of games with you."
As soon as she finished speaking, she seemed afraid Garon would refuse, so she added confidently,
"I've been playing with Jeyne and Beth all day. Neither of them could beat me."
"If even you can't beat me, then Westeros Chess isn't much fun."
Garon was taken aback. In an odd tone, he asked, "Do you mean you want me to play at full strength, Lady Sansa?"
Sansa nodded confidently.
Though she had only been playing for a day, after competing with Robb and the others, she felt she had already mastered all the intricacies of Westeros Chess.
Even though Garon had invented the game, she wasn't intimidated.
Seeing how confident Sansa was, Garon had no choice but to go along with her and agree.
In his previous life, he had taught himself Chess for a while and become quite proficient in some of its tactics.
Back on Blue Star, he wouldn't have dared call himself an expert.
But on the continent of Westeros, Garon felt he was probably unbeatable.
At least, for now.
Once Sansa had fetched the chess set she had left in the corner of the hall, he sat across from her and helped arrange the pieces. Then he smiled and asked once more,
"Are you sure you want me to play at full strength?"
Sansa gave a confident "Mm." She didn't think Garon could be much better than she was.
Still, to be safe, Sansa chose the opening she was best at: playing White.
As the game began, Robb and Rickon, who had been playing noisily, lowered their voices. Jon, Bran, and Arya watched from the sidelines.
When Garon saw her open with the white pawn to e4, he didn't hesitate. He played the black pawn to c5.
Anyone familiar with Chess would have recognized Garon's move as the famous Sicilian Defense.
The two traded moves, neither willing to give ground.
But the balance soon tipped in Garon's favor.
With a variation of the Sicilian Defense, he easily broke through Sansa's defenses.
Then Garon drove his spear straight in, leaving Sansa utterly routed.
Sansa furrowed her brow and pondered hard, trying to turn the game around.
But no matter how hard she racked her brain, she could only watch helplessly as Garon ruthlessly traded away her pieces one after another.
By the time Garon captured her bishop, the game was already all but decided.
Sansa's lone remaining king had nowhere left to retreat.
Even Jon, who didn't know the rules, could see that Garon had utterly crushed her.
Sansa's eyes reddened. Without saying a word, she stared at the board.
She couldn't believe she hadn't been able to put up even the slightest resistance against Garon.
And to think that she had been the one to challenge him before the game began.
Remembering what she had said, Sansa was so embarrassed she could have dug up all of Winterfell with her toes.
"Ha ha..."
Robb stood to one side, laughing delightedly.
Sansa had crushed him that morning, and now he finally got to see Garon completely defeat her.
Jon didn't know what had happened earlier. Seeing Sansa on the verge of tears, he quickly nudged Robb, signaling him to stop gloating.
Garon also gave Robb a helpless look to make him stop laughing, then turned to Sansa and praised her.
"Lady Sansa, I'm impressed you managed to hold out for so long!"
When Sansa still didn't respond, he continued with the compliments. "Most people learning Westeros Chess are doing well if they can memorize the rules on their first day."
"Someone with a little more talent, like Robb, can just barely manage to play against someone else."
"Only someone as clever as you, Lady Sansa, could hold out against my attacks for so long."
"After all, I'm the one who invented Westeros Chess."
His praise finally won Sansa over.
She blinked her bright blue eyes and asked sweetly, "Really?"
Garon gazed at Sansa's lovely, radiant face. His heart stirred, and he became so entranced that he couldn't speak for a moment.
Only when Robb and Jon began teasing him did he come to his senses. He forced himself to stay calm and said,
"Of course. I swear it by the Old Gods!"
As he spoke, Garon's gaze fell on Sansa's eyes again, burning with intensity.
Unable to withstand his searching stare, Sansa quickly turned her head and avoided his eyes.
Meanwhile, Arya, who loved watching the drama unfold, giggled and egged them on. "Look, look! Sansa's blushing!"
Even Rickon, who had been playing by himself, looked over.
Sansa glared angrily at Arya.
If Garon weren't there, she would have stood up and given Arya a proper scolding. But she worried he would think her unladylike if she did.
Fortunately, Old Nan had just walked into the hall and came to Sansa's rescue.
"Lady Sansa, Lady Catelyn wants you to come see her."
Embarrassed and annoyed, Sansa didn't dare stay there any longer. She softly wished Garon good night, then hurried away.
Seeing her flee, Arya laughed even louder.
"Lady Arya, we have a guest here. Do try to behave like a lady."
Old Nan spoke slowly as she led the already drowsy Rickon along. "Lord Robb, I'll take Rickon back first."
"And Bran, you should go back and get some rest too."
Robb and Bran smiled and nodded in agreement.
Once Old Nan had led Rickon and Bran away, Garon gathered the pieces of Westeros Chess one by one and put them back in the wooden box.
Then he handed the box to Robb.
"Robb, please give this to Lady Sansa."
"It's getting late. I'm going to pray in the Godswood, then head back to rest."
Robb took the box. Beside him, Jon asked warmly, "Would you like me to come with you?"
Garon smiled and shook his head, declining Jon's offer to accompany him.
"No need to trouble yourself, Jon. You should hurry back and get some rest too."
He said goodbye to Robb and Jon once more, then turned and leisurely left the hall.
After checking which way to go, Garon headed toward the Godswood alone.
Before you continue