The King Arrives

By the time Bran stood atop the castle walls and caught sight of the royal procession, it was already nearing noon.

The column of three hundred men stretched out in a grand, sweeping line, resembling a brilliant river forged from gold, silver, and steel.

Free riders held aloft a dozen golden banners embroidered with the crowned stag, galloping ahead across the grey plains to clear the path.

Behind the vanguard of knights, a luxurious carriage pulled by at least twenty or thirty horses caught Bran's eyes.

Bran couldn't help but let out a low cry; he had never seen such a massive carriage before and couldn't resist cheering from the wall.

The sound drew the attention of Garon and Jon, who were preparing to head to the castle's south gate to welcome the guests.

The two looked up and immediately spotted Bran's figure.

"Bran, get down here, quickly!"

"The King is almost here, we need to hurry over to greet him!"

Garon shouted up at Bran on the castle wall.

Hearing the voice, Bran looked down at the two of them. "Wait for me, I'm coming down right now!"

With that, he nimbly stepped onto the protruding stones of the wall and began to climb down.

In the blink of an eye, Bran appeared on the wall just above Garon.

When he was about a meter from the ground, Garon stepped forward, caught him, and set him down on the earth.

"Jon, Garon!"

"I just saw the banners of the crowned stag, and... and..."

"A carriage that was so, so big!"

Bran's face was flushed with excitement as he gestured wildly, describing the scene he had just witnessed.

"That is the Queen's carriage. She is a Lannister, the wealthiest of all the Lannisters!"

Garon explained with a smile, then said to the two, "Let's go, Lord Ned and the others must have arrived already!"

Jon and Bran nodded, and the three of them walked together toward the south gate of Winterfell.

It was just as Garon had said.

By the time the three reached the south gate, Lord Ned Stark and his wife had just arrived, accompanied by Robb and Sansa.

"Lord Ned, Lady Catelyn!"

Garon and Jon stepped forward to salute. Ned nodded slightly, offering them a faint smile.

Catelyn glanced at them, but her attention immediately shifted to Bran, where she instantly noticed the dirt stains on his clothes.

"Bran, have you been climbing the walls again?"

"Didn't you promise me you wouldn't climb the walls anymore!"

Hearing his mother's angry tone, Bran realized he was in trouble and quickly looked toward Robb for help.

To his dismay, Robb just chuckled, looking on with amusement.

Seeing that his older brother was no help, Bran looked to Ned.

Ned shook his head slightly, coming to his rescue.

"Cat, the King is coming. Scold him later."

"All of you, get ready."

Hearing this, Catelyn had no choice but to find a rag and wipe the most obvious dirt stains off Bran's clothes.

Taking this opportunity, Garon and Jon, who had been ignored by Catelyn, exchanged a look of shared sympathy before walking behind Robb.

Garon nodded in greeting to Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik on his left, while Jon stood to Garon's right.

Once they were settled, Sansa turned her head to glance at Garon. Garon noticed her movement instantly and gave her a slight smile.

Sansa didn't dare look again; she shyly stared straight ahead, a hint of sweetness rising in her heart.

Beside her, Arya didn't tease her sister as she usually did; she was currently busy pestering Bran, asking if he had seen The Imp.

"Clang, clang, clang..."

Soon, as the bells of Winterfell rang out, it signaled that the royal procession had entered the Winter Town.

"Prepare to welcome the King!"

Ned Stark surveyed the crowd with a solemn expression, and everyone present grew serious as well.

Garon's eyes revealed his anticipation. He stood there quietly, gazing at the south gate of the castle, waiting for the arrival of King Robert.

About five minutes passed.

Garon could already hear the clear sound of hooves. They're here! he thought to himself.

Sure enough, the next moment.

Two knights holding the golden banners of the crowned stag rode into the castle first.

Behind them, King Robert arrived on horseback, flanked by two Kingsguard in snow-white cloaks, and pulled up before Ned.

"Your Grace!"

Ned immediately dropped to one knee.

Instantly, everyone present followed suit and knelt as well.

Taking advantage of the moment while kneeling, Garon lifted his head slightly, observing the scene with a calm, unreadable expression.

Seeing the imposing King Robert, who commanded the obedience of all, his heart was filled with yearning.

A real man should be like this!

Robert did not notice Garon in the back row; his gaze was fixed firmly on Ned, his eyes brimming with nostalgia.

He vaulted off his horse, strode forward, pulled Ned to his feet, and embraced him tightly without a moment's hesitation.

"Ned!"

"Ah, it is good to see you!"

At this, Ned could not help but smile as well: "And you, Your Grace!"

The two men pulled apart, letting out hearty laughs.

Taking this opportunity, the welcoming party of Winterfell stood up one after another.

Watching the scene from the original story unfold, a strange feeling welled up in Garon's heart.

Robert looked him over carefully from head to toe, "Look at that face of yours, frozen purple—you haven't changed a bit."

Ned lowered his gaze, noticing Robert's unmistakable paunch, and thought: You, on the other hand, have changed so much I almost didn't recognize you.

But since Robert was the King, he could not speak his mind, so he only smiled and said: "Winterfell is at your command, Your Grace!"

At this moment.

Queen Cersei Lannister, accompanied by her children and the Kingsguard Jaime Lannister, also arrived before Ned.

The carriage she had traveled in was too massive to enter Winterfell, so it had to be left at the gates.

Therefore, Cersei had no choice but to lead her children in on foot.

The Imp Tyrion had ridden over on horseback; with the help of his squire, he hopped to the ground and began observing everything in Winterfell with curiosity.

Seeing the Queen arrive, Ned knelt on one knee again to kiss the ring on Cersei's hand.

Robert, meanwhile, embraced Catelyn as if she were a long-lost sister.

Next, the children from both sides were brought forward to be introduced to one another.

When Joffrey was introduced, Sansa looked curiously at the blond prince draped in a red cloak before her.

He is much thinner than Garon, looking as if a gust of wind could knock him over.

And he doesn't seem very easy to get along with...

Having already given her heart to Garon, Sansa had lost the "prince filter" she held for Joffrey in the original story, and she sensed at a glance that the prince before her was even more arrogant than Theon.

Joffrey noticed Sansa as well, the corners of his mouth curling up into what he considered a perfectly arrogant smile.

Sansa responded with a polite but distant smile.

Garon stood in the back row, staring coldly at Joffrey until a nudge from Jon reminded him to restrain himself.

Perhaps his gaze had been too brazen, for Jaime Lannister, clad in his white cloak, took notice of Garon.

He looked at Garon, a thoughtful expression flashing in his eyes.

Just then, having finished introducing his family, Robert looked at Ned: "Take me down to your crypts; I want to pay my respects."

Before Ned could speak, Cersei interjected from the side: "We have been traveling for a month; there is no need to be in such a rush to see the dead..."

But before she could finish, Robert cut her off with a cold glare.

Jaime, standing nearby, had no time to spare for Garon; he squeezed Cersei's hand, signaling her not to continue.

Once Cersei fell silent, Robert looked back at Ned.

Ned nodded apologetically to the Queen, then led Robert toward the family crypts.

Seeing the two men leave, Catelyn put on a smile as if nothing were amiss and stepped forward to arrange lodgings for the Queen and the nobles who had come from afar.

Winterfell suddenly became bustling with activity.