Winterfell, the sewing room.
Garon stood behind Robb, quietly watching him play chess against Sansa.
It was Robb's turn to move.
He had only his king left, cornered by Sansa's two bishops.
Robb furrowed his brow, racking his brains for a way to give his king a chance at survival—at the very least, to force a draw.
But—
Robb was doomed to lose!
Garon was certain of it. He gazed at Sansa, who was in complete control, and looked on in surprise.
He hadn't expected Sansa to have such a talent for chess.
In just a few short games, she had completely figured out Robb's playing style.
Now she had set up the conditions for a two-bishop checkmate, and Robb's king had less and less room to move.
Unless Sansa deliberately went easy on him or forced a draw, Robb was finished.
Sure enough, after Robb cautiously moved his king one square to the right, Sansa immediately moved her bishop with a triumphant air.
"Checkmate!"
"Robb, you lost again!"
Robb sat there in a daze, staring blankly at the board.
Sansa had beaten him so badly that he was starting to question everything.
"It makes no sense. Why do I always end up with nothing but my king?"
Hearing that, Garon could only shake his head in silent disbelief.
Robb played aggressively, always eager to attack and never thinking about defense.
Sansa had taken advantage of that habit to trade off Robb's pieces one by one.
With nowhere left to move, Robb could only lay his king on its side to concede.
Sansa broke into a pleased smile.
"Robb, let's play another game."
When she saw him concede, she hurriedly began setting up the pieces, eager to keep playing.
Clearly, she was already captivated by Westeros Chess.
As she grew more familiar with the game, Sansa became increasingly convinced that Garon had been right: the rules were simple, but the strategies and details of each game were plentiful.
To checkmate an opponent, you needed to think carefully and plan every step.
But unlike Sansa, who loved the game, Robb was starting to lose interest.
He shook his head and said helplessly, "I'm done. I'm done."
He had already lost several games to Sansa. If he kept playing, he still wouldn't win a single one.
Rather than keep getting beaten, he might as well go do something else.
"Huh?"
"While Septa Mordane's away, Robb, play one more game!"
Arya wasn't very interested in Westeros Chess. Compared to a genteel game of chess, she much preferred swordplay.
So as soon as the first game had begun, she had used the opportunity to sneak out again.
Septa Mordane was furious, but thinking of Lady Catelyn's instructions, she had no choice but to go look for Arya. She still hadn't returned.
Sansa knew that once Septa Mordane came back, she wouldn't be able to enjoy herself anymore.
So how could she let Robb leave so easily?
But Robb had already stood up. He made an excuse. "Father asked me to show Garon around Winterfell. I can't spend all my time playing with you."
"Right, Garon?"
With that, he turned to look at Garon behind him and gave him a meaningful glance.
Garon understood and smiled. "That's right. Lord Ned asked Robb to show me around Winterfell."
"But don't be disappointed, Lady Sansa. I'm sure Lady Jeyne and Lady Beth would be happy to take his place."
Garon looked past Sansa at Beth and Jeyne, smiling at them.
Beth Cassel and Jeyne Poole, who had been watching from the sidelines, had been itching to play. Now they eagerly nodded.
Sansa turned to look at her friends. Seeing how eager they were, she thought it over and agreed.
"Then, Lady Sansa, I hope you have a fun time!"
With that, Garon said goodbye to the three girls and prepared to leave with Robb.
But just as he turned, Sansa suddenly called after him. "Lord Garon!"
Garon looked back at her in puzzlement. "Is something the matter, Lady Sansa?"
Sansa shook her head. After hesitating for a long while, she lowered her voice bashfully. "I really like the gift you gave me!"
Garon gazed at the shy Sansa, and his heart stirred.
"I'm glad you like it. That means my gesture wasn't wasted."
His words carried a double meaning. The warmth in his eyes made Sansa turn her head bashfully, avoiding his gaze.
The three watching Robbs immediately wore knowing smiles.
A little while later, Garon bowed slightly, then left the sewing room with Robb.
"Where to now, Robb?"
Garon looked at Robb, feeling cheerful as he asked.
Robb was about to tease him in reply when an argument broke out inside the sewing room.
Jeyne Poole and Beth Cassel were fighting over who would play Sansa first.
"I'm first!"
"No, let me go first!"
"Beth, you couldn't even beat Robb. I should go first."
"That's nonsense! You're the one who couldn't beat Robb..."
Robb's face fell. He had a feeling that news of how he couldn't beat Sansa at chess would soon spread throughout Winterfell.
Garon gave him a strange smile. Clearly, he had thought of the same thing.
"Good luck, Robb!"
Robb shot Garon a speechless look. "This is all your fault."
"By the way, you invented Westeros Chess. You must have some winning strategies, right?"
Garon nodded. Though he had only been an average chess player in his previous life, here he was good enough to be considered the founder of the game.
"Teach me. You have to teach me how to beat Sansa."
Robb looked at him eagerly and leaned close, lowering his voice. "If you teach me how to beat Sansa, I'll take you somewhere nice!"
Garon froze, puzzled. "Where?"
Robb smiled mysteriously but didn't answer.
Garon's curiosity was instantly piqued. "It's a deal!"
"It's a deal."
Robb nodded and smiled. "Come on, I'll show you your room first."
"If anything's missing, I can have the servants bring it up right away."
He turned to lead the way, and Garon followed close behind.
The two chatted as they headed toward the guest chambers in the inner keep.
The closer they got to the guest chambers, the more servants Garon saw. Clearly, they were all busy preparing accommodations for the king and his party.
After walking for more than ten minutes, they finally reached the bedroom Robb had arranged for Garon.
But as soon as they reached the doorway, Garon heard a mature, pleasant female voice coming from the room next door.
"Maester Luwin, please add more candles to Lord Tyrion's room."
"I hear he has a habit of staying up late to read..."
The moment Robb heard the voice, he realized who was in the room next door.
He quickly led Garon over and called out, "Mother!"
"Robb?"
Catelyn was startled and turned to see her son.
She was about to ask why he was here when a tall figure appeared behind him.
Catelyn immediately recognized the figure, and her expression turned cold.
Just as expected.
Robb smiled as he introduced them. "Mother, this is Garon Glover."
"Garon, this is my mother, and this is Maester Luwin."
As soon as Garon entered the room, he noticed Lady Catelyn standing beside the bed and Maester Luwin by the wall.
He hurriedly bowed. "Good day, my lady. Good day, Maester Luwin!"
Maester Luwin's expression was warm as he replied, "Good day, Lord Garon. You must be tired after your journey."
Unlike Maester Luwin's warmth, Catelyn stared coldly at Garon without a word.
The words Theon had said flashed through her mind, and a hint of disgust appeared in her eyes.
The atmosphere in the room immediately dropped to freezing.
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