Undercurrents in King's Landing
The war seemed to have truly subsided, and the port of River Gate returned to its former bustling state. Merchants, with their keen sense of smell, brought in a large influx of supplies and goods, and prices in King's Landing's Landing stabilized once again.
However, the prices remained high, and Jon had little spare money. As a result, the thousands of prisoners held in Rhaenys's Hill, also known as Dragonpit, were kept alive with only one meal a day.
At the Old Gate to the north, near Rhaenys's Hill, a long procession was ready to see off Jon and Haken other warriors from the Mountain Clans.
"Don't worry, sir. With these armors and weapons, we can take down not only tribes like the Black Ears, but even the the Eyrie!" Having actually seen many big battles, Haken was extremely smug.
"Alright, I'll have Sir Romm accompany you. Listen to his advice. I don't want greater victories, but fewer casualties. Go back and prepare well. Once my fief is secured, I'll send someone to fetch you, and you'll no longer need to live on the mountain," Jon instructed. Romm was a knight of House Darry, young and strong, and a prudent man. With him around, there would be fewer unexpected incidents.
"Yes!" Haken nodded vigorously. He felt much better since coming down the mountain.
Having witnessed the splendor of King's Landing, who would want to return to living in a remote mountain village?
Soon, more than 1,700 warriors from the Mountain Clans set off northward toward the Vale, singing the military songs Jon had taught them.
Jon had promised the Mountain Clans that once he acquired the land, he would bring them out of poverty and prevent them from having to make a living in the remote mountains.
But they could also become the biggest flaw in Jon's character design. What if someone accidentally let slip something like Sola did? Wouldn't that ruin the whole thing?
So Jon arranged for them to leave first. If the timing was right, it should be after Jon's fiefdom was settled, and Haken and his men had just conquered the Mountain Clans and then moved away together.
Watching the departing army, Jon turned to look at Harrion. "The House Karstark is still loyal to the King in the North," he thought. Jon's proclamation to the Seven Kingdoms had already been sent to Dragonstone.
In other words, Stannis could arrive at any time, and to avoid embarrassment or even conflict, Harrion indicated that he needed to leave as soon as possible.
"Jon, I'm planning to leave with the family army the day after tomorrow. Are you really not planning to go back?"
"The Wall? I'll go back after I hand King's Landing over to Stannis."
"Are you really going back to the Wall?" Harrion couldn't understand why Jon was doing this.
Jon has been saying he wants to return to the Wall ever since Sandor the Hound. This characterization needs to be established, and it shouldn't just be an act in front of Stannis.
"I have avenged Lord Eddard. There is nothing left for me in the South, so of course I must return," Jon said with a faint smile.
Harrion initially wanted to say that Jon had done such a great service that it was completely undeserved, but after thinking about it, he decided against it, as he had already said it countless times before.
"Alright, Jon, I'll take all the troops from Dreadfort. You can have all the troops from Karhold for now. I'll also take a portion of Severn 'Earl and White Harbor's troops, since you'll be left alone in King's Landing— "
"Okay, thank you, Harrion."
"Don't say that, Jon. You saved us all. I saw with my own eyes how huge the army in the Reach was. I can't even imagine what would have happened if we had stayed at Harrenhal. The armies of Tyrell and Lannister would probably be marching on us by now," Harrion said sincerely.
"Jon, if you really want to go back to the Wall, you might as well leave a seed—"
Jon ignored it and returned to King's Landing's Landing with Martin and his retinue, heading back to the Great Sept of Baelor.
The Great Sept of Baelor is located in the Visenya's Hill, surrounded by a large square of white marble.
A statue of Baelor Targaryen stands in the center of the square; he appears more like a monk than a king.
This guy is quite a character; he claims that to prevent himself from indulging in lust, he locked his three sisters in Maidenvault.
Around the statue were the marching tents that Jon had ordered to be erected, where he personally took on some temporary administrative duties. Jon was keeping vigil for Eddard here, and the center of power in King's King's Landing had temporarily shifted from the Red Keep to the Great Sept.
The Great Sept was surrounded by Jon's most trusted Winterfell soldiers and veterans of the Mountain Clans.
"My lord." It was Old York who spoke. He always looked guilty whenever he saw Jon because he had failed to keep an eye on Arya.
"Let's leave Arya for now. I'm currently procuring the grain I promised to give to the Mountain Clans, and you'll be in charge of escorting it. Old York, you're one of the people I trust most."
"Don't worry, my lord, even if I die on the way, I will get their food!" Seeing that Jon not only did not blame him but also encouraged him, Old York felt even more ashamed.
Continuing onward, through a long corridor adorned with colored glass spheres, you arrive at the sanctuary of the Great Sept. Hundreds of candles illuminate the sanctuary, surrounding the central altar, where Eddard Stark's ashes and the clothes he wore in life are placed.
Only after Jon had completely taken control of Tyrion's King's Landing did he realize that the reason Tyrion hadn't returned Eddard's orphan as originally planned was because Jon had fought too fiercely in the Riverlands. The Lannister had lost the composure they possessed in the original timeline.
Upon entering the Great Sept, a small, wildcat-like figure flashed by and quickly knelt beside Sansa was dressed in plain white.
It was Arya. When Jon entered, she didn't say anything, but just knelt on the cushion with her head down.
Just two days ago, Arya and Old York arrived in King's Landing one after the other. Arya, who had originally planned to surprise Jon, was publicly berated by Jon.
She hadn't spoken to Jon for two days.
If he doesn't want to talk, then he doesn't want to talk; Jon doesn't mind.
The biggest problem now is Sansa. Killing Joffrey hasn't cheered her up; she still has no appetite, not even for her favorite lemon cake.
"Jon." Seeing Jon arrive, Sansa spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, "When are we going home?"
Upon hearing that she was going home, Arya quietly turned her head away.
Jon looked at Sansa. Before Eddard planned to stage a coup to control Cersei, he had already planned to secretly send his two daughters away.
At that time, Sansa was completely unaware of her situation and was still determined to stay at court and marry Joffrey.
After suffering both mental and physical torment, I finally realized that home is the best and warmest place.
"Ser Harrion will be leaving with his army in a couple of days. You and Arya can go with him. First, head to Riverrun. Lady Catelyn and Arya should be there." Jon stroked her head, tidying her slightly disheveled hair.
Arya, who was standing nearby, couldn't help but feel jealous, since Jon used to only ruffle her hair.
"And what about you?" Sansa asked.
Jon was the one who dispelled the darkness for her when she was most insecure and fearful, and thus a very deep attachment was formed between them in just a few days.
Leaving Jon always made her feel very uneasy.
"Me? I must hand over King's Landing to His Majesty Stannis intact."
"Then I'll wait for you, let's go home together."
"No problem." Jon smiled and pulled his hand away, only to find a few long, maroon hairs clinging to it. He showed them to Sansa: "Look at you, you haven't been eating properly lately, and you're starting to lose your hair, aren't you? Be careful you don't end up bald like Thoros!"
Upon hearing that her beloved hair might fall out, Sansa immediately said she was hungry, so Jon ordered someone to prepare food.
"Jon, I'm losing some hair too." Finally, Arya could no longer suppress her jealousy and spoke to Jon.
"Okay, I learned how to steam bread on the Wall," the brother and sister said, putting the unpleasant matter behind them, and everything returned to normal.
At that moment, Monde rushed in from outside and said, "My lord, a person who appears to be a dwarf appeared from the Flea Bottom and then left on a ship of the Free Cities."
Jon knew that only Varys in King's King's Landing could pull off such a feat.
But he also knew that this time it wasn't like the previous time when Tyrion made Tywin Tyrion eat his own shit in the stone chamber; the Westerlands were still in Lannister's hands, and he still had a way out.
However, King's Landing is now under his control, and Tyrion cannot reach the Westerlands without an escort. Going to the Free Cities is merely a way to avoid trouble.
Only after I conquer the Westerlands will he wholeheartedly follow Young Griff to find Daenerys.
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