Fate at My Back
"Myr's Carpet----"
"Tyrosh's hair dye----"
"Lys wine!"
"Come and see, this is a Japanese product."
King's Landing seems to have regained its former glory.
Street vendors reappeared along the roads, imported goods were transported into the city in an endless stream, and brothels of all sizes in the city reopened.
Street of Steel and Silk Street, these important places, are once again bustling with people.
A carriage entered King's Landing, and Davos and Petyr sat facing each other, both in rather somber moods, as the mission had not yielded the desired results.
Although the House Tyrell expressed their willingness to negotiate, they vehemently opposed Stannis's proposal for a marriage alliance.
This demand seemed excessive to anyone, let alone the Lord Mace, who always held himself in high esteem.
However, Stannis did not reprimand them, but instead put Axell in charge of sending them to the Red Keep.
Axell has now been appointed captain of the guard in King's Landing, and on the way, he told the two about the recent events that had occurred in King's Landing.
When Davos heard that Jon had been legitimized as Stark, he showed a relieved expression and looked at Petyr, saying, "Jon deserves it all."
Petyr smiled and nodded, but his smile was not as composed and reserved as before.
What struck him as odd was that ever since he lost his left hand, he often felt intense pain in it, to the point that he would frequently wake up in the pain at night.
If he doesn't look at his severed limbs and closes his eyes, he feels as if his hand is still there, just tightly clenched, which makes him very uncomfortable.
However, he soon heard something even more upsetting. Axell recounted what had happened to Jon: "That Jon is truly unpredictable. His Majesty bestowed upon him the Lord of Harrenhal, but guess what? He simply ran away in the dead of night!"
If Melisandre hadn't spotted him with her flames, he might already be back at that godforsaken the Wall.
"Sir, why? Why is he unwilling to accept the Duke's bestowal?" Petyr asked, leaning to one side.
The fact that something he desperately wanted was discarded by others made Littlefinger very upset. He even felt like a lowly beggar, and he desperately wanted to know why.
"According to him, he doesn't want to be enemies with Robb, and he believes that as Night's Watch's Watch, he should go to the Wall to fulfill his duty. But His Majesty Stannis has already sent people to confirm with the Wall, and this guy hasn't even sworn an oath. I guess the real reason is that he doesn't want to fight Robb," Axell said, his tone tinged with contempt.
He believed Jon's situation was a case of "loyalty that wasn't absolute, but rather absolute disloyalty."
Unlike him, who was willing to arrest even his own brother, Alester, to demonstrate his loyalty.
However, Davos admired Jon's loyalty and willingness to give up his fiefdom and title for his brother even more.
He believed Jon was definitely going to the Wall because he opposed Robb Stark becoming king and had launched a mutiny at Harrenhal, leaving him with no standing or future at Winterfell.
The three chatted all the way and soon arrived at the Red Keep. Seeing the stag banner with a fiery red heart flying above the castle, Davos felt a little better. He thought that perhaps his four sons hadn't died in vain.
Soon, Davos and Petyr were received by Stannis. Upon meeting Stannis, Davos apologized profusely for failing to complete the task Stannis had given him.
However, Stannis calmly stated that it wouldn't be long before the Queen of Thorns Olenna would come King's Landing Margaery's Landing to meet him, and then they would decide on the marriage.
"Although Olenna brought Margaery to King's Landing, she still hasn't agreed to the marriage. I'm wondering if Tyrell is trying to win Jon over," Stannis said to the two men, or more precisely, to Davos, expressing his concerns.
Davos thought for a moment and then said, "Your Majesty, I believe that if Tyrell truly wants to win Jon over, it will be in vain. Everything Jon has comes from you. He was willing to give up his title for brotherhood, so how could he possibly betray your loyalty because of Tyrell's promise? As long as you trust him and favor him, I believe Jon will definitely repay you."
First impressions are very important, Jon Snow made a very good impression on Davos, who was always willing to talk to the young man.
Petyr watched the conversation between the two, his hatred for Stannis tearing at his insides like a venomous snake, but he had to carefully conceal it at this moment.
Stannis said that someone had recently suggested to him that he might pardon Tywin and allow the Lannister to continue ruling the Westerlands, provided they could pay a large fine for the royal family, in addition to forgiving their debts, and provide more interest-free loans.
Petyr knew that he would soon be removed from the Small Council Stannis and thus removed from the center of power. He decided to take this opportunity to influence Stannis's position as much as possible. He spoke again, "But Your Majesty, if Tywin is allowed to occupy the Westerlands, what if they secretly make peace with Tyrell?"
Petyr's question made Davos uneasy, and in fact, Stannis was also worried about the same thing, but couldn't make up his mind.
He continued, "Your Majesty, how about this? Why don't we ask Jon's opinion? You can offer him the title of Lord of Harrenhal as an option, or—as a safety net—and ask him if he's willing to lead the expedition to the Westerlands. If he succeeds, we can make him Lord of Casterly Rock; if he fails, we can hand Harrenhal over to Jon."
Stannis and Davos exchanged glances; Robb was now independent both in name and in fact.
The Reach is powerful and densely populated, but its problem is that it has no natural defenses. If it could be backed by the Westerlands, this weakness would be made up.
They felt even more confident in challenging us, and it seemed that it was safer to keep the Westerlands in our own hands.
Seeing that the two seemed somewhat interested, Petyr decided to add fuel to the fire, "Your Majesty, since the Queen of Thorns and Margaery are coming to King's Landing, why don't you add a clause to the peace terms that you don't force a marriage alliance, but instead have them help Jon attack the Westerlands, just as we discussed on Dragonstone? This would also weaken the Reach's strength. If Tyrell were to perish in the campaign, we wouldn't have to worry about the possibility of Westerlands - Reach alliance for a long time."
Although Davos disliked Petyr's suggestion, he found it insidious and malicious.
However, the risk of a renewed alliance between the Tyrell and Lannister is looming large and cannot be ignored.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should ask Jon's opinion?" Davos asked hesitantly.
When Jon saw Stannis again, Davos was still with him, but Petyr had been sent away.
Upon seeing Jon, Davos immediately adopted an expression of admiration and satisfaction.
Jon responded to him, but when he looked at Stannis, the king, whose hair was thinning considerably, remained expressionless as always.
"Your Majesty." Jon bowed slightly to Stannis.
"Jon," Stannis began, "You told me before that you ran away because you didn't want to be enemies with Robb, right?"
--
"Yes, Your Majesty," Jon admitted immediately.
"I don't want the war in this country to continue any longer. I understand your feelings that you don't want to go to war with Robb, but I have one condition, or rather, I have a task for you. If you can complete it, I don't want to see fratricide happen."
Upon hearing Stannis's words, Jon immediately bowed and declared, "Your Majesty, please ask, and I will certainly do as Your Majesty commands."
Seeing Jon's expression, Stannis was displeased but said nothing. Instead, he said, "I need you to persuade Robb to relinquish his crown and submit to me."
Stannis gave the order, but Jon did not respond immediately, and a brief silence fell over the room.
This made Davos, who was standing to the side, a little anxious. He thought to himself, "Jon can't keep letting Stannis give in, can he?"
Fortunately, after half a minute, Jon finally spoke, "Your Majesty, I can try. If Robb is unwilling to relinquish the crown, then let me lead the army there. If fate makes me a kinslayer—please let me return to the Wall."
Why are you bringing up the Wall again!
Davos smiled bitterly to himself, feeling somewhat helpless.
In his view, Jon was in a moral dilemma because of his identity, and Davos felt genuinely sorry for the young man.
Stannis hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement. He added, "I actually originally intended to promote you to Lord of Casterly Rock— "
Stannis was only halfway through his sentence when Jon was struck by a jolt. Hadn't all this trouble been for this?
It seems Varys ' intelligence was quite reliable.
"The Westerlands are still in the hands of traitors. If you can persuade Robb to submit to me, then I will declare you the next Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West. Also, I know you don't have many soldiers under your command, so I will send troops to assist you."
Since Stannis had put it that way, Jon naturally had to respond, "If I can successfully persuade Robb to submit, I will certainly reclaim the Westerlands from the traitor for His Majesty!"
"Hmm." Stannis nodded in response. "There's one last thing: your marriage. I must decide your marriage. You are not allowed to disobey your king again."
Jon nodded, then confessed about his relationship with Roslin: "I have corresponded with Lady Roslin of House Frey, but my father has passed away, and my mother is probably long gone as well. It would be best if His Majesty could arrange for me to marry Lady Roslin, but if His Majesty has another choice, then I will follow that arrangement."
Stannis stared at Jon for a couple of seconds, then said, "Alright, I got it. You can go now." With that, Stannis waved his hand impatiently.
Jon had barely turned around and taken two steps when he turned back and asked, "By the way, Your Majesty, I—I'm still Stark, right?"
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