Prince of the North
Crops have been replanted in the open fields, though they are sparse and scattered, showing that they are the survivors of the destruction.
The sparse crops resembled the lonely wisps of smoke rising from distant farmhouses.
The skeletons that used to be scattered along the roads are gone, and the village has regained its vitality.
The wounds of war seemed to be healing, but the overall feeling was still somewhat desolate. A group of about twenty people were walking on the main road when they suddenly stopped and decided to rest for a while.
Arya was the first to jump down from the carriage, turning back to the slow-moving Sansa and saying, "Sansa, are you still going to practice your sword?!"
"Coming, coming," Sansa responded from inside the carriage, but she was still a little shy. She kept adjusting the narrow sleeves of her training clothes, feeling very uncomfortable without the flowing of wide sleeves and a long skirt.
Jeyne, also dressed in her training clothes, followed behind her, intending to study with Sansa.
After experiencing this series of events in King's Landing, Sansa also realized the importance of practicing martial arts.
The thought of wielding swords and spears like Arya still made him feel a little guilty.
But Jon encouraged her, saying that more exercise could improve her skin, so Sansa decided to learn Arya's Water Dance.
However, Sansa's athletic talent was clearly inferior to Arya's. She and Jeyne ventured into an unfamiliar territory and experienced Arya's predicament in the needlework class.
"Sansa, Jeyne, can't you put a little more force into it?! Your movements are so weak you can't even pierce a piece of paper!"
Sansa, move faster!
"Sansa, when you thrust forward, you must also step forward."
"Sansa, you're moving like a duck!"
Sansa ----
Arya experienced a mischievous pleasure, finally making Sansa cry.
"I don't want to practice anymore!" Sansa threw down the wooden sword in her hand and turned to go back to the carriage.
Seeing Sansa leave, Jeyne also chose to leave, both of them finding Arya's oppressive teaching style unbearable.
Sandor, watching the three playfully interacting from a short distance away, merely chuckled slightly before shifting his gaze to Jon and Davos, who were conversing by the river.
Jon set off almost immediately after being betrothed to Margaery by Davos, accompanied only by a dozen or so attendants and guards.
The army is still being reorganized. The army of King's Landing will not set out until Jon settles things with Robb.
The army that Jon Snow sent out this time numbered over eight thousand, not counting those who returned to Hakensola in the Moon Mountains.
In addition, Stannis provided support with about three thousand men. In fact, he did not reduce his force from more than twenty thousand to only about two thousand men on the Blackwater.
Most of them were simply captured.
Stannis currently has over 10,000 troops at his disposal, and they are rapidly recovering.
In addition to Stannis supporting Jon's army, the House Frey will also support Jon with a thousand men. Stannis has completely pardoned the House Frey for their previous support of Robb's ascension to the throne and has brought them into his new court.
At this point, Jon had already told Davos about Robb, Catelyn, Brynden, and some other North nobles, and the two were analyzing their attitudes toward ending independence and how to deal with it.
"You mean Brynden might be the most stubborn one of them?" Davos asked thoughtfully.
"Yes, Brynden and his Hoster Tully both adhere to the House Tully motto—family, honor, duty. Brynden left Riverrun for the Vale only because he refused the marriage arranged for him by the family. When Tywin ravaged the Riverlands, he rushed back almost immediately. If Robb were to give up his claim to the throne, Riverrun would essentially lose the North as its support, but the threat from the Westerlands is very real."
Where is Lady Catelyn?
"Lady Catelyn's attitude towards children is no less than, and perhaps even more so than, Cersei's. I think she is inclined towards peace talks; she wasn't actually that supportive of Robb's ascension to the throne at the beginning."
Jon and Davos then analyzed some centrists, such as Roose Bolton. In this timeline, Roose Bolton hadn't yet had the chance to do anything bad.
At most, one could say that he wasn't decisive enough, and that one shouldn't presume guilt. In comparison, Jon seems more like the villain.
But Robb's situation has changed, so he should stay put and not betray the company.
Furthermore, given that there were still over 30,000 troops in the North and the Riverlands, Stannis, after careful consideration, decided that if Robb was willing to lay down his crown and submit to him, he could grant him the title of "Prince of the North".
After all, Torrhen Stark, the last King in the North three hundred years ago, was known as the King of Subjugation.
The Aegon the Conqueror, riding the dragon Balerion.
However, the North didn't have high hopes for Stannis, especially since he had just suffered a crushing defeat. It was only because of Jon that he had a place to stay.
Therefore, offering the title of prince as a condition for negotiation can be seen as a compromise by both sides.
"Alas— Robb Stark is still somewhat indecisive. As king, he has acted in many ways without sufficient foresight and has been somewhat willful." Davos was referring to Robb's marriage to Jeyne Westerling.
"Robb is only fifteen years old and doesn't have much experience yet. These things can't be entirely blamed on him. If he were to be surrounded by a large group of nobles and become king, I don't think many people could resist such a temptation," Jon retorted.
"Ah, Jon, you're right." Davos nodded, but then suddenly realized that Jon was only fifteen years old. How could he say something so mature?
Davos reflected on himself, mainly because he had spent too much time with Jon during this period, and even subconsciously believed that a fifteen-year-old should look like him.
Looking back on what Robb did, he was still a very outstanding young man.
If only Stannis could have such an heir, it's just a pity...
Davos's mind conjured up an image of a little girl with a large gray scar on her face— Stannis's only child, Shireen.
Shireen was born with Greyscale, a contagious Greyscale, which prevented Shireen from being as affectionate with her parents as other children.
Shireen was even unable to attend the coronation ceremony. This was a decision unanimously agreed upon after discussion.
"Alright, alright, you can take a break now." From afar, Arya, experiencing the joy of teaching for the first time, gave the order.
She wanted to talk to Jon, but Jon was still talking to Davos, so she didn't go over. Seeing Sandor standing there like an iron tower, she walked over to Sandor.
Stannis offered quite favorable terms for the Twins: the Old Walder Marquis Walder was granted the title of Duke, and the House Frey would no longer be vassals of the House Tully, but rather equals.
This is essentially a weakening of the House Tully.
In addition, the King's Landing Guard, also known as the Gold Cloaks, will also recruit some House Frey as officers.
Because of Jon, the House Frey also benefited from the war and avoided the fate of being wiped out by Arya later on.
Ultimately, it was the Stark who broke their alliance with House Frey first, but House Frey's methods of collecting the debt were far too crude, or rather, they overreacted.
Jon and Davos' first stop on their mission is the Twins, where Davos will represent Stannis in bestowing the title of Old Walder and accepting Old Walder's allegiance to the Iron Throne.
Both sides will benefit from this mutually beneficial trip, and the Twins's visit is sure to be easy and enjoyable.
However, Davos had one concern, which was about Jon.
Jon had previously confessed his affair with Roslin, but Davos was worried. What if Jon decided to call off the engagement against all odds?
He decided to give himself a heads-up beforehand.
"Jon, about Miss Roslin, I don't know if you still know, are you—" Davos began cautiously, but then stammered halfway through his sentence.
However, Jon knew what he was going to say. Before leaving, he had already written a letter to Roslin to express his apologies.
"Rest assured, Sir Davos, I do still have some lingering feelings for Miss Roslin, but I have no intention of taking anything further. I am a bastard, and I know what the strange looks from those around me mean to a bastard. I will never let my bloodline suffer such a thing again."