The Last Push for His Persona

The twin towers representing House Frey and Jon's black banner with White Wolf stood side by side in the hall of the Twins, signifying the highest level of welcome.

In the hall, singers and harpists sang loudly, and the tinkling music accompanied the men and women in the center of the dance floor.

Even if there's no dancing, it doesn't matter; the House Frey has prepared a lavish dinner, with over twenty roast suckling pigs served at once.

The heat and aroma of the food raised the temperature in the hall by several degrees, and many people were sweating profusely as they ate.

Sandor looked at the scholar, Qyburn, dressed in a grey robe, with some disdain.

He joined Jon's party midway through his Jon, claiming he wanted to serve Jon. Jon accepted him and took him with him to the Twins.

Sandor knew why: Jon was going to fight in the Westerlands soon, and Sandor wanted to get some more fresh corpses.

Although Sandor had a fierce appearance and was rather violent, compared to this guy who was only interested in corpses, he felt that he was incredibly kind and normal.

He didn't understand why Jon would accept this infamous fellow. He had no right to interfere with the lord's choice, so he silently distanced himself from Qyburn and turned his gaze to the center of the dance floor.

Sansa was dancing not far from him with a House Frey boy. However, Sansa had been exhausted by Arya's antics on the way here, and her whole body ached. In addition, the House Frey boy's appearance was really disappointing. Although Sansa tried her best to maintain the proper etiquette and composure, the disgust in her eyes was almost overflowing.

The muscle soreness, in particular, made her grimace from time to time, which further increased the difficulty of maintaining her ladylike demeanor.

The House Frey boy, however, seemed completely oblivious to being looked down upon. He just stared blankly at Sansa, practically drooling.

And Arya, the mastermind behind all this, was sitting in the front, munching on an apple and watching with a grin.

Then Sandor spotted Davos in the crowd. Old Walder had a keen eye; knowing Davos's exploits, he warmly invited him to join the dance.

Davos, clearly untrained in this area, appeared somewhat clumsy and nearly stepped on his female companion's shoe.

Finally, Sandor saw Jon in the very center of the dance floor, and dancing with Jon was none other than Old Walder's most beautiful daughter Roslin Frey.

Even from a distance, Sandor could sense that something was off between the two. The dance partners moved with unusual stiffness.

Jon, caught in the middle, was naturally somewhat embarrassed.

He hadn't originally planned to dance, but he couldn't refuse Old Walder's insistence. What surprised him even more was that Roslin had actually invited him, but her movements and expressions after inviting him were so stiff. Jon knew there must be some hidden reason behind it.

Fortunately, this awkward dance ended soon afterward.

Everyone returned to their respective positions, Jon walked to his platform to dine with Arya Sansa.

Old Walder tapped his wine glass with his silver fork, gesturing for everyone to look at him.

The music of the musicians, the footsteps of the maids, and the whispers of the nobles all ceased, leaving only the occasional clinking of plates, the creaking of chairs being moved, and the soft coughs as the final sounds.

The entire hall quickly fell silent, and everyone looked at Old Walder.

Old Walder raised his glass high and exclaimed, "Let us congratulate Lord Jon on his long life!"

Led by Old Walder, all the members of House Frey and the nobles from the vicinity of the Twins raised their glasses in celebration for Jon Snow.

"Long live the White Wolf Knight!"

"Long live the Duke!"

"Long live Jon Stark!"

The celebratory sounds were so loud that even the wine in the glasses rippled slightly.

Jon, being the one to be congratulated, rose, raised his glass, and drank the wine in one gulp as a thank you for the applause.

Afterwards, Steve Renfrey and his old comrades all stood up to praise and congratulate Jon.

However, after the pleasantries were over, the conversation had to return to the main topic.

While the others resumed their eating, drinking, chatting, and boasting, Old Walder asked Jon, "Jon, you and Davos are going to Riverrun to persuade Robb to abandon his independence. How confident are you? Do you need any help?"

"Duke Walder, since His Majesty has entrusted this matter to me, its success or failure depends primarily on me. Sending more people won't make much difference, but thank you for your kind offer nonetheless."

Rhaegar Frey, standing to the side, thought perhaps Old Walder had been too vague, so he continued speaking, acting as his mouthpiece.

"It's like this, Your Grace," Regaffrey said, "Although the Twins is fortified, Robb currently commands an army of twenty to thirty thousand. We naturally hope you succeed, but what if Robb still decides to declare independence? The Northern Army will certainly return to the North, and the Riverlands ' army certainly won't stand by and watch us cut off the connection between the North and the Riverlands— " Rhaegar Frey didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear: what if you fail to persuade Robb, Robb comes to attack us?

After all, Stannis doesn't seem to be able to muster many troops right now.

How can the Twins's safety be guaranteed?

As Rhaegar Frey asked his question, Jon noticed that the chatter in the hall had quieted down, and many people were looking in his direction.

No wonder Old Walder wanted to discuss this in public; he probably wanted a promise and a guarantee.

Davos also put down his knife and fork and looked at Jon.

In fact, the problem with Rhaegar Frey hit Stannis' biggest weakness: their forces were severely stretched thin and would take at least six months to replenish.

Before arriving, Stannis didn't have any good ideas, so he could only tell the two to play it by ear and try to get by.

But Old Walder was clearly not so easily fooled. Roslin, who was not far away, pricked up her ears, wanting to know what Jon would do next.

Jon lowered his eyes to the table, then stood up solemnly and said loudly, "Lord Walder, you can rest assured that if Robb chooses to retain his crown and remain an enemy of His Majesty Stannis, then the Twins will be the first to fall. However, please rest assured, Lord Walder, that I will naturally bring troops to support you. If fate allows me to kill Robb, then I will follow him in death. I ask that Lord Walder properly collect the remains of my brother and me and send them back to Winterfell." Jon's impassioned and tragic words plunged the entire hall into silence.

Sansa, who was closest to him, froze, her hand holding a piece of pudding hanging in mid-air. Arya beside her asked anxiously, "Sansa, Jon, what is Jon saying? Why did he kill Robb? What do you mean he's going to go with Robb? Sansa, Sansa, say something!"

Arya, who had been laughing and joking all the way, now had a sob in her voice. The two sisters seemed to be pulled back to the day Eddard Stark was executed, and the excruciating pain of losing a loved one seemed to have returned to reality from their memories and nightmares.

Reggawad, who had just asked the question, was rendered speechless by Jon's statement. He opened and closed his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Davos unconsciously sat up straight, thinking that fate was far too cruel to Jon. He had finally managed to escape the lowly status of being a bastard, and now he had to face such a difficult moral dilemma.

He wanted to persuade Jon why things had come to this, but he also didn't know where to begin.

Roslin was a little further away, also forgot all her manners and reserve, staring straight at Jon, her brown eyes almost brimming with tears.

She had initially harbored some resentment towards the breakup letter, but now she realized that Jon's choice was a hundred times more difficult and painful than her own.

It was then that she realized she was a year or two older than Jon.

A complex mix of emotions—resentment, pity, and love—made Roslin feel as if she were seeing this boy for the first time.

Sandor, who was furthest away, also heard Jon's words through others. He had only one feeling—

That's too tough.

Someone like Jon, who's both a skilled fighter and reckless, is really hard to deal with. It's probably best for me to just stick with him.

However, Jon also knew that once he had a real fiefdom and children, no one would believe his threats of killing and taking people down with him.

After all, even Eddard, a man universally acknowledged as perfect in the Seven Kingdoms, would choose to pay the price with his reputation when Cersei threatened him with his daughter, admitting to a fabricated charge of treason.

Finally, after a long pause, Old Walder spoke up to smooth things over, "Oh, Jon, it's far from that point yet. I'm over ninety years old, and the only lesson I've learned over the years is that as long as you live, problems will disappear on their own, even if they aren't solved. A heroic young man like you must live well; only by living can the family prosper."

"Yes, Jon —Your Excellency, we are relieved to hear you say that. However, I believe that the gods are merciful and will never allow such a tragedy to happen," Stevron Len reassured him.

After the banquet, Old Walder promised Jon that he would transfer the Mountain Clans tribes in the future. He even said that when Jon attacked the Westerlands, he would exclude all the House Frey knights.

Afterwards, they earnestly invited Jon to stay in the Twins for as long as possible, and finally, after repeated invitations...

Push and pull, Jon and Davos decided to stay here for three days.

Of course, Old Walder was actually creating an opportunity for Roslin.

Rhaegar Frey even revealed a fantastic fishing spot to Jon, saying that since he's gotten older, fishing has become more exciting than hunting.

That day, Jon kept his appointment to go fishing with Rhaegar Frey, but after waiting and waiting, Rhaegar Frey didn't arrive. After a long while, it turned out that Roslin was the one who came.

Although he was spotted before he got close to Jon, it still surprised Jon greatly.

"Your Grace." Roslin knew her mission, but her long-held reserve made her hesitant to speak.

"Miss Roslin, how have you been?" How to get along with a woman you've already rejected is a timeless dilemma.

But Jon knew she must have come here on some kind of mission. Sure enough, Jon noticed that Roslin's outfit today seemed to reflect a lot of thought, with a few plain-colored flowers adorning her chestnut hair, which was tied back in a braid.

The waist is outlined with a thin silk ribbon to accentuate the curves of the body, and the slightly ramrod straight backs seem to be designed to enhance the movement of the chest.

Her fair, exposed arm resembled a lotus root, and her delicate, slender fingers were slightly red from gripping the handkerchief too tightly. She looked like a rosebud waiting to be picked.

"Jon, I... I heard you're engaged? I... I mean, you're with Miss Margaery— " Roslin stammered.

"Yes," Jon replied, noticing Roslin slowly approaching him.

"I still remember the song you sang to me that day. I... I don't really care, I don't care at all. I will always—" As she spoke, Roslin reached out her slightly trembling hand to hook Jon's sleeve.

But Jon instinctively dodged backward, preventing her from touching him.

Roslin froze for a second, then Tears streamed down her face. A bitter mix of humiliation, relief, and helplessness tore at her heart.

Jon, realizing something might have happened, asked, "Miss Roslin, can you tell me what happened? This isn't you, I believe this isn't you."

Hearing Jon's question, Roslin could no longer hold back and burst into tears, but no matter how Jon asked, she just couldn't bring herself to say it.

"Alright, Miss Roslin, let me guess, it's your father, isn't it?"

Roslin nodded, but then shook her head dismissively.

"He wants to solidify the relationship between the the Twins and me through you, right?"

This time, Roslin neither nodded nor shook her head.

Jon looked at the girl who liked to cry and sighed softly. He sat down and said, "Miss Roslin, our relationship began with deception. I saw through your father's intentions back then. He wanted to use you to sow seeds of suspicion between me and Robb. Even earlier, he singled me out from among the crowd to establish his authority. I was actually dissatisfied with him."

Seeing Jon's candor, Roslin felt that things were spiraling out of control and didn't know what to do, so she just stood there blankly.

"Then, when I sang the other half of the song to you, I wanted to retaliate. I was thinking that through my Raven, perhaps you could become my informant in the the Twins."

Roslin froze, feeling as if she were a small boat caught in a whirlpool. The exchange between Jon and her father sent chills down her spine.

But Roslin didn't understand why Jon was telling her all this.

"But I did consider marrying you." Jon met her brown eyes. "You have a pure heart, and I know it would be peaceful to spend the rest of my life with you—especially after I took King's Landing and defeated the Tyrell and Lannister."

Roslin pursed her lips, pressed her hands to her chest, clenching them tightly as if trying to grasp at a fleeting dream.

"It's a pity Tywin escaped. If he had died in the trap I set for him, I wouldn't have needed anyone's help to take Casterly Rock and the Westerlands quickly. But fate is like that; it doesn't care about our thoughts."

"Jon." Roslin's lips trembled slightly. She wore no rouge, but her slightly moist lips remained soft in the light.

"Your father's offer is very tempting. I do need a lot of troops to conquer the Westerlands, and if I can gain such an ally, my position will be more secure. Plus, with such a beautiful lover as you, I'm guaranteed to win. Rejecting you would do me no good at all—" Jon looked at Roslin, his words still frank.

Roslin, on the other hand, seemed somewhat at a loss.

"However, I can make you a promise. Although I cannot give you a wedding, our children will inherit the Stark name, though their inheritance rights will be after those of my and Margaery's children. And one day, I will openly and legitimately take you by my side, just like Aegon the Conqueror and his two wives."