Dragon Banners Fly Over Casterly Rock

The Lannister ' ancestors used Casterly Rock as their base of operations to firmly control the Westerlands.

Tywin Lannister hoped that his descendants would restore the family's glory, just as their ancestors had done.

Simply put, we should trust the wisdom of future generations.

Although he had told himself to accept the consequences of his gamble, the defeat was still too complete. If it weren't for the fact that the Lannister were a family with a history spanning thousands of years, he would have wanted to lead his army and confront Jon head-on.

Although the Lannister of Casterly Rock will soon fall out of the ranks of Westeros' first-rate families, Casterly Rock provides Lannister with an extremely high floor—they can fight others while hiding in Casterly Rock, but others can only watch helplessly when they come to Casterly Rock.

If the situation changes in the future, they can still seize the opportunity to reclaim the Westerlands territories.

When Tywin decided to submit to King's Landing's Landing, he also ordered the blockade of their water supply, which could lead to shortages, to prevent any unforeseen events during this sensitive period.

Meanwhile, Jon intercepted Tywin's Raven almost immediately after it was launched.

According to Sandor, in a week or two at most, Casterly Rock's water reserves will run out, at which point he will be able to take Casterly Rock without lifting a finger.

Of course, it may rain again during this period, and the previous artificial rainmaking may need to be done again.

We also need to guard against the possibility of Tywin making a reckless move. Given his personality, he will definitely go all out before being driven to a dead end.

They also needed to keep an eye on things in King's Landing. If someone with ulterior motives found out about their situation at this point, they would definitely try something.

Just as Jon was preparing to continue sending Raven to keep an eye on Casterly Rock, Melisandre suddenly arrived.

Her poker face left Jon still unsure of her intentions, but he treated her with courtesy nonetheless.

However, she didn't even accept Jon's invitation to sit down, and instead stood in the doorway and asked directly, "Your Grace, you seem to be a Skinchanger as well?"

"Was I seen through? When did this happen?" A hint of apprehension flashed through Jon's mind. After all, he had been using Skinchanging so frequently lately that the possibility of being discovered was indeed quite high.

Jon knew that since she had asked, she must have some certainty or evidence, and that the other person could indeed cast spells, so Jon decided not to hide it any longer and admitted it directly.

"Yes, Ghost, that is, my wolf, and Raven are both my Skinchanging targets."

"When did you discover that you could Skinchanging?"

"When we were on the Wall," Jon said Skinchanger Wildlings those Beyond the Wall. I spoke with them about it."

"So you intercepted the Raven of Casterly Rock?"

"That's right, Tywin seems to be preparing to sue for peace with His Majesty Stannis." Jon Melisandre the golden letter in his hand.

"So you intercepted Tywin's letter and burned it, seemingly not wanting His Majesty Stannis to know?" Melisandre looked at Jon with her dark red eyes, as if she could see right into his soul.

"I didn't think that much about it. His Majesty is fair. I'm almost at Casterly Rock, and I believe His Majesty won't go back on his word." Jon's mind raced as he considered how to get through this situation.

"I advise you to give up on Casterly Rock," Melisandre said calmly.

Jon was startled, wondering why Melisandre would say such a thing.

"Because I saw a black three-headed dragon banner flying atop Casterly Rock in the flames—" Melisandre continued, staring into Jon's eyes. "This means it's very likely the Targaryen will eventually take it. If you capture Casterly Rock, you'll be facing the Targaryen dragons in the future."

"Targaryen?" Jon feigned some surprise.

Melisandre had seen a warning in the flames that Casterly Rock would fall into the hands of the Targaryens.

He believed that this situation could occur either because the Lannister surrendered to the Targaryen, or because Jon was killed by one of the Targaryen.

Perhaps because of the dream Jon had mentioned earlier, Melisandre didn't believe Jon would betray Stannis.

Therefore, based on reasonable reasoning, Melisandre arrived at these two results.

"The choice is yours, because I've found that many times even if I foresee fate, I can't change it." The Red Priestess's tone carried a rare hint of helplessness, which surprised Jon quite a bit.

However, Jon quickly realized what she was talking about.

Melisandre foresaw Renly attacking Stannis's army in a prophecy within the flames, and for various reasons, she helped Stannis kill Renly.

In the end, it turned out that Garlan was wearing Renly's armor and launching the attack.

This made Melisandre doubt her own prophetic abilities.

"If you insist on occupying Casterly Rock, you may be killed by the Targaryen in the future. If you abandon Casterly Rock, you may still die at the hands of the Targaryen elsewhere. This is your fate. If you insist on besieging Casterly Rock, then pretend I never said these words to you. I will not tell His Majesty about this matter. Go and face your own destiny."

After saying that, Melisandre left.

Jon doesn't understand prophecy, but based on the prophecy revealed by Melisandre, he has another interpretation: he will raise the Targaryen banner at Casterly Rock and restore his original surname.

This isn't hard to understand, but Jon doesn't want to contend for the Iron Throne so early, at least not in the years leading up to winter and the impending White Walkers invasion.

According to Jon's memory, winter will arrive in a little over two years. He is only sixteen years old now, so if he really wants to vie for the throne, waiting a few more years won't be a problem.

He had to get past the White Walkers and the Long Night first. For now, he only wanted enough power and strength to protect himself; he had no interest in that Iron Throne.

In Westeros, the king's power was only so-so.

When the Targaryen conquered Westeros, they relied on the power of their dragons and ruled the Seven Kingdoms by sheer force. They did not build a bureaucratic system or power structure commensurate with their vast empire.

If it were Jon, he would at least expand the Crownlands to the Riverlands and bring fortresses like Blood Gate, Golden Tooth, and the Neck under the direct control of the royal family.

But the Targaryen did nothing while they had the dragons, and they were even less able to do anything after losing them.

For a lord, they are the absolute authority over his own castle and territory.

After losing their dragons, the Targaryen ' authority began to decline, but by then it was too late to reverse it.

Ultimately, the throne was seized by the descendants of Baratheon Aegon the Conqueror's most trusted lieutenant.

If Jon wants to contend for the Seven Kingdoms in the future, he won't just want a crown; he'll want to become a king who rules the world.

Jon 'Melisandre visit to inquire about such matters a minor incident, but he still had to meet someone else— Garlan.

Sure enough, when Jon met Garlan, he was about to write to Highgarden to relay Jon's account of the battle there.

"Sir Garlan, I hope you won't reply to Highgarden yet. I want to give Margaery a surprise later."

"Surprise?" Garlan looked at Jon, seemingly not quite understanding the meaning behind Jon's words.

Through their time together, Jon gradually came to understand Garlan's characteristics: brave on the battlefield, but somewhat dim-witted and adorable.

So when Jon talks to Garlan, he can't help but use a coaxing tone, like he's talking to a child.

He stopped Garlan from writing to Highgarden not because he didn't trust the Tyrell, but because they were at a critical juncture. He was expected to take Casterly Rock in two weeks at most, and he didn't want any unexpected events to occur.

He didn't want the news to leak out to the Highgarden.

"Yes, you see, we are now in a position of absolute victory, but we have not yet completely won the war. I would like to wait until our flag is planted atop Casterly Rock before I tell Lord Mace, Lady Olenna, and Miss Margaery the good news."

Jon smiled and sat down next to Garlan, shoulder to shoulder, as a sign of closeness.

"If someone deliberately gets close to you, you'd better push them away." Garlan's older Willas's teachings echoed in his mind, but for some reason, he didn't dislike the young man in front of him who was several years younger than him, so he didn't do that.

Garlan listened to Jon's reasons, thought for a moment, and shook his head, saying, "But our grandmother told me that we must send back the news from the front lines in a timely manner. Jon, I can't promise you that. I only listen to my family." As Garlan spoke, he pressed down on the letter on the table with his arm, as if worried that Jon would snatch it away.

Highgarden has its own messengers; Jon can't manipulate Raven to take down a person.

"But we're family now," Jon said, spreading his hands. "I'm engaged to Margaery, so Margaery children will call you Uncle!"

"Oh, right, we're family now too." Garlan nodded, pretending to realize something, and straightened his brown hair.

"Yes, we're family," Jon pressed his advantage, reaching for Garlan's quill. "Once we've captured Casterly Rock, send both letters back together. Lord Mace, Lady Olenna, and Margaery will be even happier then. We fight wars so that our families can be safe and happy, don't you think?"

Listening to Jon's words, which sounded almost like a seduction, Garlan gradually loosened his grip on the quill.

Jon plans to inform the Citadel of his capture of Casterly Rock directly through Highgarden after he enters the city, so that the Citadel can send a message to the Seven Kingdoms that he has captured Casterly Rock.

In this way, with all the lords of the Seven Kingdoms watching, there would be no surprises in him becoming the Lord of Casterly Rock.