He Still Has Family
"Seven Hells! So many heads!"
"Fifteen cartloads, sixteen cartloads... more than twenty cartloads of heads! My lord, how many people have been killed!"
Not long after Robert won the Iron Throne, Balon launched a rebellion, which ultimately failed, but he still won several impressive battles in the early stages.
For example, they burned Lannisport, causing heavy losses to the Casterly Rock Fleet. Moreover, because of their previous alliance with the North to attack the Westerlands, they were able to swagger around, burning, killing, and looting in the Westerlands.
Jon brought back the heads of all the Iron Islands pirates who had invaded the North, both to show off his military might and to provide some protection for merchant ships trading in Lannisport.
Jon piled up seven or eight thousand heads in a special place, forming a pyramid shape.
To make it more spectacular, Jon sent word in advance to the craftsmen to build a rammed earth pyramid about twenty feet high, and then to attach these heads to the pyramid.
Jon stood on the high platform of the harbor, behind him a dense pyramid of human heads. Those pale, fearful, and hideous faces were like layers upon layers of roof tiles, the best deterrent to those with ill intentions.
He shouted to the merchants from all over the world and the local residents of Lannisport below, "Pirates! They must be eradicated at all times! We can't afford not to! Life without pirates is truly good life!!!"
In Jon's plan, Lannisport could easily develop into a metropolis with a population of two to three hundred thousand, or even three to four hundred thousand! It's only because the existence of the Iron Islands has limited its development that he'll be able to do so. Once he completely annexes the Iron Islands and brings them under the jurisdiction of the Westerlands, the trade prosperity of the entire Sunset Sea will rise to a new level.
As the Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West, Jon briefly expressed his determination before preparing to return to Casterly Rock with Bran, Sansa, and the others.
Also because she had been notified in advance, Margaery personally came to Lannisport to greet the House Stark children.
Because of Luwin's death, they were all somewhat depressed. To the House Stark children, Master Luwin had long been no different from family.
Even Arya was depressed because of Luwin's sacrifice.
Margaery arrived in Lannisport to both welcome and comfort the House Stark children. Her words of comfort helped lift the children's spirits somewhat.
"Jon said you're pregnant, so why isn't your belly big?" The youngest, Rickon, was the first to recover from his sadness and asked a somewhat amusing question.
"Because he's still small. We all grow slowly in our mother's belly. In another two or three months, my belly will get bigger," Margaery replied with a smile as she tidied Rickon's hair.
Just then, Jon arrived. Margaery's smile and demeanor remained impeccable, but there was an uncontrollable fervor in her eyes.
Soon everyone boarded the ship and returned to Casterly Rock. On the ship, the couple spent some time together, and Margaery mentioned a troubling matter: Alester wanted to rename Lannisport to Stannis Harbor.
"If you ask me, the name should be changed to Stark Harbor. We conquered the entire Westerlands, so what does it have to do with His Majesty the King in King's King's Landing?" Margaery said, observing Jon.
"Don't call it Stannis Port, call it Margaeryport! Or call it whatever you like," Jon said magnanimously.
Margaery was very pleased with this, and she would have been even happier if Jon's hands had behaved themselves.
Then, pressing Jon's hand, she continued, "You've won a great victory this time, Hand of the King will be even more impatient. He will definitely demand a definite timeframe for attacking the Iron Islands."
"You're right. We have a clear advantage now, both in terms of warships and military. We can't refuse this time. I'll go back and talk to him."
At this time in Casterly Rock, Alester naturally already knew about Jon's return.
They also sent men to wait in Lannisport, and only returned to report after personally confirming Jon's victory.
"The complete annihilation of the eight thousand Iron Islands army, the capture of thirty sailing ships and three hundred longships— Jon's battle has indeed dealt a heavy blow to the usurpers. Our subsequent battles should be easier," Aleken said.
Considering that he would feel more at ease using his own family, Alester summoned his son from Brightwater Keep to Casterly Rock, placing him in a position where he could easily gain military merit in the future and also provide him with advice.
"Eddard Stark's two sons are indeed geniuses in military strategy, but this Jon is clearly superior. He divided the Westerlands into five counties and stationed his own men in each of them. Do you know what that means?" Alester looked at his son with a serious expression.
"Is he consolidating power?" Aleken replied, as if being tested by his father.
"Not only that, he wants to completely rid himself of the Lannister influence and weaken the Iron Throne's control over him!" Alester suddenly stood up and said, "He even allowed that Adam to retain the Lannister name. Believe it or not, as time goes by, when people mention Lannister, they will think of the Lannister of Sarsfield, not the Lannister of Casterly Rock. In two hundred years at most, the people of the Westerlands will still remember the Lannister name, but they will forget the true meaning that the name represents. This bastard's scheme is truly extraordinary!"
Hearing his father's explanation, Aleken was truly taken aback.
"Then, Father, what should we do?"
"The House Florent can no longer be a stepping stone for anyone. We must achieve victory as soon as possible. I hope to see the House Florent's banner and His Majesty Stannis's banner flying together atop Pyke in the near future! If Jon wants to break free from the influence of the Iron Throne, then let him and his fleet be at the forefront!" Alester said earnestly. Only in this way could Florent win Stannis's trust.
They even hoped to see Jon die on the battlefield.
"Understood, Father," Aleken said respectfully. However, he also believed from the bottom of his heart that his cousin was not doing a good job. If Selyse could give birth to two children in three years and three in five years, and give Stannis a few healthy boys, then the House Florent's position would naturally be unshakable, and there would be no need to take risks here.
When Aleken arrived at Casterly Rock Casterly Rock, he was so captivated by its beauty that he could hardly contain his longing, even greed, thinking that he wished Casterly Rock Florent.
Soon the father and son learned that Jon had returned to Casterly Rock, and after some preparation, Jon and Alester met again.
"Your Lord Hand."
"Your Majesty the Duke."
After exchanging greetings, Alester first praised Jon's achievements, of course, in the name of the commander-in-chief.
He then asked about the upcoming start of the war. However, Jon's answer was somewhat unacceptable to him.
"Your Lord Hand, now is probably not the best time to attack the Iron Islands."
"Why? Redwyne Fleet is about to arrive at Lannisport. Our army and fleet numbers exceed those of the Iron Islands. The situation is clearly in our favor!" Aleken couldn't help but ask.
"Because of witchcraft, Your Lord Hand, Euron of the Iron Islands can use magic, and I fear he may use magic to set traps to attack our fleet."
Before executing the Iron Islands prisoners, Jon naturally needed to interrogate them first, and learned that the commander-in-chief of this army was Balon's brother, Victarion.
However, Victarion was nowhere to be seen at the Battle of the Bay of Severed Heads, and given the information given by the warlock, Jon believed that he had most likely been sacrificed by Euron.
There are still Balon, Balon's daughter, and three Greyjoy, Aeron, on the Iron Islands, meaning Euron still has family.
If he were to sacrifice all three of them, it's not impossible that he could create a major storm.
"Magic? That's utter nonsense!" Aleken jumped to his feet, his face filled with disbelief.
He still vividly remembered the time Jon had ruthlessly called him shameless when he demanded the Selyse Dragon Egg for Seris. This made Aleken determined to get revenge.
Jon's excuse that the fleet wasn't fully assembled and the army needed time to assemble was somewhat plausible, but now he's bringing up magic and all that, which is insulting to his intelligence.
"Your Grace, to quell the rebellion for the Iron Throne is to serve His Majesty Stannis, a truly glorious thing. I hope you will not use such a ridiculous excuse." Alester's smile faded, and his tone became serious. Robert Frey, standing behind Jon, became even more nervous.
However, Jon calmly replied, "Euron used magic to create a blizzard during his attack on Winterfell Winterfell, which made it fall to him almost effortlessly. I'm telling the truth. I'm worried that if he were at sea, he could create a storm when our two armies clash, causing our fleet to suffer the same fate as the Dragonstone fleet. This is something neither of us wants to see."
"Dragonstone was blessed by the gods! This is completely different!" Aleken retorted.
"Alright, let's not argue here, Your Lord Hand. You can write to King's Landing and ask Melisandre; perhaps she will agree with my concerns."
The discussions about attacking the Iron Islands once again came to nothing, Alester somewhat frustrated, but Jon's frankness forced him to believe him.
"Father, shall we write a letter to King's Landing?"
"Of course not! His Majesty has entrusted us with almost the entire remaining fleet. How can we ask for reinforcements before we've even unleashed our full power!"
"But what if Jon doesn't send troops?"
"It's alright, he'll definitely write to His Majesty explaining the reasons himself. Let His Majesty make the decision then," Alester said somewhat irritably.