The Dragon King's Return

The Lannister ' Hall of Heroes is very spacious, but it has never been used as fully as it is today.

It's even gotten to the point where one more person would make it crowded.

The sun was shining brightly outside, a rare treat for the weather. It illuminated the murals inside the Hall of Heroes, designed under Margaery's personal supervision.

The guests who arrived looked at Jon's godlike appearance on the mural and suddenly understood something.

Did those so-called heroes of the Age of Heroes also come about in this way?

Perhaps centuries from now, Jon will become a legendary figure like Garth or Brandon the Builder.

Bathed in sunlight, the main hall appeared resplendent with gold.

The High Septon who came from the Starry Sept had prepared all the sacred artifacts needed for the baptism.

He deliberately placed the baptismal relic in the sunlight, which added a holy glow to the relic he had brought from the Starry Sept.

"There's no way around it, the competition is fierce these days." The current king is vigorously promoting the Red God faith in King's Landing. He officiated at Jon and Margaery's wedding, and now he's going to baptize their newborn son.

Meanwhile, the nobles sitting in the main hall chatted quietly among themselves in small groups.

In fact, apart from the House Westerling of the Crag, the family founded by Adam in Sarsfield, and the family of Martin who guarded Golden Tooth, most of the families in the Westerlands were families of the defeated.

Jon confiscated a large amount of their land and wealth, and all of them combined couldn't even muster a thousand soldiers, so they had no say in the matter.

The main purpose of my visit is to express my loyalty.

These old but declining families of the Westerlands were pleasantly surprised to find that Jon seemed to be a truly magnanimous lord. Some of the money they had entrusted to Jon, when they were so poor they couldn't survive, came to try their luck and found that they could actually withdraw it.

This means that the credentials they possess can be used for exchange, and it also reveals that Jon intends to establish a bank in Casterly Rock.

After understanding Jon's intentions, they took more money, intending to deposit it in Casterly Rock.

Martin, the Westerling, and Adam's "New Lannister" are Jon's vassals and staunch supporters in the Westerlands.

Their arrival was naturally met with heartfelt blessings and anticipation.

Martin married Lady Syle of Sarsfield, and through his diligent efforts, Syle became pregnant. She was now under Martin's care, awaiting the arrival of Jon and Margaery.

"I heard that right after Madam gave birth, the master ordered the delivery room to be sealed off. Could it be that something—" Syle said worriedly, while widening her eyes to try and see something in her husband's eyes. She was a typical noble lady, and gossip was practically her instinct.

Syle recalled fantastical stories from picture books, such as when a child had a problem and Jon found a healthy child to replace him in order to maintain his alliance with the House Tyrell.

But Martin scoffed at this claim, "Don't talk nonsense. The lady is perfectly healthy. Even if, even if this child isn't quite right, they're still young. What's wrong with having another one? It's not worth doing something like that."

However, Martin could control his own wife, but not the other ladies of high society.

After all, Jon's actions of ordering the birthing room to be sealed off and then stating that the baptism would proceed as normal were far too unusual, making it hard not to suspect something was amiss.

Everyone is now eagerly anticipating what Jon and Margaery's child will look like.

If he doesn't resemble either of them, then it almost certainly confirms some bizarre speculations.

However, if the child is healthy and looks a lot like them, Jon's actions become somewhat incomprehensible.

Similarly, the Westerling were also worried, especially Mrs. Gavin, who remembered that she had given Margaery a bottle of labor-aiding medicine and was praying that it wasn't the medicine that was the problem.

Upon learning of Margaery's condition after giving birth, Gavin Earl began questioning his wife.

After all, Jon had treated their family well, taking them along when he went to Winterfell and allowing them to visit Jeyne.

In the Westerlands, the House Westerling was entrusted with the administration of Crag County, which comprised one-fifth of the Westerlands —a testament to the immense trust placed in them.

Margaery even left Jeyne's little brother in Casterly Rock, allowing him to learn some skills and broaden his horizons. As a result, the couple were both heavy-hearted, feeling as if a cold stone had been stuffed into their stomachs.

They couldn't sleep until they saw that Jon's son was healthy.

Of course, the most confused were Davos and Alester.

Alester's face was still swollen, and he asked Davos to shield him as much as possible to prevent others from seeing it.

"This child is definitely problematic! Humph! What good can a child born of a bastard be?" Alester continued his foul mouth, Davos quickly looked around, worried that someone might hear.

Fortunately, no one noticed them. Once they were sure it was safe, Davos couldn't help but remind them, "Your Lord Hand, this is Casterly Rock, and Jon is a new father. We should be careful with our words and actions."

"Do you need to tell me?" Alester glanced at Davos, while simultaneously tightening the clothes facing Davos, as if he really smelled of onions.

After learning that Margaery and her baby were safe, Catelyn brought her four children to the hall.

"Oh no, we're going to be aunties again!"

"Arya, you should say we're going to have another little nephew," Sansa corrected.

Rickon and Bran were also delighted, wondering whether their newborn nephew looked more like Jon or Margaery.

Looking at the relatively harmonious atmosphere in the hall, Catelyn felt much relieved. If Eddard knew that both of his children had their own heirs, he would surely be very happy.

The Seven still have pity on Eddard; his bloodline can rule both the North and the Westerlands simultaneously.

Catelyn thought with great satisfaction. As part of the "family and friends group," Jon had naturally told Catelyn early on that the baby was healthy, but he hadn't let her see it with her own eyes.

Jon has always been sincere, and she believes that Jon must have his own reasons for not immediately letting her see the child.

Suddenly, Catelyn caught sight of a brown-skinned woman, around twenty years old, with black hair tied in a neat braid. It was Oberyn's eldest daughter, Obara. Again, because Jon had killed the Mountain and handed Amory over to Sunspear, Sunspear was happy to establish a friendship with Jon.

Therefore, giving two boats as a wedding gift was a way of expressing gratitude. The previous celebrations of Margaery's pregnancy and the current celebrations of the child's birth are all part of the exchange of favors.

Casterly Rock is now North, the territory of his half-brothers; the South to the south, his wife's homeland; to the west, the Iron Islands ' harassment and threats have been eliminated, and above them are Free Folk loyal to him; to the east, the Riverlands are his allies, and Old Walder is willing to give his daughter as his lover; even distant Dorne is willing to establish a friendship with him. Even if Tywin were alive today, he wouldn't be any better."

Catelyn thought to herself that Jon's current power was so immense that just thinking about it made one feel his strength.

However, such power seemed to have brought suspicion as well— Catelyn looked at the sullen-faced Alester, who also knew that Stannis was going to invite Jon wife to King's King's Landing after the baby's one-month celebration.

This approach is really going too far.

Catelyn knew that this was because Jon's power base in the Westerlands was still somewhat weak, and his legitimacy came entirely from the Iron Throne.

If he had been given more time, say ten or twenty years, this situation probably wouldn't have occurred.

Just then, she suddenly saw the Mace appear as the waiters called out their names. Alerie was arm in arm with her husband, greeting the others, which made Catelyn very envious. This scene reminded her of Eddard.

Catelyn has always envied Alerie, and it's clear that she'll have the life of a typical aristocratic lady.

Born into the illustrious Hightower, she married into the powerful House Tyrell and successfully gave birth to three sons, living a carefree life.

As for Catelyn herself, things weren't so smooth. Her father, Old Hoster., had been grooming Catelyn as his heir because he hadn't produced a male heir for a long time. She was originally supposed to marry Brandon, but she ended up marrying Eddard.

In fact, it wouldn't have been so bad if it had ended there, but the series of blows that followed were just too heavy. Thinking of this, Catelyn placed her hand on Bran's shoulder.

Although it was somewhat embarrassing to talk about, Willas's broken leg in the fight brought her a little peace of mind, but this sense of balance also made Catelyn feel ashamed.

She now only hopes that the gods will have mercy and allow a miracle to happen to Bran.

Alester, who had just had a minor disagreement with Mace, also noticed the couple.

In his view, Margaery must have given birth to a dwarf or even a freak, otherwise Jon's behavior would be too strange.

If he really gave birth to Stark version of the Imp, it would undoubtedly be a huge blow to Mace, who is always very concerned about his image.

Even if it means getting punched, I'll still give him a good roasting.

When Alester saw Mace, he found that Mace had a somewhat disdainful look on his face, like a lion surveying its territory.

Those brown eyes seemed to be saying that everyone in the room was trash!

This was something Alester couldn't understand.

"So what if your daughter gave birth to a grandson? And a bastard's child at that? What's there to be proud of? Did she give birth to a dragon?" Alester said with a hint of sarcasm, which was undoubtedly meant to provoke Davos's fragile nerves.

"Your Lord Hand, please be careful with your words. We need to find a way to get Jon to accept His Majesty's summons to King's Landing!"

"He dares not go! Then His Majesty will directly declare this illegitimate son a suspect in treason! And strip him of his titles and lands!"

"Then you'll need a powerful fleet and army!" Davos thought helplessly.

After nearly a year of replenishment, the Iron Throne now has an army of less than 20,000 men.

As for Stormlands, the heart of House Baratheon, the army that can be summoned is currently only about this number.

As for the once most powerful Royal Fleet, it is now the weakest.

Jon's Casterly Rock Fleet almost completely absorbed the Iron Islands Fleet, making it roughly equal in strength to Redwyne Fleet.

With its current strength, the Royal Fleet is no match for the combined Casterly Rock Fleet and Redwyne Fleet.

"Hmph! So what if—"

Alester wasn't a fool; he couldn't possibly be unaware of how Renly died and how Storm's End was breached.

Even if they didn't know the details, they knew this must be the work of the Red Priestess.

Stannis had originally planned to send Melisandre to assist Jon Snow in the siege. He believed that if Jon rebelled, Melisandre would definitely intervene.

Once Jon is dead, the kingdom will naturally return to peace.

Soon the Mace found a table next to Catelyn, Alerie and Catelyn struck up a conversation quite naturally, while everyone waited for the main character to arrive.

Soon, as the servants called their names, Jon and his wife entered the hall, surrounded by a group of guards.

Sandor led the way, Haken brought up the rear, and five heavily armored guards stood on each side; these guards were all selected from among the tribe's warriors.

"He's almost as powerful as Robert becoming king, what on earth is this bastard up to?" Alester crossed his arms, his eyes practically rolling back to the top of his head.

The arrival of the noble guests was drawn to this spectacle, and they all turned their gazes toward the two people and the cradle that appeared with them.

Children, heirs, a new era.

"Wow, another little nephew!" Arya exclaimed excitedly, still remembering how soft and tender little Eddard and little Lyanna's skin was.

Sansa, holding Catelyn's hand, looked expectantly at the platform.

Alester looked over with resentment, while glancing at Mace every now and then. He still couldn't understand what Mace was so proud of.

Davos, on the other hand, was filled with anxiety. The task Stannis had given him now seemed to have little hope of being completed.

But he still hoped to get some substantial promises from Jon, at least as a way of giving his king an explanation.

Jon scanned the crowd in the hall, his eyes sweeping over each face.

Anticipating, curious, and fearless----

Ultimately, it intertwined with Margaery's own light.

The two nodded to each other, as if they had made up their minds.

"My lords, gentlemen, ladies, I have some good news to announce: my wife Margaery has given birth to a healthy and strong heir."

After receiving confirmation from Jon, everyone cheered and offered their congratulations.

Alester remained indifferent, watching Jon with his own eyes, determined to see if Jon had indeed fathered an heir who resembled him.

The baby was wrapped up tightly in the cradle, so you couldn't see anything inside.

After receiving cheers from the crowd, Jon continued, "But before the baptism, I have something to announce to you all." Then Jon slowly looked at Catelyn.

The others followed Jon's gaze and looked in Catelyn's direction.

Catelyn was quite surprised and didn't understand why Jon was looking at her. Did he want her to say something?

Before she could form an answer in her mind, Jon Snow spoke up, "Lady Catelyn, Lord Eddard Stark is not my father."

As soon as Jon finished speaking, everyone was shocked, except for the Mace. Catelyn, on the other hand, was struck dumb, her body stiffening and her pupils trembling, not understanding why Jon had said that.

Is there something I haven't done well enough?

Catelyn has always hoped that Jon and Robb could stay together, and she has been particularly dedicated to maintaining the relationship between Casterly Rock and Winterfell.

She did not want to see the two brothers split apart.

The next second, Jon continued, "My mother is Lyanna Stark, the sister of Lord Eddard Stark."

"Lyanna? Our aunt?" Arya asked in confusion.

Now Catelyn understood. Eddard had never betrayed her; he had always been the honorable Eddard Stark.

Upon realizing this, Catelyn burst into tears, so heartbroken she almost lost her balance.

Sansa, Arya, and the others rushed forward to help her.

At this moment, Alester looked at Jon, and suddenly thought of something. He raised his finger with trembling hands and pointed at Jon, but he couldn't speak. His chest heaved violently, and his face turned completely pale.

The others were somewhat puzzled by the Lord Hand, but some quick-witted individuals soon realized what was going on.

Jon continued, "My father is Rhaegar Targaryen, the crown prince of the late King Aerys!"

"What?"

"Ah?"

"Rhaegar?"

"Targaryen!"

The sounds of surprise and doubt echoed through the hall like ripples, while Alester below was speechless, and Davos beside him stood as still as a statue.

Jon nodded to Margaery, then took his son from the cradle, and everyone saw him: a silver-haired baby boy!

Jon lifted his son above his head and announced it to the crowd below.

"And my son, his name is Aegon!"

Aegon Targaryen!

Aegon, lifted above his father's head, let out a loud cry, and Margaery took the opportunity to take a white dragon Dragon Egg with red spots from the cradle.

She also held the Dragon Egg above her head to show it to the crowd below.

Then, in a voice as calm as possible yet clearly tinged with excitement, he declared, "Blood and Fire Are One!"

More than twenty years later, another Targaryen baby is crying loudly in the sunlight.

He wasn't just crying; he was proclaiming, announcing the return of the dragon!