I Can't Let You Get Pregnant

In the Throne Room of Riverrun, where Robb once reigned as king and where Jon dissuaded Robb, the Sunset Sea Alliance now holds its meetings.

This hall seems to clash with Jon's personality.

Every time he is here, he faces opposition from most people, even though some now address him as His Majesty.

Jon sat high on the throne above, with Roslin standing beside him, occasionally stealing glances at the young duke, or rather king, who was now somewhat unfamiliar but who frequently appeared in her dreams.

Who would have thought that this bastard son, whom his father had teased about at the party, was actually of Targaryen blood?

"Your Majesty, Stannis has sent out a great many scouts. It would be far too dangerous to send troops to break through their surveillance and defenses."

The speaker was Rhaegar Frey. Although Jon had not yet become king, and many people still addressed Jon as "My Lord," Rhaegar Frey always addressed Jon as "Your Majesty."

After all, Jon had promised to help him with the inheritance of the Twins.

Now Jon has indicated that he will personally lead his elite troops, using a small force to outflank Stannis from behind, a risk that Rhaegar Frey cannot afford.

"My lord, Stannis's military tactics are also excellent," Rickard said, rising to his feet.

Jon hasn't become king yet, so he's been called all sorts of things. He continued, "If you want to bypass Stannis, you can't bring too many people, maybe a few hundred at most. And those few hundred people will have to face Stannis's army of tens of thousands, or even more. His army will definitely attack you first, and because it's you, their attack will be very strong. Why don't you let me go?"

Rickard had always wanted to die on the battlefield. He had thought he might die in battle when they attacked the Westerlands, but he never expected to be saved by Jon.

He later joined Jon in attacking the Iron Islands, but still survived.

Now that Jon is at war with Stannis again, he wants to continue his reckless ways, especially since he sees many young men growing up around Jon.

For example, there were the bastards and second sons who grew up during the Iron Islands War, a large number of maesters and officers represented by Leo Lefford, and the orphans who were adopted by Jon and required to call him Headmaster.

It is foreseeable that Jon will have no shortage of talented people under his command for the next few decades.

The old men in the North have a long-standing tradition of clearing the way for and giving way to younger people.

For example, Jon's Lord Commander on the Wall, Jeol Mormont, only chose to don the black robes and join the Night's Watch to make way for his son, Jorah Mormont, also known as "The Bear," who was a sycophant of Daenerys.

And Jon's first soldiers, those veterans from the Mountain Clans, were the same; they went to the battlefield practically to die.

Seeing a large number of younger generations grow up rapidly and then die at lightning speed is the life motto of the elders in the North.

The meanings of Rhaegar Frey and Rickard are also what most people mean.

Now almost all the lords of the Sunset Sea are united around Jon. If anything happens to Jon, then all of them will be considered traitors.

Therefore, no one disagreed.

The only one who agrees is Lyman Darry, who has grown a lot taller in the past year or so.

He believed he was old enough to fight alongside Jon.

Although Roslin, who was standing next to Jon, did not understand military affairs, she could imagine how dangerous Jon's mission was.

A few hundred people fighting against tens of thousands is a simple arithmetic problem.

"I understand the concerns of you lords," Jon said, looking down at the nobles and officers filling the hall below, "But I am certain that I can take not just a few hundred men, but at least two or three thousand."

As he spoke, Jon clapped his hands, and a group of people appeared, whose demeanor, eyes, and movements were completely unlike those of the locals, even though they were dressed in Westeros clothing.

What's most striking is that each of them has one or two animals with them.

There are eagles, owls, snow bears, wolves, cats, wild boars, and crows.

These strange animals brought with them their own body odor as they entered the hall, causing those who were nearby to instinctively cover their noses.

Some people recognized these somewhat strange people Wildlings, or as Free Folk.

When Jon explained that these people could allow their souls to enter the bodies of animals, everyone present exclaimed in amazement and disbelief.

Roslin, standing behind Jon, also stared wide-eyed at the group.

At Jon's signal, the Free Folk Skinchanger sat cross-legged on the ground, then rolled their eyes upwards and entered the bodies of their respective animal companions.

At Jon's verbal command, various animals, including eagles, wolves, and boars, demonstrated commands to the lords, such as arithmetic commands like "calling out numbers," as well as many complex and strange commands, such as having a wolf put its head into a snow bear's mouth without the snow bear harming the wolf.

The scene before their eyes astonished everyone.

Roslin was naturally amazed, but then she suddenly thought of Jon's clever Raven. The thought that he had seen through her entire room made her feel inexplicably shy.

After showing the lords what to do, Jon said he would break up the two or three thousand men into smaller groups, using these Skinchanger navigators as eyes, and have them circle around to Stannis's back before gathering at a designated location.

"My God, there are such amazing things in the world!"

"It seems the magic is real."

"This is truly incredible—"

It seems that after the Skinchanger ' demonstration, the lords all agree that sending troops for infiltration and flanking maneuvers is entirely feasible.

However, at this time, the number of elite soldiers in the allied forces was not large, perhaps only three to five thousand. Even if everything went very smoothly, it was still an extremely difficult task to withstand the attack of Stannis's tens of thousands of troops with only a small force.

None of the people present were confident that they could do it.

Moreover, if the elite forces are wiped out, Riverlands may fall, and Stannis will be able to attack the Twins with impunity, keeping the North army at bay.

For the people and nobles of the Riverlands Riverlands, who had been ravaged just over a year ago, they truly did not want to go through that again.

"I've already said, I'll be in charge of the flanking maneuvers and interceptions. I can hold off Stannis's army." Jon knew everyone's concerns and spoke frankly. He had the whole map cheat code up his sleeve, so what was a few outnumbered opponents?

Moreover, he didn't intend to defeat Stannis with this small force; he only needed to hold him back, pin him down, and prevent him from launching a decisive battle.

The moment the army from the Reach arrives will be the moment the tide turns!

When Jon said such things, a group of people, including Edmure, tried to dissuade him, but the Targaryen's impressive record left them no choice but to believe him.

"The Long Night is coming, and we must end our internal strife as soon as possible to prepare for the real war!" Jon brought up the Long Night again, feeling like a broken record in this regard.

He also considered that perhaps after resolving the conflict with Stannis, he could go beyond the Beyond the Wall and capture a White Walkers or Wights, which would be much more useful than him talking himself hoarse.

But Daenerys has already demonstrated that mere evidence is useless; if you don't let your opponents witness your true strength, they will always be eager to challenge you.

Only by subduing him and then negotiating terms can you get the result you want.

At Jon's insistence, everyone had no choice but to accept his plan.

Jon then selected a group of officers and nobles, including Rickard, Sandor, Haken, Sigorn, Leo Lefford, Monde, Galleott, Giles, to either work in pairs or lead their own teams. Guided by the Free Folk Skinchanger, they led several hundred men to maneuver and flank Stannis's army, gathering behind their main force near God's Eye.

Edmure, as the Duke of Riverrun, had already proven his command abilities in the Red Fork, so Jon left him to guard Riverrun.

After receiving their mission orders, the group left one after another, and soon only Jon and Roslin remained in the hall.

Jon looked at Roslin; at this moment, the Twins's position had become important.

As a result, Roslin's status naturally rose accordingly.

Since arriving in Riverrun, the two haven't had a proper chat. Their last meeting was a somewhat cold and frank one.

When Roslin felt Jon's gaze fixed on her, her body stiffened instantly. The empty hall was so quiet that even the sound of burning firewood in the fireplace could be heard clearly, which made her feel somewhat flustered.

Jon thought it best to say the harshest things first.

"Roslin, I know that it was Duke Walder's will for you to come to my side and serve me, but I cannot let you get pregnant now."

As soon as Jon spoke, Roslin's eyes visibly reddened, and tears welled up in her eyes.

This made Jon sigh inwardly. This girl was nice, but she cried too much.

He told Roslin his reasons for not letting her get pregnant. First, it was wartime, and one cannot afford to be distracted while fighting. It was impossible to win the war while eating hot pot and singing songs.

Secondly, he needed to ensure his status as the eldest son, especially by establishing his authority in the eyes of his younger siblings through his age.

However, Roslin continued to cry even after hearing Jon's explanation.

Jon, his somewhat rough hands enveloping Roslin's slightly cold, slender palm, said, "Although your children are behind Margaery's in the line of succession, I will place a Dragon Egg in your child's cradle, just as I did with Aegon. In the future, they will be like brothers. Although we won't have a grand wedding, I hope to grow old with you in harmony. After we end our conflict with Stannis, after we conquer winter and the Long Night, I will take you away to live with us."

However, for some reason, Roslin cried even harder after hearing Jon's explanation and comfort, which made Jon feel a little helpless.

All I could do was comfort her and try to calm her down; I didn't know what this girl really wanted.

Margaery's status was earned by her family, by the promises she herself had made to her, and by her resolute decision to Alester Alester Casterly Rock.

Margaery's position as the matriarch is unshakeable. Not to mention that Jon himself wouldn't want to let her down, even if he were to play some kind of game to make her the crown prince in the future, most of the people around him would probably oppose it.

However, Roslin's next words softened Jon's heart, making him feel somewhat embarrassed.

"I want to tell you, I want to tell you, whether my father will support you in the future or not, I will serve you as long as you don't send me away. Whether there is a wedding or not, whether the children can call themselves Targaryen, none of that matters."

Roslin spoke haltingly, her eyes brimming with tears, sobbing almost uncontrollably.

Even under his nose, there was a glistening snot dripping out.

Margaery's love was intense, Roslin's love was pure. After Jon wiped away her Tears and kissed her forehead, the two went to rest and prepare for their next meeting.