There is a consensus in Westeros that when the King's banner appears, everyone, from peddlers, commoners, and beggars to high nobles, lords, and regional rulers, must respectfully step aside.
Thus, when the stag sail depicting the fiery red heart of Stannis appeared in view, merchants on the Blackwater Rush steered their ships far toward the shore, leaving ample space for the King's fleet.
But just then, an inconspicuous small boat approached Stannis's fleet.
This caused the captain to quickly slow down, making the nobles aboard stumble due to the rocking. Upon learning the situation, they immediately sent men to intercept it.
There was no help for it; these were all aftereffects of the Battle of the Blackwater Rush. They discovered the boat was sent by Jon, so they brought the man named Mond from the boat before Stannis.
"Why aren't you greeting Your Majesty at the River Gate, instead of rushing onto His Majesty's ship?" Alliser, whose position had been temporarily restored, asked with a frown. In his view, Jon was clearly overestimating himself, daring to send someone to stop the King's procession.
"Your Majesty, Lord Jon asked me to suggest to Your Majesty that His Majesty enter King's Landing through the Iron Gate—"
Before he could finish, Alliser's brother, Yassel, interrupted: "Does the King need a bastard like him to dictate where he enters King's Landing?"
Yassel's words clearly displeased Stannis. It could be said that he currently held no goodwill toward anyone from the House Florent, but he merely stopped Yassel and then asked: "Why? Why does Jon want me to do this?"
Mond recalled Jon's instructions and said: "Your Majesty, the common people of King's Landing have been greatly affected by the war, and many of them live hand to mouth. The Lord said that it would be best if Your Majesty's fleet headed to the port near the Iron Gate. This would minimize the impact on the lives of the common folk and wouldn't interfere with their work. Otherwise, many of them wouldn't finish their tasks by nightfall, and if they don't finish their work, they won't eat. They are all Your Majesty's subjects now. If Your Majesty enters the city through the Iron Gate, the commoners will surely be grateful for your grace."
Listening to Mond's explanation, Stannis nodded almost imperceptibly, and approval shone through his deep blue eyes.
For a young man like Jon, who dared to "speak frankly and advise," a few points of suspicion were replaced by several points of favor in Stannis's heart.
It is said that the lords of Westeros wear their emotions on their sleeves; you couldn't find a "qualified actor" among them, which is why a schemer like Petyr can throw tantrums and get away with it.
Jon's Advanced political performance was simply a dimensionality reduction attack against these people who only knew how to flatter their superiors.
Moreover, his starting point was indeed sound. Ultimately, Stannis gave the order for the fleet to proceed to the port near the Iron Gate, as Jon suggested.
By this time, Jon had already prepared the "reception array" for Stannis near the Iron Gate.
He specifically used the gray Direwolf banner of Stark and the fiery red heart stag banner of Stannis.
Many people came to greet them, court officials like Varys and Pycelle among them. Considering Pycelle's age, Jon even had someone find him a stool to sit on and rest.
Although this fellow was not a good person, the Grand Maester serves for life. This small favor now was a worthwhile exchange for having him speak favorably about Jon in front of Stannis.
Furthermore, the "Old Great Master" was still hale and hearty; even though he was over eighty, he still had the stamina for visiting a brothel, and he would probably be able to serve for several more years.
Besides those two, there were naturally Stevron and Rhaegar Frey of the Frey Family.
The old brothers arrived in King's Landing two days ago and immediately flattered Jon upon seeing him. Rhaegar Frey even brought his son, Robert Frey, who was originally promised to Jon as a squire.
The official excuse was that Jon had left too quickly after stopping Robb from crowning himself that day, leaving Robert Frey behind.
In short, both men wished they could cling to Jon to demonstrate the Frey Family's firm stance of always supporting Stannis.
Although Stannis's current army, even counting the previous captives, might not number ten thousand men, the resources he could mobilize by virtue of being King were vast.
Although people divide Westeros into the Seven Kingdoms, strictly speaking, it should be the Seven Kingdoms and Nine Powers.
The two extra powers are naturally the Crownlands and the Iron Islands.
Jon's support for Stannis as King means Stannis can directly control the Crownlands and the Stormlands, and with effort, he could gather thirty to fifty thousand troops.
In the future, Littlefinger will certainly try to attach himself to the crown, and relying on his influence, the Vale should also pledge allegiance to Stannis.
In this way, Stannis would have secured nearly half of Westeros.
Dorne is located in the southernmost region; even if they don't swear direct allegiance, they can serve to check The Reach, and The Reach will soon have to overtly side with Stannis.
Perhaps Stannis's authority as King is far less than Robert's, but a King is a King—that much is undeniable. It was precisely this point that the Frey Family seized upon, choosing decisively to come to King's Landing to make themselves known to Stannis.
Next were Sansa and Arya, standing not far from Jon. Additionally, Jon had found Jeyne Poole, the daughter of Winterfell's former steward.
She was in Petyr's brothel, still untouched. Petyr was clearly still training her, perhaps so he could sell her for a good price later.
In the original timeline, Jeyne Poole impersonated Arya and married Ramsay. But Jon believed Petyr's planning couldn't be that far-reaching; often, he just played things step by step.
His excuse to Jon was that he was protecting her.
Naturally, Jon wouldn't believe a single word Petyr said. If he hadn't been representing the House Tyrell to negotiate peace with Stannis, Jon would have slain him with a sword long ago.
Truly worthy of being called the "Seven Kingdoms' Manipulator," his flexibility is impressive. However, Jon heard that Stannis had cut off one of his hands on Dragonstone, which was truly well-deserved.
Furthermore, Dondarrion and Thoros were naturally in the welcoming party, as both had contributed significantly to the siege, and Stannis should not be stingy with rewards later on.
Just then, Varys quietly approached Jon, a hint of intention showing in his pale purple eyes. Since others generally knew The Spider had played a significant role in the siege, they were sensible enough to give the two men space to talk.
Jon had already written a letter detailing the entire siege process to Stannis, and naturally, he mentioned Varys's assistance, thus fulfilling his promise.
Now, Varys likely had new intelligence to share with Jon, intended as a gesture of goodwill to strengthen their cooperation.
"Jon, I have learned some news from Dragonstone that I think you will be interested in." Varys slightly tilted his head toward Jon, his mouth moving in an extremely small tremor. To an outsider, he merely looked like one of the many courtiers waiting for the King while gazing into the distance.
Varys told Jon almost everything that happened on Dragonstone, such as the initial suggestion that Jon be made lord of Harrenhal, and how Littlefinger Petyr suddenly appeared and, after having his hand cut off, proposed that Jon be named lord of casterly rock.
Varys spoke in great detail, which made Jon marvel at the man's immense intelligence capabilities.
"Jon, given your achievements, lord of Harrenhal is somewhat beneath you, but lord of casterly rock is also perhaps something you are not quite worthy of. However, if you personally seize the opportunity to lead troops, conquer the Westerlands, take Casterly Rock, and then become lord of casterly rock, I think that should suffice." Varys analyzed the current situation for Jon.
"In my opinion, there are two main difficulties in you receiving the title of lord of casterly rock right now. First is the difficulty of attacking the Westerlands. Casterly Rock, I believe you know, is the rock that never falls, and Casterly Rock has indeed never fallen. Second, if you actively demand it, you will likely be viewed with suspicion by His Majesty Stannis. Even if you succeed, holding the vast Westerlands will inevitably lead to him sending people to monitor you. At least with my poor brain, I truly do not know how to proceed."
Just as Varys was speaking, Jon saw a cavalry detachment bearing Stannis's banner slowly approaching.
"Jon, although you have consistently claimed you wish to return to the Wall, I don't know if that is true or false. If it is true, then you are truly the greatest Saint in thousands of years, more sacred than Baelor Targaryen in some respects. But if you truly intend to enter this Game of Thrones, then you are a far more skillful player than Lord Eddard. Well, that is all I have to say. Please carry on."
Having finished, Varys quietly slipped away from Jon's side and helped Pycelle stand up. Soon, someone came to remove Pycelle's stool.
Jon glanced at Varys's bald head reflecting the sunlight. He was truly worthy of being called a spy and Great Master of intelligence who had been lurking for over a decade; his abilities in both gathering and analyzing information were top-notch.
Indeed, Varys's analysis was spot-on. Figuring out how to reach an agreement with Stannis—"I conquer Casterly Rock, Casterly Rock is granted to me, and you cannot interfere"—was the most difficult part that lay ahead.
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