Catelyn loved the rain in the Riverlands; it was fine and misty, falling on her face and body like a mother's gentle caress
As for the Northern rain—heavens, that was like icy water from freshly melted ice, chilling to the bone if you tried to catch it with your hand
The time she spent living in Riverrun brought back some childhood memories, but recently, she found that even the Riverlands rain was no longer so gentle. Before, she could stay in the rain for a long time without fear, even if she got soaked
But now, she couldn't stand being out in it for long. Catelyn wondered if the weather had grown colder, or if she had simply grown older
Just then, a maid's voice rang out: "My Lady, the lords are already in the hall, and Your Majesty is waiting for you."
"Mmm." Catelyn replied softly, unaware that a fierce argument had already erupted inside the hall
"Who does Stannis think he is? Jon Snow is even more of a traitor! We of Castle Cerwyn will never surrender! I only recognize Robb Stark, the King in the North!"
"Exactly! The Northmen will not associate with traitors!" Lady Maege echoed
Many Northmen believed that the North could not afford another King Who Knelt
When Torrhen Stark decided to surrender back then, he faced Aegon the Conqueror and three Dragons. What does Stannis have?
A crippled fleet and an army on the brink of collapse. By what right does he demand this?
However, compared to the last time they crowned Robb, the number of people responding was far smaller
Last time, Rickard was the second person after Greatjon to proclaim Robb as the King in the North, but this time, he remained still
When Harrion returned, he brought back not only thousands of Northern Army soldiers but also the complete account of the war
Harrion had participated throughout, from Jon's mutiny at Harrenhal to his capture and defense of King's Landing. Through his eldest son's narration, Rickard understood Jon's terrifying capabilities
Not only did he possess military strategy no less brilliant than Robb's, but his political vision was also ruthless and sharp
If Jon hadn't executed Joffrey in King's Landing and taken control of Tommen and Myrcella, the Lion-Flower Alliance would still exist, and they would be stuck in Riverrun, unable to advance or retreat
Now, they at least had an option, though undignified, that allowed them to preserve themselves: abandoning the crowning of a King in the North
Rickard first noticed Roose Bolton sitting there, composed and silent. He had thought that after Harrion brought back the Dreadfort army, Roose might become more assertive, but he remained exactly the same
Considering that all his past actions and decisions were motivated by "preserving his own strength," he certainly would not agree to wage war against Stannis
Rickard suddenly saw a group of Riverlands nobles surrounding the young Lyman Darry, asking him various questions. He recalled Jon's words when he discouraged the lords from crowning Robb: "A crown is like a boat, and people's hearts are like water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it." Now, this statement seemed like absolute truth
Although Rickard said nothing upon seeing this, Greatjon couldn't hold back. He roared at the whispering Riverlands nobles, "Pipsqueaks, what are you talking about? Is there something you can't let the rest of us know?"
Greatjon did not realize that his words had implicitly divided the nobles who supported Robb into two factions
Before the other Riverlands nobles could speak, Lyman, who was less than ten years old, voiced his displeasure first: "Big Brother Jon is not a traitor! He saved me! He saved House Darry! If Big Brother Jon hadn't killed the Mountain, many more of us would have suffered!"
Lyman's voice caused more Riverlands nobles to waver in their resolve. It must be said that after the Mountain died, all of them breathed a sigh of relief
As if to support Lyman's point, a sudden, harsh voice came from the corner: "Our enemy is the Lannister Family, not Stannis!"
"Who! Who said that!" Greatjon's eyes bulged. He looked like a bear standing on its hind legs, glaring fiercely, determined to drag out the fellow who was shaking morale
Brynden watched the conflict about to erupt, especially since his nephew Edmure seemed restless. Brynden glanced at Queen Jeyne, her father Gawen Westerling, and her brother Raynald Westerling. The father and son were quiet, looking like stone—a perfect match for the icy Stark Family
"My Lords! Regardless of everything, we are currently rallied under King Robb's banner. We must remain united," Brynden quickly interjected, stepping between Greatjon and the Riverlands lords to try and quell the dispute
But when he inadvertently caught Rickard's gaze, he couldn't help but look away
Fortunately, a herald's voice announced from outside: "King Robb Stark the First, arrived—"
Hearing that Robb had arrived, Greatjon reluctantly returned to his seat, Roose Bolton glanced back and straightened his posture, Lyman and the other Riverlands lords quickly tidied their appearance, and Brynden stepped forward to greet him
The hall, which was on the verge of erupting into argument or even conflict, quieted down. Soon, Robb entered the hall, accompanied by Catelyn and his newly pregnant wife, Jeyne Westerling
As Jeyne passed one of the lords, she overheard someone mutter that "it should have been Margaery," which weighed heavily on her heart
She remembered the massive controversy and uproar that erupted within the Northern Army when Robb first announced he would marry Jeyne and make her queen, and how much pressure Robb endured for her sake
She heard that Robb's bastard brother was engaged to Margaery, and everyone believed that if Robb had been the one engaged to Margaery, they would not be stuck in their current predicament
Jeyne felt both guilt and grievance. Guilt because perhaps she should never have met Robb or interacted with him so much that day; grievance because at the time, she didn't know all this—she only knew she was marrying the man she wanted
She would rather not have this so-called "Queen" title
As Robb returned to his throne and Catelyn and Jeyne had just sat down, Greatjon began shouting: "Your Majesty, we absolutely cannot surrender to Stannis! By what right? His army is smaller than ours! If the Frey Family dares block our path, we'll smash right through them!"
As he spoke, the fellow stood up again: "I heard that Stannis has now abandoned the Seven Gods and worships some damned lord of light! We absolutely cannot crown a king like that!"
Robb watched Greatjon bouncing around and felt a surge of irritation. Greatjon had certainly been a capable officer on the road, a trustworthy general on the battlefield, but aside from that—
Sometimes he even thought, if only it were Jon. Jon was not only reliable on the battlefield but also competent in handling other affairs
At this point, Brynden also stood up and said: "Your Majesty, we are nowhere near a point of no return. Tywin has not surrendered to Stannis, so there is no need for us to do so! Moreover, the blood feud for Lord Eddard is settled. We can use the hostage as an exchange, perhaps—"
Brynden was still thinking about trading Jaime for an Alliance with the Westerlands. In his view, if they returned Jaime to Tywin, Tywin would be very happy to join them in opposing Stannis
"Perhaps what?!" A gloomy, low shout rang out, coming from Rickard. "My two sons died at the hands of the Kingslayer. Is that grudge not a grudge?"
Questioned by Rickard, Brynden was momentarily speechless. The King's feud, the lords' feud—if they kept pulling at this thread, would they also have to avenge the knights' feuds and the commoners' feuds? That would never end
At the same time, he knew Rickard was still angry about him letting Tywin go
Yet Brynden couldn't speak harshly. He hoped the North would remain to back Riverrun, because he knew that if the North withdrew, Stannis might not be able to defeat them, but he would certainly suppress Riverrun, and the Tully Family would face hard times
Just as the Northern and Riverlands lords were whispering among themselves, a servant rushed in and announced: "Your Majesty!
Jon, Jon has arrived, along with Young Miss Sansa and Young Miss Arya."
The lords in the hall cared that Jon had arrived, while Catelyn cared about her daughters. Upon hearing that Jon had brought her daughters back, she immediately shot to her feet
The other lords erupted into a fierce discussion with a boom, like a hundred crows speaking at once. Jon's arrival was far too sudden; the news they received indicated he should still be at Riverrun
"That traitor? How many men did he bring?!" Greatjon demanded, clutching his ugly greatsword
"He brought one envoy from Stannis, one guard, and one attendant. No one else."
"Your Majesty, please allow me to cut off that traitor's head!"
"Enough!" Robb finally stopped tolerating Greatjon's shouting. He took a deep breath to calm himself
"Go, bring Jon here—and be polite."
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