The military camps surrounding Riverrun quickly shrank, and the armies of The North began to leave in batches. This fortress, sandwiched between two rivers, was undoubtedly relieved of a huge burden.
Even the castle walls seemed to have shed their armor; the number of hanging banners rapidly decreased. Even counting the Tully Family's Fish Banner, only a few remained now.
Except for Arya, who clamored to stay and attack the Westerlands with Jon, almost everyone wanted to hurry home and sit by a warm fireplace with their Family.
Even the common Soldiers wanted to return to their own small nests.
The shadow of war further dissipated, and the country, which had fallen into chaos due to Robert's death, finally showed signs of returning to normal.
Meanwhile, Jon's army had only just set out from King's Landing and would need at least half a month to complete mobilization. As for the ten thousand strong army from Highgarden, even if they marched directly on Casterly Rock, it would take a significant amount of time.
Jon finally got a rare period of free time, and he used this opportunity to seek out the infamous "kingslayer," Jaime Lannister.
"Casterly Rock never falls! You can't take Casterly Rock!" the haggard man, who looked much like a Tramp, spoke from the dungeon. Only his facial contours could be made out under the lantern light.
Jon inhaled the damp air of the dungeon, recalling how dashing Jaime had been when they first met in Winterfell. Now, his cheeks were sunken, and the muscles on his body had significantly wasted away.
If observed closely now, Jaime was not only unshaven, but his golden hair had lost its luster, and even had straw stuck in it, hiding fleas.
No one would have guessed that the man before them was once a Kingsguard, Jaime Lannister, who had been personally mentored by "The Sword of the Morning," Arthur Dayne.
He was captured almost at the very beginning of the war and has been imprisoned ever since.
Last time, due to Robb's crowning, Jon had arrived and left in a rush, so he hadn't visited Jaime, who was locked in the dungeon. Now, with free time, he finally had a chance to meet him.
The Wall is currently short-handed, and they need a capable man like Jaime.
Jon planned to persuade him to stay honestly at The Wall, especially since in this timeline, his right hand was still intact, preventing a permanent decline in his martial skills.
After a period of recuperation and training, he would once again be a first-rate Swordsman in Westeros.
"Is that all you have to say to me? I protected your sister and your children with her. If I hadn't persuaded her, Cersei would have poisoned herself, and Myrcella and Tommen probably wouldn't have lived to adulthood. Shouldn't you offer a word of thanks?" Jon tried to approach the bars of the cage to get closer but was repelled by the stench inside.
After hearing Jon's account, Jaime paused for a long time before saying, "Thank you, but I still advise you not to target Casterly Rock. Casterly Rock never—"
"Oh, stop, stop. Have you been in the dungeon so long your language skills have regressed?" Jon interrupted him, then brought up The Wall. "Jaime, the reason I came to see you is about The Wall. I personally saw Wights, or Others, White Walkers—in short, the things of legend."
"Are you making fun of me?" Jaime clearly didn't believe Jon's words. After all, this man had killed his son Joffrey and also killed his dear uncle Kevan on the battlefield.
"I'd rather die than go to a place full of trash like The Wall!" Jaime said resolutely, heavily emphasizing the word "trash."
In his view, being frozen at The Wall was no different from being dead. Jon remembered Tyrion saying his older brother Jaime wasn't smart, but he hadn't expected him to be this dense.
Jon had mentioned Cersei and the two children at the beginning precisely to let him know there were things in the world worth caring about, but Jaime didn't seem to make the connection at all.
"What about Cersei? What about Myrcella? What about Tommen? If you can earn merit at The Wall, perhaps they can live better lives. If you die, Cersei won't have a single thought of hope left. She can't even cook a hot meal; she might end up selling her body. As for the two children, they won't even be able to become Little Birds for Varys—"
"Stop talking!" Jaime cried out, as if pricked by a needle. "I'll go to The Wall."
Stimulated by Jon's words, his nearly rusted brain seemed to start working again. Jaime opened his mouth once more but was interrupted by Jon.
"I know what you want to say, Bran, right? I made Cersei keep it a secret, and I won't tell Catelyn or anyone else about this. But Bran became crippled because of you, so let Myrcella take care of him for the rest of his life. A Lannister always pays his debts, right?"
Jaime originally wanted to say something, but after thinking it over, he nodded.
Allowing Myrcella to serve Bran meant she wouldn't have to worry about being bullied. Although the Lannisters and Starks had become enemies, the Stark character was trustworthy—at least they wouldn't take their anger out on the children.
After clarifying the matter, Jon prepared to leave, but Jaime spoke again: "You can't take Casterly Rock."
"Jaime, you personally killed Aerys, and you did it as a Kingsguard. The Dragon King is gone, let alone your Family hiding in a rock? How about this: after I take Casterly Rock, I won't exterminate the Lannisters. As for what I will do, that's none of your business. Leave tomorrow with the rest of the Northern army. Besides, if you truly believe I can't take Casterly Rock, why bother emphasizing it so much?"
In the end, Jaime said no more. Given his intelligence, he truly couldn't figure out how Jon planned to conquer Casterly Rock.
Finally, Jon said, "Is there anything you want to say to Cersei? I can have Ser Davos deliver a message for you."
Robb had already given up the crown, and Jaime had also left the Riverlands with the last batch of the Northern army.
Jon had originally planned to have Robb write a decree releasing Sam from his vows, allowing him to leave The Wall and stay in Winterfell for a while, then come help him once he conquered Casterly Rock. Jon even wanted Robb to release Old Maester Aemon Targaryen from his vows as well.
But after careful consideration, he gave up the idea. Sam had gradually found his place and value at The Wall.
In the future, Maester Aemon was excited to leave The Wall to help Dragon Mother after hearing of her resurgence in Slavers Bay because they were both Targaryens.
Currently, Jon was nobody, and it was impossible to reveal his true identity. If he did that, the two might not appreciate it, leading to embarrassment.
Therefore, Jon planned to quietly bring Maester Aemon to reside in Casterly Rock after his territory was stabilized. If he couldn't find a way to hatch a Dragon and prove his lineage, having Aemon as an intermediary would make it easier if he wanted to seek an Alliance with Dragon Mother.
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