298 AC
What was bound to come has arrived; Old Arryn is dead after all.
Immediately upon returning to Harrenhal, Roman sought out Lady Helaena of House Hoare to discuss the marriage alliance with the iron throne.
"My Lady, I believe Harrenhal should seize this opportunity. We can use it to elevate our status, or at least ensure we are no longer suppressed by various parties as we are now."
Lady Helaena naturally understood the importance of this matter; for Harrenhal, the benefits of this marriage alliance far outweighed the risks.
However, she was still somewhat concerned: "Child, how do you plan to get along with Fili in the future? That girl is also a great contributor to Harrenhal, not to mention the relationship between you two is unusual."
"I will handle that issue; please rest assured, My Lady," Roman replied.
This opportunity was created by Roman and Harrenhal themselves, so it had to be firmly grasped.
Subsequently, Lady Helaena, in her capacity as the Lady of Harrenhal, sent a reply to Robert, expressing agreement to the betrothal between Roman and Myrcella.
The news spread rapidly from The Red Keep, and nobles and commoners throughout Westeros knew that Robert had found an excellent husband for his princess.
The commoners of the Riverlands were jubilant over Roman's marriage, especially those residents who had received help from Harrenhal; they were already praying for and congratulating the pair, Roman and Myrcella.
But the nobles reacted differently. Families like the Mooton Family and House Dayne, who had long-term cooperation with Harrenhal, were sincerely happy.
Meanwhile, those nobles who had previously targeted Roman were now like ducks with their necks squeezed, not daring to utter a single harsh word.
But if one were to ask who had the strongest reaction, it would be Cersei.
Lately, the Servants in The Red Keep could always hear the sound of shattering porcelain and the Queen's piercing shrieks—venomous sounds as if a hellish demon from a story had manifested in the world.
On this day, as Robert was preparing for the journey north, Cersei came rushing over once again.
"Robert! You bastard! How could you? How dare you! You're actually marrying Myrcella, my daughter, to that animal!"
Originally, Robert didn't want to clash with Cersei, but she had been far too annoying lately.
The King looked at Cersei and walked slowly toward her. The Queen instantly felt a chill, as if she were being stared down by a ferocious brown bear.
Yet she still plucked up her courage. In Cersei's eyes, Robert was an incompetent and irresponsible man regarding family, never paying attention to his own children yet insisting on interfering in such major matters.
"What? Am I wrong? You sold your daughter to Harrenhal for a bit of petty profit. Don't forget, that's the Riveran family."
"And so? Your massive reaction is nothing more than because Roman beat Jaime and wasn't punished for it. Don't use Myrcella as an excuse."
Hearing Robert's calm statement, Cersei froze in place. She knew best what kind of man her husband was.
She suddenly realized that Robert was no longer that debauched, pleasure-seeking drunkard; it was as if the young Robert had returned to his obese frame.
Robert took a step forward, looming over her and forcing Cersei to retreat.
"I've already made up my mind on this decision. It's useless for you to keep making a scene. If you don't like it, get the hell back to Casterly Rock! It'll save me from hearing you nag here every day."
The King gave the Queen no chance to retort; after finishing his speech, he left immediately.
Cersei was briefly dazed where she stood, then erupted into a piercing scream that gave the surrounding Servants a headache.
Robert was already tired of arguing with Cersei and the Lannisters behind her. He took Myrcella and headed for Harrenhal. Cersei was furious but helpless, forced to follow along sullenly behind.
This time, the King's entourage to Harrenhal was even larger. However, Robert did not stay; instead, he called for Roman to go to the North with them. The three of them needed to have a good talk about what the Kingdom should do next.
And so, in a terrible atmosphere, the group began their journey to the North.
Along the way, Robert deliberately arranged for Roman and Myrcella to be together, allowing them to communicate properly over these few months.
Inside the carriage, Roman, Fili, and Myrcella sat together awkwardly.
Roman was frantically thinking of a strategy in his mind, while Fili looked at Myrcella and Roman with a pitiful gaze, looking exactly like a large Golden Retriever afraid of being abandoned by its owner.
Ultimately, the meticulous Myrcella decided to make the first move.
"Sister Fili, I'm not familiar with Harrenhal. Could you tell me about some of the interesting things that have happened there?"
Only then did Fili stop her wild thoughts and turned to answer Myrcella's questions.
Once the topic was opened, everything became easier to discuss. Myrcella asked about everything from food and sights to local products and culture.
Roman added to the conversation from the side while observing the Princess's attitude.
From beginning to end, Myrcella did not mention the betrothal. Although she was only eight years old, she had learned through her etiquette studies and conversations with other noble ladies what should and should not be said.
The close relationship between Roman and Fili had long been noticed by outsiders, and Myrcella did not want to make things awkward for the two of them.
In the carriage, the two girls who should have become enemies were now happily discussing their future lives.
————
Because they took the Kings Road the entire way, Roman sat for a month before arriving at Winterfell.
Looking at the mud on the ground, Roman missed the main roads of Harrenhal more than once.
Robert also complained from the side: "Ever since I traveled on the roads you built, I can't stand this Kings Road. Once I have the money, I must thoroughly renovate the roads of the Seven Kingdoms!"
"Your Majesty, for that you would need to quit drinking, reduce the number of tournaments, and cancel most of the banquets."
"To hell with that, Roman! Without those, how am I supposed to live? Don't you dare think you can boss me around just because of your betrothal to Myrcella!"
Robert huffed and puffed at Roman's suggestion, but before he could continue lecturing Roman, an Attendant interrupted him.
"Your Majesty, we have arrived at Winterfell."
Roman stepped out of the carriage with Robert. The two girls, Fili and Myrcella, stood beside him, revealing their unusual relationship to the onlookers.
House Lannister had also sent several important figures. Cersei and Jaime went without saying, but what interested Roman most was "The Imp" Tyrion, who had also come to Winterfell.
Roman had wanted to find The Imp for a chat before, but the fellow was always fooling around in brothels. With Roman being so busy, they had always missed each other.
Inside Winterfell, the Stark family knelt respectfully on the ground. Seeing this scene, Robert felt an indescribable melancholy in his heart.
He walked to Eddard's side and made a secret gesture. Seeing this, the wolf lord of Winterfell stood up hesitantly.
Robert looked Eddard up and down and said in a mocking tone:
"You've gotten fat, Ned."
The wolf lord didn't speak, but glanced at Robert, implying that his weight gain was even more exaggerated.
Seeing this reaction from Eddard, Robert finally couldn't help but laugh heartily, then hugged his close friend tightly.
The King greeted the Stark family in turn. When he reached Sansa, Robert saw obvious tear streaks on the girl's face.
Robert simply assumed she had had a conflict with her family and offered a few casual words of comfort.
After the formalities, Robert wanted to head to the Stark family crypts with Eddard, leaving the others to move about freely above.
Seeing that Robert had left, Cersei immediately rushed in front of Roman and grabbed Myrcella's hand.
"Mother?"
Before the Princess could react, she was pulled away from Roman's side by her mother, an act that drew a mocking remark from Tyrion.
"Queen, I think Myrcella is happier by Ser Roman's side. You'd best not interfere!"
Cersei: "Tyrion, how do you have time to stand here catching the breeze? I thought you'd already gone to find your whore."
Tyrion: "Oh, that reminds me."
The Imp took the opportunity to leave; he didn't want to spend a single second with Cersei.
Passing by Roman, Tyrion asked, "A drink?"
"No, Lord Tyrion, His Majesty Robert still has business with me."
The Imp knew Roman was a busy man, so he whistled and left the scene.
Roman ignored the furious Cersei and smiled at Myrcella, then saw Jaime nearby, looking eager to try something.
"Tsk, forgot about Jaime. It seems this guy hasn't let it go all this time."
Roman didn't want to clash with Jaime here, but Jaime clearly didn't want to pass up this opportunity.
"Ser Roman, it's been a few years since we last met. Since we've finally gathered today, let's have another match."
Hearing Jaime's words, the soldiers of Winterfell and Harrenhal couldn't hold back their smiles.
They had seen with their own eyes Roman's four-hundred-man slaughter in the Wall's tunnel and his explosive killing of Ice Spiders Beyond the Wall.
In their eyes, Roman was the Warrior of the Seven incarnate; Jaime? Merely a mortal.
But now that everyone present had heard Jaime's challenge to a duel, it wasn't easy for Roman to refuse.
"In that case, please be careful, Ser Jaime."
Roman handed his war hammer to Fili and casually picked up a hard wooden stick.
Seeing Roman's action, Jaime thought he was being insulted. The young and aggressive Jaime moved to engage Roman.
Roman was also getting a headache looking at Jaime. He even thought about breaking Jaime's hand in advance to cure him of his arrogance.
But these thoughts only flashed through Roman's mind; he wasn't that irrational yet.
Jaime stepped forward quickly, testing with his sword. Roman used the tip of the stick to parry the blade's point while slowly circling Jaime.
Every time the young Kingsguard tried to attack, he was either dodged or blocked, making him increasingly irritable and causing his offensive rhythm to falter.
But Roman kept Jaime dangling, never engaging him in a direct confrontation.
The surrounding crowd had already started betting on who would win or lose, and some even began to quietly mock Jaime's clumsiness.
This made Jaime even more infuriated. He hadn't even managed to get his sword close to Roman yet; every move he made was parried back.
Suddenly, Roman made a low sweep which Jaime easily dodged. Seeing an opportunity, Jaime was overjoyed and aimed a downward slash at Roman's exposed head.
The surrounding crowd gasped, and some ladies covered their eyes, not daring to watch the scene that followed.
As it turned out, Roman had feinted; an upward strike hit Jaime's right hand. Although Jaime wore gauntlets, it still hurt, and he instinctively retreated.
Then Roman swung the stick back from Jaime's undefended side, the tip striking Jaime's helmet.
This strike was heavy and powerful. Despite the helmet, it hit Jaime's temple. Jaime immediately felt dizzy, his vision went black, and he fell straight down.
"Quick, call a maester!"
While everyone was still in shock, it was Roman's shout that brought them back to their senses, and they hurried to carry Jaime away.
Roman looked at the messy scene and his mud-stained clothes, feeling only that it was bad luck.
He glanced at Bran; this boy was the important goal of his trip.