"Jon Stark."
The one-armed Donal's expression changed as he asked gravely, "Commander, are you certain about this?"
"This time, I did not break my vows."
Jon's face was still a little pale—he was still naked—but his tone was firm.
Putting aside Robb's last will and the burden of the Stark family's honor and vengeance he carried, the fact remained that he had been stabbed and beheaded by dozens of his own brothers of the Night's Watch.No matter what reasons they had, it proved one thing—his authority as Lord Commander was gone, their old camaraderie had vanished, and there was no longer any meaning in staying at the Wall.
The steward known as Red Pomegranate cried out, "Commander, please stay! The Wall and the Night's Watch cannot survive without you! You are the savior! I—"
He glanced at his kneeling comrades beside him, gritted his teeth, and said, "Please, Commander, stay. We are willing to bear the guilt of assassinating you and atone for our crime with our deaths!"
Red Pomegranate wasn't the most capable man, but his loyalty and devotion to the Night's Watch were second to none.He had truly donned the black out of sincere belief in the Watch's honor and duty.
During the Old Bear's time, he served him faithfully.After the Old Bear's death, he acted as interim commander—working diligently, unafraid of death, even leading the charge against the Weepers.That turned out to be a disastrous decision—not only did it cost them men, it also left Castle Black undefended, almost falling to Ygritte's wildling raiders.
When Jon rose to command, though Red Pomegranate was displeased with his friendliness toward the wildlings, he still obeyed every order and advised him dutifully.
Later, when the interests of the Night's Watch were at stake, he took upon himself the sin of oath-breaking and became the ringleader of Jon's assassination.(The show version of Game of Thrones glorified Jon while disgracing Red Pomegranate.)
Now, Jon's resurrection deeply shook him—like a devout believer witnessing Jesus rising from the tomb.
He believed Jon was the fulfillment of an ancient prophecy—the true savior.
And to fulfill that salvation, he was willing to die bearing the gravest sin, if it could calm Jon's resentment and end the rift between the Lord Commander and the Night's Watch.
If Barristan Selmy was the true knight, then Bowen Marsh was the truest man of the Night's Watch.
"Please, Commander, stay!"
"Please, Commander, stay!"
One by one, more and more brothers of the Watch knelt and pleaded for Jon to remain.
There was no doubt—the savior was the best choice for Lord Commander.
But…
Daenerys almost wanted to laugh.
She suddenly thought of those lines from cheap web novels that popped up in ads: "Please, Tiger Commander, return to battle!"
"Lord Steward Marsh, brothers of the Night's Watch."
The Wolf Commander straightened up on the wooden board, facing Red Pomegranate and the kneeling Watchmen, his expression complex."You are not wrong. You did not break your vows. The one who did was Jon Snow."
"As Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, I let family hatred cloud my judgment and committed a terrible, foolish act."
"At this crucial moment, when the Long Night is upon us, a Lord Commander leading by example in breaking his vows—such consequences are dire. When I reflect on it now, I am filled with sweat, regret, and fear."
"But the past is the past. Jon Snow belongs to the past. Now, I must be Jon Stark."
"For my father, for my brother Robb, for the family slain by the Boltons—"
"And for the Long Night that is soon to come."
"To face the outside threat, the inside must first be united."
"Once I pacify the North and reclaim Winterfell, I swear—the North will not be a burden to the Night's Watch but will become its strongest support."
"I will rally all the North's strength to aid the Wall!"
This Jon was far more rational and principled than the one in the show—there, Jon executed his assassins before announcing his resignation.
Hearing Jon speak with such reason and conviction, the brothers of the Night's Watch no longer cried for him to stay.
Daenerys, however, was not concerned about whether Jon would stay or leave. She had been watching the Red Priestess, Melisandre.
It was strange—though R'hllor had suffered a crushing blow, losing both influence and face, the High Priestess of the Red God still smiled with relief, joyful at Jon's resurrection and the display of divine power.
Suddenly, Daenerys understood.
Melisandre had no direct communication with R'hllor at all.In fact, Daenerys began to doubt whether R'hllor could communicate directly with his followers in the first place.
After that, trivial matters passed. Once Jon had washed and dressed, Daenerys prepared to leave.
But before leaving, she had one question for the old red-nosed maester.
"Tell me, did Rickard Stark and his maester, Varys, ever plan rebellion?"
She had tried once again to enter the trees, but this time the process was painfully difficult—she could no longer glide through them freely.
Before, it had been like sliding down a smooth slope. Now, it felt like tunneling through rock.
The greenseer hadn't lied—the land and trees were their domain, and outsiders could barely intrude upon it.
Left with no choice, she sought out Pycelle.
"This…" The red-nosed old man was startled, his face turning grave. "If this is true, it would have a greater impact on the Citadel than the Dance of the Dragons."
"For a maester to encourage his lord to rebel against the king—if such a rumor spread, no noble would ever trust the maesters again."
"Then is it true?" Daenerys asked.
"I do not know," Pycelle shook his head. "True or false, those who plotted such a thing would never share it with unrelated maesters, nor record it anywhere. Only the ones directly involved would know."
"Varys is dead, isn't he?"
"Yes. Not long after Duke Rickard's death, he…"
Pycelle paused, then suddenly looked surprised."The alliance of the Wolf, Fish, Falcon, and Stag—that was indeed organized by Duke Rickard himself."
"Ten years before Robert's Rebellion, Rickard sent his second son to the Vale to become Jon Arryn's ward."
"Three years later, Brynden Tully became betrothed to the Tully family's eldest daughter."
"And almost in the same year, Robert and Lyanna were engaged. That was seven years before the Rebellion even began!"
"The power of such an alliance was far beyond self-preservation under the Mad King's tyranny—they clearly had grander ambitions."
In truth, before the incident with Rhaegar and Lyanna, the Mad King had not caused trouble for any dukes—aside from quietly putting a green hat on his good friend Tywin.
"Did Rickard intend to seize the Iron Throne? How could a Northerner ever win the people's support?" Dany frowned.
"Your Grace, I can't answer that. You'd have to ask the man himself. Unfortunately, too much time has passed—none of them are alive, except…"
The red-nosed old maester's eyes lit up as he suddenly smiled. "There is one survivor. Maester Varys's father is still alive."
"Why would a father know of his son's conspiracy?" Dany asked doubtfully.
"His father is no ordinary man. He's none other than Maester Walgrave—you've met him before. The day we were at the Seneschal's Tower in the Citadel, he called you 'Princess Leila,' which made us suspicious of your identity. Do you remember?"
"Unfortunately, Walgrave is now senile. You won't get much out of him."
The old maester sighed regretfully, then suggested, "You could send someone to search Walgrave's tower. There might still be letters preserved there."
Dany remembered now.
That senile old maester.
Her good boy, Jaqen, had disguised himself as Pate and hidden beside him.
Wait—
That old man had not only mistaken her identity but had also often called Pate "Cressen."
Who was Cressen?
At the time, Dany hadn't known. But after taking Dragonstone, she became familiar with all of her subordinates.
Cressen was once the maester of Dragonstone. He had planned to poison Melisandre and die with her, but Melisandre turned the tables on him in public instead.
He had come to Dragonstone with the two Baratheon brothers.
For decades before that, Cressen had served the Baratheons at Storm's End.
According to Pylos—Cressen's successor and the current maester of Dragonstone—Cressen's love for the three Baratheon brothers was like that of a father for his sons, far beyond the bond of maester and lord.
"How could Maester Walgrave have a son?" Dany asked.
Maesters, like members of the Night's Watch, renounced their names and swore lifelong service to Westeros. They could not marry, hold lands, or father children.
"A bastard," the red-nosed maester explained. "Varys Flower, born of a union between Walgrave and a distant cousin of House Hightower."
After that explanation, he awkwardly added, "Well, men make mistakes when it comes to women. Perfectly normal.
Take our Lord Commander, for example—everyone knows about his dalliances with Captain Ygritte and the wildling princess Val."
What the—Jon was that wild?
"How did he end up with Mance's sister-in-law?" Dany asked curiously.
"Heh, now that's a question you asked the right man about—nobody else knows this," the red-nosed maester said proudly. "The Lord Commander is a skinchanger. He has a raven companion.
He often took the raven's body to spy on Val while she bathed, and—"
The old maester gave Dany an indecent look and chuckled lewdly. "When Val discovered the raven, she guessed it was Jon watching her.
One night, she turned the tables—things got heated, and she tied him up and whipped him. To his surprise, he rather enjoyed her ropes and lashes. Who would have thought the noble princess Val was actually—"
Dany couldn't listen anymore. Whips and ropes? Enough.
"How do you even know this?" she interrupted coldly.
"I'm a maester. I can communicate with ravens. The Lord Commander's big black raven talks fast but loves food. I traded it corn for secrets."
"What secrets?"
At that moment, Jon climbed up the rookery, hair dripping wet, flanked by Tormund and Ygritte.
The red-nosed maester waved his hands frantically. "N-nothing—nothing at all—"
Dany glanced at the red-haired woman with dark circles around her eyes and tear-streaked lashes, then sneered. "We were just discussing how many women wept with joy after your resurrection."
"N-no one…" Jon's face turned red, then pale. He shot Ygritte a nervous glance and quickly changed the subject. "Your Grace, I plan to recruit a band of free folk to march south to Winterfell. Does that comply with the Tripartite Leasing Agreement?
According to the terms, King Stannis was also allowed to enlist free folk warriors."
"Those who call themselves the King in the North may no longer eat the Night's Watch's food, wear the Watch's clothes, or use the Watch's weapons and horses. Can you manage that?" Dany asked evenly.
Jon and the two wildlings turned pale.
From Castle Black to Winterfell was at least fifteen hundred kilometers along the King's Road, with no supply stations in between.
In snow deep enough to bury a man's head, the loss of provisions would be catastrophic—at least ten times normal consumption.
If Jon recruited two thousand wildlings, he would take from the Wall enough food for twenty thousand men—for three months at least.
Even the Dragon Queen herself found such an expense staggering.
Dany continued, "Now, both Shadow Tower and Eastwatch receive daily supplies and knights from the Seven Kingdoms.
Once you use those materials to form your own army, not a single grain or guard will be sent north again."
"Your Grace, that's actually why I came. Could you lend me some food first?" Jon asked hesitantly.
(Note: It's uncertain whether Jon is truly submissive, but Val, the wildling princess, definitely has a dominant streak. Even beyond the Wall, she used to toy with several wildling men—Mance Rayder once called them her 'playthings.' That says it all.
After she was captured and brought to the Wall, Val still treated the knights of Stannis's army with the same commanding air—they practically worshipped her.
And Jon? He was utterly fascinated by 'Queen' Val. Maybe he does have a bit of a submissive side.
Whether he'll make Val his lover, who knows? But the tension and attraction between them are real.
If Val were to seduce Jon in A Song of Ice and Fire Volume VI, I wouldn't be surprised.
It wouldn't be the first time Val stole a man, nor the first time Jon was stolen by a wildling woman.
As for Varys and Walgrave's connection, the books never say explicitly—just hints. This is only my personal speculation.)
(End of Chapter)
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