When the King's procession entered the city, the roads had naturally been cleared early on; ordinary carriages and carts had to hide away, while common citizens were allowed to stand along the roadside to welcome him.
The commoners of King's Landing craned their necks and widened their eyes, as if trying to scrutinize the newly appointed King. As residents of the capital, this was all capital for future bragging.
Of course, managed cheers were inevitable in between, creating the impression for the King that he was highly popular and universally acclaimed.
When Stannis spoke, he stood ramrod straight, staring forward; no one except Jon could tell that he was speaking.
"Sure enough, I knew you would ask," Jon thought, then turned slightly to respond, "Your Majesty, these Direwolf banners represent not Robb, but Eddard, the first person to sacrifice himself for the realm, in a sense."
Jon looked directly into Stannis's blue eyes and stated frankly. In fact, he could have been more explicit —My father died for your crown—but that would have seemed overly forceful, and he presumed that Stannis, with his intelligence, would understand the underlying meaning of his words.
As expected, after hearing Jon's explanation, Stannis's expression softened.
Soon, the group passed through the already opened gates of the Red Keep. The Soldiers Stannis had sent ahead had already taken control, and the flaming stag banner had long since replaced the flags on the castle spires.
The others followed closely behind. They were not going anywhere else temporarily but heading straight for the Throne Room where the iron throne was located.
When Jon accompanied Stannis as they first arrived in the hall, their footsteps created a slight echo, but as more people entered, the echo disappeared.
Although the people in the procession were varied in age, and their paces differed, not to mention the Queen and others who were traveling by carriage, they fortunately arrived on time.
Everyone in the hall maintained quiet movements. Sansa and the other girls stood behind Selyse as attendants.
Although Stannis's vassals were divided into King's Men and Queen's Men, they did not overtly line up on opposite sides.
Under the gaze of the crowd, Stannis walked step by step toward the tall, monstrous iron throne. Everyone's attention was focused almost entirely on him, as if witnessing the birth of a new king.
In that momentary pause, Jon and Varys's eyes suddenly met, and a slight smile appeared in Varys's eyes.
Soon, Stannis's boots made a crisp clanging sound as he stepped onto the steel steps. When he sat upon the iron throne, Grand Maester Pycelle shouted, "May he rule long and well!"
"May he rule long and well!"
Everyone cheered loudly. Then Alliser stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, now that the iron throne has welcomed its true master, I believe we should immediately prepare a formal coronation ceremony."
"Yes, Your Majesty, there should be another coronation ceremony."
The crowd agreed, as the ceremony on Dragonstone had been rather rushed. A proper King should follow tradition, such as being crowned at the Great Sept of Baelor.
Looking at these defeated commanders under him, Stannis's eyes, which had just shown a hint of excitement, became subdued again.
He spoke coldly, "A coronation? The traitor Tywin is entrenched in the Westerlands, the usurper Robb is crowned King in Riverrun, and Balon Greyjoy is rebelling again. How can you expect me to be at ease with a coronation?"
Stannis truly disdained the Queen's Men, and thus reprimanded them. Yassel and the others grudgingly fell silent. Although this matter had nothing to do with Sansa, she still couldn't help but shrink back behind Selyse.
Although this was not the first time she had seen a King reprimand someone —she remembered two Kings: Robert and Joffrey —she wouldn't mention Joffrey. When Robert raged, his voice was so loud it seemed all of King's Landing could hear his roar.
This new King had a completely different style; the feeling he gave was like cold rainwater pouring into one's clothes, chilling a person to the bone.
Stannis's blue eyes swept across the hall. No one whispered, and no one looked around; everyone stood quietly, waiting for the new King to speak.
"Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North, sacrificed his life to uphold the justice of the realm. I shall restore his honor and return his remains to the North."
Stannis's first decree after officially becoming King was this, but upon reflection, it made sense, and everyone praised Stannis's wisdom and benevolence.
"The former Queen, Cersei Lannister, is suspected of adultery, corrupting the royal Bloodline, and attempting to usurp the throne. She is hereby expelled from the royal Family and stripped of her noble status. As for her remaining two children, Tommen Baratheon and Myrcella Baratheon, they are likewise expelled from the royal Family, and their bastard surname —Waters —is restored!"
Stannis's first two decrees were fundamentally centered on succession, which was not surprising.
Cersei and her children were currently being closely guarded on Dragonstone. Since the Westerlands were still in Tywin's hands, it was crucial to quickly establish these essential facts as irreversible.
From now on, there would be no Myrcella Baratheon and Tommen Baratheon, only Myrcella Waters and Tommen Waters.
Because the siblings were bastards born in the Crownlands.
However, this first "court session" began by transforming trueborn children into bastards, and the next step was to legitimize bastards.
Stannis looked at Martin and Mond and said, "Martin Rivers, Mond Rivers, you rendered meritorious service by helping Jon Snow ambush the Mountain and conquer King's Landing. Starting today, I legitimize you as Martin Darry and Mond Darry. I shall find a new fiefdom for you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty." The two brothers knelt together. To bear their father's surname was the dream of almost every bastard.
"Will Jon also become a Stark like us?" Arya whispered to Sansa from behind Selyse.
"Of course. Is that even a question?"
"But since Jon has the greatest merit, why isn't he rewarded first?"
"The one with the greatest merit is naturally rewarded last," Selyse said. Although she did not turn around, her voice clearly reached the sisters' ears.
After Martin and Mond came Beric Dondarrion.
He knelt on one knee before Stannis, awaiting his conferment.
"Beric Dondarrion, though you failed to capture the Mountain, you remained loyal to the King's command, actively attacked the Westerlands forces in the Riverlands, and later rendered great service in retaking King's Landing and executing the false king. I shall exempt your lands from taxes for ten years and simultaneously expand your territory."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Dondarrion likewise knelt on the ground, accepting the reward.
Soon, the most distinguished individuals all received their due rewards, including Thoros, the Brotherhood Without Banners, and several knights and lords from House Darry.
This left the members of the King's Men and Queen's Men feeling very unpleasant; clearly, they were the ones who had followed Stannis the longest and sacrificed the most.
But there was nothing they could do —they had lost, after all. If it weren't for the people currently receiving honors, they wouldn't know where they would be right now.
Finally, after all the secondary figures had received their due rewards, Stannis finally called Jon's name: "Jon Snow."
The moment Stannis's voice fell, everyone focused their gaze on Jon.
Varys's eyes held scrutiny, Pycelle had a smile on his lips, Sansa and Arya held hands, and the two old Frey brothers strained their necks, revealing the age spots on their skin.
They believed it best to bring up the matter of marriage alliance immediately after Jon received his reward, while he was still happy.
Selyse pressed her thin lips together, as if she wanted to swallow Jon whole. In her view, if such a young man didn't have the issue of his birth, he could absolutely become Shireen's King Consort in the future.
In addition, there were Dondarrion, Thoros, Martin, and Mond —the people who had accompanied him all this way.
Alliser, Yassel, Penny, Adrian, and the rest of the King's Men and Queen's Men stared wide-eyed, regretting only that the person standing there wasn't themselves.
At this moment, Jon's heart rate was accelerating. Varys was right: the Lord of Harrenhal was somewhat beneath him, yet the lord of casterly rock was perhaps slightly beyond his reach.
How to strive for the best outcome rested entirely on this moment. Jon knelt on one knee, awaiting Stannis's conferment.
"Jon Snow, you fought Tywin's rebels at the Battle of the Green Fork, ambushed the Mountain's forces to protect the people of the Riverlands, retook King's Landing, and executed the false king. I believe Eddard Stark would be greatly comforted if he knew of your achievements. From today forward, you are no longer Jon Snow, you need not bear the name of a bastard. I shall personally confer upon you the title of White Wolf Knight!"
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