"Carpets from Myr—"
"Dye from Tyrosh—"
"Wine from Lys!"
"Come and see, this is an exotic item!"
King's Landing seemed to have regained its former prosperity.
Peddlers reappeared on both sides of the road, foreign goods flowed into the city in an endless stream, and the city's brothels, big and small, reopened.
Important areas like Steel Street and Silk Street were once again bustling with people.
A carriage drove into King's Landing. Davos and Petyr sat opposite each other in the carriage, both in a rather ordinary mood, as the outcome of this diplomatic mission was not ideal.
House Tyrell, while expressing willingness to negotiate peace, vehemently opposed Stannis's demand for a marriage Alliance.
Such a demand would be considered excessive by anyone, let alone Lord Mace, who always held himself in high regard.
However, Stannis did not blame them; instead, he instructed Yassel to escort them to the Red Keep.
Yassel had now been appointed Captain of the City Watch of King's Landing. On the way, he recounted recent events in King's Landing to the two.
When Davos heard that Jon had been legitimized as a Stark, he showed a look of relief. He looked at Petyr and said, "Jon deserves all of this."
Petyr also smiled and nodded, though his smile was not as composed and reserved as before.
What he found strange was that ever since he lost his left hand, he often felt intense pain in his left hand, so much so that he would frequently wake up in pain at night.
If he didn't look at his stump, closing his eyes, he would feel as if his hand was still there, just clenched tightly, which made him very uncomfortable.
However, he soon heard something that made him even more uncomfortable. Yassel enthusiastically recounted the events concerning Jon: "This Jon is truly unpredictable. His Majesty appointed him Lord of Harrenhal, but guess what? He actually ran away overnight!
If Melisandre hadn't seen his movements with fire, he might have already returned to that godforsaken Wall by now."
"Ser, why? Why is he unwilling to accept the ducal decree?" Petyr asked, leaning forward.
Something he desperately sought, another discarded like worn-out shoes—this made Littlefinger very uncomfortable, even feeling like a lowly beggar. He urgently wanted to know why this was.
"According to him, he doesn't want to be an enemy of Robb, and he believes he is a Night's Watchman who must fulfill his duties at the Wall. But His Majesty Stannis has already confirmed with the Wall that this fellow hasn't even taken his vows. I guess the real reason is still that he doesn't want to confront Robb," Yassel said, with a hint of disdain in his tone.
He believed Jon's situation fell under 'loyalty that isn't absolute is absolute disloyalty.'
Unlike him, who even arrested his own brother Alliser to demonstrate his loyalty.
But in Davos's view, Jon's actions of valuing sentiment and righteousness, abandoning his fief and title for his brother, earned his greater admiration.
He believed Jon would definitely go to the Wall because he opposed Robb's kingship and instigated a mutiny at Harrenhal, leaving him with no status or future at Winterfell.
The three chatted along the way and soon arrived at the Red Keep. Seeing the stag banner with a flaming red heart fluttering above the castle, Davos's mood improved slightly. He thought that perhaps his four sons had not died in vain this way.
Soon, Davos and Petyr were granted an audience with Stannis. As soon as Davos saw Stannis, he apologetically stated that he had failed to complete the mission entrusted to him.
However, Stannis calmly stated that it wouldn't be long before The Queen of Thorns, Olenna, would come to King's Landing with Margaery to meet him, and then the matter of the marriage Alliance would be decided.
"Although Olenna is coming to King's Landing with Margaery, she still hasn't agreed to the marriage Alliance. I'm wondering if Tyrell is planning to win over Jon," Stannis expressed his concerns to the two, or more precisely, to Davos.
Davos thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I believe if Tyrell truly intends to win over Jon, it will be in vain. Everything Jon has comes from you. He could abandon his title for brotherly affection; how could he betray your loyalty for Tyrell's promises? As long as you trust him and favor him, I believe Jon will certainly repay you."
As the saying goes, first impressions are important, and Jon had left a very good impression on Davos. He was always willing to speak up for this young man.
Petyr watched their conversation from the side. Although his hatred for Stannis gnawed at his insides like a venomous snake, he had to carefully conceal it at this moment.
Stannis mentioned that someone had recently advised him that perhaps Tywin could be 'pardoned,' allowing Lannister to continue ruling the Westerlands, provided they paid a large fine to the Crown, in addition to more interest-free loans, on the condition of debt exemption.
Petyr knew that he would soon be removed from the Small Council by Stannis, thus moving away from the center of power. He decided to seize this opportunity to influence Stannis's decision as much as possible. He advised again, "But Your Majesty, if Tywin is allowed to occupy the Westerlands, what if they secretly make peace with Tyrell?"
Petyr's question made Davos uneasy as well. In fact, Stannis was also worried about this issue but couldn't make up his mind.
He continued, "Your Majesty, how about this? Why don't we ask Jon for his opinion? You can use the title of Lord of Harrenhal as an option or—a fallback. Ask him if he is willing to march on the Westerlands. If he succeeds, you can re-fief him as lord of casterly rock. If he fails, it wouldn't be too late to give Harrenhal to Jon."
Stannis and Davos exchanged glances. Robb was now independent in both fact and name.
The Reach was powerful and densely populated, but the problem was that it had no natural defenses. If it could rely on the Westerlands, this shortcoming would be remedied.
Their confidence in challenging him would be even greater. It seemed safer to keep the Westerlands in his own hands.
Seeing that the two seemed to be moved, Petyr decided to add fuel to the fire: "Your Majesty, since The Queen of Thorns and Margaery are coming to King's Landing, why don't you add a condition to the peace talks? You can not force a marriage Alliance, but instead have them help Jon attack the Westerlands, just as we discussed on Dragonstone. This can also consume the strength of The Reach. If a Tyrell unfortunately dies in the conquest, then we won't have to worry about the possibility of the Westerlands and The Reach uniting for a long time."
Although Davos did not like Petyr's suggestion, as it truly made him feel insidious and malicious.
But the risk of Tyrell and Lannister forming an Alliance again was like a thorn in his back, impossible to ignore.
"Your Majesty, how about we still ask Jon for his opinion?" Davos asked, somewhat conflicted.
When Jon saw Stannis again, Davos was still by his side, but Petyr had been sent away.
As soon as Davos saw Jon, he immediately put on an expression of appreciation and relief.
Jon also responded to him, but when he looked at Stannis, the king, whose hair was thinning, was as expressionless as ever.
"Your Majesty." Jon bowed slightly, saluting Stannis.
"Jon." Stannis said, "You told me before that the reason you ran away was because you didn't want to be an enemy of Robb, correct?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jon admitted directly.
"I also don't want this country's war to continue. You don't want to go to war with Robb; I can understand your feelings. But I have a condition, or rather, a task I want to give you. If you can complete it, I am also unwilling to see fratricide happen."
Seeing Stannis say this, Jon immediately saluted and declared, "Your Majesty, just speak. I will definitely accomplish it for Your Majesty."
Seeing Jon like this, Stannis, though displeased, said nothing. Instead, he said, "I want you to persuade Robb to give up his crown and swear allegiance to me."
Stannis issued the command, but Jon did not immediately respond, and a brief silence fell in the room.
This made Davos, who was beside him, a little anxious, thinking, 'Jon can't possibly make Stannis concede further, can he?'
Fortunately, after half a minute, Jon finally spoke: "Your Majesty, I can try. If Robb is unwilling to give up his crown, then let me lead troops there. If fate makes me a kinslayer—please allow me to return to the Wall."
Why mention the Wall again!
Davos smiled bitterly in his heart, feeling a bit helpless at the same time.
In his opinion, Jon had entered a moral dilemma because of his identity. Davos truly felt sorry for this young man.
Stannis hesitated, then finally nodded in agreement. Afterward, he said, "I actually originally intended to re-fief you as lord of casterly rock—"
Stannis's words were cut short, and Jon's heart trembled. Wasn't this what he had been working so hard for all this time?
It seemed Varys's intelligence was indeed reliable.
"The Westerlands are still in the hands of traitors. If you can persuade Robb to submit to me, then I will declare you the next lord of casterly rock and Warden of the West. Furthermore, I know you don't actually have many Soldiers under you; I will send troops to assist you then."
Stannis had said so much, so Jon naturally had to respond: "If I can successfully persuade Robb to submit, I will surely reclaim the Westerlands from the traitors for Your Majesty!"
"Mm." Stannis acknowledged with a nod, "Finally, there's one more thing: your marriage. Your marriage must be decided by me. You are not allowed to defy your King again."
Jon nodded, then confessed about Roslin: "Young Miss Roslin of the Frey Family and I have corresponded, but my father has passed away, and my mother may have also passed away long ago. It would be best if Your Majesty could arrange for Young Miss Roslin and I to marry. If Your Majesty has another candidate, then I will also obey the arrangement."
Stannis stared at Jon for a moment, then said, "Alright, I know. You may leave." With that, Stannis waved his hand impatiently.
Jon had just turned around and taken a couple of steps when he turned back and asked, "By the way, Your Majesty, am I—still a Stark, right?"
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