"Come in, Miss Sansa!" Lynd looked at Sansa and said.
Sansa, who had tidied her appearance, walked into the study, bowed to Lynd, and said, "Lord Linde."
Lynd asked, "Are you not accustomed to living here? Do you need different accommodations?"
"No, no! I'm very accustomed, it's very good here." Sansa quickly shook her head, then she hesitated and asked, "My Lord, can you also rescue my father from King's Landing?"
"I went to see your father; it was your father who asked me to save you and protect you," Lynd leaned back in his chair, looking at Sansa's expectant face, and said, "Before I went, I considered saving your father, but after talking with him, I changed my mind. I think it's a good thing for your father to stay in prison awaiting trial."
"Why?" Sansa couldn't help but excitedly question Lynd, but quickly realized her behavior was inappropriate and quickly explained, "I'm just worried about my father's safety, I'm not questioning your decision..."
Lynd interrupted Sansa's explanation and said, "Miss Sansa, you don't have to be as cautious here as you were in King's Landing. You can treat this place as Winterfell. Say whatever you want, don't worry too much. I'm not so petty as to be angry at a little girl's questioning."
"Thank you for your generosity, My Lord." Sansa lowered her head.
Lynd patiently explained, "Your father, Duke Eddard, made many mistakes: concealing what he discovered from King Robert, altering King Robert's will, and appointing the Lord of the Iron Throne according to his own ideas. All these mistakes accumulated, leading to your father's current predicament. However, the biggest mistake he made was leaving Winterfell and heading south. The fate of your grandfather and great-uncle gave Lord Eddard no warning. When a person makes a mistake, they must accept the punishment, whether they are a commoner or a noble."
Sansa lowered her head, saying nothing, her expression unreadable.
After a long while, she looked up, tears in her eyes, and asked, "Then, My Lord, can you please save my sister Arya? She's been missing since the day the trouble started, and I'm worried about her..."
"You don't need to worry. Arya has her own destiny; she is different from you," Lynd said, looking at Sansa. "I asked your father before, and he could only save one of his two daughters. He hesitated for a long time and finally chose to have me save you, because you are too fragile. In your father's opinion, it would be difficult for you to survive in an environment like King's Landing. Arya's chances of survival are much higher than yours."
Sansa clearly hadn't expected such a situation, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt, feeling that she had stolen her sister's chance at survival.
So, she couldn't help but say, "Lord Linde, can I exchange places with Arya, let her come to Summerhall, and I return to King's Landing?"
"Impossible," Lynd flatly refused Sansa's request, saying, "Instead of daydreaming here, you should quickly learn to make yourself stronger, to be able to do more things, instead of spending all day in your room embroidering and fantasizing about some knight coming to marry you. When you return to Winterfell in the future and become the Duchess of Winterfell, if you are still like this, you will be torn apart by the wolves of the North."
"Ah?" Sansa looked surprised and quickly corrected Lynd, saying, "My Lord, you are mistaken. I am not the first heir. My brother Robb Stark is the heir to the Duke of Winterfell."
"I didn't say anything wrong. You go back and think about it slowly, and tell me when you've figured it out." Lynd didn't explain further to Sansa, but instead picked up the bell on the table and shook it, summoning a maid and instructing, "Take Miss Sansa downstairs to rest. Also, give them a change of clothes; the castle mornings will be very cold, and the clothes they are wearing are not warm enough."
After speaking, Lynd watched as the maid led Sansa away, then turned his gaze back to the map of Westeros. He casually took a few small flags from a box and placed them on Golden Tooth, The Twins, Kalin Bay, and Princes Pass respectively.
All the recent events in King's Landing had spread throughout Westeros at an extremely fast pace in the past two days, and there were even vague rumors across the Narrow Sea.
From King Robert's death, Eddard Stark colluding with Stannis to forge a will and seize the throne from Robert's eldest son Joffrey, to Eddard's failed coup and imprisonment, and Joffrey's ascension to Joffrey I—all these changes seemed to erupt at once, leaving people overwhelmed.
However, none of these events could compare to the news of Lynd appearing in King's Landing riding a dragon to mourn King Robert and keep vigil for him; clearly, the dragon was far more attention-grabbing.
However, even more eye-catching was the subsequent announcement from Summerhall. In the announcement, Lynd acknowledged the validity of King Robert's will and would abide by it, recognizing Joffrey I's identity and the legitimacy of his claim to the Iron Throne.
When this announcement was made, everyone found it somewhat unbelievable. In many people's eyes, Lynd should have remained silent at this time, because as the most powerful lord in the Seven Kingdoms, a chaotic kingdom and all lords vying for the Iron Throne should have been a good thing for him, as it would give him the right to join this game of power and become a contender for the Iron Throne.
However, even Joffrey I's maternal grandfather, Tywin Lannister, Lord of Casterly Rock and Westron Protector, had not yet publicly acknowledged his grandson's legitimacy, yet Lynd had expressed his stance first, which left people completely bewildered as to what Lynd intended to do.
However, Lynd's second announcement subsequently made everyone understand his stance. The content of the second announcement was simple and straightforward: Lynd was not interested in the power struggles of the Seven Kingdoms and asked not to be dragged into them. As long as it did not affect the overall situation of fighting the Others, he would not intervene in this power struggle.
If Lynd had only said these words privately to someone, others might have doubted the truthfulness of his words, but now Lynd had publicly announced it to the Seven Kingdoms, and through the Seven Gods Church, which made everyone in the Seven Kingdoms no longer doubt Lynd's stance.
And after this announcement was made, all those who had intentions of participating in this power struggle felt their bodies and minds significantly lighter, as if an invisible force pressing down on them had disappeared, which also made some ambitious individuals become restless.
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