The Mountain of Ice and Fire

Eddard Stark had a brief moment of stunned silence.

The information revealed by Lord Gawen shocked him.

Arya Stark and Jeyne Westerling, who had been missing for years, were in the Red Keep of King's Landing? And she was even discussing the transport of Lannister gold with the Mountain? No matter how he thought about it, Eddard found it hard to believe.

Among all his children, Eddard loved Arya the most. Arya possessed the beauty and personality of Eddard's sister, Lyanna; she was practically Lyanna's replica, a tomboy who had been energetic and headstrong since she could walk, daring to do things that boys wouldn't.

She was lively and active, disliking needlework and etiquette from a young age, preferring to practice swordsmanship. Eddard believed that Arya was the only one of his children who possessed the 'blood of the wolf.' Compared to her red-haired, blue-eyed siblings, Arya's brown hair and grey eyes were also the closest in appearance to her father, Eddard.

The other siblings all possessed the physical traits of their mother, Catelyn Tully, but only Arya inherited her father's characteristics.

Lord Gawen looked at Eddard and smiled, "Your Grace, Arya has now become a very remarkable assassin. In the year 299 of Aegon's Conquest, at Harrenhal in the Riverlands, she went to the House of Black and White in Braavos under the Mountain's persuasion and became an apprentice there. – All men must die!"

"All men must serve!" Eddard replied in surprise.

The Faceless Men's motto and great name were known throughout the world, just like the Iron Bank of Braavos, with its fame spreading across Essos, Westeros, and Sothoryos…

"She actually became a Faceless Man?" Eddard murmured. There was both shock and worry in Eddard's heart. The Faceless Men were an extremely mysterious organization, and their true identities were not known to those around them, but Lord Gawen knew Arya's true identity. Would this bring bad consequences for Arya?

The more mysterious the organization, the more mysterious and strange its rules.

In Eddard's memory, during the time he was Hand of the King in the Red Keep, he hired a swordsman from Braavos, Syrio Forel, to be Arya's dancing master. The dancing master taught Arya a dance every day: the Water Dance. A type of swordsmanship suitable for girls to practice, and the sword used was completely different from the swords of knights in Westeros. It was the sword most favored by assassins: the rapier!

The rapier was very light, and because the blade was too narrow, there were no slashing moves in the swordsmanship, focusing on thrusting and agility, which was suitable for girls' small stature and strength.

Eddard couldn't believe that his beloved daughter had become a Faceless Man; she was only a teenager.

"Your Grace, the Mountain has a letter for me to pass on to you," Lord Gawen said solemnly.

Lord Gawen took out a wax-sealed letter from his bosom.

Eddard took it, broke the wax seal, unfolded the letter, read it, and his face became serious. He looked at Lord Gawen, "Does the Earl know the contents of the letter?"

"Your Grace, I do not know."

"The Mountain wants me to fulfill my promise and betroth Sansa Stark to Ser Reynard Westerling."

Ser Reynard Westerling was Lord Gawen's eldest son.

"Oh!" Lord Gawen was both surprised and delighted. "Did the Mountain mention this in his letter?"

"Yes, Earl."

"Your Grace, the Westerling family is honored!" Lord Gawen placed his right fist on the left side of his chest, over his heart, and bowed respectfully to Eddard Stark.

"Earl, it is also an honor for the Stark family," Eddard Stark said with a slight nod.

These words made Lord Gawen overjoyed; he knew that Eddard Stark had agreed to the marriage. Joy almost overflowed from the depths of Lord Gawen's heart; his eyebrows and mouth were full of happiness.

His eldest daughter, Jeyne, had married the Duke of Dragonstone, the Master of War of the Kingdom, the Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Expeditionary Army, the Warden of the West, East, and North, the King of Claw Isle, and the Lord of the West, Gregor Clegane; his second daughter, Elenya Westerling, had married the Duke of the Riverlands, Edmure Tully, and became the lady of the Riverlands, the ruler of thousands of miles of fertile land; his eldest son, Reynard Westerling, would be married to Sansa Stark, the daughter of the King of the North, Eddard Stark…

The Westerling family, which had been declining every day, had rapidly become a truly great noble family in just a few years since Jeyne married the Mountain. With the marriages of these powerful families, the Earl was confident that the Westerling family would soon return to the true glory it had had a thousand years ago.

In the Crag, Lord Gawen also had a youngest son, Rolam Westerling. Lord Gawen was no longer worried about his youngest son's marriage. In the past, as the family continued to decline, they concentrated all the family's remaining wealth and energy, and spent countless efforts to carefully cultivate a talented woman, Jeyne, who was originally intended to marry a great noble to obtain the help of in-laws to revitalize the family's glory. Heaven had eyes, and his and his wife Sybell Spicer's dreams had come true!

Lord Gawen took Eddard's hand, "Your Grace, it is a great honor for the Westerling family to be able to marry into the Stark family."

"We are also deeply honored, Lord Gawen," Eddard said politely. Although he was the King of the North, he did not have the arrogance of a royal nobleman; he was approachable and just, and his words came from the bottom of his heart.

In the great war between the North and the Others, Winterfell was reduced to a pile of ruins, and six or seven out of ten of the Northern legions were killed or wounded. In this special period when winter and the long night were about to come, the North needed unity internally and strong allies externally.

And the Mountain's faction was undoubtedly the most powerful ally.

There was no more powerful noble family in the entire continent than the Mountain's faction. The Mountain was also his and the North's savior. This kindness could not be expressed with gratitude; it was the fortune of the family's rise and fall and the North's rise and fall.

It was also because of the Mountain that the North and the Wall received real legion aid, thus finally defeating the Others and preserving the Stark family's territory and the lives of the Northern people.

"Your Grace, the Westerling family of the West will fully support Your Grace in rebuilding Winterfell," Lord Gawen said with emotion.

"Lord Earl, the Stark family is very grateful for your generosity."

The two families had become in-laws, so they were one family. When it came to honor, the Stark family was more ancient and noble than the Westerling family; when it came to strength and heritage, the Westerling family was naturally no match for the Stark family.

Gawen was very satisfied with his eldest son's marriage, and Eddard Stark, who had been worried about the safety of his two daughters, was completely relieved. His eldest daughter had the safest place to stay, and his second daughter had become a Faceless Man. Being with Jeyne Westerling, she already had enough ability to protect herself.

"Earl, quickly mount your horse; I have many things to discuss with you," Eddard said.

"Yes, Your Grace!" Lord Gawen said respectfully. Paying attention to etiquette was the most famous trait of the Westerling family, and Lord Gawen was always very respectful to Eddard Stark. Even though the two families had become in-laws, he was still respectful in terms of etiquette.

Many places needed to be rebuilt after the Northern War, and now that there were dozens of carts of gold, funds were no longer a problem. And there were still more than two months before the arrival of winter. For the Northern people, they could continue to work for a period of time even in the early winter.

Both of them were very satisfied with this marriage, and their closeness suddenly increased. The two of them, who had been polite, suddenly became close and familiar.

The Lannister family's gold in the West was secretly divided into two parts by the Mountain and Arya: the larger part went to the Mountain, and the smaller part went to the North. Even this smaller part required dozens of carts to load. The Lannister family's gold in the West was as rich as a country; it was not an exaggeration. During Robert's reign, the royal family owed the Lannister family 1.6 million gold dragons.

Under the three ancient weirwood trees in Winterfell, the green prophet Bran Stark rolled his eyes and looked at the misty sky. His three-eyed raven had seen all of Eddard Stark's and Gawen Westerling's conversation, and his three-eyed raven had also seen from afar that the Mountain's dragon had not died. The prophet, who knew everything about the past of this world, still had a superficial understanding of the Mountain.

Sitting in his wheelchair, he was actually a very weak crippled child; any ordinary person could kill him. His ability to protect himself was very poor, but what was in his mind was the best in the world.

Footsteps sounded, and Jon Snow walked over in a black robe.

He came to Bran's side, stopped, and watched Bran's vision without saying a word. After a while, Bran's rolling eyes returned to normal.

"Bran, you called me," Jon said.

"Jon Targaryen," Bran said. His face was like the ice and snow of the North, naturally frozen, without a trace of human warmth.

Jon Snow was slightly stunned, then relieved, "Bran, you know my true identity?"

Bran Stark, however, answered irrelevantly, "Jon, are you still planning to return to the Wall to be a member of the Night's Watch?"

"Night's Watch? The Night's Watch may no longer be needed; we only need a few scouts and a barracks at the Wall."

"The Others have been eliminated, and the Free Folk warriors have returned to the Thenn Mountains under the leadership of Mance Rayder. They will not invade us again for a hundred years."

"Mance Rayder?" Jon said in surprise.

Mance Rayder was shot to death by him with an arrow in Melisandre's pyre.

"Rattleshirt is Mance Rayder," Bran said. His tone was neither light nor heavy, neither fast nor slow, without the slightest bit of intonation, and without any emotion.

"How is that possible?" Jon said in a shocked tone.

"Melisandre used the ruby on her throat to turn Rattleshirt into Mance Rayder. The one you shot was Rattleshirt. After the Great War against the Others ended, Melisandre took back the ruby she gave to Mance Rayder. Mance Rayder turned back into himself before his army and people had even left the Northern territory. That ruby has powerful magic."

Jon was completely stunned!

"After the Night's Watch executed Mance Rayder, Melisandre's throat ruby disappeared. You have never seen her wear it again," Bran said.

Jon nodded mechanically.

"After the war, Rattleshirt was eager to lead his army and people back to the Thenn Mountains because Melisandre had already taken back the ruby. He would soon be unable to maintain his disguise."

Jon looked at Bran, and the sense of unfamiliarity was increasing, while curiosity and surprise were increasing.

"Jon, the Mountain's dragon didn't die at all. Lady Daenerys Quntina is a blood witch; her magic power to heal injuries is very remarkable. We were all deceived by the Mountain and her."

Jon's eyes widened and his mouth opened wide.

"I originally thought that the Mountain was hiding the dragon's injuries in order to seize the Iron Throne unexpectedly, but it wasn't."

Jon Targaryen found himself unable to continue the conversation. Bran seemed to know everything; he only told one shocking fact after another, and his thinking was also jumping. Jon was not sure of Bran's real intention in saying these things. Jon admired and was grateful to the Mountain; there was no doubt about that.

"The Mountain hopes that you can sit on the Iron Throne, thereby ending the disputes in Westeros and providing a real guarantee for the independence of the North."

"Me?" Jon exclaimed.

"Yes, you are the prince of Rhaegar Targaryen, the legal heir in order. Daenerys Targaryen is your aunt. She has an army and dragons, but she is not the heir in order."

"Bran, I have no soldiers, no territory, no prestige, no supplies, no money. I have nothing."

"You have the blood of the Targaryen family, Jon, and you also have the blood of the Stark family. You are the combination of ice and fire. The Battle of Winterfell has also been compiled into a song of ice and fire by wandering singers and troubadours and sung throughout the world. The Others are ice, and we are fire. And you should be the main melody of this song of ice and fire. When you sit on the Iron Throne, court scholars will compile a great book of ice and fire, recording the various legends of the human-ghost war and the reappearance of dragons. You are the combination of the meaning of the song of ice and fire, Jon."

"I have never had any extravagant hopes for the Iron Throne, and I cannot sit on the Iron Throne. Neither the Mountain nor Daenerys will agree."

"If you don't want the Mountain to kill Daenerys Targaryen, you should take the initiative to stand up, Jon. The Mountain supports you to sit on the Iron Throne, and Daenerys is your aunt. She is the only surviving member of the Targaryen family in this world. According to the tradition of the Targaryen family, you need to marry her to continue the family's bloodline. We need to convince Daenerys to make you king."

"…………" Jon's eyes were wide and his mouth was open. He had many words in his heart, but he couldn't say a word.

"The Mountain's dragon didn't die, and Daenerys won't be his opponent. If you don't stand up to stop the Mountain and agree to his crowning you as king, the Mountain will start a war with Daenerys, and Daenerys will die in battle. She is your father's sister, your only family member in this world."

"I have many relatives in this world; you are one of my relatives."

"Jon, don't forget that you are a genuine Targaryen; if the Mountain and Daenerys go to war, hundreds of thousands of people will die, and King's Landing will be flooded with refugees. Take on your responsibility, Jon!"

Bran saw Jon's weaknesses very clearly.

Among the people he couldn't see through, he knew that the Mountain was second to none! But Bran would naturally not say this; he needed to motivate Jon's enthusiasm.