The sunlight pierced through the thick fog, and Dragonstone seemed to come alive again. Stannis's courtiers, who had just been gloomy, were like seedlings refreshed by sweet rain.
In the hall of the Stone Drum Tower, the courtiers of Dragonstone chattered, discussing the newly received news—King's Landing had been recaptured!
By a bastard!
This feeling was like their side being wiped out, waiting to respawn at the fountain, with fully equipped enemies on their way, but their crystal was destroyed by a minion—no, to be precise, by the 'monster' Jon!
At this moment, the name Jon Snow officially appeared before everyone. Everyone was discussing who this bastard really was.
Soon, older nobles explained what had happened: the honorable Eddard Stark had fathered a bastard during his campaigns.
Eddard was a moral benchmark for men in the Seven Kingdoms, but when the nobles of the Seven Kingdoms learned that he too had fathered such a bastard, they breathed a sigh of relief.
In the future, when facing their wives' questions, they could use Eddard as a shield: 'Look, that Eddard Stark also did it~' Of course, privately, there would be a little mocking: 'Eddard, you're no saint either.'
But now, everyone was grateful for Eddard's'shot' from a decade ago.
Unimaginable, truly unimaginable, how powerful it was! A'shot' from a decade ago, spanning time and space, directly'shattered' King's Landing.
However, not everyone was happy about this. For example, Axell, who had righteously exposed his own brother, Alliser. Besides loyalty, the most important point was to maintain the House Florent's position in Stannis's court.
Suddenly, there was this letter, sent in the name of a bastard. Regardless of its authenticity, could this Jon be trusted?
The stout Axell spoke in his booming voice, "Your Majesty, as far as I know, this Jon Snow's brother, Robb Stark, has already usurped the throne in Riverrun. What if he intends to lure our people to King's Landing for an ambush, and then enthrone Robb as the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms? We must be careful!"
Axell's concerns were not unfounded," Davos thought. He was well aware of how tense Dragonstone was at the moment.
Just recently, their King had dismissed a Hand of the King.
But soon, someone stood up to refute: "Your Majesty, I believe we cannot only consider this Jon's brother as a usurper." The speaker had thick eyebrows, stood a head taller than Davos, and seemed to stand out from the crowd.
His name was Andrew, from the Emmon family of the Stormlands. Andrew had once been Stannis's squire, and his loyalty was naturally beyond doubt. He continued, "Your Majesty, I have heard that this Jon, when his brother Robb was crowned, tried to stop it by himself, but he merely failed."
"So that's how it is."
"This bastard is not simple."
"If that's the case, he should be trustworthy."
Davos listened to the discussions and immediately became interested in Jon.
But Axell seemed relentless. If Jon was truly dedicated to fighting for Stannis, a king he had never met, then his personal achievements would outweigh the entire House Florent's, and even far exceed it!
Axell continued, "Perhaps it's an act? Otherwise, where did this bastard's army to attack King's Landing come from?"
Axell's statement immediately made some people ponder. If, as they speculated, Jon and Robb were at odds, then where did his army come from?
The Seven Kingdoms were not without examples of bastards leading armies, but how could the Northern lords approve of a bastard leading half an army alone?
Listening to the two men's debate, Davos was also very confused, wondering how strange these two brothers, Jon and Robb, were. What was really going on?
Davos, unable to figure it out, turned his gaze to Stannis, who was sitting on the throne.
Stannis, too, was at a loss at this moment.
While Jon's message had given him a sense of sudden clarity, this invitation letter was indeed full of doubts.
The most critical issue was the army question raised by Axell: how exactly did this Jon convince those Northern lords to follow him in attacking King's Landing?
Davos saw Stannis looking at The Red Woman beside him with a puzzled expression, and he couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable.
Rationally, if it weren't for Melisandre, Stannis might not have even gotten past Renly.
His Majesty, the King, was able to assemble two hundred warships and an army of over twenty thousand to attack King's Landing; Melisandre's contributions were immense.
But emotionally, Davos disliked Melisandre, because a kingdom won by witchcraft always made one feel uneasy.
Moreover, Melisandre had also killed the old maester of Dragonstone, who was a very kind old man, and Davos was very fond of him.
Stannis and Melisandre quickly whispered a few words, then he spoke: "My lords, I think we could discuss here until dark and still get no results. I have decided to send Melisandre to King's Landing to discern for us whether this Jon is a loyal subject or an ambitious schemer."
Stannis's decision largely quelled the debate.
Firstly, Axell, who most questioned Jon, came from the Queen's faction, which was the group of Stannis's subjects who had converted to the lord of light faith. Sending Melisandre meant at least this faction had no objections.
As for the other group of subjects who adhered to the Faith of the Seven, they were naturally unwilling to be cooped up on Dragonstone. Confirming Jon's allegiance as soon as possible would benefit everyone.
However, sending only The Red Woman would not satisfy everyone, so Stannis also decided to send another subject who adhered to the Faith of the Seven.
But who should he send?
Stannis looked at the subjects who adhered to the Faith of the Seven, and suddenly realized they had become a minority.
Because many had been captured in the Battle of the Blackwater Rush and were probably still imprisoned now.
Finally, his gaze fell upon Davos.
"Ser Seaworth."
"Your Majesty."
When Davos Seaworth stepped out from the crowd, his expression was haggard, and he didn't look well.
Yes, his four sons had all died on the battlefield.
Stannis's heart sank. He was a king who wasn't very considerate of his subjects, but at this moment, the only one he could trust was Davos.
Because many had been captured in the Battle of the Blackwater Rush and were probably still imprisoned now.
Finally, his gaze fell upon Davos.
"Ser Seaworth."
"Your Majesty."
When Davos Seaworth stepped out from the crowd, his expression was haggard, and he didn't look well.
Yes, his four sons had all died on the battlefield.'
Stannis's heart sank. He was a king who wasn't very considerate of his subjects, but at this moment, the only one he could trust was Davos.
"Ser Seaworth, you and Melisandre will go to King's Landing and meet this Jon for me."
"As you command, Your Majesty." Davos forced himself to rally his spirits. The grief of losing his sons had to be temporarily set aside; his King had not given him time to mourn.
"Should we send a letter back to King's Landing first?" someone suddenly suggested.
"No," Melisandre spoke publicly before the courtiers, a rare occurrence. "Going directly will better reveal a person's character and true self."
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