After nightfall, Lord Linde did not sleep. He took the backpack containing the Dragon Egg, left his room, and descended the outer stairs of the guest house, arriving with Glory at the Godswood within the castle.
He easily found the ancient weirwood tree in the center of the Godswood, as the magical light emanating from this weirwood was no less intense than that of the three divine trees in Highgarden. It was simply too conspicuous; it was hard not to notice it.
When Lord Linde arrived before this weirwood, someone had already arrived there first. It was a child, wearing an ill-fitting fur coat and oversized boots, looking as if a child had stolen and worn adult clothes.
The child was currently sitting by the black pool next to the weirwood, head bowed, sobbing. It seemed he had been crying there for some time.
Lord Linde ignored him and walked directly to the weirwood, sitting down. Glory sniffed at the face on the weirwood, then lay down beside Lord Linde, completely losing interest in the weirwood. This was in Stark contrast to his drooling reaction when he saw the three divine trees in Highgarden.
"Are you Lord Linde?" The child was initially startled by Lord Linde's appearance, but soon, with Glory's appearance, he recognized Lord Linde's identity.
"Yes." Lord Linde nodded in acknowledgment, then gestured to the child, "You can continue crying; don't mind me."
"I, I wasn't crying!" The child immediately rubbed his eyes and stubbornly said, "Something just got into my eye."
"Mm." Lord Linde nodded, ignoring the child. He took the Dragon Egg from his backpack, held it in his hands, and continued to nurture it with Dragon Rune.
Seeing Lord Linde's peculiar actions, the child curiously leaned closer. After seeing the Dragon Egg wrapped by Lord Linde, he suddenly recalled the songs of the Godsworn, ghosts, and Dragon Eggs he had heard from bards. Then he asked in surprise, "Is this the Dragon Egg Ser Duncan the Tall gave you after you rescued the suffering ghosts at Summerhall?"
"Yes." Lord Linde nodded.
"Can I touch it?" The child asked with some anticipation.
"No." Lord Linde shook his head.
"Oh!" The child responded with some disappointment, then his attention was drawn to Glory. He pointed at Glory again and asked, "Can I touch him?"
"No, Glory doesn't like to be touched." Lord Linde replied.
This child seemed to remind Glory of some bad memories in Highgarden. He immediately bared his teeth at the child in a threatening manner, scaring the child into retreating rapidly and sitting down on the ground.
Looking at the child, Lord Linde suddenly said with a touch of mischief, "You know nothing, Jon Snow."
The child was stunned and said, "You know me?"
"Yes, I know you." Lord Linde nodded, then asked, "Do you hate Catelyn?"
Jon Snow stood there blankly, seemingly lost in thought. After a long while, he shook his head slightly and said, "I know why she hates me, but I don't blame her. I'm just a little sad."
Lord Linde suddenly smiled and said, "You actually don't need to be sad. You know, while your brothers are still unknown in the North, you're actually quite famous in the South, aren't you?"
"Ah?" Jon Snow stared at Lord Linde with wide eyes.
Lord Linde said with extreme seriousness, "When Lord Eddard brought you back to King's Landing from the South, it caused a big stir. Many people speculated whose child you were, because everyone who knew Lord Eddard knew that Lord Eddard was an extremely upright and rule-abiding person. He and Catelyn were already married, so he would certainly uphold marital fidelity and would never go to brothels or associate with other women. And since Lord Eddard dared to bring you back and acknowledge you as his bastard, then with his character, he would certainly not hide your mother. So the only explanation is that your mother's identity was very special, and she had already passed away."
Jon Snow took a few hurried breaths and asked, "Lord Linde, do you know who my mother is?"
Lord Linde shook his head and said, "I don't know, but there has always been a rumor in the South that might be true. Do you want to hear it?"
Jon Snow nodded vigorously.
Lord Linde narrated, "After the battle at the Tower of Joy, Lord Eddard sent Lord Arthur Dayne's Dawn back to House Dayne's Starfall, and after that, Ashara Dayne jumped into the sea and died at the White Sword Tower. The rumor says she committed suicide because she couldn't accept her brother dying at your father's hands. Then you appeared by Lord Eddard's side and became Lord Eddard's bastard."
Jon Snow thought for a moment after hearing this and murmured to himself, "My mother is Ashara Dayne?"
"At the martial arts tournament at Harrenhal, someone saw Lord Eddard and Ashara Dayne dancing together, so it's speculated that you were conceived after they became intimate then." Lord Linde said, looking down, "So your age is actually older than your brother Robb, and under normal circumstances, your body should grow faster, taller, and stronger than Robb's."
Jon Snow nodded repeatedly upon hearing Lord Linde say this. Just as Lord Linde said, he did indeed grow faster than Robb. A year ago, their strength was similar, but now his strength far exceeded Robb's.
Lord Linde then said something startling, "Actually, there's one thing many people get wrong: your father is not Lord Eddard."
Jon Snow was completely bewildered. He had just learned who his mother was, but now his father was gone.
Lord Linde continued, "I just said that Lord Eddard is one of the most upright people I've ever met, and also one of the most old-fashioned. He has been with King for so long, and King often has various romantic affairs, but Lord Eddard has never had any scandals. Such a person could not possibly sleep with a lady without being married to her. So he absolutely could not have had a relationship with Ashara Dayne. The one who had a relationship with Ashara Dayne was actually someone else, and coincidentally, at that time, there was someone in the Stark who liked to flirt and have affairs everywhere. That person was also at the martial arts tournament at Harrenhal, and he also had contact with Ashara Dayne."
Jon Snow quickly realized something and said with a shocked expression, "You mean my uncle Brandon Stark is actually my father?"
"Yes." Lord Linde nodded and said, "Your father is Brandon Stark. You are actually the true master of Winterfell."
Clearly, the information Lord Linde had just imparted to the child was too much at once, confusing the child's mind and even making it difficult for him to accept.
Afterward, he asked nothing more. He simply turned and walked out of the Godswood in a daze, returning to his dwelling near the stables, needing some time to calm down and think.
Lord Linde watched Jon Snow's retreating figure and couldn't help but smile. Then he turned to the shadows of the trees not far away and said, "Lord Eddard, aren't you going to comfort your child?"
At this moment, Lord Eddard emerged from the trees, his black cloak blending well with his surroundings, making him difficult for ordinary people to see.
Lord Eddard walked up to Lord Linde and said with a livid face, "Lord Linde, you went too far just now! Deceiving a child like that."
"A child? This child is more mature than you can imagine." Lord Linde said, ignoring the somewhat annoyed Lord Eddard, "Although your personality and King's are completely different, you sometimes do very similar things. For example, King lets his bastards do as they please and ignores them completely, while you are a bit better, bringing your bastard back to Winterfell, but you haven't treated him well..."
"I haven't treated him well?" Lord Eddard glared at Lord Linde angrily and said, "How dare you say such a thing?"
Lord Linde looked calmly at Lord Eddard and asked in a deep voice, "Please tell me, Lord Eddard, what does Jon Snow call you? Lord Eddard, Lord Duke, or Father?"
Lord Eddard froze in place, the anger on his face quickly fading, replaced by a hint of sadness in his eyes.
"At today's banquet, everyone in Winterfell came to the great hall, even the stable boy had a place in the hall, but Jon Snow could only stay outside the hall," Lord Linde said, looking at Eddard Stark, "Lord Eddard, is this what you call treating him well?"
"Catelyn..." Lord Eddard wanted to explain.
"Blaming it on a woman? That's not the Lord Eddard I know." Lord Linde said in a deep voice, "Moreover, do you truly regard Catelyn as your wife?"
"What do you mean by that?" Lord Eddard demanded with a cold face.
Lord Linde leaned back against Glory and said, "If you truly see her as your wife, as the one who will accompany you throughout your life and be buried with you in the crypt after death, why can't you give her a little trust?"
"How have I not given her trust?" Lord Eddard asked back, puzzled.
Lord Linde, like peeling an onion, slowly peeled away Lord Eddard's emotional defenses, saying, "Because you don't trust her to keep your biggest secret, so you haven't told your secret to the woman who bore you four children."
Lord Eddard's face showed panic, but he quickly composed himself and asked Lord Linde, "What biggest secret? Lord Linde, what are you talking nonsense about?"
"Ned, promise me, Ned!" Lord Linde uttered the words that had haunted Lord Eddard his entire life.
Upon hearing Lord Linde's words, Lord Eddard recoiled as if under a spell. Whether he lost his footing or tripped over a tree root, he landed on the ground with a thud, looking at Lord Linde in terror.
"You? How could you..." Lord Eddard stared at Lord Linde in shock, his mind completely muddled, unable to form a complete sentence.
Lord Linde looked at the flustered Eddard Stark and said, "You want to ask how I know this big secret, right?"
Eddard nodded subconsciously.
"The gods are everywhere." Lord Linde replied with a very mystical statement.
After speaking, he stood up and put the nurtured Dragon Egg back into his backpack.
Lord Linde looked at Eddard Stark, who had not yet recovered, and said, "Lord Eddard, do you know why Velas keeps sending all the death row prisoners from the South to the Wall to join the Night's Watch?"
"Ah?" Eddard Stark was stunned. He was currently agitated, his mind preoccupied with how to keep his secret from getting out, and he hadn't clearly heard what Lord Linde was saying.
Lord Linde ignored Eddard Stark's state and continued to ask, "Starting two years ago, Lord Velas sends hundreds of death row prisoners to the Wall to join the Night's Watch every few months. The total number of these people should already be several thousand. No lord has done this in the past few hundred years, not even when Bloodraven joined the Night's Watch, he only brought a little over a hundred people. Have you ever thought about why Lord Velas would do this?"
As Lord Linde spoke, Eddard Stark gradually returned to normal. In fact, in the past, when he saw the Night's Watch escorting groups of death row prisoners from the South passing through Winterfell, he did wonder why Velas Tyrell would do this, but he had no answer.
Lord Linde said in a deep voice, "Winter is coming, Lord Eddard, winter is coming."
Eddard heard this and was momentarily stunned. He quickly realized that Lord Linde was not referring to his family's motto.
"Lord Eddard, you are His Majesty King Robert's good friend and brother. You have a great influence on King. You should make good use of this influence," Lord Linde said, looking at Eddard Stark, "It is too difficult for the South alone to send people to the Wall. You should make good use of your influence and ask His Majesty King Robert to issue a decree to other kingdoms, sending all death row prisoners to the Wall to join the Night's Watch. After all, winter is coming, and no one will be spared. Your North will be the first to bear the brunt."
"Lord Linde, what do you mean by that?" Eddard Stark asked with a serious expression.
"The Others are real, Lord Eddard." Lord Linde directly revealed the matter of the Others.
Eddard Stark stared at Lord Linde with wide eyes, his expression like he was looking at a madman.
Lord Linde saw Eddard's expression and knew that he didn't believe his words. Feeling that further words were useless, he turned to leave. However, after taking two steps, he stopped again and said to Eddard Stark, "Lord Eddard, compared to the safety of this world, your secret is insignificant, so rest assured, this secret will remain a secret. You don't need to worry about others knowing."
After speaking, he led Glory and disappeared into the Godswood, leaving Eddard Stark standing there in a daze, lost in thought.
The next day, after counting the numbers, the team set off as scheduled.
Fotimo had been a bit drunk last night. After going out to urinate at night, he didn't return to his room but slept in the stable.
Joel, on the other hand, had run off to a local girl's room and slept there for a night, leaving his sword with the girl when he departed.
Catelyn also brought her children to see Lord Linde and his group off. However, Lord Eddard seemed to still be immersed in the events of last night and did not appear among the farewell crowd.
Lord Linde looked at the people around him, then waved to Robb next to Catelyn, and also waved to Jon, who was hiding behind the crowd. Catelyn frowned when she saw this, but said nothing.
After the two came forward, Lord Linde took down the two broad-bladed hand-and-a-half swords from his back and handed them to Jon and Robb respectively, saying, "These two hand-and-a-half swords have always been with me, but I rarely use them anymore. Wearing them is more for decoration than practicality, which actually buries the value of these two weapons. Now I'm giving them to you, and I hope you like them."
Jon and Robb each took the hand-and-a-half sword, their faces unable to hide their joy.
Lord Linde then saw Eddard Stark standing by the study window, peeking down. He bowed slightly in that direction, then mounted his horse and rode to the front of the procession.
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