Jon's face showed sadness and self-reproach, and he did not answer. Sam also hesitated to speak, and Rickon lowered his head.
Lord Lynd frowned and said, "He is the only male heir of the Stark family. Although Duke Tywin made Sansa the Duke of Winterfell, Sansa is unwilling to accept it; she prefers her brother to be the Duke of Winterfell. One of the purposes of my visit this time is to take the male heir of the Stark family to Winterfell to inherit the title."
"I don't want to inherit the title; I want to be a Night's Watchman!" Rickon suddenly looked up and shouted loudly at Lord Lynd, then turned and ran back into the castle in a hurry.
"What exactly is going on?" Lord Lynd felt that something was amiss and turned to ask Sam and Jon.
"Prince, this matter is not suitable to be discussed here; let's go to my room!" Sam stepped forward and whispered.
Lord Lynd nodded, telling him to lead the way. So Sam instructed the others to do their own things, then led Lord Lynd back to his room. Jon also followed, and after entering, he had someone guard the door and carefully closed it.
"Speak! What exactly is going on?" Lord Lynd looked at the two and asked.
Sam and Jon looked at each other, and then, at Sam's Hint, Jon explained why Rickon preferred to be a Night's Watchman rather than return to inherit the Winterfell title.
It turned out that when Bran and Rickon and others escaped from Winterfell, they encountered a pack of wolves in the Wolfswood. Although they were protected by two direwolves and Ado and others, Rickon was still injured, and the injury was in a man's vital area.
Even after being treated by the Reed, the injury healed, but he also lost his male function. So, after arriving at the Wall, he voluntarily joined the Nights Watch and became Maester Aemon's attendant.
Hearing this, Lord Lynd couldn't help but feel a headache. He never expected that the male line of the Stark family would become extinct in such a way, which made him wonder if the Stark family was under some kind of curse.
Lord Lynd then asked, "Besides the two of you, who else knows about Rickon's situation?"
Sam replied, "Ado, Meera Reed, Jojen Reed, and the wildling woman Osha."
"Where are they now?" Lord Lynd inquired.
Jon replied, "Ado also joined the Nights Watch with Rickon and is responsible for tending horses in the Black Castle stables. Meera Reed and Jojen Reed, the siblings, and the wildling woman Osha went Beyond the Wall."
"Went Beyond the Wall?" The Three-Eyed Raven came to Lord Lynd's mind, and he asked, "Did they say what they were going to do Beyond the Wall?"
"No," Sam and Jon both shook their heads.
Lord Lynd couldn't help but suspect at this moment whether the Three-Eyed Raven had taken Jojen Reed as a substitute for Bran, but Jojen Reed did not seem to have Bran's excellent talent, and whether he could become a substitute was still unknown, so Lord Lynd felt that the Three-Eyed Raven probably had other arrangements for the Reed.
As Lord Lynd was thinking, Jon couldn't help but ask with concern, "My Lord, is Sansa doing well now?"
"She's doing fairly well. Now that Rickon cannot inherit the Winterfell title, it can only be given to Sansa." Lord Lynd sighed slightly and said, "Her abilities are still somewhat lacking, and she is a girl, so it might be difficult for her to control those crude warriors in the North, but with Daisy's assistance, the problem won't be very big."
Sam, who was beside them, also took out some organized documents and said, "Prince, you came here to see if the plan was being executed..."
Lord Lynd shook his head and said, "No, you don't need to show them to me. Keep these documents properly, and when the Steward Commander of the Nights Watch arrives, you show them to him. After that, all matters concerning the defense against wildlings or Others will be handled by him."
"Commander of the Nights Watch?" Sam and Jon were both stunned and asked in unison, "Who is it?"
Lord Lynd said, "Lord Stannis Baratheon."
"Lord Stannis?" Sam nodded upon hearing this and said, "Lord Stannis's ability to defend a city is top-notch in the Seven Kingdoms. My father used to speak highly of him. His becoming the Commander of the Nights Watch and guarding the Wall is truly well-deserved. Moreover, his noble status can keep the people within the Nights Watch in line."
"But would Lord Stannis be willing to be a Night's Watchman?" Jon was stunned and said, "Hasn't he not completely lost the war yet?"
"No, there's no possibility of him turning things around!" Sam shook his head and said, "Now, the alliance of the Westerlands and the well-supplied The Reach makes it impossible for them to lose, even if the Vale fully supports Stannis, it's impossible to reverse the situation. You should know that the wildling invasion has already caused heavy losses to the Vale, only slightly better than the Riverlands. In this situation, it's impossible for them to continue supporting Stannis, so Stannis can only rely on the remnants of his forces from Dragonstone and the allied forces from the Stormlands, so he absolutely has no chance of turning the tide." As he spoke, he looked at Lord Lynd again and said, "Prince, you must have been to Dragonstone before coming to the Wall, right?"
"Yes," Lord Lynd nodded and said, "Stannis has agreed to come to the Wall and join the Nights Watch, and not only him, but also some nobles from Dragonstone and the Stormlands will join."
Upon hearing Lord Lynd's words, Sam's face did not show any joy; instead, he looked somewhat worried.
Lord Lynd seemed to see through Sam's thoughts and said, "Are you worried that their joining will disrupt the current stable state of the Nights Watch's Commander, Ranger Captain, and other high-ranking Stewards?"
"Yes," Sam also nodded and said, "The newly joined nobles will definitely want to gain real power within the Nights Watch, and currently, whether it's the Commanders of the various castles, the captains of the Rangers, or the assisting Stewards, they have all been arranged. If they want real power, others will have to move aside, and in that case, the Nights Watch will definitely experience some disputes." As he spoke, he looked at Lord Lynd and said, "Prince, why don't you..."
Lord Lynd interrupted Sam's words and said with an extremely serious expression, "I said that the affairs of the Nights Watch will be handed over to Stannis from now on. If Stannis cannot even handle such matters, then I will intervene, and in that case, the Nights Watch will definitely undergo even greater changes, and you absolutely do not want to see such changes. Therefore, you must diligently assist Stannis and not give me an opportunity to interfere in the affairs of the Nights Watch."
Upon hearing Lord Lynd's words, Sam and Jon's faces both turned somewhat pale, and they nodded repeatedly.
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