The military encampments surrounding Riverrun were shrinking fast as the Northern army began to depart in waves. The fortress, sandwiched between two rivers, was undoubtedly relieved of a massive burden.
Even the battlements looked like they had shed their armor. The number of banners flying had dwindled rapidly; even counting the silver trout of House Tully, only a scattered few remained.
Aside from Arya, who was clamoring to stay and attack the Westerlands with Jon, almost everyone else just wanted to hurry home and sit by a warm hearth with their families.
Even the common soldiers just wanted to crawl back into their own little nests.
The shadow of war was lifting further. The realm, plunged into chaos by Robert's death, finally seemed to show signs of getting back on track.
Meanwhile, Jon's own forces had only just marched out of King's Landing; it would take at least half a month for them to fully assemble. As for the ten thousand troops from Highgarden, even if they marched straight for the Golden Tooth, it would take quite some time.
Jon finally found himself with a rare moment of leisure. He used the time to pay a visit to the infamous "Kingslayer," Jaime Lannister.
"Casterly Rock never falls. You will never take it!" In the dungeon, the man—haggard and looking no better than a beggar—spoke up. Under the dim light of the lantern, only the contours of his face were visible.
Breathing in the dank air of the dungeon, Jon remembered how Jaime had looked when they first met at Winterfell—radiant and imposing. Now, his cheeks were hollowed, and his muscles had atrophied significantly.
Looking closely, Jaime was unshaven, and his golden hair had lost its luster, matted with straw and hiding fleas.
No one would guess that the man before them was a Kingsguard, a warrior personally trained by the "Sword of the Morning," Arthur Dayne.
He had been captured almost as soon as the war began and had been locked up ever since.
Last time, with the urgency of Robb's kingship, Jon had come and gone in a hurry and hadn't visited Jaime. Now, with some free time, he finally had the chance to see him.
The Wall was short on manpower and desperately needed a skilled fighter like Jaime.
Jon intended to persuade him to go quietly to the Wall. At least in this timeline, Jaime still had his right hand, so his martial prowess wouldn't be permanently lost.
With some rest and training, he would once again be a top-tier swordsman in Westeros.
"Is that all you have to say to me? I protected your sister and the children—yours and hers. If not for my persuasion, Cersei would have drunk poison, and Myrcella and Tommen likely wouldn't have lived to adulthood. Shouldn't you offer a word of thanks?" Jon tried to step closer to the bars but was driven back by the stench radiating from within.
After a long pause, Jaime finally spoke. "Thanks. But I still advise you not to target Casterly Rock. It never—"
"Alright, enough. Have you been in this dungeon so long your ability to speak has atrophied?" Jon interrupted him, then shifted to the topic of the Wall. "Jaime, I came to you about the Wall. I saw wights—White Walkers—with my own eyes up there. The things from the legends."
"Are you taking me for a fool?" Jaime clearly didn't believe him. After all, the man standing before him had killed his son Joffrey and his dear Uncle Kevan on the battlefield.
"I would rather die than go to the Wall, a place filled with trash!" Jaime said resolutely, biting down hard on the word "trash."
In his eyes, freezing on the Wall was no different from death. Jon remembered Tyrion saying his brother Jaime wasn't the brightest, but he hadn't realized it was this bad.
Jon had mentioned Cersei and the children at the start specifically to remind Jaime that there were still things in this world worth living for, yet Jaime didn't seem to make the connection at all.
"What about Cersei? What about Myrcella and Tommen? If you earn merit at the Wall, perhaps they can live a better life. If you die, Cersei loses her last shred of hope. She doesn't even know how to cook a hot meal; she might end up selling her body. As for the children... they might not even get the chance to serve as Varys's little birds."
"Stop it!" Jaime shrieked as if pricked by a needle. "I'll go to the Wall."
Stimulated by Jon's words, his rusty brain seemed to start turning again. Jaime opened his mouth to speak, but Jon cut him off.
"I know what you're going to ask. Bran, right? I made Cersei keep it a secret, and I won't tell Catelyn or anyone else. But Bran is crippled because of you. From now on, Myrcella will care for him for the rest of his life. A Lannister always pays his debts, doesn't he?"
Jaime wanted to say something, but after a moment's thought, he nodded.
Having Myrcella serve Bran meant she wouldn't be bullied. Although the Lannisters and Starks were enemies, the Stark honor was still trustworthy—at the very least, they wouldn't take their anger out on a child.
Having made things clear, Jon prepared to leave, but Jaime spoke up again. "You won't take Casterly Rock."
"Jaime, you killed Aerys with your own hands, and as a Kingsguard no less. Even the Dragon Lords are gone, let alone your family hiding inside a rock. I'll tell you this: after I take Casterly Rock, I won't exterminate the Lannisters. As for how I'll do it, that's none of your concern. Just leave tomorrow with the rest of the Northern army. Besides, if you truly believed I couldn't take Casterly Rock, why would you waste your breath emphasizing it?"
Jaime fell silent. With his intellect, he simply couldn't conceive of how Jon could conquer Casterly Rock.
Finally, Jon asked, "Any words for Cersei? I can ask Ser Davos to pass on a message."
---
Robb had given up his crown, and Jaime had departed the Riverlands with the last of the Northern troops.
Jon had considered asking Robb to write a decree releasing Sam from his vows, letting him stay at Winterfell until Jon took Casterly Rock, and even releasing Maester Aemon Targaryen from his vows as well.
But after careful consideration, he abandoned the idea. Sam had gradually found his place and value at the Wall.
In the future, Maester Aemon only wanted to leave the Wall to help Daenerys in Slaver's Bay because they were both Targaryens.
Right now, Jon was technically nobody, and he couldn't reveal his true identity yet. If he forced the issue, they might not appreciate it, and it would just create an awkward situation.
So, Jon planned to wait until his territory was secure before quietly moving Maester Aemon to Casterly Rock. In case Jon couldn't find a way to hatch dragons to prove his lineage, having Aemon as an intermediary would make it much easier to seek an alliance with the Dragon Queen later on.