iron throne of ice and fire

Chapter 625 Winterfell 4
Arya's small figure darted out from behind. However, her cheerful footsteps stopped abruptly, as if she had only just noticed the solemn crowd of Winterfell and Lady Catelyn's glance.

The little wolf girl immediately understood her mother's gaze.

She instantly transformed into a little lady, obediently walking over and kneeling beside Rickon.

Green then dismounted, paused, and called out, "Gentlemen, please rise."

The crowd slowly rose, and Green stepped forward to stand before Lady Caitlin, his gaze sweeping gently over her and her children.

Then, he opened his arms wide: "Lady Stark, let us tell this land with the warmest embrace how happy the King and Queen are to the return of the North to the Seven Kingdoms."

Not only because of his distinctive appearance as a descendant of the Green people, but also because of his regal bearing, the people cheered.

As her heart eased, Lady Caitlin smiled with grace and gentleness.

"Your Majesty, the North will always be your most loyal shield."

Green and Caitlin gave each other a deep hug, and the people around them cheered again.

After they separated, Lady Catherine, following protocol, introduced her children to the King.

The first one is naturally her eldest daughter—Sansa Stark.

"Good day, Your Majesty Green." She gave Green a perfectly standard curtsy.

Nodding slightly, Green gazed at the girl before him, whose childishness was gradually fading, and smiled: "Sansa, it's been a long time. You've become even more charming. Time truly favors beauties."

Compared to Arya, who hadn't grown much taller, Sansa was almost as tall as Lady Catelyn, and the mother and daughter looked alike.

Sansa smiled shyly: "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Next came Arya making a face, followed by Lady Catelyn's youngest son—Ricken Stark.

Rickon tried his best to straighten his small frame, but his voice trembled with nervousness: "Your Majesty, welcome. The fireplaces of Winterfell will always burn for you."

Rickon, who seemed like a little adult, was quite adorable. Grimm smiled and patted his little shoulder: "Arya told me that you can already wield an iron sword with one hand?"

Upon hearing this, Rickon's tense little face immediately lit up with a pure and excited smile: "Of course, Your Majesty, I will definitely become an unparalleled knight like you!"

"Okay, I'm looking forward to it."

Green was so approachable that young Rickon immediately forgot his mother's teachings and instructions: "Your Majesty, I heard that you defeated hundreds of thousands of Valley cavalry with only a few thousand men. Can you tell me about it?"

"Sure. Well, but the enemy back then wasn't that many; there were only tens of thousands of cavalry."

"You're so honest, wow, but that's already amazing, gods!"

Rickon's excited jumping around was just like Arya's. Green patiently replied, "Yes, honesty is a quality a knight should have, little Rickon."

Arya had somehow slipped over and grabbed Grimm's other hand, boasting to her brother, "I saw Grimm defeat the Kingslayer in King's Landing with my own eyes. In one blow, he fell off his horse!"

Little Rickon cried out even more excitedly, while Lady Caitlin coughed and reminded Arya, "Address Your Majesty."

In front, Green held Arya's and Rickon's hands, one on each side.

Sansa quietly took Lady Catelyn's arm and followed slowly behind them.

The Starks' meeting with the King was unexpectedly intimate and warm, but Lady Catelyn seemed somewhat distracted for some reason, perhaps because Rickon's mention of the Vale suddenly reminded her of her poor, deceased sister...

That place once belonged to Lysa's husband and son, but is now widely known as the king's great achievement...

The learned scholar Ruwen privately remarked to her that the outcome of the Battle of the Valley foreshadowed the downfall of the "usurper's" rule...

Suppressing the sorrow welling up inside her, Lady Catelyn's blue eyes swept over the smiling faces of the crowd. For Winterfell, this was a fortunate ending. As she looked away, her gaze inadvertently met that of a tall and imposing woman.

Caitlin knew this warrior; she was the daughter of House Tarth, the captain of the King's guard, and one of Arya's admirers.

Lady Catherine nodded slightly, while Sir Brienne returned the gesture with a blank nod.

……

The training ground on the west side of the main castle was already packed with hundreds of spectators. On the snow-covered ground, His Majesty Grin, now dressed in leather armor, was holding a training wooden sword and confronting Arya and Rickon, who were fighting side by side.

Crack, crack, crack, crack!

After dozens of "fierce" exchanges, Arya's wooden sword was knocked away, while Rickon was slapped on the buttocks by the king's sword and fell into a thick snowdrift, causing snow to fly everywhere.

The crowd erupted in good-natured laughter, while Green flicked his wrist, the wooden sword tracing a half-circle: "Not good, the two of you almost defeated the king."

"Ha ha ha ha……"

His words elicited even louder laughter.

Arya grabbed her brother and shouted with fighting spirit, "We can still fight!"

Rickon's frozen cheeks flushed with excitement, and he spat out a mouthful of snow with a "pfft," nodding emphatically: "Arya, I can do it too!"

Clearly, His Majesty Green is very fond of the Stark children, which directly confirms the rumors of a close relationship between Clyburn and the Starks.

……

On a high platform beside the training ground, Lady Catherine barely managed to suppress the urge to facepalm: "They treat the King like their playmate."

Sansa looked slightly awkward, her fingertips tracing the hem of her skirt, her tone deliberately light and cheerful: "Mother, His Majesty Grimm seems to really like Arya and Rickon."

Lady Catelyn tightened her cloak: "Sansa, remember, there are many reasons for the King's favor, but the most fundamental reason is that you are Ned's blood. Thank your father."

Sansa's lake-blue eyes turned to her, and she nodded: "Mother, I will remember it, and I will never forget His Majesty Green's life-saving grace."

"Family, responsibility, honor. You are Ned's eldest child, you are his pride."

As she spoke, Lady Catelyn took her daughter's hand and slowly descended the steps, adding, "Sansa, let's go see how the dinner party preparations are going. Oh, I've never missed Ned so much; having him around makes things so much easier..."

“Your father must be so proud of you.” Sansa glanced at the figures leaping across the training ground and quietly squeezed her mother’s slightly cool hand.

……

As dusk settled over Winterfell, the main hall of the castle was already filled with a warm and cozy atmosphere.

The aroma of charred meat dripping onto the charcoal fire, mingling with the wheat scent of freshly baked bread, creates an irresistible fragrance.

Behind the main seats where the King and the Stark family were seated, hung the three-headed dragon banner, the marigold banner, and the direwolf banner side by side.

The fire crackled and sparked, the harp played a clear and melodious tune, and the rugged tune of Northern Ballads was mixed with the clinking of glasses and the boisterous chatter of drunken conversations.

The banquet held for the king had been going on for two hours, and His Majesty Green had demonstrated his prodigious capacity for alcohol.

He would drink to every lord and knight who came to pay their respects to the king, and exchange a few friendly words with them. From time to time, the hall would be filled with shouts of "Long live the king!"

Despite maintaining her dignified demeanor, Lady Caitlin was amazed by the other side of Green's regal presence, which made him irresistibly approachable.

She felt that the gods favored Crab Claw Peninsula, otherwise how could such an outstanding king have emerged from there?
Green seemed to sense something, and tilted his golden goblet slightly toward Lady Caitlin: "For the prosperity of the Seven Kingdoms."

(End of this chapter)