Riverrun is located at the confluence of the Red Fork and Tumblestone rivers.
And there's also a Kingsroad running through it.
It can be said to be the hub of the entire Riverlands.
Controlling it means controlling more than half of the Riverlands.
Riverrun has white walls and blue spires.
The two rivers to the north and south are home to thriving sturgeon.
Therefore, the sturgeon also became the sigil of House Tully of Riverrun.
However, this city experienced great joy and great sorrow in a short period of time.
The joy was that the castle lord's grandson, Robb Stark, led a large army to rescue Riverrun from the Lannister siege.
Moreover, the head of the Lannister family, Tyrion, Duke Tywin's son, was captured.
This was an undeniable glorious victory.
The sorrow was that Robb had lost his father forever.
The Northern lords had lost their Duke of Winterfell forever.
At this moment, in the great hall of Riverrun, everyone was engaged in a discussion about their stance.
After Eddard's death, King Robert's brothers successively declared themselves kings.
And they all demanded that the North and the Riverlands submit and join them.
Catelyn, however, hoped to join the relatively stronger side, which was Robert's youngest brother, Renly Baratheon.
Renly was already the Lord of Storm's End, the Master of Laws in Robert's court, holding a high and powerful position.
Now he had also allied with the wealthy and powerful Highgarden.
For the Iron Throne, Renly was determined to win.
And by allying with Renly, Catelyn could rescue her two daughters, who were trapped in enemy territory, more quickly.
"Highgarden has already mobilized its troops, and Storm's End goes without saying. If we also join Renly, then Lady Lysa will not hesitate either. At that time, six of the seven great houses will support him.
It won't be long before we can round up the Queen Mother, the boy king, Duke Tywin, Tyrion, and all the Lannisters!"
"It won't take a year, my lords! Just join King Renly!" a shrewd knight declared.
Catelyn looked at him, her eyes full of hope.
'Stevron Frey,' Catelyn thought.
She had never found a Frey to look so agreeable as now.
However, what dashed her hopes was her own son.
Robb, seated high at the head of the hall, slowly began:
"Renly cannot be king. By law, Stannis is the king! Just as Bran and Rickon cannot inherit Winterfell before me."
Since winning a great victory, Robb no longer needed such tactics to consolidate his authority.
As a military commander, victory was the greatest authority.
Now, when he spoke, he already had the demeanor of the Duke of Winterfell, or more precisely, his father's demeanor.
But at this moment, still adhering to 'Eddard-style' honor and persistence would make them lose a powerful ally and place him on the opposite side.
This was a difficult path, a path Catelyn was unwilling to tread.
However, asking the North and the Riverlands to pledge allegiance to Stannis still met with considerable resistance.
"Or we could wait and see, let the two kings decide the victor themselves, and then we'll make a decision?
Of course, I think Duke Tywin would also be willing to pay some ransom," Stevron proposed again.
Indeed, his words immediately drew objections from others: "That's an act of cowardice!"
It was Greatjon who spoke, his roar almost drowning out Stevron's suggestion.
"Begging for peace is showing weakness!" said Lady Mormont from Bear Island.
"To hell with peace talks!" Rickard's reaction was even more intense; his two sons had been killed by Jaime on the battlefield.
"No peace talks!" a Riverlands noble declared.
"Why not?" Catelyn asked in an almost pleading tone.
In her opinion, no amount of victory could bring Eddard back to her side.
But clearly, the lords of the North and the Riverlands disagreed.
The Lannisters had gone too far; they had burned, killed, and plundered in the Riverlands, taking castles and towns.
Before recovering their family lands, the Riverlands nobles would certainly not agree to peace talks.
And the Northern nobles, after this expedition, would inevitably want to gain something, greater power, more prestige, otherwise they would also be unwilling.
"Negotiating peace is certainly possible, but we don't accept superficial peace," said Catelyn's uncle, Brynden Tully.
Brynden had left Riverrun years ago to make his own way, unwilling to follow his family's arrangements for marriage.
And he called himself 'Brynden the Blackfish.'
His words rekindled Catelyn's hope.
Allied with Renly, she could rescue her daughters sooner; with peace talks, she could rescue her daughters immediately. She could accept either of these choices.
"If, shortly after a temporary sheathing of swords, we must prepare for war again, what is the meaning of such a peace?"
'Still, there will be war,' Catelyn wailed inwardly, leaning back in her chair with a sense of powerlessness.
And Brynden's statement met with the approval of most people.
"Never easily make peace!"
Everyone was clamoring, and the voice of the person who spoke was clearly very young.
Catelyn followed the sound and found it was a boy under ten years old.
'House Darry,' Catelyn suddenly remembered.
Just recently, Lord Raymun Darry, the boy's father, had been killed by the Mountain.
Catelyn looked at Robb, but Robb seemed to have not made up his mind.
Her son was now the commander of the army, and his word was law.
Catelyn, as his mother, could not interfere.
Just then, a large man suddenly jumped up and shouted, "My lords, let me tell you my opinion!"
It was Greatjon, the big man, looking full of vigor and ambition.
"Stannis! Renly? Bah!" Greatjon spat forcefully on the ground. "What Highgarden, what Storm's End, what Lannister, they're all damn nonsense! What do they know of snow, of wolfswood, of the Old Gods?
They can fight however they want, I don't care, but I think we can govern ourselves!"
As he spoke, he drew his sword and pointed it at Robb, who was at the head of the hall, and said:
"If I must choose a king, then he! Robb Stark is my king!"
As Greatjon's words fell, everyone was stunned.
Even Robb himself had a look of barely concealed surprise and excitement on his face.
Greatjon then threw his broad and ugly greatsword to the ground and said:
"Long live the King in the North!"
The heavy thud of the sword on the ground shattered Catelyn's last hope.
After a commotion, someone suddenly said, "If that's the case, then it might work." It was Rickard who spoke.
"Long live the King in the North!"
At this point, Lady Mormont stepped forward.
Just as she was about to follow Greatjon's example and place her weapon before Robb as a sign of allegiance and submission, a loud roar suddenly came from the hall entrance.
"Stop!!!"
Everyone turned back, somewhat displeased, to see a familiar figure standing at the door.
It was Jon Snow, Eddard Stark's bastard son.
The attitude of the Northern lords towards Jon had changed dramatically in just a few months.
At first, they only saw him as a son wanting to rescue his father.
Mostly positive feelings.
Later, he helped Robb restore military discipline and displayed formidable martial arts.
This earned him the respect of most people.
Even later, when they learned the detailed battle situation of the Battle of the Green Fork, they all became curious about this young man.
To turn the tide when defeat was already certain, such a strategy was probably one of the best in all of Seven Kingdoms.
When the lords of Westeros chose their heirs, one of the most important factors was martial prowess.
They must be full of martial virtue!
Many lords were racking their brains because they could not have a qualified heir.
But Eddard actually had two at the same time!
And both were top-notch!
This made many people envious.
However, just when a direction that satisfied everyone was finally found, he suddenly jumped out to stop it, which made everyone confused.
Robb, sitting at the highest position, naturally saw Jon first.
On the Green Fork battlefield, his bastard brother had performed very well.
But seeing himself about to become King in the North, and then suddenly being interrupted, he still felt a little uncomfortable.
Greatjon, who was already kneeling on one knee, was left hanging there. Seeing that everyone's attention had shifted and his pent-up emotions couldn't be released, he was very annoyed.
He turned around and said in a rough voice:
"Jon Snow, we Northerners are about to govern ourselves, what are you dissatisfied with?!"
Jon didn't answer. He walked into the hall, observing others out of the corner of his eye, until he stood before Robb.
"I believe Stannis's claim to the throne should be acknowledged; he is the legitimate king."
Jon looked into Robb's eyes. If he showed any greed for the crown, then he would immediately activate his defection plan.
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PS:
To help everyone understand, I will briefly outline two relatively crucial battles in the War of the Five Kings.
First: The Battle of the Red Fork.
In the original story, Robb invaded the Westerlands, and Tywin led his army back to reinforce.
Robb ordered his uncle Edmure to defend at the Red Fork. He originally thought Edmure was no match for Tywin, and Tywin would break through Edmure's defenses.
And this would lead into Robb's trap.
If successful, Tywin could be directly encircled and killed.
If successful, the Starks, united with the Riverlands, would not only dominate the North but also control the Westerlands, threatening Highgarden.
But unexpectedly, Edmure drove Tywin back (of course, it's also possible that Tywin realized that being attacked in the Westerlands was not fatal, the critical point was King's Landing, so he withdrew).
This led to the subsequent 'Lion-Rose Alliance' (Westerlands and Highgarden).
The next decisive battle was the 'Battle of the Blackwater.'
The outcome was that Stannis's army was completely burned by Tyrion's wildfire and suffered a crushing defeat.
However, he almost captured King's Landing, but Tywin's and Highgarden's armies had already arrived, and he had no time but to retreat.
The Lion-Rose Alliance had an army of 100,000, while Robb had at most 30,000, and his home was stolen, so the tide had turned.
Coupled with Roose Bolton's betrayal, after the Red Wedding, the North was severely weakened and leaderless, completely at the mercy of others.
The protagonist's motivation for supporting Stannis is as follows:
If Robb supported Stannis, they could completely secure a political status of 'listening to orders but not being commanded.'
In this way, the protagonist would help Robb complete his plan to ambush Tywin.
Jon, as Robb's most trusted and capable brother, would be assigned to the Westerlands.
At that time, he could rely on the Westerlands to develop his own power.
This would also be the most convenient, avoiding further conflict with Roose Bolton.
And if Tywin died, the Lion-Rose Alliance might collapse, and Stannis would conquer King's Landing.
He could deal with Highgarden however he pleased; in any case, the Northern Starks would remain unshaken.
Stannis, at least, would have no reason to attack them.
If he lost, then he would be brought to the North.
Find a way to eliminate Stannis and enthrone Stannis's daughter Shireen as queen.
Controlling the emperor to command the lords, North and South would be in a standoff.
Although Highgarden had many people, there were also Dornishmen in the South, so they wouldn't dare to commit all their forces to a decisive battle with the North.
Even if there was a stalemate, the Wall would at least receive support from half of Seven Kingdoms.
But if Robb still wanted to be king, Jon could still help him ambush Tywin, but afterward, there would be no righteous cause.
Regardless of whether Stannis won or lost, the Iron Throne would eventually fight the Starks. (If Stannis won, the Iron Throne would fight the Starks. If he lost, Joffrey and Highgarden would fight the Starks. If Robb didn't declare himself king, at least if Stannis won, there would be no war. If he declared himself king, there would inevitably be many more wars to fight in the future.)
This does not align with the protagonist's goal of ending the war as soon as possible to save the world.
If Jon prepared to defect to Stannis's side, then he would help him win the Battle of the Blackwater (it must be won, otherwise this book cannot be written).
After winning, he could at least become a buffer and bridge between the Iron Throne and the North, and the protagonist could play both sides.
If Stannis won, Tywin would be caught between a rock and a hard place (Stannis in King's Landing, Robb in the Westerlands), and being encircled and killed in the Riverlands would be a matter of time.
Highgarden might even go after Tywin to compensate for choosing the wrong side.
So, the Westerlands would just... well, I can't spoil it yet.
Although the protagonist has Targaryen blood, if he revealed it now, no one would believe him except Howland Reed.
He must climb step by step as a bastard, climb to the very top, he wants to be Zhao, uh, wrong channel.
Although Jon has followers now, they are all temporary soldiers and trial cards.
He needs to become a lord and cultivate his own power.
In short, this is the direction of the next story.
To the readers who are willing to continue reading, I will do my best to refine the story.
To the readers who think this direction is unsuitable... I also don't want you to leave. Give me a chance; perhaps the later story will interest you?
I have only given a direction here; the logical details within it are not convenient to elaborate on.
If you have any questions, please continue reading.
Sincerely, the Chubby Little Guard ~