The sunlight illuminated Stannis's flaming stag banner, which danced in the wind like a real fire.
The thick fog on Dragonstone had dissipated, giving way to a rare day of good weather.
The numerous vassals of Stannis, who had been looking dejected just days before, were now gathered in the Stone Drum Tower, engaged in heated discussion, with Stannis and his Queen Selyse seated at the head of the table.
Members of both the King's faction and the Queen's faction filled the Stone Drum Tower, with Davos, Melisandre, and others in the forefront.
Even Alliser, who had previously been implicated in treason, was released and temporarily served as hand of the king until Stannis could find a suitable replacement.
Stannis had very few capable people around him, and leveraging the House Florent's closer blood ties to the House Tyrell was at least a way to cause some trouble for the Tyrells.
At this time, everyone was mainly discussing the issue of enfeoffment, and to discuss enfeoffment, Jon was the first and indispensable hero who could not be overlooked.
Without Jon, they would sooner or later have to leave Dragonstone and form a 'government in exile'.
Moreover, Jon's reward had to be substantial; otherwise, how could these defeated generals have the face to ask Stannis for rewards?
Stannis, seated high on his throne, also did not know what kind of reward would be appropriate; at least for now, a count's reward seemed a bit low.
Davos and Melisandre returned from King's Landing, full of praise for Jon; especially from Davos's mouth, Jon was practically Eddard Rebirth.
Both his morality and his ability were impeccable.
Granting Jon the 'Stark' surname, legitimizing him, was a 'finishing touch' type of reward and absolutely could not be used as a formal enfeoffment; otherwise, he, as King, would be laughed at.
"Your Majesty, I believe Harrenhal can be granted to Jon, and he can be given the title of Duke of Harrenhal," said Alliser, who had just been released.
Harrenhal's castle was large enough, and it was next to the God's Eye, with fertile land, making it a good fief.
But someone quickly raised an opposing view, it was Davos: "Your Majesty, while Harrenhal is good, it is truly an inauspicious place. Three families have died out there, it really doesn't match Jon's merits."
Davos's fondness for Jon was the highest among everyone on Dragonstone, so he wanted to secure the best possible fief for Jon, so he wouldn't always think about returning to the Wall.
"Then where do you think he should be granted a fief?" Stannis asked.
Although both Davos and Melisandre approved of Jon, especially Melisandre who even stated that Jon was a wise minister and fierce general sent to him by the lord of light, Stannis still could not fully trust Jon, and even less could he fully accept his vassals' advice.
"Your Majesty, I..." Davos stammered, unable to speak.
Jon's enfeoffment was truly difficult; at least a castle of a certain size was necessary. The Stormlands had already fully pledged allegiance to Stannis; he couldn't possibly strip a Family of their castle and good fief to give to Jon.
The Reach and the North were still in Winterfell's hands.
The Reach was even more impossible; Stannis wasn't so insane as to force the Tyrells, who commanded seventy to eighty thousand troops, into rebellion just to grant Jon a fief.
There was no way around it; who told him he had failed militarily? The Westerlands were not in his hands either, and now he was at a point where he had nothing to bestow upon his number one hero.
"Could it be that I should give him Dragonstone?" Stannis dismissed this idea. Dragonstone was, after all, the ancestral home of the Targaryen Family.
Across the Narrow Sea, there seemed to be Targaryen remnants seeking restoration, and he could not hand over such a vital place to others.
Finally, Stannis made a decision. He spoke, "Let's put aside the matter of the fief for now. I will grant Jon Snow the Stark surname, and I will personally knight him. Once he becomes a knight, I will at least make him a duke."
Since Stannis had already spoken, everyone stopped disputing the matter. At this point, Queen Selyse suddenly spoke, "Your Majesty, perhaps we should also consider arranging a marriage for this Jon."
"A marriage?" Stannis turned to look at his wife. Although Selyse's voice was not loud, many people heard it.
Compared to rewards, a marriage seemed to have a greater impact on their interests.
If Jon were to be married, the bride would certainly be chosen from among Stannis's vassal families.
However, Stannis's vassals were divided into the King's faction and the Queen's faction. No matter which side Jon joined, it would greatly strengthen that faction's power and influence, and he might even become a leading figure overnight.
Selyse cautiously observed Stannis's expression. Their relationship was not actually that good; in fact, it could be described as cold.
Stannis never allowed Selyse to show affection in public. Once, at a public banquet, when Selyse tried to link her arm with his, he immediately rebuked her, "Let go of my hand! Woman!"
Selyse believed this was because she couldn't give Stannis a son, and the daughter she did bear had suffered from greyscale since childhood.
Therefore, during every interaction, Selyse was cautious, even trying every possible way to please Stannis. Melisandre was someone she had introduced to her husband.
Seeing that Stannis did not object, she continued, "Your Majesty, my Family still has many unmarried girls. Perhaps we could..."
"Your Family's girls? Forget about it. Have you forgotten your cousin?" Stannis didn't even look at Selyse, directly mocking her.
Hearing Stannis mention her relative, Selyse immediately felt her cheeks flush.
It turned out that on their wedding night, Selyse's sister had 'wrestled' with Robert on their marital bed, and then Robert 'hit the mark' in one go. Selyse's sister gave birth to a bastard for the King, who was raised at Storms End.
He was a healthy, strong boy.
Both of them believed that the bastard should have been born to Selyse for Stannis, but they dared not blame Robert, so they could only label Selyse's cousin as 'indiscreet'.
Stannis was no fool. In this Battle of the Blackwater, the House Florent was at least half responsible.
Both he and Davos had asked Imry to send a scout fleet to check for traps on the Blackwater Rush, but that fellow was arrogant and didn't bother to reconnoiter.
Not to mention Alliser's recent plan to make peace with the Lannister Family. Stannis had reached his limit of disgust with his wife's Family.
It was impossible, and he did not wish for Jon to have any entanglement with the House Florent.
He not only had to reward Jon, but Jon himself was also a reward.
At this time, Stannis's other vassals were also trying to secure a marriage alliance with Jon. The Queen's faction and the King's faction were unyielding, both believing their Family's girls were beautiful and more worthy of Jon.
Seeing his vassals start bickering again, Stannis felt a wave of annoyance. Just then, a servant ran in to announce, "Your Majesty, the House Tyrell has sent envoys, and some of our captured lords have also been returned."
"Tyrell..." Stannis thought that if it weren't for the House Tyrell, he might have been able to attack King's Landing... He clenched his fist, eventually suppressing his anger and instructed, "Let him come in."
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