Winterfell.
Godswood, next to Heart Tree Blackwater.
When Maester Luwin found Sansa and Bran praying with an oil lamp, night had already enveloped Winterfell for some time.
" Sansa, Bran!"
Maester Luwin walked briskly, calling out their names from afar.
Sansa, pushing Bran in his wheelchair, turned her head back in confusion.
" Master Luwin, what's the matter now?"
Only when the oil lamp the scholar was carrying stopped swaying did she open her mouth to ask a question.
As a red leaf fell, the two eyes carved on the Heart Tree seemed to suddenly come to life, quietly watching the three of them.
Maester Luwin took a deep breath, pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve pocket, and said with a sorrowful expression.
" A message from Robb..."
His voice choked with emotion, "They...they said..."
Sansa and Bran felt a chill run down their spines, a bad feeling creeping over them.
Sansa took the letter, still holding onto a sliver of hope.
" Robb lost the battle..."
"ah-"
Sansa, using Maester Luwin's oil lamp, read the contents of the letter and screamed in terror.
Her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled, and she could barely stand.
If it weren't for Bran's wheelchair supporting her, Sansa would probably have fallen to the ground.
"Impossible, Dad... Dad... how could... this be..."
The message on the letter was so shocking that Sansa was momentarily speechless.
Her eyes quickly reddened, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Bran, leaning back in his wheelchair, also realized something, mechanically took the letter from Sansa's hand, and quickly read its contents.
Tears immediately fell onto the letter.
No matter how much Three-Eyed Raven taught Bran how to use Greensight to obtain secrets, he could never break free from the bond of blood.
"Father...
His right hand trembled like a Parkinson's patient's, and he looked extremely grief-stricken.
Maester Luwin was equally grieved. He had served Ned Stark for over a decade and had long considered Stark a part of his life.
But he never expected that the upright and honorable Duke would die in King's Landing.
It's worth noting that when Ned asked for his opinion on moving south, he was firmly in favor.
"throat..."
Maester Luwin was filled with remorse. Had he known what had happened recently, he would have opposed Ned's move south no matter what.
He looked at Sansa and Bran, who were weeping with grief, his expression sorrowful, yet he had no choice but to speak.
"I know it's inappropriate to say these things now, but, Sansa, Bran..."
"We don't have time to grieve now; we should be thinking about what to do next."
He paused, then stared intently at Sansa. "Especially you, Sansa! Bran's illness is not yet fully healed, and you are now the acting lord of Winterfell. You must pull yourself together!"
"The war in the North is not over yet; you must shoulder the burden of the entire Winterfell!"
"Think of Bran, think of Rickon, you must stabilize the North for Robb!"
"Especially now that he's declared himself king!"
Sansa closed her eyes in pain, her mind filled with images of her family.
One moment it's the father, the next it's the mother, and then it's Arya and Rickon.
a long time.
She struggled to suppress the grief of losing her father, her voice hoarse as she spoke.
" Master Luwin, I need your advice!"
Maester Luwin nodded solemnly.
" Sansa, now that the Duke has been killed, Robb is the Lord of the North."
"But he actually became king of Riverrun..."
The scholar was completely baffled.
Since Targaryen conquered the continent of Westeros with his dragons, the title of King of the North had disappeared from the North for hundreds of years.
But now Robb has put that old crown back on his head.
"Logically speaking, even if Joffrey is a false king, and Robb doesn't want to kneel before him, he should still do what he did more than a decade ago: elect someone else from House Baratheon as king, such as Stannis and Renly, not to mention the illegitimate children whose kingship has been legitimized."
"How can he claim to be king all by himself?"
Luwin frowned, a hint of worry in his eyes.
He feared that Robb was being used as a pawn and would be put in some dangerous situation.
Upon hearing this, Sansa remembered the second half of the letter.
She, who has been studying with Maester Luwin recently, also realized that something was wrong.
"Wasn't Mom with Robb when you last wrote to me?"
How could she allow Robb to act recklessly?
But Sansa's question was destined to go unanswered.
With so little information, even the most brilliant Maester Luwin couldn't cook without ingredients.
He shook his head and sighed.
"The incident has already occurred, and almost half a month has passed; even if we find out the details, it will be of no use."
"The most urgent task now is to end the war between the North and the Iron Islands immediately!"
Seeing Sansa's confusion, Maester Luwin explained, "Originally, because of the alliance between the Deer, Wolves, and Ospreys, we were invincible in our war against Lion."
"But now that Robb has declared himself king, he will surely anger Baratheon and see us as traitors!"
"Given Ser Rodrik's account of his and Lady Catelyn's experiences at The Eyrie, it seems the Valley has chosen to distance itself."
"The alliance is in grave danger. How can we, along with House Tully, possibly withstand so many enemies?"
Sansa and Bran suddenly realized what was happening.
"So you mean…:" Sansa paused, thinking hard, "We need to contact Balon through Asha as soon as possible to end the war between the North and the Iron Islands, and prevent the West or others from siding with the Iron Islands to target us?"
Luwin nodded solemnly. "That's right, only in this way can the North be stable. Then we can send Lord Galon to the Riverlands to support King Robb."
"With Lord Galon's military talent, we can definitely sweep Lannister away!"
Luwin's words instantly made Sansa's eyes light up.
"Yes, Galon just defeated the Iron Islands. If he can head south, we won't be afraid of any number of enemies!"
Bran listened quietly to their conversation, then couldn't help but interject, " Asha's reaction today seems to indicate a refusal to cooperate with us?"
At this moment, Sansa's mind was exceptionally clear, and her past naiveté seemed to be gradually being stripped away by reality.
"We have to convince her. Didn't the messenger during the day say that a group of Ironborns had been captured?"
"We can try to persuade her with these ideas, and if that doesn't work, we can recognize the Iron Islands as a kingdom in the name of King Robb...? "
Maester Luwin pondered for a moment, then agreed, "That's the only way for now. I'll go talk to Asha later."
But Sansa refused, saying, "No, I'll go myself!"
She took a deep breath and met Maester Luwin's gaze, saying, "Just as you said, I am now the acting lord of Winterfell, and only my words can gain Asha's trust."
"And... Master Luwin, we need to inform Robb of Rickon's news as soon as possible!"
Upon hearing this, Bran hurriedly added, "That's right. Now that Robb is king and Rickon is in Stannis's hands, he'll definitely use him to blackmail us."
" Robb needs to be prepared as soon as possible!"
A few days ago, Lord Wyman traveled a long way from White Harbor to Winterfell, not only to provide relief but also to bring the Onion Knight. Davos brought the Rickon message to Stark.
Maester Luwin looked distressed and couldn't help but sigh.
"Alas, how things change. I thought Rickon would be safer in Dragonstone than in the North."
"But now it seems that Stannis has long intended to detain Rickon to blackmail the North!"
Sansa wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and tried her best to make her voice more stable.
"Let's focus on doing our own jobs first!"
" Master Luwin, please write to Robb and tell him about the great victory at Ox Horn Mountain and Rickon's whereabouts."
He was told to handle his relationship with Stannis with extreme caution.
After saying this, she turned to Bran and said, " Bran, tomorrow you'll come with me to see Asha and tell her about Theon's death. Perhaps that will dispel some of her hostility. " Bran nodded, "Okay, I understand."
Maester Luwin looked at the two children who had been forced to grow up suddenly, feeling both worried and relieved.
Winter is coming, but thankfully they are learning how to face it.
He bowed slightly: "May the old gods bless us, bless the North!"
Sansa and Bran also prayed to the Heart Tree that everything would go well.
Unbeknownst to the three, there was another person inside the Heart Tree before them—Galon, who was far away in Ox Horn Mountain.
At that moment, he looked at the three people who had finished praying and walked out of Godswood, and fell into deep thought.
A moment later.
His consciousness left the Heart Tree and returned to the military camp.