In the Great Hall, whispers and murmurs about the title "White Wolf" buzzed endlessly.
With Jon's sudden rise to fame, most of Westeros knew about his white direwolf. The title "Knight of the White Wolf" felt like a natural fit.
Even before Jon's arrival, people in King's Landing loved the tales that the Starks used direwolves as "nannies."
It was a biased rumor, of course, but being knighted as the "White Wolf Knight" was a genuine honor.
Although knighthood was the lowest rung of nobility, it was also the starting point for higher titles.
And being knighted personally by the King himself carried immense weight. It was a clear signal that Stannis's subsequent rewards would be substantial.
Westeros had countless knights, but only a handful had unique titles. Even counting the infamous "Knight of the Laughing Tree," there weren't many.
Even "The Knight of Flowers," Loras Tyrell, was more of a nickname for his beauty than a formal title of honor.
In short, the prestige of Jon's "White Wolf Knight" title was sky-high. Some who had participated in the earlier discussions on Dragonstone suddenly remembered Littlefinger's proposal: marry Jon to Margaery Tyrell and name him Warden of the West and Duke of Casterly Rock.
The latter seemed unlikely, but the former? Stannis would definitely push for it.
However, kneeling there, Jon was thinking about something else entirely. Knighthood was rooted in the Faith of the Seven. Stannis had converted to the Red God. What kind of ceremony would he use?
Soon, a squire approached Jon carrying a longsword of fine steel. Stannis took the sword from the squire and spoke. "Jon, this was once my personal sword. I now gift it to you. From this day forth, you are the Knight of the White Wolf!"
With that, Stannis tapped the sword lightly on Jon's shoulders.
Receiving the King's own sword raised the prestige of this knighthood even higher.
However, the traditional prayers to the Seven were omitted. Invoking the Father, the Mother, and the Maiden would be awkward for Stannis now.
Without the prayers, the process was brief, but the "specs" were top-tier: the ceremony took place before the Iron Throne, performed by the one true King.
As a Northerner, Jon didn't care much for the Faith of the Seven anyway, so he said nothing. The King's Men were a bit dissatisfied, but the Queen's Men were delighted—it meant their King was leaning further toward R'hllor.
Jon raised his hands above his head to accept the steel longsword. The pommel was carved in the shape of a stag's head, with sapphires set in its eyes.
It wasn't Valyrian steel, but it was clearly a fine blade.
Listening to Stannis's proclamation, everyone present knew one thing: no matter how much they might dislike it, they could no longer call Jon a "bastard" or "Snow"—at least not in public.
"Rise! Jon Stark!"
Stannis's voice echoed through the hall, seemingly carrying beyond the Red Keep to the entire city.
Beric Dondarrion was the first to shout: "The White Wolf Knight! Long live Jon Stark!"
With him leading the way, Thoros, Martin, and the others joined in.
Seeing that Stannis didn't object, the King's Men and Queen's Men joined the chant as well.
"Long live the White Wolf Knight!"
"Long live Jon Stark!"
But the most excited person wasn't Jon—it was Sansa. Her fists were clenched tight as she turned to Arya, who was jumping up and down beside her. "From today on, Jon isn't our half-brother anymore. He's our true brother."
Arya looked back at her, puzzled. "He's always been our true brother."
Sansa's instinct was to retort, "It's different!" But she stopped herself. Maybe Arya was right.
She would never forget Jon charging into Maegor's Holdfast to save her. Even a full-blooded brother—how many would go that far for a sister?
In truth, Jon didn't care much about the Stark name. He just wanted to know what lands Stannis was actually going to give him.
Although Jon's attention was fixed on Stannis, he could feel that many people in the room cared even more about the reward than he did.
Especially the Frey brothers. They had rushed to King's Landing not just to secure their footing in the new regime, but to marry into Jon's rising star at the right moment.
They believed a dukedom wasn't impossible for Jon. And if he was a duke, his lands wouldn't be small or poor.
They had it all planned out: the moment Stannis announced the fiefdom, they would propose the marriage alliance.
Everyone knew the rewards weren't finished. Stannis spoke again: "Jon Stark. Like your father, you fought for the justice of the realm and the honor of the crown. You liberated King's Landing, slew the false king, and maintained order and livelihood in the city during the occupation. This is commendable. I have decided to name you the Duke of Harrenhal!"
"Duke of Harrenhal!"
Everyone's first reaction was that Jon had truly skyrocketed. From bastard to Duke—if that wasn't a meteoric rise, what was?
Their second reaction was realizing Stannis's political move: using Jon to divide the Riverlands and counter the influence of Winterfell and the North.
Ryman and Stevron Frey had no objections. Their father, Lord Walder, controlled the crossing but only dared call himself a Marquis.
Jon marrying Roslin as a Duke would be completely appropriate.
Moreover, the lands around Harrenhal weren't particularly wealthy, and with the displacement of commoners, Jon would need the Twins' support to develop his territory.
If Jon became Duke of Harrenhal, the lands attached to the castle would likely be expanded. House Frey would gain a staunch and powerful ally.
"A Duke? Jon is the same rank as Father now!" Arya exclaimed in wonder.
At ten, she didn't quite grasp how vast the North actually was; she just figured Duke equaled Duke.
Sansa hadn't expected Jon to jump straight to Duke either. She had been thinking of setting Jon up with her friend Jeyne Poole, but now it seemed Jeyne wasn't highborn enough.
Beric and Thoros smiled at Jon, joking that they'd have to call him "Your Grace" from now on.
The King's Men and Queen's Men had no objections either. Stannis elevating a bastard directly to a dukedom was generous enough.
After all, Jon was arguably the first person in centuries to achieve such a feat; there was no precedent for how to reward him.
Granting him Harrenhal was enough to silence most critics, and it left room for the defeated generals to receive some recognition for their "hard work."
Standing beside Pycelle, Varys narrowed his eyes, watching Jon intently, waiting to see his move. Unless Jon truly intended to go to the Wall, he had to accept Harrenhal.
But then, the unthinkable happened.
Jon knelt again. "Your Grace, I ask you to take back your rewards. Not just Harrenhal, but the name Stark as well. Please, take them back."