Inside the white walls of the Tower of the Hand, Stannis and Alester Florent were listening to Grand Maester Pycelle's report on the true state of the realm.
Stannis had always known Robert was negligent and extravagant, but the actual condition of the kingdom was far worse than he had imagined.
Take the finances, for example. The Crown's debt alone was over six million gold dragons! Three million owed to House Lannister, and another three million to the Free Cities.
When Stannis heard the total, his brain nearly short-circuited. He couldn't fathom how Robert had managed to spend all that money.
As far as he knew, even Jaehaerys I hadn't spent that much building the Kingsroad to connect the entire continent.
"Your Grace, given that the Lannisters are in rebellion, I believe we can simply cut the debt in half," Pycelle suggested, trying to ease Stannis's mood.
He knew life under such a rigid King would be tough, so he was trying to make himself useful. But Stannis's brow remained furrowed. Even if he defaulted on the Lannister debt, he still owed three million. He didn't even have enough coin to reward his bannermen.
Not to mention the need to rebuild the royal fleet. He had also hired Salladhor Saan's pirate fleet, and Saan had lost many ships in the Blackwater too.
Stannis didn't just owe Saan his commission; he owed him compensation for the lost vessels.
Stannis suddenly realized that even sitting on the Iron Throne, he was a broke King.
Just then, a handmaid entered. Alester tried to block her, but upon learning she was sent by Queen Selyse, he had to let her pass.
"What is it?" Stannis asked without looking up.
"The Queen sent me to ask Your Grace if you wish to change the decorations in Maegor's Holdfast..."
Before she could finish, Alester looked exasperated, and Stannis exploded. He jerked his head up. "If that woman wants to redecorate, tell her to find the money herself!"
The handmaid, terrified by his glare and tone, scurried out of the room.
Frustrated, Stannis slammed the ledger onto the table. He stood with hands on hips, staring out at the night sky, but all he could see was the bleak future of his kingdom.
He had no money, insufficient troops, and his pride—the royal fleet—had been decimated. Rebuilding it would take three to five years, maybe longer.
Worse, autumn had arrived. Soon, harvest yields across the Seven Kingdoms would drop, population growth would slow, and tax revenues would shrink accordingly.
No money, no army. A King without those had no deterrence.
Thinking of Robb Stark, Tywin Lannister entrenched in the West, and Balon Greyjoy in the Iron Islands, Stannis felt a massive headache coming on.
But soon, news arrived that made his headache even worse. Just as Stannis decided to sleep in the Tower of the Hand, a report came in: the Duke he had just appointed had run away!
Meanwhile, Maegor's Holdfast was brightly lit. Sansa and Arya had been moved there immediately for protection, sitting with Queen Selyse.
"Tell me, when did Jon leave?" Selyse wasn't a gentle woman. Her voice was sharp as a whip, making everything she said sound like an accusation.
"We don't know, Your Grace," Sansa shook her head. "Arya couldn't sleep, so she went to find Jon, and he was gone. He only left this."
Sansa handed a letter to Selyse. Just as the Queen was about to read it, Stannis appeared.
Selyse hastily rose to curtsy to her husband, but Stannis ignored her and snatched the letter.
In the letter, Jon wrote that Stannis was a King of justice and law who wouldn't hold two girls hostage, so Sansa and Arya should be safe.
He apologized to Stannis, admitting he was truly tempted by the Dukedom of Harrenhal and the Stark name. However, he could not bring himself to be an enemy to Robb. But if Stannis faced other enemies in the future, Jon would still answer the call.
Reading the letter, Stannis started grinding his teeth again, his face turning an iron grey.
Sansa twisted her handkerchief nervously. Selyse didn't dare breathe too loud. Only Arya was looking around, playing with the hilt of her sword.
"Chase him! Send men to chase him! Bring Jon back to me!" Stannis barked the order.
Just then, Melisandre walked in. "Your Grace, I have found Jon. He is heading toward Sow's Horn."
Stannis knew this was her vision from the flames. He looked at Axel Florent. Axel understood immediately and gathered men to ride for Sow's Horn.
Axel and Penny led the pursuit.
Chasing someone in the middle of the night wasn't anyone's idea of fun. They had assumed Jon was just greedy and holding out for a bigger reward. They never expected him to actually leave.
"Jon!"
"Lord Jon!"
"Your Grace!"
"Come back with us, Your Grace! This is treason!" Penny, who had come to King's Landing with Davos, shouted into the empty fields.
He knew that if they didn't bring Jon back, his career was over.
But Axel stopped him. "Stop yelling. Jon isn't stupid. He's determined to leave. Do you think shouting 'treason' will bring him back?"
Axel knew that after tonight, singers across the Seven Kingdoms—and even the Free Cities—would be singing about Jon.
His fame would spread everywhere. The "stubborn" but noble bastard.
No, wait. No one would dare call him a bastard anymore. A man who turns down a dukedom to serve humanity? Even if you disagreed with his choice, you'd have to address him respectfully as "Ser Jon" or "Ser Jon Stark."
Around noon, Melisandre sent another message pinpointing Jon's location. Axel and Penny finally cornered him by a riverbank.
Jon was on horseback, with Ghost snarling by his side. He stood by the rushing water, looking at the men sent to "capture" him.
Although Stannis had sent many more men than the time Jon left the Wall, and Melisandre was providing GPS tracking, if Jon really wanted to leave, no one could stop him.
But the play had gone on long enough. Jon sat on his horse, watching the Gold Cloaks approach.
"Lord Jon, come back with us. It is the King's command!" Axel shouted respectfully. He even dismounted to show deference.
"Ser Axel, please, just let me go," Jon said with a pleading tone, acting as if his heart was breaking for the Wall or, as he claimed, he simply couldn't bear to fight Robb.
In reality, Jon knew Mance Rayder and the wildlings weren't the real threat. The Others were.
If he could get Robb to return to the Wall, the wildling problem would be easy to solve. The Others wouldn't threaten humanity seriously for another year or two.
Winter, the Long Night, the Others. The immediate problem Westeros faced was winter.
He needed Stannis to grant him the Westerlands. If he controlled the West, he could mobilize resources to stockpile fuel and supplies for the cold.
Axel tried again. "Lord Jon, if you go to the Wall, what about Robb? His Grace might attack the North. What about Tywin? Will he seek revenge? What about Balon Greyjoy? After raiding the West, will they raid the North next? Lord Jon, only you can stop all this!"
When personal interests are at stake, the human brain works fast.
Especially for someone like Axel, who could denounce his own brother. He knew perfectly well that unless Jon accepted the reward, House Florent would get nothing.
Jon hadn't planned on leaving for real anyway. Seeing Axel's "sincerity," he agreed to return.
On the way back, Axel and Penny practically wanted to tie themselves to Jon's belt to make sure he didn't bolt again.
It wasn't until late afternoon that they returned to the Red Keep and saw Stannis.
The new King, beset by problems from day one, looked irritable and exhausted. Jon thought he even saw dark circles under his eyes, and his receding hairline looked even more precarious.
"Is serving me truly so unbearable for you?" Stannis asked. His voice was cold as sleet, but Jon detected a hint of hurt in it.
"It's not that, Your Grace. I just..."
"Don't want to be enemies with Robb!" Stannis cut off his excuse. Whatever suspicion he had about Jon being dissatisfied with the reward was gone.
He was now convinced Jon was a man "more Ned Stark than Ned Stark."
"Jon, for the sake of your past merits, I will not punish you," Stannis said. In truth, it wasn't just mercy; there was no law stating a subject must be punished for refusing a reward. Jon hadn't broken any laws, he had just annoyed the King.
"But from now on, you will stay in King's Landing. You are forbidden to leave without my order! That would be defying a royal command! And for that, I will punish you! Do you understand?!"