Game Of Thrones : Merchant of Two Worlds

In less than half an hour, he sent word to Mrs. Catelyn's servants and brought back her request to allow Earl Jason East to meet with the King and Queen, also inviting Lord Jason to attend the welcome banquet in the evening.

With Mrs. Catelyn's permission, Jason Liu asked Lena and Bella to assist him in putting on a white medal-embroidered dress, along with his own Sword.

By the time the afternoon light had just begun to fade—almost time to see King Robert and attend the welcome banquet—it seemed the timing was just right.

Jason Liu mounted his horse, took Dicken's four guards with him, and had two large four-wheeled carriages prepared for the royal family, heading to Winterfell.

Winterfell was bustling with people at this hour, and the servants of the Stark household were in disarray.

Not only did they have to ensure proper accommodations for the King, Queen, princes, and princesses, but even the nobles from King's Landing accompanying His Majesty needed to be properly attended to.

Jason Liu dismounted and handed the reins to the guard beside him. A servant who worked near Lady Catelyn quickly came forward to greet him.

After all, the name of Earl Jason East was well known throughout Winterfell.

"My lord," the young servant said, glancing uneasily at the five horses Jason East had brought. "I'm sorry, Lord Jason, but the royal stables are full."

"His Majesty's cavalry has taken up all the space, and I'm afraid there's nowhere left to store your horses."

Jason Liu turned to look at the crowded Winterfell and nodded understandingly. He instructed Chris and Rubin beside him, "You two take our horses back. We won't cause any trouble for the Stark family now."

"Yes, my lord."

Robin and Chris had also noticed that Winterfell was overwhelmed due to His Majesty's massive procession.

The two led the horses and returned to East Castle, which wasn't far away.

Jason Liu followed the two luxurious four-wheeled carriages driven by grooms into the courtyard outside the great hall, guided by Stark's servants.

Along the way, he passed soldiers clad in golden armor and nobles from King's Landing. They spotted the carriages trailing Jason Liu and were surprised at the sight of the golden crowned stag emblem on them.

Curious, they asked the nearby Winterfell servants who this lord was and what the deal was with the two obviously steel-crafted luxury carriages.

The servants eagerly explained to the visiting nobles that the man in the white ceremonial dress was an Earl from a distant Empire in the far east—Lord Jason East.

It was this very man who had recently introduced Westeros to innovations like paper, pens, and soap.

When they brought up the steel carriages, the servants couldn't help boasting with pride: Lord Jason had even presented two such luxury carriages with direwolf emblems to Lord Eddard Stark himself.

Then came the praise—how remarkable these steel carriages were, how smooth the ride felt without the slightest jolt, and how the carriage lights didn't require candles or lamp oil but could still shine brightly.

It was rare to see the lords from King's Landing genuinely astonished, and the northern servants—usually regarded as rough and uncouth—took a certain pride in showing off. Their faces beamed with satisfaction.

See? Even you nobles from King's Landing haven't seen everything.

So how do you still look down on us northerners for our supposed lack of sophistication?

Of course, these thoughts were kept strictly internal. No one dared speak so boldly in front of the southern nobles for fear of offending them.

Drawn by curiosity, the nobles and knights from King's Landing gathered in the courtyard, chattering amongst themselves as they admired the two luxurious steel carriages parked in the center.

Jason Liu, for his part, glanced at the extravagantly dressed nobles but recognized none of them—not even Ser Jaime Lannister, the man he'd always been curious about.

Surely Ser Jaime, sworn brother of the Kingsguard, must be with the King right now.

Inside Winterfell's great hall, King Robert sat on the high seat that usually belonged to Eddard Stark, the Lord of Winterfell and Warden of the North. Queen Cersei sat beside him.

Prince Joffrey, and Prince Tommen sat obediently by their mother's side. Below them sat Duke Eddard, Lady Catelyn, and the five Stark children.

The nobles from the Crownlands who had accompanied His Majesty northward were present as well. All exchanged greetings and were now conversing while they waited for the evening's welcome banquet to begin.

Having been informed by a servant that Lord Jason East was waiting outside the hall, Lady Catelyn approached her husband and softly relayed the message.

Eddard listened without any change in expression. His serious face remained composed as he gave a small nod of acknowledgment.

From her seat, Queen Cersei noticed the quiet exchange between the Stark couple. She raised a perfectly shaped brow, annoyed and suspicious about what Lady Stark might be whispering to her husband.

To be honest, Cersei disliked the Starks. She was bitter that her husband had not named her father, Lord Tywin, as Hand of the King. Furthermore, entering Winterfell today only to be greeted by Eddard's cold, unyielding face irritated her even more.

She privately wondered whether the Warden of the North held some resentment toward the crown—or worse, toward the Lannisters.

Just then, Lord Eddard spoke.

"Your Majesty," he said, bowing slightly, "outside the hall waits Lord Jason East, Earl of Starfire City from the far east. He requests an audience."

As he bowed toward the King seated above, his gaze briefly flicked to Robert's protruding belly.

The once-handsome and powerful friend he had known was now a shadow of his former self, the once-solid muscles buried beneath thick layers of fat. His chin sagged so much it looked like he had two.

Eddard recalled the moment the King had arrived earlier that day, striding toward him with a belly that bounced like a woman's in her final month of pregnancy. Even now, he couldn't help but feel discomfort.

Old gods above, he thought, what has Robert done with himself since sitting on the Iron Throne?

He had grown obese, losing all trace of the dashing warrior they had once known, who had fought beside him in battle.

King Robert, unaware of Ed's inner monologue, remained oblivious to his friend's silent disappointment.

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