It was close to noon when Bran first spotted the royal procession from atop Winterfell's walls.
The massive procession stretched endlessly across the gray northern plains like a glittering river woven from gold, silver, and steel.
Dozens of mounted riders galloped ahead carrying golden banners embroidered with the crowned stag of House Baratheon.
Behind the outriders rode armored knights in polished plate armor, followed by nobles, servants, baggage wagons, and an enormous wheelhouse pulled by nearly thirty horses.
The sight instantly stunned Bran.
He had never seen such a gigantic carriage before.
Standing atop the battlements, Bran could not help but cheer excitedly.
"That carriage is huge!"
His voice quickly attracted the attention of Garon and Jon Snow, who were preparing to head toward Winterfell's south gate to welcome the King.
The two looked upward and immediately spotted Bran climbing across the walls.
"Bran!"
Jon raised his head and shouted helplessly.
"The King's procession is almost here, hurry down!"
Garon also stepped forward beneath the wall and called out,
"Lord Ned and the others should already be waiting at the gate!"
Bran looked down at the two below and immediately grinned.
"Wait for me!"
"I'm coming down now!"
No sooner had he spoken than Bran skillfully began descending the stone wall.
His small figure moved swiftly between the protruding stones with astonishing agility.
In only a few breaths, Bran had already climbed down most of the distance.
When he was still about a man's height above the ground, Garon stepped forward smoothly, caught him effortlessly, and placed him firmly back onto the earth.
"Jon! Garon!"
Bran's face was flushed with excitement as he wildly gestured while speaking.
"I saw the crowned stag banners!"
"And there was also an enormous carriage!"
"A really, really enormous one!"
Garon smiled faintly as he explained,
"That should be Queen Cersei's wheelhouse."
"She is a Lannister after all."
"The Lannisters are the wealthiest family in all the Seven Kingdoms."
After speaking, Garon glanced toward the south and urged,
"Come on."
"Lord Ned and the others are probably already waiting for the royal procession."
Jon and Bran nodded immediately.
The three then headed together toward Winterfell's south gate.
Sure enough, when they arrived, Ned Stark and Lady Catelyn had already reached the gate with Robb, Sansa, Arya, Rickon, and the others.
"Lord Ned, Lady Catelyn."
Garon and Jon stepped forward politely and bowed.
Ned nodded with a smile.
Catelyn's gaze merely swept across them briefly before instantly landing on Bran.
The moment she noticed the dirt stains on his clothes, her expression darkened.
"Bran!"
"You climbed the walls again, didn't you?"
"Didn't you promise me you would stop climbing?"
Hearing his mother's angry tone, Bran immediately realized trouble was coming.
He instinctively looked toward Robb for help.
Unfortunately for him, Robb only chuckled with obvious amusement.
Seeing his older brother was utterly unreliable, Bran quickly turned pitiful eyes toward Ned instead.
Fortunately, Ned finally stepped in to rescue him.
"Catelyn."
"The King is almost here."
"You can scold him afterward."
Then Ned glanced toward everyone present and said solemnly,
"All of you, prepare yourselves properly."
Catelyn could only suppress her irritation for the moment and ordered servants to wipe away the obvious dirt stains covering Bran's clothes and face.
Taking advantage of the distraction, Garon exchanged a subtle glance with Jon.
The two men, both frequently ignored by Lady Catelyn, silently shared the same helpless understanding.
Afterward, they quietly moved behind Robb's position.
Garon greeted Maester Luwin and Ser Rodrik beside him with a slight nod, while Jon stood calmly at his right side.
Once everyone settled into position, Sansa secretly turned her head and glanced toward Garon.
Garon immediately noticed her movement.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
The moment their eyes met, Sansa quickly turned her head back in embarrassment, pretending to stare straight ahead.
Still, a sweet warmth quietly spread through her heart.
Arya, standing nearby, surprisingly did not tease Sansa this time.
Instead, she was busily pestering Bran with questions.
"Did you see the Imp?"
"Is he really ugly?"
"Is he truly as short as Old Nan says?"
Before Bran could answer properly, the deep ringing of Winterfell's bells suddenly echoed throughout the castle.
Dong! Dong! Dong!
The bells announced that the royal procession had officially entered Winter Town.
Ned's expression instantly became solemn.
He swept his eyes across everyone present before speaking in a deep voice.
"Prepare yourselves to welcome the King."
Everyone immediately straightened their postures.
Garon stood quietly among them, his eyes fixed toward the castle gate.
A trace of anticipation flickered deep within his gaze.
Even after living in this world for half a year, this was still the first time he would personally witness Robert Baratheon, the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms.
Several minutes later, the sound of galloping hooves finally became clear.
"They're here."
The thought had barely crossed Garon's mind when two knights carrying the crowned stag banners rode through the gate first.
Immediately afterward, King Robert Baratheon himself entered Winterfell under the escort of two Kingsguard clad in snow-white cloaks.
"Your Grace!"
Ned Stark immediately dropped to one knee.
The others followed him and knelt in succession.
Taking advantage of the moment, Garon subtly raised his head and quietly observed the legendary king before him.
Robert Baratheon was broad and imposing despite the fat that age and indulgence had added to his frame.
Even now, traces of the heroic warrior who once shattered Prince Rhaegar on the Trident could still be seen beneath the heavy body.
Garon's heart stirred slightly.
"A true man should possess such authority."
Robert paid no attention to anyone else.
The moment he saw Ned, nostalgia instantly filled his face.
He dismounted quickly, strode forward with large steps, and embraced Ned tightly.
"Ned!"
"Seven hells, it's good to see you again!"
Ned laughed warmly as well.
"It's good to see you too, Your Grace."
The two old friends released each other and burst into hearty laughter.
Only after they separated did everyone else rise to their feet again.
Robert looked Ned up and down carefully.
"You still look the same."
"That frozen northern face hasn't changed a bit."
Meanwhile, Ned silently observed Robert's swollen belly and aging appearance.
"You've changed so much I nearly failed to recognize you."
Of course, such words could never be spoken aloud.
Ned merely smiled politely.
"Winterfell is yours, Your Grace."
At that moment, Queen Cersei Lannister also arrived with her children beneath the escort of Ser Jaime Lannister.
Because the Queen's gigantic wheelhouse could not fit through Winterfell's gate, she had been forced to enter the castle on foot.
Tyrion Lannister, meanwhile, rode in comfortably on horseback.
After dismounting with a servant's assistance, the dwarf immediately began curiously examining everything around him.
Seeing the Queen approach, Ned once more knelt respectfully and kissed the ring upon Cersei's hand.
Meanwhile, Robert greeted Catelyn warmly, embracing her as though she were truly his own sister.
Soon afterward, the children of House Stark and House Baratheon were formally introduced to one another.
When Prince Joffrey Baratheon stepped forward, Sansa carefully observed the golden-haired prince before her.
However, after spending the last several days together with Garon, the prince before her no longer appeared nearly as dazzling as she once imagined.
"He's much thinner than Garon."
"He almost looks frail."
"And he seems difficult to approach as well..."
Without the childish fantasies she once held in the original timeline, Sansa quickly noticed the arrogance hidden beneath Joffrey's refined appearance.
In her eyes, he even felt more unpleasant than Theon Greyjoy.
Joffrey also noticed Sansa immediately.
Seeing her beauty, the young prince curled his lips into what he believed was a charming smile filled with noble pride.
Sansa merely responded politely before looking away coldly.
From the back row, Garon silently observed Joffrey with indifferent eyes.
Only after Jon lightly elbowed him in reminder did Garon withdraw his gaze slightly.
Unfortunately, his stare had already attracted Jaime Lannister's attention.
The Kingslayer casually glanced toward Garon, and a thoughtful look briefly flashed through his eyes.
At that moment, Robert finally finished introducing his family and turned toward Ned again.
"Take me to your crypt."
"I want to pay my respects."
Before Ned could answer, Cersei suddenly frowned slightly.
"We've spent an entire month traveling."
"Must we rush off immediately to visit dead people?"
However, Robert instantly shot her a cold glance.
Jaime quietly squeezed Cersei's hand beside her, signaling her not to continue speaking.
Only after Cersei fell silent did Robert look back toward Ned once more.
Ned nodded apologetically toward the Queen before personally leading Robert toward the Stark family crypts.
As the two men departed, Catelyn immediately resumed acting as the lady of Winterfell and began arranging accommodations for the royal family and accompanying nobles.
The entire castle instantly became lively and chaotic.