Chapter 295: The Trial

"I ordered everyone to strengthen our defenses. I personally shot down countless wildlings. I am not a traitor!"

"That's right. Thanks to Jon's warning—and he has always fought bravely, never showing mercy to the wildlings," said one-armed Donnel, nodding in agreement.

Ser Alliser shook his head and pointed at Jon, shouting, "That's only because Her Majesty the Queen arrived! Even a fool, upon seeing a dragon, would no longer dream of siding with wildlings!You knew the wildlings had already been exposed. So many villagers fled to Castle Black. Maester Aemon and Master Donnel are no fools; they must have been suspicious.

Thus, you pretended to be a Night's Watch spy, but in truth, you intended to act as a wildling agent within Castle Black, waiting for the right moment to deliver a fatal blow to your black brothers.

But the gods favored Westeros—Her Majesty descended with her heavenly army, and you lost your chance. You could only make the best choice for yourself: continue pretending to be loyal!"

"My father was the Lord of Winterfell! My uncle was a ranger of the Night's Watch! I am of the North!" Jon shouted, his face twisted in anger. "Why would I ever side with the wildlings?"

"You're a bastard—a bastard!" Slynt slammed the table and roared back even louder, "You're just the Lord of Winterfell's illegitimate son! And Eddard Stark was a traitor! King Robert's body was barely cold before Eddard laid hands on his son—"

"Enough—" Ser Alliser lightly coughed into his hand, but Slynt, too agitated, had already said too much.

"Cough, cough!" Slynt also began coughing violently.

The hall fell into a deathly silence, finally making him realize his error. The Iron Throne might still seat a Lannister, but sitting right beside him was the Dragon Queen!

"I mean—the Mad King Aerys! Eddard betrayed King Aerys, and he murdered Prince Rhaegar and his children... Uh, Eddard Stark was no good, and you, his bastard, are even worse!

Your bastard blood compels you toward wildlings. You slept with a wildling woman—you admitted you loved her! To live happily ever after with that wildling whore, of course you defected! After all, the Night's Watch forbids marriage."

Dany interjected, "The fact that the Starks joined the rebellion against the Mad King cannot be used as evidence against Jon. Don't mind me; stick to the matter at hand."

Slynt bowed and nodded repeatedly, hurriedly agreeing. Jon turned his head toward Dany, his gaze complicated.

She continued, "However, let's not speak complete nonsense. Even a fool knows how close Eddard Stark and Robert Baratheon were. Eddard would never betray his sworn brother."

Gratitude welled even deeper in Jon's eyes. He didn't care how they treated him—but he could not bear to hear slander against his father.

"Your Majesty, I never said Lord Eddard betrayed King Robert. He betrayed Robert's son," Slynt said, his chin trembling yet his voice firm. "Eddard altered Robert's will. He tried to disinherit Joffrey and put Stannis on the throne. I swear—he told me himself!"

Eddard's tragedy was plain to see: loyal to Stannis's rightful claim to the throne, he even broke completely with Cersei to defend it.

And how did the Baratheons repay him?

Without hesitation, they hit his son Robb with a 'Great Curse,' dooming the third-generation betrothed.

"Joffrey was the bastard son of the Kingslayer and Queen Cersei. My father found out!" Jon shouted.

"You dare slander the Queen Mother?!" Slynt roared in fury.

"Cough, cough," Ser Alliser once again coughed into his hand.

"Uh—" Slynt sneaked a glance at Dany. Seeing her calm expression, he sighed in relief. Yet after the interruption, he no longer knew what to say.

Ser Alliser picked up the thread, shouting at Jon, "I see through your black heart!

The wildlings number in the hundreds of thousands, with hundreds of giants among them. Yet at the Fist of the First Men, the Night's Watch lost its best warriors, leaving only a few old men and youths. You believed Mance Rayder would eventually breach the Wall and slaughter us all—so you chose to side with the wildlings to survive!

The motive is clear. The evidence is overwhelming. Jon Snow—confess your crimes!"

"I am innocent!" Jon locked eyes coldly with Ser Alliser. "Her Majesty captured countless wildlings. You can question them and see whether any know about me acting as a wildling spy inside Castle Black."

"Bring in the prisoners!"

Soon, more than a dozen wildling leaders were brought into the hall, including Ygritte of the fiery kisses.

"What? Jon, you didn't betray us? You were our spy? Who assigned you this mission? Oh, you should've told me earlier—I wouldn't have shot you!"

Hearing Ser Alliser's question, Ygritte's eyes widened in shock and delight, a hint of grievance mixed in.

Was she truly this foolish—or was she playing dumb to protect her lover?

Ser Alliser's face darkened as he moved on to question the next wildling. Yet they either claimed ignorance or rambled nonsense, their words full of contradictions and devoid of logic.

"Oh, I see now!" Ser Alliser's face suddenly brightened as he exclaimed, enlightened, "I never expected this, Jon Snow—you're so valued by Mance Rayder that he hid your identity even from the wildlings!"

Dany almost laughed at his impressive ability to spin fantasies. Jon's muscles twisted in rage, his eyes practically shooting fire.

"Don't glare at me! I fully understand Mance Rayder's thinking. He's no simple wildling. He knows a Stark's influence in the North's conquest—protecting you is completely reasonable!" Ser Alliser added, his smile both smug and venomous.

"Well, now the truth is clear. Jon Snow, do you have anything else to say?" Slynt pressed.

"Mance Rayder doesn't give a damn about me being a Stark's bastard! He planned to conquer the North through force—every wildling knew it!" Jon shouted, his neck strained with anger.

Slynt retorted, "Still trying to wriggle out of it? Do you think we have turnips for heads, that we'd fall for your lies? Guards! Hang the chameleon Jon at once!"

"Hold!" Maester Aemon's voice, though respectful, was stern. "You may judge Jon, Lord Slynt, but before executing any sentence, you must first ask Her Majesty for her opinion on the matter."

Everyone in the hall turned their eyes toward Dany.

"Is Lord Slynt the Lord Commander?" Dany asked.

"No," came the reply.

"Since he isn't the Lord Commander, why was he able to act as Jon Snow's chief judge?"

Maester Aemon frowned, seeming a little reluctant to answer. "Earl Slynt holds the highest title."

"But I recall that when one dons the black cloak, all former titles are supposed to be abandoned."

"This—" The old man wanted to say it was an unspoken rule, but with so many brothers of the Night's Watch coming from humble backgrounds, would it not dishearten them if he said so?The old man sighed and helplessly asked, "Your Grace, what do you propose?"

"Since the Lord Commander is chosen by the vote of the entire Night's Watch, then before a new Lord Commander is officially elected, Jon Snow's final judgment should also be decided by all members of the Watch.

Present the full testimonies from both the accused and the accusers to the black brothers and have them vote.

Only those thirty-some men who stayed at Castle Black on that day need to cast their votes.

As those who suffered at the hands of the wildlings, they will not favor Jon; and as comrades who fought alongside him, they would not wrongly condemn him either."

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"This—" The old man looked at Bowen Marsh. "You are the acting castellan; what do you think?"

"It's acceptable," Bowen said without hesitation, nodding. "Your Grace's proposal is both reasonable and fair."

"Earl Slynt?" the old man asked again.

"Acceptable," the short, stout man with a double chin grumbled reluctantly, nodding.

Each of the Night's Watch leaders seated at the tribunal was asked one by one. Regardless of their personal thoughts, none could find a reason to object.

Finally, Maester Aemon looked down at Jon. "And what do you think?"

Jon turned and gave Daenerys a grateful look, then nodded. "Whatever the outcome, I will accept it."

After that, the thirty-some black brothers entered the wooden hall. Even the prostitutes from Mole's Town, three miles away, were invited to listen to Jon's self-defense and the accusations brought by Alliser and Slynt.

The proceedings dragged on for several hours. As the sun set and the sky deepened into a dark indigo, Daenerys stood before everyone: holding a tall-necked clay jar in her left hand and a plump-bellied white porcelain jar in her right. She turned both upside down to show they were empty, then placed them on the table before her. One by one, the black brothers stepped forward to cast their votes.

Each man was given a copper coin and a silver coin. They would put their hand into the clay jar and drop in one coin: a copper coin meant Jon was guilty; a white silver coin meant he was innocent. Dropping nothing meant abstaining.

The leftover coin was then dropped into the porcelain jar.

Even old Maester Aemon lined up to cast his vote into the clay jar.

The voting process was completed quickly, and Daenerys didn't keep Jon waiting. Under his anxious gaze, she immediately poured out the coins from the clay jar onto the table.

At just a glance, Jon let out a long breath and smiled.Alliser and Slynt, on the other hand, turned pale, pressed their lips together, and said nothing.

The table was a shining sea of silver, with only a few scattered coppers.

However, Daenerys didn't immediately announce Jon's innocence. She also emptied the coins from the porcelain jar and had Barristan Selmy tally the two piles.

After about three minutes, the White Knight announced, "The total number of copper and silver coins matches exactly. No one abstained. With 34 votes to 2, Jon Snow is declared innocent. Everyone believes he did not betray the Night's Watch."

"Thank you, thank you all!" Jon's eyes grew red with emotion as he addressed the brothers around him.

"You were always on the front lines. I even saw you drag a lame leg to shoot down three wildlings. You're no cowardly turncloak!" one of the prostitutes from Mole's Town laughed heartily.

"Your Grace," Alliser Thorne shouted, "even if he isn't a turncloak, surely his affair with a wildling woman wasn't just a rumor?"

Daenerys waved her hand dismissively. "This miserable place is already cold and harsh enough. As long as it doesn't interfere with duty, drinking and seeking out women are not matters of concern."

"But the vows—" Alliser tried to object.

"Matters between men and women are natural instincts!" Daenerys cut him off calmly. "I do not encourage breaking vows, but how many brothers of the Night's Watch truly volunteered to take the black? How many freely chose to swear those vows?

For those who pursue honor, I give my highest respect.But for the majority, the ordinary men—so long as they fulfill their duties faithfully, small personal faults can be forgiven."

"If the Night's Watch couldn't seek out women, how would we make a living?" the prostitute muttered under her breath.

Daenerys gave her a sidelong glance, resisting the urge to ask whether she had ever entertained Ser Alliser—such a remark would be far too improper for her position.

(End of chapter)

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