Once Ned and Catelyn left, the atmosphere in the hall immediately grew lighter.
Arya, who had been silent the entire time, finally relaxed. She'd been terrified her mother was about to scold her again, and the tension had ruined her appetite.
Rickon ran excitedly to Robb, begging him to play knights with him. Robb ruffled Rickon's hair affectionately and agreed.
Galon watched the scene with a gentle smile.
As he glanced around the hall, his eyes met Theon's curious stare.
The moment Galon remembered the warning given to him by the Three-Eyed Raven, his expression sharpened with danger.
Theon stiffened as if he'd been struck.
He looked away immediately, his heart hammering with sudden fear.
What did that look mean?
Did Galon somehow know he had reported to Lady Catelyn earlier? Was he planning to take revenge?
No—impossible!
Aside from him and Lady Catelyn, no one else knew about it…
Panicking at his own guilty conscience, Theon didn't dare stay any longer. After forcing himself to bid Robb farewell, he left the hall in a hurry.
Jon watched the scene with a flicker of understanding crossing his eyes. He turned toward Galon—only to see a knowing smile tugging at Galon's lips.
Just as Jon was about to ask what he was thinking, Sansa suddenly lifted her head, summoning her courage.
"Galon…"
Galon's gaze softened instantly. "Yes, Lady Sansa? Is there something I can help you with?"
"Will you play two games of Westerosi Chess with me?"
She hesitated, then added quickly, "Since you invented it, you must know the rules best."
"Robb is terrible at it. I want to play against you."
As soon as she finished speaking—as though afraid he'd refuse—she continued confidently:
"I played all day with Jeyne and Beth. None of them could beat me. If you can't win either, then Westerosi Chess must not be a very good game."
Galon paused, giving her a strange look. "You mean you want me to go all out?"
Sansa nodded with absolute confidence.
She had only learned the game today, but after beating Robb and the others several times, she believed she already understood all the essentials of the game.
Even if Galon created it, she wasn't intimidated.
Seeing her so certain, Galon could only accept.
In his previous life, he had studied chess on his own for a period of time and was quite familiar with many strategic patterns.
On Earth, he wouldn't dare call himself a master. But in Westeros, he was convinced he was unbeatable—at least for now.
Sansa retrieved the chess box she had placed in the corner earlier. Galon joined her, and the two sat facing each other to set up the pieces.
Before beginning, Galon asked again with a smile, "Truly all out?"
Sansa responded confidently. She did not believe he was much stronger than she was.
Still, to be safe, she chose her preferred opening: playing White.
As the game began, Robb and Rickon quieted down. Jon, Bran, and Arya gathered around to watch.
Sansa pushed her pawn to e4.
Galon immediately responded with c5.
Anyone familiar with chess would have recognized it instantly: Galon was using the Sicilian Defense.
The two exchanged moves fiercely, neither yielding ground.
But soon, the balance tipped. With flexible variations of the Sicilian Defense, Galon easily broke through Sansa's formation.
He pressed forward relentlessly, overwhelming her completely.
Sansa frowned in frustration, desperately trying to salvage the game.
But no matter how hard she tried, she could only watch as one piece after another fell to Galon's precise attacks.
When Galon captured her bishop, the game was essentially over.
Her king had nowhere left to go.
Even Jon, who barely understood the rules, could see she had been crushed utterly.
Sansa's eyes reddened as she stared at the board.
She couldn't believe she had been defeated so thoroughly. And she had even challenged him so boldly before the game…
Thinking back on her earlier confidence, she felt so embarrassed she wanted to disappear into the floor.
Robb burst out laughing.
He had suffered a humiliating loss to Sansa earlier, and watching her get dismantled by Galon felt like sweet revenge.
Jon, not knowing the context, nudged Robb lightly to stop him from making it worse.
Galon also shot Robb a look to quiet him before turning to Sansa. "Lady Sansa, you lasted far longer than I expected."
When she didn't respond, he continued gently:
"Most people spend their first day just memorizing the rules. Those with talent—like Robb—can only barely play a real match."
"But only someone as clever as you could last this long against me.
After all, I am the one who invented the game."
The praise finally softened her expression. She blinked her bright blue eyes and asked softly, "Really?"
For a moment, Galon was so captivated by her flushed, luminous face that he forgot to speak.
Only when Robb and Jon snickered beside him did he snap out of it, forcing himself to stay composed. "Of course. I'd swear it by the Old Gods."
With that, his gaze fell back onto her with a sudden intensity.
The heat in his eyes made Sansa flustered. She turned away quickly, unable to meet his stare.
Arya, however, was delighted by the spectacle and called out loudly, "Look! Look! Sansa's blushing!"
Even Rickon looked up from where he had been playing.
Sansa glared at Arya, furious.
If Galon weren't here to see it—and if she weren't terrified of appearing unladylike—Sansa would have leapt up to chase Arya around the hall.
Luckily, the old nanny entered the hall just in time.
"Lady Sansa, your mother asks to see you."
Still flushed with embarrassment, Sansa murmured a soft "Good night" to Galon and hurried away.
Arya laughed even harder at her sister's retreat.
"Arya, behave yourself. We have a guest," the old nanny chided gently. She took Rickon's hand and said to Robb, "I'll take Rickon back. Bran, you should go rest as well."
Robb and Bran nodded.
Once they left, Galon carefully packed each piece of the chess set into the wooden box.
He handed it to Robb.
"Please return this to Lady Sansa for me. It's getting late. I'm going to the godswood to pray, then I'll return to rest."
Robb accepted the box. Jon added warmly, "Do you want me to go with you?"
Galon shook his head with a smile.
"No need. You should get some rest too."
He said his goodbyes to the two of them, then turned and walked out of the hall. After orienting himself, Galon headed alone toward the godswood.
__________
Upto 20 chapters ahead on patreon :-
patreon.com/Xorath