Not enough rooms.
It was a trivial matter, one that should not trouble the busy Night's Watch commander at all. But in reality, this problem was truly not something that Yam, merely a town chief, could solve.
Because the unexpected shortage of rooms was caused by guests, or more accurately, by unexpected guests.
Catelyn Tully visited the Gift with two young girls. Although the main party was only three people, she also brought over a dozen guards and servants. The North has a tradition of respecting the Night's Watch. Ever since Aegor was just a Night's Watch soldier, every time he visited Winterfell, he was guaranteed a single room, without exception, even during Robert's visit to the North. As the saying goes, give a plum, get a peach. Now that he was the commander, he also gave high-level reception to those from Winterfell. It goes without saying that Lady Stark and her two girls each got a room, and even the soldiers and servants they brought, though not everyone could get a single room, were housed two to three per room, everyone had a bed, and the treatment was no worse than that of the Crownland Guard.
This time, Aegor returned from King's Landing, bringing back a new subordinate and two groups of guests. Qyburn could be arranged to stay with the pyromancers, which was not a problem. Blacksmith Tobho Mott, as an invited master artisan, even if not given a single room, would at most share a room with his assistant, Aegor could not bring himself to arrange anything worse. And the Lord of Black Harbour and Thoros, although they eagerly came to help on their own, were after all a noble and a priest, plus three followers, requiring at least two small rooms or one large room.
The fact now was this. While Aegor's efforts to give guests good treatment were certainly from a good starting point, the Crowntown Inner Keep was not as vast and did not have as many rooms as Winterfell. After all was said and done, the guest rooms in the Crowntown Inner Keep were indeed full.
This was just the current situation. Once the White Walkers' attack alarm sounded, all production in the industrial area would stop, and at least thirty to forty key technical and management personnel on the list would also need to move into the inner keep for the highest level of protection. Some of these were artisans hired by the Logistics Department from various places throughout the Seven Kingdoms, and some were talents Aegor himself had cultivated. They were not trained, nor did their contracts include the item help the Night's Watch fight White Walkers. Unless absolutely necessary, even if they were willing, Aegor would not let them on the front line.
If he did not want these guests and subordinates, who were of important value to him, to live in warehouses, the inner keep had to free up at least five or six rooms for backup, to ensure he did not have to scramble and improvise at the most critical moment.
However, regarding the accommodation arrangements for these guests, Yam, as a leader of the Night's Watch industry and one of Crowntown's important managers, although not low in rank within the organization, was ultimately just a steward and not the master. He was not qualified to make changes on his own.
This was the real reason Yam had to report the situation of insufficient rooms to Aegor. Just like how visiting the Targaryen queen to declare neutrality had to be done by Aegor and not by Nina on his behalf, for the same matter, the nature changes completely depending on the identity of the person doing it. As the Night's Watch commander and Lord of the Gift, a person of certain renown throughout the Seven Kingdoms, if he personally came forward to explain the issue of insufficient rooms in Crowntown and coordinate accommodation arrangements, as long as he explained it clearly, whether it was Arya and Myrcella and the Winterfell soldiers, or the Lord of Black Harbour and Thoros, freeing up a few rooms was just a matter of a word. Conversely, if Yam were to step forward without title or standing and say, sorry, we do not have enough rooms, you will have to squeeze in, that would be a great discourtesy.
Leaving the meeting room, Aegor glared at Arya exasperatedly. "You little brat, were you deliberately trying to set me up by letting something slip in the meeting room just now? Are you hoping your fiancé hears something and runs over to demand a duel with me?"
"No way... I saw you did not have enough rooms and offered one up on my own initiative. You do not praise me for being considerate, you even scold me!"
"Alright, alright, consider me ignorant of good intentions." She did not admit it, and Aegor could not really pursue it. "See what I told you before? Now even places to sleep are getting tight, are they not? Where is your mother?"
"She went to Nightfort, she has been gone for days, and I do not know when she will be back. I stayed to keep Bran company."
Aegor suppressed the urge to scratch his head in annoyance. He actually hoped Catelyn would take the Winterfell group and leave the Gift to return to the North as soon as possible. They were not only no help to him at the Wall, they also required the Night's Watch to expend thought and effort to settle and protect them. Unfortunately, saying that would sound like an eviction notice.
"Where is Maeve? Take me to find her. Since you are willing to give up your room on your own, I will have her move out and sleep with you, you do not mind, right?"
Two girls sharing a room frees up one, a few Winterfell soldiers squeezing together frees up another. Then coordinating and finding a way among the management in Crowntown eligible for single rooms, the problem could be quickly solved. After a little thought, Aegor roughly had a plan.
Arya naturally had no objection. "Okay, sleeping in such a big room all by myself was a bit of a waste anyway. Maeve... she is definitely playing with cats with Tommen right now... Hey, if you ask me, she and her brother were born the wrong gender. Tommen should be a girl, and Maeve should be a boy, then they would be more like siblings. A boy who needs his sister to take care of everything, does not like riding or archery, but just loves playing with kittens, hey—"
"Hey what hey, is it only normal if everyone loves wielding swords like you?" If this girl had not brought it up herself, Aegor would have almost forgotten that he brought Arya with him to lecture her. "Alright, there is no one else here now, why are you standing so far away, come over. Come explain to me, what were you thinking, going to practice swords with Asha Greyjoy?"
The girl reluctantly approached him, looking like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid of being hit. "What... is it not just a normal sparring session? What is there to be so surprised about?"
"A fine normal sparring session. I will write a letter now and tell Catelyn that her daughter is sparring with the Greyjoy daughter in Crowntown. What do you think she will do?"
She would definitely fly into a rage, then immediately take her back to Winterfell and never let her come again. Arya instantly became nervous. "Do not, Master! It was all her... she came looking for me. I was practicing swords properly with some Night's Watch uncles, and Asha, she just stood by and watched, then she would say something was wrong here, something was wrong there..."
"Then you got angry and told her to stop blabbering and get in the ring to practice?"
"How did you kno... No!" If she used her brain, Arya was not stupid at all. She changed her words and pushed all the blame onto others. "Asha deliberately provoked me, saying she could easily beat me senseless even wearing shackles. I was not convinced... and then, and then it became like this today."
"How long has this been going on?"
"Not long at all... This is either the second or third time, you came back just at the right time!"
She could not even lie properly. Aegor rolled his eyes. Calling her Asha so affectionately, they must have sparred countless times since Catelyn left, maybe they even became friends. Arya dares to make friends with anyone, which is sometimes a strength, but sometimes it can bring danger.
But thinking back, Aegor knew he might indeed be overreacting. From their brief interactions, the Kraken's Daughter was not a hot-headed, brainless person, and was unlikely to do something foolish just for a moment's pleasure to harm Arya. More likely, she was bored from being locked up and wanted to create more opportunities to escape through Lady Stark.
Just like how he had tried every means to make friends with Tyrion back then.
However, understanding is one thing, acceptance is another. As long as there was a risk that could be avoided, even a tiny bit, Aegor would never be careless. "Someone provokes you, and you want to fight them? What if she had bad intentions, harboring malice, what would you do?"
"She does not have bad intentions, we are just purely, sparring and exchanging skills!"
Pfft, purely sparring and exchanging skills... Who taught Arya that line? It was the first time Aegor heard this wild child talk about courting death so grandiosely. He was immediately amused by her serious, full-of-chuunibyou tone, and shook his head. "Alright, say what you will. I am formally notifying you now, this kind of sparring and exchange is not allowed to happen again, understand?"
"Master~"
"No discussion! If I find out once, your new friend will forever lose the right to leave the cell for fresh air. If I find out a second time, I will notify your mother." Aegor's attitude was firm. "Also, the outer district has been crowded and complex lately. Without my permission, you are not allowed to leave the inner keep."
"Ugh—" Arya clutched her chest as if stabbed, making an expression of extreme pain. "I just wanted someone with a similar skill level and patience to practice swords with me. If you, my master, will not practice with me, fine, but now that I have found someone myself, you do not agree... Now you will not even let me out of the castle. Am I your apprentice or a prisoner? You might as well just lock me up in the dungeon too! Put me in the same cell as Asha, and we will practice in the cell!"
"Alright, stop yelling. I only want to keep a close eye on you because I care about you. Hmm... I apologize for having to leave for a while. I will definitely make time in the next couple of days to take you around and see some interesting things, okay?"
"Hmph, that is more like it." You only want to keep a close eye on me because you care about me? Arya was originally a bit unhappy because practicing swords was forbidden, but upon hearing this, she felt a strange sense of secret joy. She came closer and silently linked her arm through Aegor's. "Hey, Master, when you went to King's Landing this trip, did you see the Mad King's daughter? Does she really have three dragons? Also, is she really as beautiful as the rumors say?"
"As for the dragons, I was not lucky enough to see them when I went," Aegor replied with a smile. "As for the person..."
As for the person, she was more than just beautiful. The magical aura about Daenerys left an unforgettable impression on Aegor. Her world-shaking beauty, coupled with that irresistible strong attraction, and an inexplicable majesty that made one's knees weak, every frown, smile, word, and action, though he had only met her once, was as if etched into his mind, clearly recallable. Just thinking back, Aegor could remember the chilling sensation, the hairs standing on end, the pounding heart, and the quickening blood flow he felt the first time he saw her.
If he had not known he had transmigrated into the world of ice and fire, he would almost certainly believe he had been bewitched by a succubus. Aegor had to use immense self-control to prevent himself from thinking about her constantly, forgetting even to eat or drink. With Arya's question, Daenerys's figure and smiling face suddenly appeared before him again.
"She is indeed very beautiful, but the most beautiful woman in the world is an exaggeration," Aegor controlled his emotions to prevent the girl from noticing the rapid rise and fall of his chest. "Putting everything else aside, at least my Arya is no less beautiful than her..."
"Hmph, you are flattering me again." Arya did not notice anything unusual, she punched him lightly and giggled.
"You know I am flattering you and you are still laughing so happily? You have found no match on the path of narcissism." Aegor also laughed, ruffled her hair, and forcibly shook the queen's face from his mind. "Let us go, take me to see the guards your mother left behind. I need to discuss the accommodation problem with them."
(To be continued.)
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