The Master and his apprentice walked and chatted as they quickly found Myrcella, who had just returned from visiting her brother.
The Little Princess was still well-behaved, sensible, and refined. The moment she saw Aegor, she sincerely expressed her gratitude. Although she had previously received his promise, she never expected that the esteemed Lord Commander of the Night's Watch would keep the matter of a fallen Princess so close to heart. Even when burdened with official duties and forced to travel far south to King's Landing, he had not forgotten to make prior arrangements. Half a month ago, before he departed for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea to board the ship southward, he had already instructed someone to find kittens for her brother Tommen. They were healthy, beautiful, and weaned, making them easy to care for.
Although the Stark family also treated her kindly, the feeling of being "incidentally cared for" was entirely different from being "genuinely remembered and respected."
After finishing the matter of adjusting the rooms so the two girls could share one, they chatted casually on the way back and began to discuss the dilemma Aegor was currently facing.
"Open defiance and defection must be severely punished, otherwise it will be difficult for Lord Aegor to manage the Gift in the future," the Little Princess advised seriously. "But if the punishment is too cruel, it will easily provoke backlash. I have read many similar stories in the historical records: when a King executes rebellious or disrespectful nobles, their families and descendants may appear obedient for a time, but secretly harbor resentment. They feign compliance while plotting revenge, and sooner or later, another rebellion arises. Lord Aegor, you are now the King of the Gift. When dealing with such matters, you must be especially cautious about your methods and approach."
"The analogy of a King might not be entirely appropriate, but indeed, that is my exact concern," Aegor nodded in agreement, then deliberately glanced at Arya, his meaning clear: look at other people's children, not just think about playing all day.
Ayra immediately became displeased with that look and quickly voiced her own opinion. "Then just kill the son too, and scatter his Grey Area Citizens among other tribes for management. Wouldn't that solve everything? You've used that trick before to deal with problems at the root, haven't you?"
Myrcella shook her head. "Cutting the weeds and pulling out the roots sounds satisfying, and it is indeed the safest approach. But Lord Aegor is now facing his own Grey Area Citizens, not enemies, so it cannot be generalized. The Commander established schools for education and management, not simply to keep those New Gift children sent by their families under house arrest. He clearly doesn't treat them as hostages, but hopes to influence their thoughts and gain their loyalty. When he acts now, he must consider not only that one child's feelings but also how his every move affects his image in the eyes of all those children and the Grey Area Citizens. 'A classmate was executed because of his father's mistake' would make all those children from Beyond the Wall think the Commander is cruel and ruthless. It would be one thing if Lord Aegor had taken a hard stance from the start, but your 'pro-Wildling' stance is already well known. If your actions now contradict that, you won't just gain a bad reputation for being capricious and unstable, but you'll also invite contempt and ridicule from the Night's Watch traditionalists who opposed accepting the Wildlings. The result of pleasing neither side would be far worse than acting impartially and only punishing the leader."
Arya could only vaguely follow the long speech, but she could sense that Myrcella's words were logical, well-supported, and clearly reasoned. Feeling outdone in front of her Master, she became even more defiant. "Then tell me, what should my Master do now?"
Myrcella's delicate, doll-like face turned serious as she thought for a moment, her expression unexpectedly adorable. After a while, she had an idea. "Isn't Lord Aegor the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch? He already has a ready-made solution, so why not use it?"
Reminded by that, Arya immediately caught on and exclaimed as if answering a riddle. "Ah! Make that leader take the black! Send him to the most dangerous front line at the Great Canyon!"
"Exactly. If he dies fighting the White Walkers, everyone will be satisfied. As long as he is given the proper honor, no one can resent Lord Aegor for a soldier's death in battle. And if he survives and serves in the Night's Watch, he poses no threat to Lord Aegor."
Aegor raised his eyebrows. He had thought of that idea himself, but he hadn't expected a twelve-year-old girl to reach the same conclusion as his carefully considered plan in less than a minute. That alone was impressive, but what truly surprised him was that Myrcella understood the deeper reasoning behind his establishment of the school, could analyze the pros and cons of each choice with such clarity, and—most impressive of all—though she had the answer, she deliberately prompted Arya to say it first. She knew not to outshine her companion too much, so as not to make Arya look foolish and strain their relationship as "sisters."
Arya, who was not stupid, felt completely defeated by the comparison. Myrcella's tact could hardly be described as mere cleverness.
For the first time, Aegor looked at Myrcella with real interest, not merely as a girl.
Contrary to what the Little Princess thought, his previous politeness and friendliness were not because he cared deeply about her, but rather out of basic courtesy and a sense of reliability that had become second nature to him. But it was only now that he truly began to regard this former Princess—who possessed not only beauty and grace, but also wisdom and courage—as someone remarkable.
Yet Myrcella's idea was not finished.
"Also, Lord Aegor, you can still follow your original plan. Let this child decide for himself how his father should be dealt with and observe his attitude. If he pleads for his father's life, you can then reluctantly propose a 'compromise plan,' agreeing to let his father take the black to atone for his crime and avoid execution. This way, you carry out your plan as intended, while also gaining the child's gratitude and loyalty. Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?"
"This… you really are something," Aegor said, nearly at a loss for words.
Before, he had only been slightly impressed, but now, Aegor was truly astonished.
It was easy to discuss in theory, but applying it effectively in real situations was an entirely different matter. How could Myrcella, a little girl, be so adept at it? Was she simply in rare form today, appearing full of insight, or were her intelligence, emotional awareness, and education inherently this deep, merely lacking the chance to shine in the original story?
Aegor now had many subordinates who were steady, efficient, and loyal, but what he lacked were strategists who were knowledgeable about Westeros and capable of offering sound advice and alternative perspectives to prevent potential missteps. Since transmigrating to this world, Aegor had become skilled at using a lower position to outwit those above him. But now, as he rose in power, he had little experience leading from above.
This was an entirely new domain. If Myrcella's level of insight was truly this high, she was exactly the kind of advisor he needed.
Aegor sighed. Even if Myrcella's brilliance today wasn't accidental, she was still a young girl—and the daughter of Cersei and Jaime. Just as he had no right to interfere with Arya's future marriage arrangements, as Catelyn Tully's nominal adopted daughter and actual hostage, he had no position or reason to keep either of them by his side.
What a pity.
---
In the days that followed, Aegor, as promised, took Arya around Crown Town. Of course, not simply to entertain her, but because, having been away for some time, he needed to reacquaint himself with the situation in his territory. Many of the final preparations for the coming war also required his personal supervision and direction. Since he had to make the rounds anyway, bringing one more person along cost little time, while easing her boredom and making her feel valued.
There was little he could do about it. Arya's earlier unintentional remark had struck too close to home, making Aegor slightly uneasy. He had indeed originally taken her as his apprentice with the intent of using her as a convenient source of information. But although the essence of human relations was transactional, such exchanges were best concealed beneath the appearance of affection and loyalty. Arya was growing up and becoming more perceptive. She was no longer as easily fooled as before. Aegor now dared not ignore her or treat her too lightly. If one day she felt used and abandoned, the damage from a betrayed friend could be far worse than that from an enemy.
Unlike before, Aegor now also brought Myrcella along when possible. This Little Princess displayed exceptional intelligence, and though he wasn't sure how to make use of it yet, it wouldn't hurt to increase her favorability.
Aegor first inspected the crowded residential area outside the city and the clusters of tents beyond the walls, countering the rumors that he had "fled in fear of the White Walkers" by personally appearing in public. Among these visits, he specifically inspected the Giants who were temporarily settled outside the walls.
The dwellings of these great beings were not far from Crown Town, but considering their slow pace and sluggish nature, Aegor had still included them among the "first batch of refugees" in his contingency plan—the group ordered to evacuate to Crown Town as soon as the intermediate warning signal was issued. Even so, their travel speed exceeded his expectations: they took ten whole days to cover less than a hundred miles from their habitat to Crown Town, nearly missing the false alarm entirely, much to the frustration of their guide.
Given the Giants' immense size and strength, and the potential havoc they could wreak if they clashed with townsfolk inside the walls, Yam had temporarily settled them in the wilderness outside the city, far from the gates. The towering creatures fascinated Arya, but no matter how much she begged, Aegor firmly refused her request to approach or touch them.
Then came the inspection of the industrial district, where the great weapons were being prepared. With Aegor's guidance, Qyburn found the correct method for purifying saltpeter in just half a day. Under the centralized command of headquarters, almost all departments in the industrial area had halted regular weapon experiments. Only the ironworks, which handled conventional arms production and repair, and Tobho Mott's foundry, which was still reforging Dark Sister, were retained. The rest of the facilities, their equipment and workers, were redirected entirely to saltpeter purification and the assembly of Dragon Crystal Bombs.
Although Dragonstone had been seized and blockaded by Daenerys, cutting off their source of dragonglass and sulfur, the previous stockpiles were sufficient. The bombs were now being produced at a rate of dozens per day. As the ultimate trump card, these improved and battle-tested weapons were already mature in design. Aegor was merely showing them to Arya and Myrcella, not setting them off for amusement.
In stark contrast to the production of these spherical bombs was a large number of tubular bronze forms piled beside the extinguished copper furnaces. The cannon-casting department had finally solved the problem of mold formation and casting cannon-shaped tubes. They were one step away from becoming true cannons, only needing further refinement in material strength and firing precision. But at this critical stage, Aegor could not afford to waste precious powder on tests. Unless the Night King chose to wait another half-year across the Great Canyon, the cannons would likely only see action after this great battle was over.
The Great Canyon and Bay of Seals still sent daily requests for reinforcements, while the production of the great weapons proceeded steadily, without error or delay. Amid this intense atmosphere of preparation for war, the forging of Lightbringer also quietly began to progress.
(To be continued.)
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