Through the mouths of countless spectators who fled the arena, news quickly spread that the Three Dragons had come to Crown Town for a visit, not an attack. After confirming their safety, the residents, who had initially been terrified, became curious about the Queen who arrived riding a dragon.
This sight caused another commotion.
For the Night's Watch, the Mountain Clans, and the people of the New Gift, who were mostly bachelors, Asha Greyjoy, Lady Melisandre, and the two young ladies visiting from Winterfell were already rare beauties. Yet compared to them, Daenerys Targaryen's appearance seemed to belong to an entirely different realm of allure. Her identity as a Dragonrider only added to her charm, captivating both men and women alike. The crowd's eagerness to watch and follow her caused immense strain on security. Fortunately, the arena was close to the Inner Keep. With an entire squad of Logistics Department soldiers forming a human wall to clear the path, Aegor managed, with effort and time, to finally escort the Queen safely to the fortress.
---
There are so many people in the New Gift? Varys said there were only thirty to forty thousand. Could they all have gathered in Crown Town?
Having not been in such a large crowd for a long time, Daenerys felt dizzy. It took her half a minute standing in the courtyard of Crown Town's Inner Keep to regain her clarity.
"Why are there so many people… Never mind, where is the library?"
"Your Grace, your identity is sensitive. I do not recommend you go to the library," Aegor said after giving brief instructions to the guards. "Please follow me and wait in a place I've prepared for you. I will fetch the book for you myself."
"Where?" Daenerys asked warily. It couldn't possibly be the dungeon, could it? She studied Aegor, but since she was alone and excessive caution was pointless, she could only hope he had no sinister intentions, or that the presence of her three dragons would be deterrent enough. She continued to follow him.
"Your Grace, do you know why this place is called Crown Town?"
She didn't.
Having been adrift across the Narrow Sea since birth, always fleeing assassins sent by Robert Baratheon, Daenerys never had the chance to study history or listen to tales of the Seven Kingdoms like Myrcella, who had grown up in the Red Keep surrounded by maesters and septas.
Still, the answer wasn't hard to guess. Crown Town. Queen's Crown. The meaning was obvious.
Daenerys pouted. "Some queen visited here and donated her crown to the Night's Watch?"
"Close, but much more than that," Aegor said with a faint smile. "Your ancestor, King Jaehaerys I Targaryen, known as 'The Conciliator', and his wife, Queen Alysanne Targaryen, 'The Good', once came to the Wall during a major Wildling invasion to aid the Night's Watch. Among other things, Queen Alysanne helped the Watch build a new fortress, Deep Lake, to replace the Nightfort, which they could no longer maintain. She also granted the Watch new land from the North. We are now standing on that land, known as the New Gift. Without her righteous deed, Crown Town would still be an obscure northern village. The Night's Watch renamed Snowgate, where she stayed during her visit, to Queen's Gate. The small, nameless village where she spent a single night was named Crown Town."
"So where are you taking me?" Aegor's respectful tone toward Queen Alysanne reassured Daenerys slightly, but his evasive answers made her even more suspicious.
"This is the lake at the center of Crown Town, and the entire town is built around it. The tower on the small island in the middle is where Queen Alysanne slept for one night. Afterward, the villagers painted the top of the tower gold, forming a perfect circle like a crown, which is why it's called Crown Town, not Queen's Village."
While talking, Aegor led Daenerys across a wooden bridge and into the tower.
It was a watchtower left by villagers a century ago to guard against Wildlings. Later, it was reinforced by the first batch of the Logistics Department pioneers and used as the initial "gilded cage" to house the Pyromancers, providing shelter while preventing them from wandering about. As Crown Town developed and living standards improved, the alchemists no longer complained or wanted to return south. Their experiments gradually turned into production, and when research on powder ratios and bomb improvements began, those experiments were moved to the Inner Keep or even to the industrial district outside the city.
With personnel withdrawn and equipment moved, the tower was eventually left idle, containing only a few tables, chairs, cabinets, and empty beds, becoming a backup building.
...
"A good story. Thank you for your patience, Commander," Daenerys said coolly, though her tone softened slightly. "But with all due respect, my concern right now is rescuing the Seven Kingdoms, which my ancestors ruled for generations, from the usurpers. I have little interest in visiting the bedroom where an ancestor once spent a single night."
"You misunderstand," Aegor replied. "I arranged for you to stay here because the island has only one path and one tower, with a single entrance. By stationing a few guards, I can ensure your safety from anyone in Crown Town."
Damn, as soon as he said it, Aegor realized that easy-to-guard places also made excellent prisons. If he were to confine Daenerys here like the Pyromancers, this would indeed become a gilded cage for a beauty... He quickly dismissed the impractical thought. "You must be tired and thirsty after your long flight. The kitchen will send food and hot soup at once. Do your dragons need feeding?"
"No need. They ate before I came," Daenerys said as she walked around the room, running her fingers over a chair. There was no dust, proof it was maintained regularly. "I hope to see that book before dinner. I trust the Commander can fulfill this small wish."
"As you wish. Please sit, Your Grace. I will return shortly."
---
Aegor left the tower, ordering the guards to light the fireplace for warmth, have the kitchen deliver food and drink, and guard the place closely.
He then hurried back to the core of the fortress where he lived, to meet his other guests.
What should a man do when an enthusiastic reader rides a dragon to demand the next chapter, but he hasn't written a single word? Seeking urgent advice.
That was a joke, of course. He wasn't going to discuss Daenerys with anyone. When he went to Dragonstone to present The Prince (Part 1) to the Queen, Aegor had already planned how he would respond when she inevitably asked about the second half. He felt confident.
Still, though his draft was ready, he wanted to review it before meeting her again. More importantly, he needed to stabilize the two factions—those loyal to Stannis and those loyal to Stark—to ensure they believed Daenerys had come to help face the White Walkers, not to conspire with the Night's Watch in rebellion.
The residential quarters were close together, making it easy to find people.
"Aegor!" Melisandre called, her face grave as she lowered her voice. "Time is short. Now that she is here, you must find a way to keep her. Delay her for a day, as long as possible, until the final battle begins. The Three Dragons will be a powerful weapon against the wights."
"Are you not going to speak with her?"
"Speak about what? I was Stannis's advisor."
"I will handle it. We can talk later," Aegor said, nodding to end the conversation quickly.
He didn't want to waste words with the Red Priestess now. He understood her nature well: though she served Stannis in name, she was truly a high priestess of the Lord of Light. She would not act against someone she believed to be the Prophet destined for the final battle.
The key now was to calm Beric Dondarrion and the soldiers from Winterfell, to prevent them from sending false reports to Stannis or the Warden of the North.
"Do not worry, Commander. We will not be informants, nor treat you as an enemy just because you hosted the Targaryen Queen," said the Lord of Black Harbour, far more open-minded than expected. As an elder noble, he even advised Aegor, the new Lord of the Gift, "But be cautious. If you respond poorly to the Lord of Winterfell's questioning, the North's full support for the coming battle could be at risk. Take my advice: no matter who asks, do not overexplain. Stick to two points: 'The Night's Watch is neutral' and 'Guest right is sacred and inviolable.' No one can publicly accuse you for respecting tradition."
"Is that girl really Daenerys Targaryen?" Thoros asked, clearly having drunk too much. His eyes widened. "If every woman in the Targaryen family looks like that, then that damned 'Blessed by the Gods' Baelor truly deserved to be cut into a thousand pieces!"
Baelor? Aegor was confused at first, then realized he meant King Baelor I Targaryen, the man who built the Great Sept of Baelor in King's Landing. That fanatically devout King had starved himself, claiming food was sinful, and abstained from women, claiming intimacy was impure. To avoid temptation from his three sisters, whom he was supposed to marry under Valyrian tradition, he locked them in the Maidenvault, forbidding contact with any man.
When Aegor had first heard the story, he found it absurd. But thinking again—if all Targaryen women looked like Daenerys—it suddenly seemed understandable.
"Lord Aegor… you see, I'm the archery champion, right?" the archer Angei asked awkwardly. "That Queen interrupted my competition. Do you think she might want to meet me… to apologize or something?"
What nonsense is this?
Aegor rolled his eyes, but the interruption helped him calm down. The Lord of Black Harbour's advice was sound. He didn't need to appease or explain to anyone. He was the master of this place. As long as he stood firm and publicly declared that guests could not harm one another under his roof, the law of guest right would be his best shield.
"My Lord!" Myrcella came running up, her face flushed.
"What is it?" Aegor asked, lowering his head. He expected another clever suggestion from the little princess and was even looking forward to it.
"Arya… Arya just went back to her room, grabbed her Needle, and ran off. I don't know where she went!"
(To be continued.)