"First, complete the two urgent tasks of tending to the wounded and burning the bodies, then set up camp here. Less critical matters can wait until dawn. Although we've won, assign people for night watch and patrol as usual. Especially assign reliable men to guard the Queen. No accidents must occur, whether from Her Grace herself or from others."
Jarman Buckwell nodded. "I'll take responsibility for it personally. Rest assured."
The Night's Watch and the people of the Gift had a complex makeup. When facing the White Walkers, everyone could unite under the banner of humanity, but after this thrilling battle of ice and fire, how many would still be willing to fight for the Queen's claim to the throne? Aegor himself didn't know.
Among those who obeyed him, only the original industrial personnel of the Night's Watch who were completely loyal to him, along with the radical faction of Night's Watch nobles who, like him, needed a "stepping stone" to change their fates and whose interests aligned with his, could barely be considered trustworthy. Beyond them, everyone had motives. Everyone had a reason not to follow Aegor's support of the Queen and might even be swayed or bribed to betray her.
At this point, Aegor not only had to remain cautious himself but also had to extend this vigilance to cover the representatives of the faction he'd joined.
After giving careful instructions to Ser Bookwell, the leader of the noble faction, and receiving a firm reply, Aegor took dozens of guards, led by the messenger soldier, and crossed the battlefield littered with debris, arriving outside the Northern army's camp.
"Aegor."
Robb Stark, surrounded by several nobles holding torches, sat on a pile of supplies to receive him. Supporting his knee and unable to straighten his back, Robb looked weakened. He was clearly injured, though the wound was not visible.
"Lord Stark," Aegor greeted him.
As the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch who had personally led the expedition and the prophesied hero, Aegor had finally donned full armor, prepared to enter the fray himself. But luck was on his side. He had shouted "Charge!" and rushed forward with the others, yet before he could even kill half a wight, the battle was already over. He came out of it completely unscathed while earning a fine reputation as the one who led the charge. It was truly gratifying.
In the past, Aegor would have likely spoken words of gratitude or praise, commending Robb for bringing his army north to join the fight and lauding his bravery and foresight. But now, his identity had changed. As a subject of the Queen and a member—an important figure, even—of the anti-Baratheon faction, it would be highly inappropriate to still lower himself and show favor to nobles of the opposing camp without principle or purpose.
Thus, after exchanging brief formalities, the conversation stalled, and silence quickly followed. When the silence grew too awkward, Robb finally forced a question to break it.
"Is the Queen of House Targaryen here?"
"Yes. She is currently with the Night's Watch army."
Aegor answered directly without hesitation. Daenerys was the only dragonrider known on the continent of Westeros. There was no point in hiding or lying about that.
"Why did she come to help us? No... let me rephrase. How did she happen to arrive at such a perfect time?"
Aegor shrugged. "Earlier, when the threat of the White Walkers became urgent, I traveled south to ask King Stannis for aid. But I received no support. Instead, when my ships passed Blackwater Bay, they were intercepted by the Queen's fleet. I met her by chance and negotiated a deal. As long as she was willing to ride her dragons north after the alarm at the Wall and help the Night's Watch secure victory, I would swear fealty to her and lead the Night's Watch in helping her reclaim the Iron Throne."
Aegor had never expected aid from Stannis. But such thoughts could not be spoken aloud. He couldn't say, "I've long been evaluating factions and waiting for an opportunity. I weighed three options and ultimately chose the Dragon Queen." So now, blaming the "Two Antlers" who sat on the Iron Throne and using the excuse that the rightful king had refused to support the Night's Watch was naturally the only route to justify his decision.
Robb frowned. "You never mentioned this. Was it a deliberate concealment?"
What kind of nonsense was that? Aegor suppressed a look of contempt. "Lord Stark, this was an internal matter of the Night's Watch. I had no obligation or need to inform the North."
Indeed... no, it was worse than Robb had imagined. He wanted to question whether Aegor remembered the vow of the Night's Watch to remain uninvolved in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms. But his body ached and speaking was difficult. After some thought, he realized such questions were meaningless and would sound foolish. Aegor, as Lord Commander, clearly knew the rules and oaths of the Watch. He had negotiated with the Targaryen Queen. It must have been a carefully weighed decision. How could Robb hope to convince him otherwise now?
Truly, those who are not of our kind cannot be expected to share our hearts. The words of the Lord of Karhold from a year ago had come true quickly. This cunning outsider before him had begun shaking off their control the moment he gained power.
A chill crept into Robb's heart, and resentment rose. Unfortunately, having just been saved from the wights by the Queen's dragons, he could not turn hostile immediately.
But he said nothing. Among his subordinate lords, however, many were furious.
"A fine scheme, Lord Commander!" Clay Cerwyn bellowed. His father had died in this bloody battle, and he had just inherited the title of Lord of Seven City. Outsiders might think he had profited from the disaster, but Clay, who had a close relationship with his father, felt no joy—only grief. "You deliberately allowed the dead to cross the Wall and invade the North, didn't you? Was it to use the enemy's hand to weaken us so we couldn't stop you from groveling before the Mad King's daughter? You got what you wanted. But I tell you, even after suffering losses, the North still has enough strength to put down a rebellious Night's Watch!"
Aegor had to admit that the Northerners did have reason to suspect him.
If the Queen hadn't arrived, and if he had truly refrained from violating the vows of the Night's Watch to interfere in Westerosi politics, then at most the North would have blamed him for negligence in allowing the White Walkers through. They would never have imagined he had done so intentionally. But now, Clay Cerwyn's accusations actually reflected the suspicions harbored by Robb and many other Northern lords.
After all, a Lord Commander of the Night's Watch who had become a "rebel" had every motive to harm the North.
The Northern army had fought a brutal battle with the wights, and just when they were on the brink, the dragons and the Night's Watch arrived to cut off the enemy's retreat and incidentally rescued the Northerners. The timing and arrival of Aegor's forces seemed too perfect, as if it had all been staged. Who wouldn't be suspicious? In fact, the whole thing did look premeditated. Only, it hadn't been orchestrated by Aegor but by the White Walkers.
The wights had deliberately maintained distance from their pursuers, and only when the Gift army and the three dragons were within a mile did they launch their assault on the Northern army. This lured the Queen into acting rashly, separating from her ground forces, and falling into a trap. The Gift army hadn't arrived by perfect timing. They had always been coordinating with the three dragons.
If the new White Walker leader had succeeded in creating a wight dragon and reversed the battle, the outcome for everyone present would have been uncertain. In that case, both sides would have suffered grievous losses, and the current barrage of accusations against Aegor would never have happened. But Aegor, relying on his understanding of the enemy's tactics, had made the right decision and led his forces to minimize losses.
It was a great victory, but it brought immediate suspicion. Defeating the White Walkers was supposed to be the Night's Watch's duty. Yet now, the North had taken heavy losses while the Night's Watch emerged victorious and conveniently pledged allegiance to the Targaryen heir.
That said, Aegor wasn't entirely innocent. He had, at one point, entertained the idea of letting the enemy weaken the North to clear his path south. But after rational analysis, he had rejected it.
Just like he had once considered hoping all three of the Queen's dragons would die along with the White Walkers. But relying on hostile, uncontrollable intelligent creatures to counterbalance rivals was no different from how a First Men king in the Vale had once brought in the Andals to fight other First Men, only to lose his kingdom entirely. It was like inviting a wolf into the house or trying to skin a tiger. A grand idea in theory, but in practice, doomed to fail.
So, after brief consideration, Aegor had discarded the notion.
Still, there was a difference between a fleeting thought and genuine intent. Human thoughts are complicated and elusive. If people were punished for thoughts they never acted on, the whole world would hang.
"Nonsense. If I had truly entertained such a scheme, I would've stopped the Queen just now or delayed her by a few minutes. Right now, none of you would even be standing here. Don't project your filthy mind onto others," Aegor retorted fiercely, not even needing to act. He had no reason to feel guilty over something that didn't exist. Any hesitation now would only be seen as admission of guilt. "If I had the power to direct the White Walkers' movements and control their invasion of the North, why wouldn't I just take the Iron Throne myself instead of swearing allegiance to the Queen? The enemy came from both the east and west. To block them from entering Senai and taking the Wall, the garrisons at the Gorge and along the Wall lost more soldiers than you brought with you today. The wights eliminated by the Crown Town garrison below the Wall were ten times the number you saw today. Countless mountain clansmen and Winterfell soldiers visiting the Wall or stationed in Crown Town witnessed and participated in these battles. All of them can testify. If I've spoken a single falsehood, may I be taken by the White Walkers in my sleep. If you can't speak properly, then keep quiet. No one will think you're mute."
Aegor's powerful rebuttal dispelled much of the suspicion, but his combative and disrespectful tone became a spark that ignited the crowd's emotions. Many Northern lords who had lost loved ones began shouting in anger, some even shoving and threatening violence. Fortunately, Aegor had anticipated this outcome and brought enough soldiers. The fully armed, black-clad guards formed a human wall to protect him. The injured and exhausted nobles couldn't even get close. As for starting an armed conflict? With one of the Queen's dragons still capable of flight, starting a bloodbath now would be suicidal.
"Silence!" Robb forced himself to shout. He wanted to tell Aegor that if he insisted on rebellion, no one could stop him, but he had no right to drag the Night's Watch and the Gift down with him. But then, a thought crossed his mind. His mother, his younger sister Arya, and his older brother Bran were still in Aegor's hands. He quickly changed the subject.
"Your decisions are your own. You'll bear the consequences. Let's set that aside for now. How are my mother, Arya, and Bran?"
(To be continued.)