"King Robert forged a friendship in battle with the North many years ago, and he was always generous during his lifetime, so it is completely understandable to pledge allegiance to him. But consider this, My Lord. Stannis has neither married into the North nor granted the Northern Lords any notable benefits. He has only dragged you into battles east and west, leaving the North unable to defend itself even when its own lands were invaded by the Ironborn. He did not offer even a drop of support when the Wall faced the threat of the White Walkers. Why would you risk your life and fortune, My Lord, to defend the crown for a king who cannot protect the nobles loyal to him and brings you no benefit?"
Although Stannis did not personally lead his army to the North, he was not without offering any support to the Night's Watch. Saying otherwise was clearly heartless, but one's position determined one's perspective. With opposing stances now, talking about righteousness was too much of a luxury before the revolution succeeded.
"The Queen never intended, nor had the time, to conquer the vast North. All she asks is for you to remain neutral. After I complete the Northern campaign and eliminate the threat of the White Walkers, she asks only that you clear the path for the Night's Watch to head south, simply to repay her for her contribution to the war between humans and wights by riding dragons," Aegor said, softening his tone and speaking calmly. "My Lord, you now have two choices. The first is to follow your emotional instincts and detain me, which will not only bury every Soldier in this castle along with the two of us, but also provoke a war between the Queen and the North through Karstark bloodshed. This would force the Queen to abandon the south and let the North be filled with blood and fire first."
"The second path is to play dumb once and do the Queen a favor. The Karstark army silently withdraws from Last Hearth as if this conversation never happened. The Queen is neither blind nor heartless and she will remember your kindness, My Lord. In the short term, she can use her life-saving grace and the deterrence of two dragons to pressure the Stark family, ensuring you gain the upper hand in the distribution of the land left by the Umbers. In the long term, once the Queen takes King's Landing, subdues the Seven Kingdoms, and sits on the Iron Throne, with a single gesture she can bypass the Warden of the North and directly grant an expansion of the Karstark family's territory. The Umbers originally had a large stretch of coastline south of the Bay of Seals. I guarantee on behalf of the Queen that at least half of that coastline and its affiliated coastal land will be allocated to the Karstarks, instantly expanding Karhold, which has not changed for over a hundred years, by one fifth."
"This is nonsense. Father, the land of the North is determined by the Northmen. How can an outsider, whose place of origin we have never even heard of, decide how to divide it? Even if Karhold benefits temporarily, how will we coexist with the other Northern Lords in the future?" Seeing that his father actually intended to continue the conversation with Aegor, Harrion immediately objected. "And that is assuming he is not lying. I fear this boy is making promises just to steady you with false assurances. The moment we withdraw our army from Last Hearth, the dragons in the sky will swoop down and burn all of us, defenseless and without cover, to death in the wilderness."
Rickard's face twitched. This foolish son, with his long beard and short sight, did he think his old father had no brains? He was not truly counting on the benefits Aegor promised. He was trying to save the lives of his two sons.
If Daenerys Targaryen herself had appeared before him today, then he would have fought with his life to kill the Queen on the spot, sacrificing the lives of father and sons and over two thousand Soldiers to extinguish the Targaryen bloodline completely. The cost would be heavy, but it would at least bring peace and stability to the North and the Seven Kingdoms, which had value.
But Aegor West?
An unknown nobody who appeared out of nowhere and became Lord Commander of the Night's Watch through cleverness. Should he trade the two thousand elites of the Karstark family, along with his own life and his sons' lives, for him?
Was he worthy?
Only a madman would make such a losing trade.
The army's purpose for this march was originally to deal with the White Walkers and the dead. They were completely unprepared for an enemy flying in the sky and would not be able to force a battle. They could only play along, withdraw with some dignity, and ensure their safety. After returning to Karhold, they would discuss countermeasures with other Northern nobles and decide on their final course.
But Harrion's worries were not entirely unreasonable. What if the man in front of them had been spouting nonsense just to escape, with not a single word being true? What then?
After some thought, Rickard Karstark used all of his not so abundant wisdom to devise a test. "Hmph. The Karstark family withdrawing troops and handing over a castle is worth only one fifth of the territory? Your Queen aims for the Seven Kingdoms. Does she lack this bit of land? Why not give the entire Umber territory to the Karstarks at once?"
Only a fool would not see such an obvious test.
Rickard thought he was being clever, but Aegor saw through it instantly.
To deceive someone, the lie must be convincing. The conditions he offered were a reasonable and believable price, formed after genuinely considering the Karstarks' ambitions and appetite as well as what they could offer. In fact, if the Karstarks could also speak for the Queen and vote for Northern neutrality during the council of lords to decide the North's final stance, Aegor could indeed try to persuade the Queen to fulfill the price he promised today.
Once the Queen united the Seven Kingdoms, it would be only a matter of saying the word.
"Quite an appetite, Lord Rickard." Aegor chuckled and shook his head. "Ask yourself honestly. Does giving up a castle that does not belong to you and that you could not hold anyway warrant such a high return? By your way of rewarding merit, even the territory of the Valyrian Empire at its peak would not be enough. However, if you truly have ideas, it is not impossible to discuss. Do as I did. Swear allegiance to the Queen and fight for her with everything you have. With the merit of being the first Northern Lord to stand up and support her, let alone Last Hearth, even becoming Warden of the North would not be out of the question."
Rickard's eyes widened. Though he still wore a fierce expression, he had begun to believe Aegor's explanation. All he needed now was a suitable excuse to accept it.
Seeing his father about to be deceived, Harrion stamped his foot in frustration. "Wait. He seems sincere now, but why did he not mention anything about the Queen when he first came to see you, Father? Why wait until the dragons flew over our heads and we stopped him and questioned him before he spoke? There is clearly something wrong here."
Aegor shrugged. "When I entered the city earlier, I was just scouting and intended to report back to the Queen before deciding on a plan. But now, either I lost track of time or the Queen grew impatient and made a decision. In any case, by some strange coincidence, things turned out this way. Time waits for no one. If you do not let me return soon, the Queen might get serious."
In his heart, Rickard Karstark had already decided not to antagonize the Dragon Queen. But emotionally, he still could not fully trust Aegor and simply let him go, losing the only bargaining chip he had to save his life.
"Send someone back to that woman to deliver a message. Tell her you are still safe and to stay calm. And let me see the injured dragon. If I see it, I will believe she truly rode a dragon in that decisive battle, and I will immediately lead the army out of Last Hearth."
The injured dragon did exist, so Aegor felt no guilt. He secretly breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, calling over his most trusted guard. "Meilan, leave the city at once and inform the Queen of the general situation here. Also order the army to enter a state of alert and bring the dragon-carrying sledge with the Black Dragon to a point within sight of the castle, but do not get too close."
The black-clad Soldier obeyed and departed, while Rickard, with a cold expression, pulled his eldest son aside.
"Be quiet. Quickly pick your most skilled men and find your brother. The two of you will leave immediately through the East Gate, take the shortcut, and return to Karhold as fast as possible. Remember to act separately. Do not stay together."
"What? Father, you want to stay here alone and face the dragons? I am not leaving."
"Face the dragons with my ass?" Rickard slapped his son's head and growled in a low voice, hating that his son was so foolish. "Take more men. After you leave the city, send one back every mile to report your safety. Once I confirm there are no ambushes on the way to Karhold and that the Queen's dragon was truly injured fighting the White Walkers, I will lead the troops out of the castle. Otherwise, even if I die, I will not let that woman have things her way."
"But what if that boy is lying and the Queen chases and burns you with dragons after you withdraw from Last Hearth?"
"That is why I am having you and Torren act separately. If everything goes well, we will meet at home. If you look back on the road and see dragons attacking people on the ground, do not come back to die. And do not go home. It will not be safe. Head south. Tell Winterfell and the other Northern nobles what happened and have them prepare for war."
(To be continued.)
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