"Allow me to ask first, Your Grace." Seeing Daenerys lost in thought, Aegor knew he could not rely on her to lead the meeting. After sitting down, he took the initiative to speak. "The Soldiers can transport Drogon into the city before dark, and if necessary, we can work through the night to build a dragon lair. But I need to know now, how serious are Drogon's injuries, and how long will it take for him to regain the ability to move and fly again?"
"No one can say for sure," Melisandre answered for the Queen. "The punctures on the wing membranes are minor. The trouble is that the bone in his left wing was fractured by the White Walkers' attack. Moqorro and I possess magic that can accelerate recovery, but its effect on magical creatures is not as pronounced as on humans, and the dragon is simply too large. Even magic that can bring people back to life feels like scratching an itch when used on him. Not to mention that his belly was also wounded, causing internal injuries. Our capabilities are limited. We can only prioritize saving his life. Injuries outside the core organs in his torso must heal on their own."
"According to recorded history, dragons have much stronger vitality and recovery than humans, so Drogon's life will likely be saved. Unfortunately, everyone with experience caring for injured dragons is dead, and the Queen has never encountered a similar situation," Moqorro continued. "We can only estimate roughly. It should take more than a month, and we cannot guarantee the extent of recovery. The Lord Commander should prepare for both possibilities."
It was not worse than expected. Aegor, who had thought it might take a hundred days to heal from such severe wounds, quietly breathed a sigh of relief, though outwardly he nodded calmly. "What about the other dragon, Rhaegal? Can Your Grace ride him?"
No one else could answer. After thinking for a moment, Daenerys explained, "If by riding you mean whether I can climb onto Rhaegal, then there is probably no issue. But if you mean riding him into battle or for long-distance travel, that is unlikely. The specific reasons are complicated. A dragonrider is not simply someone who climbs onto a dragon's back. Even though I am their mother, I cannot break this rule."
Aegor did not fully understand what the Queen meant, but since she was the absolute expert in this matter, he could only accept her explanation.
"Then the situation becomes troublesome, Your Grace," he said with a frown. "Given Your Grace's love for your child, I fear you will not leave Drogon before he recovers. If the other dragon is also difficult to ride, then it is clear that you will be staying at Last Hearth for a long time, and this causes at least two major problems."
"The first is that since you cannot return to the southern battlefield soon, you must consider how other forces will react. Although the North did not have time to gather its full army before hastily entering the Battle of Long Lake, the number of participants was not large, yet at least three or four thousand Soldiers survived. As the Soldiers return home, as daily trade continues between the Gift and the North, and as I send the Night's Watch out to handle various tasks, the details of this battle between humans and wights will quickly spread north of the Neck. On the bright side, the spread of the truth will turn public opinion in our favor. The Northern Lords will find it difficult to choose war when the Night's Watch and you, the Queen, just made major sacrifices to protect them. On the dark side, once the news that one of your three dragons died and the other two were injured reaches the Riverlands, the Vale, and especially King's Landing, will your southern army be able to withstand the challengers in your absence?"
"Stannis is a difficult opponent," Daenerys said seriously after a moment of silence. "Without dragons, even if I were with the army, I would not be confident in defeating him."
"It is excellent that you understand this." Although the Queen's thought process differed from his, her intelligence was normal, and this clear understanding saved Aegor a great deal of explaining. "Therefore, I believe the most important thing now is to notify your army surrounding King's Landing as quickly as possible to lift the siege, withdraw to nearby castles and strongholds, and enter a defensive state to prevent Stannis from leading an army out to attack."
"Does this castle have messenger ravens that fly south?"
"Last Hearth does not, but Crown Town has several. A few days ago, I already ordered the reconnaissance unit to return to the Gift ahead of schedule to retrieve messenger ravens. Based on the timing, they should bring the raven cage by tomorrow. At that time, you will need to write the order yourself and send it to your army. Besides lifting the siege of King's Landing, I also need to ask that you station troops at the Long Night Industry Park to prevent Stannis, after learning of my allegiance to you, from trying to reclaim the Night's Watch Industry for the Iron Throne. Although Blackwall Keep is not considered a strong fortress, it is close to the Blackwater River. With your navy and the Unsullied on the north bank of Blackwater Bay and the Golden Company and the Reach's main army watching from the south, the King's Landing garrison may not dare attempt a direct assault. I assure you, and the reason is complicated to explain, that small black castle is extremely crucial for your future rule over the Seven Kingdoms."
The reason was not actually complicated. Aegor simply did not want to explain. If the Long Night Industry Park had continued to boil and gather saltpeter since he departed, and the refining process had improved, by now Blackwall Keep likely had tons of high-quality saltpeter stored. Due to the war disrupting the King's Road and the eastern coast routes, he could not transport it north and could only take an army south to retrieve it. The saltpeter itself was secondary. The technicians and skilled workers were the true treasure. Until the saltpeter mines were found and secured, he had to protect the Industry Park.
Fortunately, Stannis only knew the Park had significant productivity and was a financial asset. He could not possibly grasp how important it was to Aegor and even the entire world. As long as a few thousand troops guarded it, Stannis was unlikely to take the massive risk required to seize it.
Daenerys accepted this request without hesitation and did not even ask for an explanation. "That is not an issue. What is the second problem?"
"Drogon's recovery period means we will be staying at Last Hearth for a long time. The longer the night, the more likely dreams become reality. Originally, we might have hoped Robb Stark would change his mind and choose neutrality after you saved his life, allowing me to go south to serve you. But with us occupying a Northern castle for an extended time and not leaving, suspicion that we covet Northern land will inevitably arise and grow. The tension will worsen every day, and conflict becomes far more likely." Aegor explained seriously. "In addition, I must admit the White Walkers' behavior in this invasion was far more brutal and cunning than I imagined. This directly caused the Gift's losses in the defense to far exceed expectations."
The loss of the Great Canyon defense line and the Canyon Watch transit point, and the hard-fought but costly victory at Eastwatch by the Sea, these two initial battles alone cost the Gift three thousand Soldiers. Later, most of the garrison at Shadow Tower was wiped out, adding more than a thousand. Then came the fall of Sentinel Tower, the defense of Crown Town, the several hundred lost at Ice Canyon Port during the Ironborn raid, and the casualties from the final battle that were still being counted. The losses the Gift suffered in this White Walker attack truly approached the ten thousand previously mentioned, doubling the original estimate.
The Night's Watch's organizational structure, combined with the New Gift Free Folk's tribal custom of universal soldiering, indeed gave the Gift a high rate of mobilization. Although the total population was less than fifty thousand, Aegor had estimated he could field nearly ten thousand for the struggle over the Iron Throne. But now, even if every able-bodied adult in the entire Gift, including the Mountain Clans, was counted, they could not muster ten thousand. Not to mention that he had to retain a sizable force to guard the base camp.
Even if the spearwives were armed, the mobile force he could deploy could not exceed four thousand. With so few people, trying to march across the entire North, cross the Neck, pass the Riverlands, then reach King's Landing to join the Night's Watch Industry was indeed stressful. To deter others, goodwill was not enough. One also needed matching strength. Gunpowder was a weapon of a different era, but it was not miraculous enough to let them act unopposed. The army needed a minimum size to maintain redundancy and ensure safety.
In his original plan, the Queen had merely been a stepping stone, a tool that would allow him to leave the Gift honorably once the White Walkers were defeated. But now, because the final battle against them had not gone entirely as expected, the situation had changed completely. He truly had to rely on the Queen, and she on him.
"The remaining strength of the Night's Watch cannot ensure your safety, and you may find these rough men difficult to work with. Your Grace should transfer a small number of troops from the south by sea to serve as your guard in case of emergencies."
(To be continued.)