How did he see it?
Jon Snow was speechless.
Viewed from different angles and with different loyalties, this matter could lead to vastly different conclusions. The Queen rode her dragon to fight for the Night's Watch, and in return, the Night's Watch supported her claim to the Iron Throne. This mutually beneficial exchange was perfectly reasonable, even admirable. Everyone gained something. The problem was that the Night's Watch, or rather the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, had no authority to make such a deal.
Aegor held a status and authority in The Gift and at the Wall comparable to a Lord, but he was not a true Lord. He did not own the land he governed. By that logic, he was even lower in standing than a landed knight. He had no right to bring The Gift into anyone's camp.
Under these circumstances, breaking the sacred oath he had sworn, disrupting the centuries-long neutrality of the Night's Watch... It was unquestionably an act of oath-breaking, one that could not be justified. How was Jon supposed to answer?
His mind became a tangled mess, blanking completely.
As a volunteer who had joined the Night's Watch out of pursuit of honor, Jon had been ready to spend his life guarding the cold Wall. In theory, he should have been one of the strongest opponents within the order against Aegor's overreach. But today, in a meeting where he was supposed to provide "inside information" to help the North deal with the current Lord Commander, he found himself speaking up for Aegor instead. Loyalty was part of it, shaped by their friendship and camaraderie, but a greater reason lay with the Queen Aegor had sworn to.
This matter began nearly a month ago.
...
On a cold, ordinary day at the Wall, Catelyn Stark arrived at Castle Black, the first stop on her tour of the front line to encourage the Night's Watch. Jon, still disliked by her as he had been since childhood, had arranged for his officers to receive her so the two would not need to face each other. But for some reason, Catelyn insisted on seeing him personally, which was unlike her.
Unable to avoid it, Jon forced himself to meet her. To his shock, Catelyn greeted him with unusual warmth. Though she had scarcely looked at him for nearly twenty years, she was now gentle and kind, as if she were his mother. Once they were alone, she sat across from him, held his hand, and spoke with an intimacy that made his skin crawl.
Then she told him a secret that shattered the world he knew.
Jon Snow was not Eddard Stark's bastard, but the son of his Aunt Lyanna Stark and Rhaegar Targaryen, the Mad King's son.
His true name was Aegon Targaryen, and he was their nephew.
Bran Stark, now a Greenseer, had seen the truth in the heart tree, but he did not know how to tell Jon. So he first revealed his abilities to Catelyn with evidence, then told her the secret and left the decision to her.
Reason told Catelyn that Jon should never know, that he should live his whole life unaware. But when she learned that the boy she had mistreated for over ten years was not her husband's bastard, but their nephew, all her anger and resentment had been misdirected. Overwhelmed by guilt and shame, she made a choice that was not entirely appropriate, but eased her conscience. Everyone had the right to live knowing who they were.
Thus Jon learned the truth.
As Lord Commander of Castle Black, stationed at the newly repaired northern end of the Kingsroad and closest to Crown Town, Jon responded immediately when Aegor called all of The Gift to march south and pursue the White Walkers. Though he did not witness the moment Aegor knelt to Daenerys, during that long, exhausting march through snow deep enough to break men's legs, he saw the Queen every day.
And after learning who he truly was, Daenerys, in Jon's eyes, seemed strangely close. She was his aunt, the closest living relative he had, the last person who shared his blood. Even setting that aside, Jon saw that the Queen, demonized throughout Westeros and especially in the North, spoken of only as "the Mad King's daughter," was nothing like the rumors. She was not only extraordinarily beautiful and the rider of three dragons, but also gentle and approachable, caring for soldiers and sympathetic to common folk. Far from madness, she had all the qualities of a good Queen.
Should he reveal himself to her? How? When? Where?
Jon had not figured out any of these questions before a far more urgent dilemma came crashing down upon him. Targaryen and Stark, the two great houses to which he belonged by blood, Dragon and Wolf. On one side, the last of his kin. On the other, the family who raised him. Now they stood on the edge of war. What could he do to prevent disaster?
---
Under the stares of so many rough Northmen and formidable Northern women, Jon's mind went blank. He had no words.
No, no, not now... How could he freeze at such a crucial moment? Jon fought down the panic, struggling to form a sentence, and found himself wishing desperately for Aegor. If the Lord Commander were here, with his eloquence and quick thinking, he would have no trouble explaining the situation clearly.
If Aegor were here, what would he do?
Jon racked his brain, and suddenly remembered something Aegor had said casually, as if teaching a child. When you don't have the stronger argument, change the subject.
Robb had asked him what he thought of Aegor's "oath-breaking." What else could he say? If he tried to defend the Night's Watch abandoning neutrality, he would only embarrass himself. The best approach was to avoid the topic completely and answer from another angle.
He had a rough idea, but persuasion was not Jon's strength. He stammered for a while, then finally managed to begin. "I heard that when the Queen arrived at Crown Town on her dragon, preparing to join The Gift Army's pursuit of the White Walkers, she publicly demanded that Aegor swear fealty before she would join the battle with her dragons..."
Lady Barbrey Dustin snorted sharply and cut him off. "True, but that boy swore to join the Night's Watch first, and only later swore to the Queen. The oath the Mad King's daughter forced out of him is invalid."
"When two oaths conflict, who decides which is valid and which is not?" Jon shot back. "Is Lady suggesting that it is understandable for the Lord Commander to agree under the circumstances, but that after the Queen risks a dragon and sacrifices time to help the Night's Watch and the North win the war, he should tell her: 'Sorry, the earlier oath no longer counts, so go away'?'
"He kept his word to the Queen. There is nothing wrong with that," Robb said gravely. "But the problem is that his decision violates his duties and identity, and it endangers the North. We cannot let him become a threat out of loyalty to a foreign Queen."
Excellent. Changing the subject really worked. Even for a novice like him, it had shifted the focus from "Aegor's oath-breaking" to "the interests of the North."
Jon felt relief, but did not dare relax. His thoughts sharpened. "Endangering the interests of the North? But the Lord Commander is only asking the North to clear a path so he can lead his army south to fulfill his promise to the Queen. How does this threaten the North?"
"People who should be guarding the Wall want to cross Northern territory to help the Mad King's daughter conquer the realm. How is that not a threat?" Haywood Stout said. "And they want to march down the Kingsroad, past several Northern castles, including Winterfell. Who knows if that boy will attack us unexpectedly? Even if they pass peacefully, once they leave the North, they must travel through Riverrun and much of the Riverlands. The Riverlands are our in-laws and allies, yet they are the Queen's enemies. Should we allow them to be attacked, or beg them to let Aegor and the Queen march through peacefully?"
Sharp words. Jon had no way to counter them head-on, so he could only seize Aegor's logic and run with it.
"Lord Stout is right. But since we are discussing the North's interests, let us consider the two choices the North has. Accept the Lord Commander's request and let him go south, or refuse and become his enemy. Which choice benefits the North more? Which causes less damage?"
Before anyone could interrupt him, Jon quickly spoke again.
"Accepting it means letting an army pass through the North to fight a king you once supported. That is embarrassing, but nothing more. Lady Dustin's concerns are unnecessary. Neither the Night's Watch nor the Queen would attack the North if the North itself voluntarily cleared the way. The North is vast, one-third of the Seven Kingdoms. If Aegor and the Queen attack the North, they would have to conquer the entire region to travel south safely. It is winter. Marching and fighting are difficult. Even if they win every battle, it would take months to occupy all Northern territory. By then, the war in the South would have changed beyond recognition. The Queen wants to reach King's Landing quickly, not waste time causing unnecessary trouble."
"And refusing?" Jon surprised himself by how easily the words came. "In a direct fight, the North has more soldiers, and they are fierce and battle-hardened. But, forgive my bluntness, The Gift army lives farther north than the North. They are not weak Southerners. They just won an impossible war and they have the Queen's dragons. There is no chance of winning militarily. As for trickery, the Lord Commander rose from being a penniless shipwreck survivor to Lord Commander in a few years, achieving feats known throughout the Seven Kingdoms. His ability and cunning are undeniable. Forgive me, but I do not think anyone here can outsmart him."
"Nonsense. The boy knows a few tricks, we all admit that. But could he become Lord Commander without the North's support? Could he have won the election alone?" Karstark roared. "If Ser Denys Mallister hadn't withdrawn to avoid stalling the vote, the Night's Watch would still have no Lord Commander. If Denys had become Lord Commander and Aegor had died at Shadow Tower instead of him, none of this trouble would exist. You are not defending the North's interests. You are threatening us on behalf of Aegor!"
Jon opened his mouth to argue, then hesitated. Even if Ser Denys had been elected, Aegor would still have managed logistics and would not have been sent to Shadow Tower. But explaining the Night's Watch's internal workings to these Northern Lords would go nowhere. Jon tried to think of another response, but before he could, others unexpectedly stepped in to help.
"What are you yelling about, Lord Karstark? He is just stating an opinion. How is that a threat?" Lord Glover said sharply. "You lost a castle that was never yours because you were frightened by a dragon, and now every word sounds like a threat to you. Jon is Lord Eddard's blood. He would not harm the North!"
"I agree with him," Glover continued. "King Stannis has no ties to the North and has given us nothing. Why should we bleed for the enemies he cannot defeat? Enough Northmen have died. Aegor is our friend. As long as he can persuade the Queen not to repeat her father's foolishness, what does it matter if she takes the Iron Throne? Whoever wants that cursed seat can have it! As long as they leave the North alone, who cares?"
"Exactly. Let the Dragon and the Stag fight. Why should we get involved? Just send this trouble south and be done with it."
"Maybe we can even negotiate with the Queen. Fight for Northern autonomy. Or independence. Better yet, if she marries a Northerner, why not support her as Queen?"
Two years ago, such anti-war sentiments would never have appeared in a hall of Northern Lords, much less gained open support. But as Glover said, enough blood had been shed. With one voice taking the lead, others who had been silent now spoke up.
The hall erupted again, turning into a debate between the war faction and the anti-war faction.
...
Roose Bolton surveyed the room, realizing things were unfolding differently from what he had expected.
Aegor had more allies than anticipated. Worse, Jon Snow's unexpected defense of Aegor had stirred the room like a catfish in a tank, awakening anti-war sentiments among the Lords. Those who demanded war, like Rickard Karstark, accounted for a quarter. Those who agreed with Glover were slightly fewer, but because Glover had fought at Long Lake, his voice carried more weight. The rest remained silent, which in such a council was itself a sign they did not want war, but also did not want to openly take sides. They left the choice to Robb Stark.
If this were a Night's Watch election, no candidate would win a majority. But in a Lords' council, silence was submission. It meant, "We will not fight unless Robb orders it."
Robb Stark's thoughtful expression made Roose uneasy.
The Young Wolf's talent for battle and passion for romance were admirable, but in complex political matters, his simplicity was a liability. He was emotional, easily influenced by those close to him. With the Queen having saved him, with most Lords leaning toward peace, and with Jon Snow, Robb's chosen successor for Lord Commander, clearly siding with Aegor, Robb would almost certainly choose the peaceful option.
Accept Aegor's terms. Stay neutral. Let The Gift march south.
It might be the best choice for the North.
But for Roose Bolton, it was the worst possible outcome.
If peace prevailed, where would he begin with his schemes?
He could not allow this to happen.
(To be continued.)
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