Thousands of years? What did that mean?
Aegor and Melisandre were completely baffled, unable to make sense of what the Greenseer was saying.
"Heh. So, Lady R'hllor didn't mention me to you at all, did she?" Seeing the look on Aegor's face, the Greenseer knew his guess was correct. Though his fury intensified, the temperament honed over millennia still had some effect. After venting most of his emotion in that one outburst, the rage faded from Bran's face, returning to its usual blank calm. However, the lingering dissatisfaction added a trace of humanity to his expression. "My Lord, newly chosen one, take a guess. Do you think I volunteered to remain in that gods-forsaken place in the North that can't even be found on a proper map, before returning to the Wall this time?"
Aegor swallowed quietly.
He had indeed been startled by the Greenseer's sudden outburst. Being the one attempting a bluff, only to be outmaneuvered by the target, was awkward. But Aegor didn't feel any shame over it. He wasn't a god and didn't pretend to be infallible. As a mortal, not losing composure when an extraordinary being exploded with anger at close range was already something to be proud of.
Shrugging his shoulders and forcing a calm tone, he replied, "Judging from what you've said, clearly not. Please, go on."
"I'm sure you already know the story of Lady R'hllor's mother. The tale of how the legendary 'Dragonblood' managed to gain a foothold in this world and continue her line. But I doubt you know the details. After the True Dragon suddenly appeared and defeated the former ruler of this world—what we now call the cold god—and banished him to the Land of Always Winter, I was chosen to be his jailer, burdened with the responsibility of watching his every move and issuing warnings when abnormalities arose." The Greenseer fixed his gaze on Aegor's eyes, paying no mind to the Red Priestess's glowering presence nearby. "At the time, the True Dragon... well, I don't know if calling a dragon 'Lady' is appropriate, but you understand. Back then, she was injured and weakened after a fierce battle with the former ruler. She needed rest and time to tend to her newly born offspring. Pursuing and exterminating the enemy wasn't a priority, and that was entirely understandable. She had freed me, and the entire world, from that cruel and evil god. That kind of kindness can only be repaid with eternal loyalty. I was more than willing to serve her through hardship and storm, with no complaint whatsoever."
"Later, when she failed to recover and passed away, I didn't hesitate to shift my loyalty to her daughter. During the War for the Dawn, I fulfilled my duty as a loyal follower and stood firmly on her side... the one now known to all as the Fire God." Speaking his mind at last seemed to bring him relief. The last trace of dissatisfaction on Bran's face disappeared, returning him to a composed state. "At the time, no one expected that the Fire God, only about a hundred years old, could defeat the cold god, who had lived for tens or even hundreds of thousands of years. The victory was almost effortless. No one had the standing or the right to demand that she risk herself further by pursuing the cold god into the Land of Always Winter, where he could fight at full strength. There was no rush. With her rate of growth, we thought, just wait another thousand years, and she would be able to crush him like an ant. That was the common belief. So, when she ordered me to continue watching over the cold god and wait for her to return and finish the job, I agreed without a second thought."
And that 'return' turned into waiting until now?
Melisandre was still utterly lost, but Aegor had already pieced the whole situation together in his mind. He finally understood the source of the Greenseer's rage.
Anyone who gets told to "wait a moment" and ends up waiting for thousands of years would be furious. So this Greenseer... in a way, was a colleague. Maybe even a kind of "senior." A senior full of complaints and grievances. Resentful of R'hllor, yet unable to confront Her directly, so he came to unburden himself to the newly appointed junior—him?
"You know what happened after that. I waited the first thousand years, thinking maybe Lady R'hllor still didn't feel confident enough, that she was waiting until she was completely ready to act. I waited another thousand years, assuming maybe something more important had come up... but then, after another thousand years, whispers finally came from the East. That she was scouring the world for ways to open the gate between realms. That she was trying to go back... to find her father!" Though his expression remained still, the Greenseer's tone turned sharp again. "She had all that free time, and couldn't spare a moment to deal with that bastard in the North? While she was having the time of her life, I was stuck in the ice and snow, face to face with the cold god every single day. Every single day..."
So that's why Bran wanted Melisandre to leave. Not to scheme or ambush, but because he was really about to spill some sensitive truth that no ordinary believer could be allowed to hear.
"Ahem." Aegor cleared his throat and interrupted the Greenseer's venting. If this kept going, the radiant image of R'hllor in Her followers' hearts would be completely shattered. That would be disastrous for him, as Her chosen. "Melisandre, nothing important here. Please wait in the next room for now."
The Red Priestess had been hanging on every word, greedily absorbing these ancient truths that could never be seen through fire. At the order, she frowned. Though clearly reluctant, she dared not defy the will of R'hllor's chosen. She gave a nod and withdrew.
Bran didn't even glance at the departing priestess. He merely wrinkled his nose slightly at Aegor's contradictory performance, then resumed his narrative.
"R'hllor was enjoying Her life in another world. Her overwhelming power made the cold god too terrified to consider escape. The real threat was far away. He didn't dare provoke Her, so all that pent-up rage turned toward me—the one who remained behind to guard him."
"You never tried to communicate with Her during all this time?"
"Of course I did. What kind of question is that? I tried countless times. But every time, it was like throwing a stone into the sea. No reply, no response. For thousands of years, I've played a twisted game of cat and mouse with the thing I was left to watch. Countless times I've destroyed his avatars, his decoys. Countless times I've come within an inch of death. Finally... he couldn't hold back anymore and tried to make a move. And I finally saw R'hllor descend again. I thought this was it. I thought it would finally end. But She came to the Wall, circled around a bit, and left again. Then She shows up here today, and I thought, surely, now I would get a face-to-face explanation. But no. Still nothing. Instead, She chooses a mortal outsider—you—to be Her Spokesperson. Why?"
---
Just praised R'hllor for being reliable, and now one of Her old followers is here exposing all the dark history? The Greenseer's version perfectly aligned with the story the red god had told. To say he made it up on the spot was absurd.
So, if he wasn't lying, what possible reason would R'hllor have to ignore all his messages?
Aegor wasn't about to start sympathizing entirely with the Greenseer. Though he probably wasn't lying, he had definitely left something out. From a few hints in the story, it could be inferred that he had lived longer than R'hllor. Which meant the Greenseer existed in the Ice and Fire World even before R'hllor's mother was exiled here and fought the cold god.
Back then, the cold god ruled the world. And the Greenseer described him as a cruel and evil being...
The clues were coming together. A bold theory formed in Aegor's mind.
The Greenseer was likely one of the cold god's subordinates. A far-seeing servant assigned to monitor the world. But, treated poorly and resentful of his position, he had chosen to betray his master when the True Dragon arrived. Taking advantage of the upheaval, he had defected and helped overthrow the cold god. That's how he earned his place in the new world. He wasn't some noble or pure figure. He was a traitor.
A traitor. And an immortal one at that. Anyone would be justified in distrusting him. Perhaps R'hllor simply despised him. Or perhaps She had deliberately ordered him to guard the cold god as a way to keep both threats occupied and neutralized, killing two birds with one stone.
Aegor pulled his thoughts back from wandering too far. Speculation should have limits. There was also another explanation that couldn't be ruled out.
Maybe... She just forgot.
Like many powerful figures, She might have simply forgotten the Greenseer. Rude, yes, but with Her power, whose opinion did She need to care about?
And once his thoughts returned to the right track, Aegor immediately saw through the Greenseer's plan.
This ancient being, who had endured the cold god's presence for thousands of years beyond the Wall, neither wanted to continue his lonely vigil nor dared abandon it outright due to fear of R'hllor's wrath. So he came up with a clever solution.
Use Aegor.
As the Chosen One, R'hllor's representative on earth, Aegor's approval would be taken as the goddess's will. If he accepted the Greenseer's offer of help, it would be equivalent to personally relieving him of his duties and allowing him to go south, to live comfortably in the kingdoms of men.
And if R'hllor were to come looking later to question it... he could say, "I had Your representative's permission."
(To be continued.)