The Greenseer dutifully went to Nightfort to assume his new post, and the Red Priest Moqorro also departed for Eastwatch-by-the-Sea without complaint to board the ship. The vanguard troops meant to pave the way for the "expedition" from the three major fortresses along the Wall were already prepared, and the main Gift army inside and outside Crown Town had also assembled.
The stage had been brightly lit, only waiting for the protagonist to appear. For Aegor, this should have been the eve of a grand undertaking, filled with passion and determination. Yet in truth, after being named a "God-Chosen One" and feeling pleased for only a day or two, he quickly found himself consumed by a dull sense of emptiness that he could not shake.
Why?
If one day you discovered that the "great cause" you had long planned and regarded as your life's purpose was, in fact, nothing more than child's play in the eyes of a higher existence, that the high place you reached through blood and struggle merely qualified you to be a pawn in another's game, would you still be as enthusiastic and driven as before?
Aegor was like a climber who, just as he was about to reach the summit, looked up and realized the mountain he had fought so hard to ascend was only a foothill beneath a much greater peak. What was worse, he might never be able to climb that true summit, or even begin to.
(Boring. Truly, utterly boring.)
The emptiness in his heart clung to him like a lingering ghost, draining his will. Fortunately, that psychological heaviness was one thing, but his work had not ceased at all.
Aegor had always believed that a strong person must possess two qualities. First, the ability to act based on reason rather than instinct. Second, the ability to recognize, manage, and eliminate useless emotions.
What he needed now was the second.
As R'hllor had said, this sense of boredom was just his own ingratitude after gaining a favorable position. Being "someone else's pawn" was undoubtedly unpleasant, but if he allowed that to eat away at his drive, then what of the countless ordinary people in the world who did not even qualify to be a pawn, or even a pawn's pawn? Not to mention, the master who manipulated this pawn had been open about everything, had allowed him to choose freely, and had offered ample help and convenience.
Looking inward, Aegor realized his dissatisfaction did not stem from being used or losing benefits. In fact, it was the opposite. His discontent came from having believed he was already quite extraordinary, only to be confronted with the brutal truth that he was still insignificant. It was the vast gap between expectation and reality that left him disturbed.
And that emptiness, born of the psychological blow, was a textbook case of a useless emotion.
He had not yet even reached the top of the current "mound" of worldly affairs. To already be gazing toward a higher peak, sighing in despair over the likelihood of never reaching it, would be foolish and premature.
R'hllor had appeared in his dream as the red god, ruthlessly crushing his hope of returning home and, in the process, stealing his passion for the great drama to come. But so what? No matter how trivial this mortal struggle for dominance seemed in comparison to the hidden battle between the cold god and the red god, or the grand endeavor of traversing worlds in the Ice and Fire realm, it was still the life Aegor faced. Even if continued ascent would never lead him to the peak, standing still would only guarantee stagnation.
A man must either die quickly or live well in the moment.
---
The Queen's farewell letter arrived in Crown Town two days after R'hllor displayed his divine power, just as the Greenseer had predicted. Personally written by Daenerys, it bore a restrained yet unmistakable tone of dissatisfaction. In short, its message was this: You are too slow. I cannot wait any longer and will go ahead first. I hope you will keep your promise and come south to fight for me as soon as you have settled matters in the North.
Clearly, after conferring with her two advisors and under their persuasion, the Queen had finally come to realize that Aegor had been using her. She felt betrayed, though she still held on to the hope that it wasn't true. That was why, after careful thought, she chose to use a softer tone of urging.
This was a handwritten letter from the future rightful ruler of the Seven Kingdoms. The script of the "most beautiful woman in the world" was as graceful as her appearance, elegant and well-proportioned, worthy of being called pleasing to the eye. Whether in terms of politics or calligraphy, it had considerable collectible value. An ordinary household might even frame it and hang it on the wall.
Aegor, however, only glanced at it once before casually tossing it into the stack of "processed" documents beside him.
He had no intention of "settling matters in the North," so no matter what Daenerys wrote, he did not care.
"Leon!"
The shout brought the guard rushing in. "Your orders, my Lord?"
"Pick four of your most trusted men. The five of you take ten horses from the stables and ride immediately to Last Hearth. Do not make any detours along the way." Aegor had already made up his mind and spoke without hesitation. "Once you arrive, meet with the Queen and ask her to wait two more days, no matter what. I will personally go south the day after tomorrow to speak with her."
"Understood!"
The Queen was a good queen, but unfortunately, her reliability was questionable. After nearly being misled by her once, Aegor had learned his lesson. To ensure the secrecy and success of the expedition ruse, he had hidden the real battle plan even from his nominal liege. Three days later, he would indeed head south to Last Hearth, but not to explain anything to Daenerys. He would be leading the main Gift army, passing by her temporary residence, and striking directly at the heart of the North.
...
The two days mentioned in his message passed slowly. Having withstood the pressure from the Queen's urging, the already compressed preparation time was not shortened further.
Right on schedule, according to the timetable set by the supreme command, the eastern commander of the vanguard Cotter Pyke, the central commander Jon Snow, and the western commander Jaime Lannister—who had forcibly pushed out the original candidate—led their troops. Each of these three Night's Watch officers commanded two hundred men. Altogether, six hundred men, nearly half of the registered members of the Night's Watch, departed simultaneously from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, Castle Black, and the Shadow Tower, entering the North through tunnels under the Wall, brimming with murderous intent.
And as the three tunnel gates creaked shut, the grand deception aimed at the North and the Seven Kingdoms entered its final net-closing phase.
For a long time, The Gift and the North had maintained nearly complete openness to each other in terms of economy, politics, and military affairs. In summary, as long as notice was given, people, goods, and information could flow freely between the Wall and the North, without needing special permission.
This close cooperation, in which the North played the dominant role and The Gift the subordinate, often made The Gift feel less like an independent region of the Seven Kingdoms and more like a dependency of the North. The Lord Commander of the Night's Watch seemed more like a special vassal of the Warden of the North than a lord of equal standing. This "father-son" relationship was not accidental. With over half of the Night's Watch's provisions and supplies donated by Northern lords, and half of its men originally Stark bannermen before taking the black, any desire for independence or equality was wishful thinking.
After Aegor took command, he had the power to change this dynamic, but he neither acted on it nor showed any intent to do so. Even after the victory at Long Lake, when he confronted Robb Stark and made clear that he did not acknowledge the North's authority, The Gift merely raised its internal alert level. Outwardly, it continued to allow free movement of people and goods.
Aside from the continued access to Northern resources that came with feigned subservience, there was another reason for this. Aegor sought to lull the Northern lords into complacency and create the conditions necessary for a final, decisive blow.
It appeared that the open relationship benefitted both sides. But with the flow of goods also came Northern eyes and spies. Disguised as residents and merchants, they spread throughout the villages near Crown Town and the fortresses along the Wall. They made contact with potential traitors among the Night's Watch ranks and the Mountain Clans, closely monitoring The Gift's army and populace to gauge Aegor's next move and assess the level of threat.
As for internal betrayal, Aegor had already devised a plan to "exile" those threats Beyond the Wall, leaving the enemy with no leverage. As for Northern surveillance, it was part of his plan.
He had deliberately let these spies into The Gift. No matter how hard they worked, no matter how much gold, effort, or time they spent investigating the true intentions of Crown Town's command, they would all come to the same conclusion. The Gift posed no threat to the North before the expedition Beyond the Wall was complete.
Not because their skills were lacking, but because everyone in The Gift—from the Chief Logistics Officer and clerks in Crown Town's inner keep, to the cooks, to the laundry women in the backyard, from the guards outside Aegor's bedroom to New Gift settlers who had never even seen Crown Town—aside from a handful of loyal elites, truly believed that Aegor was going on an expedition Beyond the Wall.
Simply announcing the expedition would not have persuaded the Northern lords. Only by letting them piece it together through their own informants would they fully lower their guard.
Now, the final moment had come.
With the vanguard sent north, the prelude to the expedition had officially begun. The Gift would now abruptly enter a state of unprecedented information lockdown. This "wartime information control," as Aegor called it, would be enacted overnight. His most trusted Night's Watch logistics guards would seize every raven cage capable of sending messages south, commandeer every ridable beast, ban all outgoing ships, and prohibit travel on the Kingsroad heading south.
The Gift's posture toward the North would instantly flip, from full openness to total isolation.
Completely blocking information between two adjacent territories is usually impossible. Even without ravens, ships, or horses, elite spies can still travel on foot through the wilds. But in The Gift, after years of Aegor's management and now in the depths of winter, it became possible. Except for the Kingsroad, which was cleared daily under his direct command, every other path along The Gift's border with the North was buried in knee-deep snow. Even the most determined spies could not outrun the Gift army moving swiftly down the Kingsroad.
Once these measures were in place, the last confirmed message to reach the North from The Gift would be that "the main force of the expedition has officially departed." And by the time the North began to feel the silence and realized no further messages were arriving, Aegor's army would have already crossed hundreds of miles and stood outside Winterfell.
The sky was just beginning to lighten. The time to close the net had come.
(To be continued.)
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