Chapter 20: The Realm
Robert was not a good king; this was a fact recognized by few within the Seven Kingdoms, inside the court or out, who would deny it. However, while the man was a mess of wine, women, and extravagant decadence, he was no fool in his heart—he neither liked nor trusted the Lannisters. His former Hand and foster father was dead, and since he had no desire to rule and sought only pleasure, he couldn't simply allow the entire realm to fall into the hands of the Queen's family.
The center of national power required balance.
Thus, he remembered the brother he had left behind in the North: Eddard Stark.
But inviting the Warden of the North to King's Landing to serve as Hand of the King was no simple matter.
It was a long story. Westeros operated under a typical yet slightly peculiar feudal system. The problem, however, lay here:
Among the eight Great Houses currently controlling the nine regions of Westeros, excluding Robert's own, not a single one had been enfeoffed or propped up by the ruler sitting upon the Iron Throne.
The war in which he destroyed the Targaryen dynasty and seized the Iron Throne was dubbed the "Usurper's War" precisely for this reason: Baratheon hadn't truly initiated a change of dynasty in the traditional sense; he had merely replaced the Dragon House atop the throne. The Realm remained exactly as it had been after Aegon's Conquest of the Seven Kingdoms.
Houses Stark of the North, Lannister of the West, Arryn of the Vale, and Martell of Dorne required little explanation. Before Aegon's Conquest, they were already sovereign rulers bearing royal titles within their respective territories—recognized by their vassals and possessing the actual strength to rule. After being conquered, they simply relinquished their former titles and honored Targaryen as King, while continuing their lives within their lands much as they always had.
As for the Tullys of the Riverlands, the Tyrells of the Reach, and the Greyjoys of the Iron Islands, they had merely upgraded from powerful vassals and subordinate houses under King Harren and the King of the Reach by surrendering quickly and opportunistically, thus replacing their former masters as the new lords of those lands.
Only House Baratheon had ascended to the highest social strata because the family founder, Orys Baratheon, had followed Aegon and achieved great merit during the Conquest. Even then, to stabilize his rule over the Stormlands, he had to occupy the Storm King's castle, marry the King's daughter, and adopt his banners, sigil, and words.
It wasn't that Aegon lacked ambition, but rather a matter of necessity. Due to a unique climate and environment, the world of Ice and Fire suffered from backward technology, vast yet sparsely populated lands, and underdeveloped transportation, making it impossible to maintain a sufficient standing army. Without the ability to transmit imperial decrees across the realm instantly, the royal government could not remain dominant, making true centralization nearly impossible to achieve.
For these reasons, "root and branch" extermination was a rare concept in this world. Even if one truly slaughtered the former rulers, the victor still had to choose a local to fill the vacancy. Even if one attempted to abolish the nobility and appoint officials for centralized rule, it would quickly turn those bureaucrats into warlords, carving out their own territories and offering only lip service to the King.
Anyone attempting to change the status quo faced horrific resistance. This was perhaps the most vivid example of "backward productivity restricting the development of the superstructure."
...
Three hundred years had passed. The family occupying the Iron Throne had changed from Targaryen to Baratheon. As the youngest of the eight Great Houses, Robert—lacking deep roots and a stable foundation—had neither propped up new loyalist houses after the Usurper's War nor possessed ultimate weapons like dragons. Sitting on the Iron Throne ruling over seven families more ancient and deeply rooted than his own, without the strength or means to resolve this situation, the once-mighty warrior found being King quite unpleasant. It was no wonder he spent his days losing himself in wine and hunting.
This was another true manifestation of the saying, "It is easier to win an empire than to keep one." To stabilize his rule, Robert was forced to marry the daughter of the Lannister family he loathed and keep his foster father, Lord Arryn, in King's Landing as Hand. Combined with marriage ties and the bond of fighting side-by-side with the Starks and Tullys, a massive noble alliance of five houses was formed. Only then could the remaining Tyrells, Martells, and Greyjoys be forced into submission, just as they had been to the Targaryens for centuries.
All this detail is simply to explain one thing: the person sitting on the Iron Throne merely held the title of King. In terms of both status and strength, they were on the same level as the other seven houses. Control over the Seven Kingdoms was determined entirely by strength and political skill. If you held the upper hand, you were the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. Once weakened, you were immediately reduced back to your original form: just another Great Lord like the rest, who could just as easily become a target for raiding and invasion.
Robert could not simply pull Eddard Stark, the actual ruler of the North, out of his cozy nest and drag him to King's Landing to clean up his mess with a single decree. Since their relationship was more akin to brothers than sovereign and subject, he had to make the trip in person, both as a matter of sentiment and protocol. Not only that, he also wanted to arrange a marriage to strengthen ties, ensuring that the great alliance of the Stag, Wolf, Lion, Eagle, and Fish would endure even after his death, seeking a legacy for Baratheon that would last a thousand generations like the others.
Though Robert was a boorish king, having been born into a noble house, his grasp of basic political maneuvering and strategic vision was not poor at all. So... he came, and he intended to stay for a while.
Whether it was Gared and Will, fellow rangers he was close to; the higher-ranking Waymar Royce, Benjen Stark, or even Lord Commander Mormont; or the King, Queen, and the plethora of Baratheons, Starks, and Lannisters he met after arriving at Winterfell... none of them actually looked like the images Egger had seen on screen before his transmigration. This made him realize: he had transmigrated into a real world, not a television show.
Fortunately, the recorded history, the plot development thus far, and the personalities and temperaments of the characters he encountered remained largely consistent with the story he knew. This was a massive advantage, allowing him—with a bit of preparation—to easily "speak to a man like a man and to a ghost like a ghost," interacting specifically with every character he remembered.
On that note, it must be mentioned: the two people who came to his room tonight were indisputably major characters. Setting aside plot analysis and looking only at data, Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow—whether in terms of the original book's descriptive weight or the number of lines and screen time in the show—were the key figures occupying the first and second spots without suspense. Even the Mother of Dragons could only claim third.
If one judged heroes by their presence, it was no exaggeration to call these two the protagonists. Because of this, before transmigrating, Egger had read countless character analyses regarding their growth, psychological journeys, and personality traits. As the saying goes, "the spectator sees most clearly"... Egger's understanding of these two "protagonists" was perhaps more thorough than their own.
The evidence of the Others' existence hadn't scared off the bastard; instead, it had accidentally caused Jon to resolve to join the Night's Watch even sooner. This was a minor surprise, but it was harmless, and Egger had no intention of interfering. The youth who had not yet taken the black was currently just a minor player, but the dwarf nicknamed the "Imp" already possessed influence by virtue of his noble birth and intellect. Now, Egger had received a promise of help from the latter. Though it was only a verbal agreement, given his knowledge of Tyrion's character, Egger boldly decided to trust him.
But things weren't that simple. Tyrion, after all, was not the King, nor was he the functional head of his family. He was merely a noble scion whose everything came from his powerful and wealthy father, Lord Tywin. Although he was technically an heir to House Lannister, he was effectively excluded from the core of power. Simply claiming he wanted to help Egger leave the Wall didn't mean he could necessarily make it happen.
Furthermore, according to the original plot, the dwarf himself wouldn't even manage to leave the North smoothly to return to King's Landing or the West.
Thus, before he could even truly accept Tyrion's help, Egger would likely have to start worrying on the dwarf's behalf first.
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