Chapter 22: The Lannister Siblings
Shattered masonry from the abandoned watchtower lay scattered across the ground of the old inner ward. A summer snow had recently fallen over Winterfell; the flakes that hit the earth had long since melted, leaving only trace amounts of white clinging to the stones.
The fear of being struck by falling debris was the primary reason the castle's residents rarely ventured here. Due to years of neglect, the area was overgrown with weeds that reached from ankle to knee, and several shrubs of unknown species had managed to take root.
To use this place for his daily training, Egger had exerted considerable effort clearing the overgrowth and hauling away the obstructing stones.
His black garb served as both a striking identifier and a talisman. The North held a deep-seated custom of respecting the Night's Watch, and since Benjen Stark had brought Egger back to Winterfell to feast, he had cultivated the image of a "confidant to the First Ranger." The plan was progressing smoothly. Although the servants found it odd that he chose such a desolate corner for his drills, none interfered; a few helpful souls had even provided him with minor conveniences.
Without much trouble, Egger had effectively laid claim to this small, neglected yard.
In truth, he had even considered moving stones to block the staircase inside the First Keep to solve the problem at its root. However, mindful that he was merely a guest, he ultimately lacked the nerve to begin remodeling the Starks' ancestral home.
...
The days trickled by, and the time remaining for the King's stay grew short. In the early hours of this day, the King led a hunting party toward the Wolfswood west of Winterfell, hoping to add a wild bear to the final feast at the Northern capital. The Prince went along, as did all the adult Stark males, including Robb. However, the Queen remained in Winterfell, and her brother Jaime likewise declined the hunt, choosing instead to stay with his sister...
There was no better time than this. Egger was more nervous than the two parties involved—watching the First Ranger depart with the King's retinue, he immediately rushed to the territory he had claimed. He decided that today, he would not move a single step from this yard leading to the First Keep until the hunting party returned.
Of course, he couldn't just sit and wait; he began with his sword practice.
As the sun climbed higher and the temperature began to rise, the Watchman had already finished a set of slashing drills against his straw man and had switched to his bow for target practice. Then, an unexpected visit arrived.
"If I'm not mistaken," a masculine voice rang out from not far behind him—resonant, confident, and colored with a casual, easygoing tone—"you're the Crow who crossed the Sunset Sea to reach Westeros, got pressed into service by the Wall, and supposedly killed an Other?"
Egger turned around and was startled. "My Lord, Ser... good morning. It is indeed I..."
Jaime Lannister nodded to him, while Cersei, standing behind him, spared Egger a look of utter indifference, not bothering to waste words on a Man of the Watch.
Jaime was Tyrion's brother, and the bond between them was close; it wasn't surprising that the Kingslayer had heard about the Other from the dwarf. However, the idea of him coming over just to make small talk clearly didn't fit the man's character. The moment Egger saw the Queen behind him, he went on high alert: (These two!)
He held no personal malice toward the golden-haired man, but as the saying goes, where you sit determines where you stand. Seeing the two of them together, Egger couldn't suppress a silent curse in his mind.
Despite the internal cursing, his face quickly smoothed into an expression of humble reverence. Jaime was easy enough to deal with, but Cersei was petty—a direct contrast to her brothers—and unfortunately, this foolish, malicious woman held a high position. In this crisis-ridden world, the most dangerous people to offend were those in power who acted without regard for consequences.
"Good archery," Jaime noted, looking at the arrows clustered in the straw target. Suddenly, his hands seemed to itch for action. "Give me the bow."
Back at the Wall, Egger had thought about using the scraps from making his obsidian daggers to fashion dragonglass arrowheads. He wanted to replace the standard iron heads issued to create Dragonglass Arrows, enabling him to kill Others at range if necessary.
But it wasn't that simple. Arrows were vital war materiel, strictly controlled much like ammunition in a modern army. They were kept in the armory, signed for upon retrieval, and any unused ones had to be returned. Outside of wartime, losing even one would result in punishment. Such items, naturally, couldn't be modified by a low-ranking soldier at will.
Consequently, when Gared found Egger secretly tinkering with arrowheads, he didn't just give him a dressing down; he strictly forbade him from continuing. The reason was simple: if an officer caught him, Gared would suffer the consequences as well. Arrows were too large to hide like a dagger, so the project was abandoned—which led to the scene where he had to fight for his life with only a knife when facing the Other.
Though his plan for dragon-glass arrows had been thwarted, Egger's practice with the bow had not faltered. After all, encountering an Other was a low-probability event, while run-ins with wildlings were a frequent occurrence. As perhaps the only transmigrator in the Night's Watch, he valued his life. Coming from a world of guns and cannons, he naturally preferred to put enemies down from a distance.
Driven by this subconscious urge, he would run to the range to practice archery whenever he had free time at Castle Black. Compared to his swordplay, his archery was actually far superior.
It was better than most Watchmen, but certainly not good enough to earn the praise—or a challenge—from one of the top fighters in the Seven Kingdoms, Ser Jaime Lannister.
What is this guy up to?
Filled with suspicion, Egger handed over the bow.
The Kingslayer took the longbow, weighed it in his hands for a few moments, drew the string to test it, and then plucked an arrow from the quiver. He took aim.
This was the first time Egger had been so close to these two Lannisters, and he couldn't help but steal a glance at them. From this angle, he had to marvel once more: Jaime was tall and imposing with a commanding presence, his face handsome and focused as he aimed. Cersei possessed a noble, cold beauty with exquisite curves; one would never guess she was a mother of three. Even her expression of impatience was striking. In his previous world, these two would have been Hollywood-tier stars.
It was understandable, yet unacceptable.
Never mind that Westeros, having been ruled by the Targaryens for centuries, didn't have a massive cultural taboo against it; even in Egger's modern world, the law didn't strictly forbid it—simply put, as long as you weren't trying to marry, who you slept with was a family scandal that was no one else's business.
But committing adultery behind a husband's back and making him raise the lover's children... that was a provocation no culture could tolerate.
As Egger's mind wandered, the Kingslayer released the first arrow. With a dull thump, the arrow crossed the dozens of yards and buried itself firmly in the target, just inches from the center. The fletching was still vibrating.
Not bad.
As a soldier, Egger instinctively appraised the shot. From the draw to the release, Jaime's movement was fluid and seamless. Judging by his relaxed demeanor, he clearly had strength to spare. The man had impressive arm strength; as a Kingsguard, he was undoubtedly capable.
The archer muttered something low, seemingly dissatisfied with the decent shot, and pulled a second arrow. This time, the arrow landed squarely in the bullseye, right next to Egger's best shot.
"Tch." The archer clicked his tongue and reached for a third arrow.
"How long do you intend to shoot here?" Cersei said coldly from behind them. "Is the yard at Casterly Rock not large enough, or is there a lack of bows in the White Sword Tower?"
"Heh, I've just found my rhythm; I almost neglected my dear sister." Jaime turned his head and gave Egger an apologetic shrug before re-aiming. "Last one!"
As the words left his mouth, the arrow flew. A second later, another wooden shaft appeared within the white cloth covering the center of the target.
"There, take it. Keep practicing. Knowing we have a group of brave brothers in the Watch guarding the furthest north makes me sleep a bit more soundly at night," Jaime said with a half-jesting tone as he tossed the bow back to Egger.
"It is my duty." The Kingslayer could be flippant, but a common soldier couldn't be overfamiliar. After a moment's thought, Egger gave a polite, standard reply and added a bit of hollow flattery: "Excellent shooting, my Lord."
The level of skill Jaime Lannister showed with those three shots easily surpassed Egger's, though he wasn't a legendary marksman. Then again, archery was not Jaime's most famous skill. If his swordplay and horsemanship were as legendary as the tales suggested, he was truly a figure of his age. However, Egger had no interest in assessing the man's combat prowess or networking with these two "major plot characters." He only wanted these two harbingers of doom to leave as quickly as possible, praying they hadn't taken a liking to the territory he had so carefully occupied.
Unfortunately, fate rarely follows one's wishes. Jaime set the bow down and turned his eyes toward the Broken Tower.
"What's the story with that tower? It looks quite dilapidated and neglected."
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