Chapter 98: Rendezvous at the Crossroads
Egger and Lord Buckwell reached a consensus and spoke no more of getting Jarman out of the Night's Watch. After walking a bit further, they reached the Buckwell encampment, situated among dozens of blue-and-white striped tents adorned with stag horns.
The old noble assigned Egger and his young follower a tent directly adjacent to the lord's own. For a late arrival to be granted private quarters under wartime conditions was considered high-tier guest treatment.
...
The army marched promptly the following morning. In terms of punctuality and not sleeping in, Robert was a competent King and commander. The Crownlands host, which seemed endless when clustered together, appeared even more massive as it was marshaled into a long dragon heading north. One could see neither the head nor the tail of the column. Mingling among the bright-armored soldiers of Buckwell, Egger's understated black garb became eye-catching by contrast. Soon, everyone knew there was a Night's Watchman in the ranks.
"He's waiting to buy the captives we take at a discount so he can ship them to the Wall," the men joked.
The soldiers did not know Egger had been forced to come; their jests treated the Night's Watchman in the Host almost like a mascot. In thousands of years of Westerosi history, this was the first time such a strange figure had appeared.
If even the neutral Night's Watch is betting on our side, this rebellion will be easily crushed, most soldiers thought. No one even mentioned the superstition that black usually represents ill omen anymore.
...
During the march, Egger remained by Lord Buckwell's side, listening to tales of the Usurper's War. He quickly committed to memory the names of many houses whose core members had been forced to take the black for supporting the Targaryens.
Initially, Egger wondered: if he pretended to have a channel to fish men out for these houses—provided the Night's Watch industries in King's Landing flourished—could he attract more investment and clients? But he soon realized it was unlikely. The Usurper's War had ended over a decade ago; most houses that chose the wrong side had recovered from their punishment, and the unfortunate souls who took the black had likely been replaced by their kin long ago. House Buckwell was an anomaly because the main branch had failed to produce another male heir, sparking the desperate idea to recover a son. It was an isolated case, not a universal one.
While the extraction service idea fell through, the plan to network with the participating nobles remained. The Crownlands forces marched for about ten days. After passing several towns including Sow's Horn, they encountered the first Riverlands contingent at Lord Harroway's Town.
Although this ferry town bore the name of Lord Harroway, that house had long since perished. In their prime, House Harroway had been granted Harrenhal, but like all builders of that greatest fortress in Westeros, they could not escape the extinction of the line curse, becoming one of the many houses to own Harrenhal and then vanish.
A Riverlands force of one thousand men guarded the ferry here to prevent Vale rebels from harassing the King's crossing. However, they were not needed. The Crownlands army crossed the Trident smoothly and began their advance toward the Vale, arriving a day later at the legendary Inn at the Crossroads.
This three-story building was something of a legend. In the original story, Catelyn and Rodrik encountered and arrested Tyrion here upon his return from the Wall; the Hound slaughtered several of Gregor Clegane's men here while taking Arya north; and later, Brienne of Tarth would also pass through and cause a stir...
Due to Egger's active interference, these events were unlikely to happen, but that did not diminish the inn's status as the number one site for trouble in Westeros. This wasn't due to anyone's whim, but its unique location: the intersection of the north-south Kingsroad and the east-west River Road. Whether traveling between Winterfell and King's Landing or moving from Riverrun to the Vale, one inevitably passed through here.
Thus, it once again became the rendezvous point for the Crownlands and Riverlands armies.
The Riverlands forces joining Robert's command here numbered nearly twenty thousand. They were led by Edmure Tully, the heir to Riverrun and son of Hoster Tully—one of the founders of the great alliance of Stag, Wolf, Fish, and Falcon. Lady Arryn, currently besieged by the Lords Declarant inside the Eyrie, was a daughter of House Tully and Edmure's sister. How could he not be devoted to rescuing his own kin?
The Riverlands and the Reach are unique territories among the Seven Kingdoms. Though their lands rank as the top two in terms of fertility, their ruling houses were not the original kings of their regions before Aegon's Conquest. Consequently, while they held the rank of Lord Paramount, their control over their vassals was severely lacking. On the surface they appeared powerful, but they lacked the cohesion or confidence to seize the Iron Throne or rebel; they could only find a thigh to cling to and stabilize their status through marriage. It was fortunate Robert was still alive; everyone gave face to their legal liege, allowing the Tullys to easily assemble such a massive host.
Egger noticed that even House Frey—who would later orchestrate the horrific Red Wedding and who usually ignored Tully summons due to their own strength—had their banners flying among the Riverlands host. Robert Baratheon's deterrence and control over the Seven Kingdoms was likely even greater than Egger had previously estimated.
With the two armies combined, the allied forces instantly ballooned to over thirty thousand. Being inside the army, Egger knew this was a clean count of combatants, excluding logistics. In a backward feudal era, this was already a staggering super-army... and these were just the two nearest of the six kingdoms.
The combined host did not tarry, continuing their march eastward. Egger, passing here for the second time, was unable to enjoy a bed in the famous inn.
...
Two weeks after departing King's Landing, the Crownlands-Riverlands alliance finally stepped into the territory of the Vale. The army marched until the narrow entrance to the Vale of Arryn was visible to the naked eye. Under Robert's orders, they split into two wings, camping a few miles apart at the valley's entrance. Positioned north and south of each other, they formed a pincer, firmly sealing the Vale from the outside world before settling in.
A force of over thirty thousand was fully capable of attacking the Bloody Gate, and siege equipment was arriving close behind. But Robert did not intend to strike first. This time, he didn't just want to fight; he wanted to wait until the forces of all six kingdoms were present before starting. The Usurper's War was the distant past, and Balon Greyjoy's Rebellion had been settled ten years ago. It seemed the Seven Kingdoms were gradually losing their awe of him. This time, he wanted to remind them all that he was the King—and a King who was very good at fighting.
Egger guessed the King's thoughts and found it somewhat amusing. The Hand, Eddard Stark, remained in King's Landing to govern the realm. Robert had only brought four Kingsguard on this trip; the remaining three, including Jaime, stayed in the capital to protect Queen Cersei and other royals. In this Vale internal strife, the Lannister twins were likely the biggest winners.
As the ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, his wife was at home having the time of her life with her lover, while he sat before the Bloody Gate waiting for an audience so he could show off—the most ridiculous part being that most of the money for this show was borrowed. This act of forced bravado reminded Egger of a certain country before his transmigration that insisted on hosting the Olympics despite reports of severe budget shortfalls.
Countless facts had proven that showing off requires powerful strength as a backbone. Trying to look fat by slapping one's own face usually ends poorly.
Now, the Chief Logistics Officer could only silently pray that this suppression war wouldn't turn out too ugly—or at least, that he wouldn't get dragged down with it.
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