Chapter 195: Arya the Troublemaker
Black cloth had been draped over both the front and back gates. Egger sat in the main hall of the Night's Watch manor, organizing the recent accounts of the Night's Watch industries with Nina while mapping out plans for the future.
Most of these tasks could have been left to Nina alone. However, with a massive battle raging outside the walls and all commercial and production activities within the city suspended, there wasn't much else to do. Hiding in the manor to avoid the war, one had to find some legitimate work to pass the time—aside from the things people usually enjoy doing together.
Egger knew very little about the current state of Westeros now that it had veered off its original trajectory. His sources of intelligence were limited to marketplace rumors, his own urban properties like brothels and shops, a few City Watch soldiers who had sided with him, and Arya inside the Red Keep. With his final information source temporarily cut off and the City Watch in full combat mode, he was currently deaf and blind. He could neither inquire about the war in the West nor obtain details on the siege of King's Landing. He couldn't even determine if Melisandre, the key to victory or defeat, was currently in the city. Like most residents and nobles in King's Landing, he could only stay indoors and wait for the fighting to end.
...
"Our intelligence sources are too sparse. If we survive this crisis safely, we must increase investment in this area—befriend people who live in or frequently enter the Red Keep, from high-ranking nobles down to squires and servants. For those we can't approach directly, investigate their families and social circles. Start with the people around them—for example, hiring their wives, children, brothers, or friends to work in the Night's Watch industries or offices... When the time is right, using the excuse that 'businessmen need to be well-informed,' we can slowly pry open the mouths of these Red Keep insiders."
Littlefinger was able to thrive in King's Landing by relying on intelligence from a few brothels because he himself lived in the Red Keep as the Master of Coin; news from both inside and outside the red walls reached him easily, making his work convenient. The Night's Watch industries, meanwhile, had significant influence outside the Red Keep, but because they had grown too fast, their foundations were unstable; their tentacles had not yet had time to reach into the royal castle. In the early stages, this weakness was masked by Arya's help, but as time passed, the flaw was becoming apparent.
Egger realized this and was beginning to take steps to solve the issue.
"Regarding this, My Lord—even if you hadn't mentioned it, the various houses of King's Landing are already straining to cram people into the Night's Watch industries," Nina pursed her lips. "When Lord Tyrion was still here, some of our investors and clients were already demanding positions and jobs for their younger kin and followers. But Lord Tyrion held the line, providing only limited and inconsequential roles. For important work, a competency assessment was required, and positions were won through merit."
"Good, keep doing that, though we can relax the requirements slightly. There's no such thing as a perfect deal in this world... To leverage the influence of these nobles, there's no harm in supporting a few idle people, as long as they aren't complete freeloaders and don't cause us trouble. But we must control the degree—important and critical positions must be held by people with clear backgrounds and the competence to handle the job." Egger nodded. "Additionally, have an in-depth talk with the prostitutes Littlefinger left behind, those he trained. See if they have ways to connect with his former informants inside the Red Keep. That is a ready-made intelligence network; if we can inherit it, it would be ideal."
"Yes, I understand. I will begin making arrangements as soon as possible."
...
The two novices discussed the construction of the Night's Watch's own intelligence agency. They had no experience, but a nine-story tower begins with a heap of earth... as long as they proceeded steadily, they would achieve results sooner or later. Just as they were enthusiastically discussing the details of the plan, a soldier from the security squad knocked on the door to report. "Lord Egger, there's a little girl at the gate. She's knocking and shouting that she's looking for her master. How should we handle it?"
"Arya? What is she doing here!" Egger's brow shot up, and he quickly stood up in a panic. "Dammit, at a time like this, how does she dare leave the Red Keep and run around!"
Immediately dropping the discussion, Egger pushed through the door and ran to the main entrance. He opened the gate to find his little apprentice looking as if she had just crawled out of a mud pile.
Arya was filthy. She was leaning over with her hands on her knees, gasping for breath as if she had run a long way. Seeing Egger open the door, she looked up and gave him a cheeky grin. "Master, I just went to the office to find you. Why aren't you open for business today?"
Open for business? Who the hell does business on a chaotic day like this? Egger yanked the girl inside and closed the gate. "You're going to be the death of me. Did you crawl out of that 'secret passage' again?"
"Yes." The girl looked quite proud of herself.
"What did you come to find me for?"
"I left my sword with you. I want it back!"
"Sword? What sword?" Egger had completely forgotten about it. It took him a moment to realize what Arya was talking about. "Holy... out of all the times you could have come for it, you picked today!"
"But there's a war going on today." Arya was a bit taken aback by the man's anxious and angry expression. "In case bad people try to hurt me or my sister, I should have something to defend myself with."
"Nonsense... absolute nonsense..." Egger was shaking with anger. He had hung black cloth at the gate and shrunk back into the manor specifically to avoid any entanglement in this war. On one side were Stannis and Eddard; on the other was Renly, who had given him promises and wanted to recruit him. Relying on the neutrality of the Night's Watch, he would be fine regardless of who won or lost.
He had stayed far away from trouble, but his little apprentice had brought the war right to his doorstep!
How to handle a hot potato? Throw it back to the original owner, of course. Egger thought for a moment, then turned and shouted to his security soldiers, "Get the horses ready, two of them! And listen—no one has visited me today, do you understand?"
"Yes, sir!"
Arya watched Egger's "facing a grand enemy" posture, staring at him with wide, innocent eyes, leaving the man with nowhere to vent his frustration. "Nina, go get a small-sized set of black clothes and put them on her."
Ten minutes later, the saddled horses were brought to the gate, and Arya had been dressed in all black. Even the smallest size of the Night's Watch uniform looked like a giant tunic on her; Nina had to tighten the belt and tie cloth strips around her chest just to keep the clothes from sliding off.
"Lock the gates. Don't open for anyone except me!"
Egger rode out of the manor gates. The streets were empty of pedestrians. Occasionally, a few characters looking to loot or steal in the chaos spotted Egger—clad in black, mounted, and armed with a sword—and quickly ducked back into the alleys. Steeling his nerves and with Arya in tow, he began heading toward the Red Keep.
Arya seemed to find wearing the black clothes quite novel. Not only was she completely oblivious to the trouble she was causing, but she even enthusiastically asked if a girl could join the Night's Watch. Egger, fuming, was in no mood to entertain her and rode on in silence.
The girl quickly noticed something was wrong. "Master, this isn't the way to the office."
"We aren't going to the office. I'm taking you back to the Red Keep right now. Stay inside and behave. As for the sword, I'll send someone to give it to you when the time is right."
"There's no need for that much trouble. We can go to the office to get the sword, and I can go back by myself."
"Back by yourself?" Egger glared at the girl irritably. "Did you see those thugs and hooligans lurking by the roadside? Do you know what would happen if you were caught by them without an escort?"
"What's there to be afraid of? One tried to chase me just now, but he couldn't run as fast as me."
"And you're proud of that?" Egger was nearly driven to a stroke by this brat. Any fool could guess what would happen if an underage noble lady fell into the hands of villains during this chaos. "If you still consider me your master, shut your mouth and follow me quietly!"
"Oh—" Arya had never seen Egger look so fierce. Realizing she was in the wrong, she shrunk her neck and obediently followed the man on her horse.
...
Lady Stark was a good rider. The manor was only about a mile from Aegon's High Hill; it would take a while on foot, but at a steady ride, they arrived in an instant. Before they even reached their destination, Egger sensed something was wrong. On a day like this, the Red Keep—which should have been tightly shut and heavily guarded—had its gates wide open. Furthermore, the entrance was eerily unmanned.
"Something is... not right. Arya, if we run into people you don't recognize, say nothing and do nothing. Let me handle it."
"Okay, Master."
The two slowed their horses and cautiously passed through the gates of the Red Keep.
The massive castle seemed deserted, but that was impossible. Instinct told Egger to turn back and retreat, but if he left now, could he really have this troublemaker stay with him? Forcing down his tension, he rode toward the Tower of the Hand for a few more moments. Just as the distant sounds of fighting, shouting, wailing, and clashing weapons reached his ears, the first corpse appeared before them. The man lay face down on the flagstones, his cloak crumpled beneath his body, soaked in blood—it was a grey wool cloak with a white satin border. The two guards Eddard Stark had assigned to help Egger had worn exactly that kind of cloak!
Arya also recognized the identity of the fallen man at a glance, and her bravado vanished instantly—this was the man she had tricked into going to the kitchen for snacks only an hour ago!
A chill ran down Egger's spine. The worst-case scenario had happened. He, who had intended to stay out of the conflict, had been dragged into the middle of it by his troublemaking apprentice. He lowered his voice and commanded Arya, "Move, turn back the way we came. Something has happened here."
"But Sansa..."
"No 'buts,' move!"
Entering was easy, but leaving was hard. In just a few minutes, by the time they reached the bronze gates of the Red Keep again, the previously deserted entrance was suddenly occupied. A dozen fully armed Gold Cloaks in mail and plate stood at the gate. They immediately spotted the two black-clad riders, and their spears snapped up in unison, pointing directly at Egger and Arya.
"Who goes there? Don't move!"
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