Chapter 198: Retreating North to Avoid Service
If the monk runs, the temple remains. As the boss of the Night's Watch industries, simply walking away would undoubtedly be an act of irresponsibility toward Nina and his other subordinates and followers. To avoid political service, one needed a suitable excuse and the right timing. Fortunately, Renly did not immediately rush to recruit Egger as the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms the moment he took King's Landing, which bought Egger time to prepare.
The new master of the Iron Throne first followed a familiar pattern, issuing a general amnesty for the Gold Cloaks who had assisted Stannis in defending the city on the day it fell. Subsequently, while lavishly rewarding his meritorious officials, he moved swiftly to sweep away the already fragile foundations and influence of Eddard Stark and Stannis within the city. He rapidly began utilizing his royal status to mobilize resources, strengthening and forming a new Royal Fleet based on the Storm's End fleet to quickly pacify Dragonstone, deal with his elder brother, and completely end this war of succession.
There was some good news: to legitimize his rule, Renly presented himself as the rightful heir designated by Robert and fully upheld all of Robert's former decrees, including the Night's Watch Tax Exemption Act.
Before crossing over to this world, Egger had also been swayed by the old smith Donal Noye's evaluation: "Robert was true steel, Stannis is pure iron, and Renly is bright copper," and had consequently felt a hint of disdain for Renly... But thinking carefully, how was this statement essentially different from saying a Northerner is worth ten men? They were all just biased evaluations colored by strong subjectivity.
Compared to his two brothers, Renly was merely too young and had not yet had the chance to prove himself. Hadn't Tywin Lannister also looked down on the Young Wolf because of Robb's age, only to suffer defeat after defeat once the war began, even losing his own son Jaime to capture? Even if Renly truly was bright copper, who was to say that bright copper wasn't suited to be King?
In terms of what Egger had personally seen and heard since arriving in the world of Ice and Fire, he honestly felt that Renly was better suited for kingship than Stannis. It was true that aside from his popularity, personal charm, and acting skills, Renly had few commendable abilities.
A ruler—especially one in an era of feudal lords—doesn't need individual prowess as a key trait. If he can win over the nobles beneath him, balance various factions, and employ the right talents to govern, he is a qualified King. If nothing else, based solely on the two points of maintaining good relations with the Crownlands lords and being willing to listen to Margaery's advice to actively recruit talent, Renly would be a qualified monarch of peace.
With Renly's personal charm paired with Margaery's calculating wisdom, and backed by the resources of the Reach, the throne would be as secure as his brother Robert's—so long as they held Eddard Stark as a hostage, declared a truce with the three Northern regions, and resolved the unstable factor that was Stannis... and provided the Tyrells didn't turn treasonous as royal in-laws.
However, regardless of how great a ruler Renly might be, Egger would never stake his life and fortune on a King who could be snuffed out by magic at any moment.
...
The wedding of the new King and Queen was being prepared with intensity, but the world did not stop spinning just because Renly had taken King's Landing. News continued to pour in from all regions: on the Western front, the Northern armies had suddenly struck south and attacked the Reach forces. However, the latter held their ground under the steady command of the veteran Randyll Tarly, proactively withdrawing from the battlefield to stop further losses before their strength was crippled.
Subsequently, the coalition of the remaining four kingdoms—now without the Reach and the Stormlands—swept across the entire West, barring Casterly Rock and Lannisport, which were heavily garrisoned... As the North, Riverlands, and Vale armies gathered enough loot and prepared to withdraw from the West to rescue Eddard Stark in King's Landing, the isolated Dornish army was forced to abandon its thoughts of exterminating the Lannisters for blood vengeance. After receiving the head of Gregor Clegane, the Mountain, they reached a truce with the West... By guaranteeing non-interference in the struggle between the two stags, Oberyn Martell secured passage through the Reach to return to Dorne. Under the gaze of all factions, one of the great powers of the Seven Kingdoms thus quietly retreated to its homeland to recover.
Aside from the infighting among the lords of the Seven Kingdoms, outlaws like pirates and bandits landing on the eastern coast of Westeros became increasingly arrogant, taking advantage of the chaos. News even arrived of coastal villages and small castles being seized, with Renly's own seat in the Stormlands suffering the most. If this wasn't resolved quickly, the morale of the Stormlands army would waver, leaving them with no heart to fight the approaching Northern forces. Even if Renly held the Iron Throne, he would not sit easily.
...
Taking advantage of the fact that the drama queen couple, Renly and Margaery, were overwhelmed with the mess and had no time to mind him, Egger spent a few short days arranging everything for the Night's Watch industries in his absence, preparing to extract himself from this grand chaos.
He spent half a day writing a message: first thanking Renly for his favor and high regard, then offering a series of praises and flatteries to shamelessly suck up to the new King. He then pivoted, mentioning that the Wall was currently facing a dual threat from Wildlings and White Walkers—at this moment of unprecedented crisis for the northern border of the Seven Kingdoms, he simply could not abandon his sworn brothers to enjoy a comfortable life in the South. While there would be many opportunities for a man in his prime to serve the Seven Kingdoms later, the threat facing the Night's Watch and all of humanity in Westeros was a once-in-a-millennium event... After a long-winded tirade, he struck a formal pose: once the crisis beyond the Wall was resolved, he would proactively return to the South to give his all to His Majesty Renly, until his dying breath.
Whether the new King believed his guarantee wasn't the point. What Egger wanted was to use the high ground of national duty to make it impossible for the other party to openly retaliate or strike at him and the Night's Watch industries... Of course, for insurance, Egger also prepared a wedding gift for Renly and Margaery: a chandelier assembled and decorated with various colored crystals and gems. It reflected sunlight during the day and, when the oil lamp at its core was lit at night, it could keep a room brilliantly multicolored—resembling the lighting effects of a modern dance hall.
If the rumors of Renly's love for colors were true, he would certainly love this gift... and his message would be delivered to Renly along with this wedding present. As they say, one does not strike a smiling face. If Renly still chose to target the Night's Watch industries vindictively under such circumstances, Egger could only take the hit and wait for Melisandre to make her move.
...
To avoid any accidents, Egger decided to act first and report later. As soon as martial law was lifted in King's Landing, he left with his men without a moment's delay. Because Stannis had retreated to Dragonstone, Renly had blockaded the shipping lanes of Blackwater Bay. The port outside King's Landing had also been destructively dismantled during the war—Egger's trip back to the Wall would have to be by land.
Relying on the prestige accumulated from helping the Night's Watch industries survive two crises, supplemented by double pay and a series of benefits, Egger successfully recruited fifty soldiers from the logistics security team before leaving. These men voluntarily transformed from industry security into armed forces directly under the Logistics Department, following the Chief Logistics Officer north and taking orders only from him. Combined with personnel transporting grain and supplies, the entire northbound party reached nearly a hundred people... Arya, in her boy's disguise as Egger's personal squire, blended in perfectly and was not at all conspicuous.
Such a large party, carrying sensitive war supplies and moving north toward enemy territory, should have been impossible to pass through the City Watch's interrogations and inspections... but with Egger's current status and some maneuvering, he easily cleared all hurdles to leave the city, soon leaving the high walls of King's Landing behind.
After nearly a year, Egger was once again heading toward the place where he had exhausted every effort to leave—the place where the story began. Carrying wagons of supplies and leading a spirited, high-morale armed force, the journey almost felt like a triumphant homecoming.
...
The first two days of the journey north met with no trouble. With the intent of escaping the mess as quickly as possible, the party moved at a rapid pace. Just one more day like this, and they would leave the Crownlands to enter the Riverlands. Once they entered the territory of the lords loyal to House Tully, Arya would be safe.
But what one fears most always comes to pass. At noon on the third day, a small troop of Gold Cloaks caught up with them.
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