Chapter 199: Harrenhall
"Lord Egger, please wait!"
Seeing three Gold Cloaks galloping breathlessly from the rear of the column, the memory of Yoren's fate in the original story—risking everything to smuggle Arya back to the North—flashed instantly before Egger's eyes. His heart sank to his boots. Was he not doing exactly what the old wandering crow had done? Was it possible he would meet the same end?
He turned to survey his surroundings, finding a small measure of comfort. He was surrounded by a dark mass of Logistics Department members under his command. Even excluding the drivers and clerks, he had over fifty trained soldiers. It would be impossible for a mere three guardsmen to take Arya from him by force.
It was impossible, yes, but the problem was that these three men wore gold cloaks—they represented the King. To oppose them was to oppose Renly.
Should he sternly refuse a search, or simply slaughter these three and bury them to silence them?
They say a man with nothing to lose fears no one, but Egger wasn't barefoot anymore; he was wearing a pair of very expensive, high-end shoes. With the bulk of his assets in the Logistics Department tied up in King's Landing, he couldn't afford an immediate break with the Iron Throne. Without the Night's Watch industries, he couldn't even feed the soldiers surrounding him, let alone build a base at Queenscrown.
Surrender Arya to save the business, or return her to win the favor of House Stark and watch the Iron Throne confiscate everything he owned? Which should he choose?
Reason told him the Starks couldn't give him what he truly wanted, but emotion made it impossible to sell out Arya in cold blood. As a fierce struggle waged within him, Egger signaled the girl to hide in the wagon, then pulled his horse to a halt to meet the approaching Gold Cloaks.
"Brothers of the Watch, you've had a long ride. What brings you here?" Egger decided to play dumb. If they insisted on a search, he'd let them. If they found nothing, fine. If they found her... he'd see if a high enough bribe could buy their silence.
"An order from His Majesty Renly." The leading Gold Cloak nodded civilly and handed him a sealed scroll.
...
No mention of Arya? Smiling despite his inner turmoil, Egger opened the document and instantly felt a wave of relief.
[In the name of Renly I of House Baratheon, King of the Andals, the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm, let it be known that Jaime Lannister, the 'Kingslayer,' is hereby stripped of all titles and powers. He is permitted to join the Night's Watch to serve the realm and guard the borders, thereby atoning for his sins.]
...
"His Majesty asked me to convey that he does not wish for you to exercise your right to 'refuse an application for enlistment,'" the Gold Cloak officer said. "Furthermore, Lord Tywin specifically requested that either Lord Commander Jeor Mormont or the Chief Logistics Officer—meaning you—come to collect him personally. If there are no issues, remember to head to the fortress of the Golden Tooth before crossing the Neck to bring the Kingslayer back to the Wall."
So that was it. Egger's heart returned to its rightful place. As long as it wasn't about Arya, everything was manageable. As for why he was requested specifically, that was surely Tyrion's idea. The reason was understandable: without a Night's Watchman of sufficient status and renown to escort him, a public enemy like Jaime would have a minuscule chance of reaching the Wall alive.
"I understand. But if I may be blunt... the journey to the Wall passes through the Riverlands and the North. Whether Jaime Lannister can join the Watch likely depends on the temperaments of Houses Tully and Stark."
"That is your concern, my Lord. His Majesty said he believes that 'with the skill of the Chief Logistics Officer, these problems can be smoothed over,'" the officer said with a smile. "Well, I'll give you a bit of inside word: Lord Tywin wrote to all the Great Lords—the West will swear fealty to whichever King agrees to let Jaime join the Watch."
So that was the play. Egger understood instantly. Whether Renly or Stannis eventually secured the throne, they would inevitably have to settle accounts with the Lannisters for the murder of King Robert. Lord Tywin's counter-strategy was to demand a commitment before a winner was declared—using Jaime's recruitment into the black as leverage to force the Kings to guarantee the safety of Cersei and the rest of House Lannister.
All Renly had to do was agree. Whether the Tullys or Starks accepted it... he didn't care. In fact, Renly likely hoped his enemies would block Jaime or even kill him—because if that happened, Tywin would be certain to side with Renly in the coming war. The timing of this move was impeccable.
After handing out some silver to see the three Gold Cloaks off, the column accelerated north along the Kingsroad. As a transmigrator, Egger could only remember the alignments of the Great Houses; the true loyalties of the minor lords and the fractured Riverlands houses were impossible to track. Therefore, he strictly warned Arya: do not reveal your identity until you reach Winterfell or see your family.
Fortunately, the mission to escort Lady Stark home seemed destined for an early completion. On the sixth day out of King's Landing, their third day in the Riverlands, Egger heard good news from the locals: the armies of the North, the Riverlands, and the Vale were massing at Harrenhal, not far to the north.
If all went well, Robb Stark would be there. Once he handed this hot potato over to her older brother, whatever happened next would have nothing to do with him!
...
As a legendary castle of the Seven Kingdoms, Harrenhal was easy to find even in its ruined state. Following their maps, the men in black found the cursed super-fortress two days after leaving the Kingsroad.
Harrenhal was three times the size of Winterfell, with walls second in thickness only to the Great Wall itself. Any one of its five colossal towers had the capacity and defensive strength to rival Maegor's Holdfast in King's Landing. Together, they stood like five monstrous fingers by the shores of the Gods Eye, visible from miles away. The only tragedy was that these fingers had been twisted and broken by dragonfire long ago, resembling the hands of a rickets patient; their original names had vanished along with their builder.
This was the ultimate defensive bastion, built over forty years by Harren the Black using the blood and sweat of the Riverlands. It was the only castle in Westeros capable of housing over ten thousand men. Its master had hoped to rule the Riverlands and the Iron Islands for a thousand generations from this fortress, but he had chosen the wrong opponent. It was less a castle and more a heavily fortified military town; had its owner not been determined to defy dragons, it would have been nigh-unbreakable.
However, because it was so massive, the castle became a total white elephant after Aegon's Conquest. Imagine the number of soldiers needed to garrison such a sprawling site, the servants required to clean it, and the family members needed to fill it so it didn't feel like a tomb.
Hardly any family in the Riverlands or even the Seven Kingdoms could afford to maintain it. Not to mention the curse—every house that held Harrenhal had eventually gone extinct.
...
As they approached, the column of a hundred men was soon spotted by outriders. After stating their identities and purpose, the men in black were led through the mountain-high gates of Harrenhal. Due to the gathering of the three kingdoms' armies, the place felt nothing like a ghost town. Inside and out, it was teeming with soldiers and knights who were boasting of their spoils from the West. Merchants following the army were making a killing, and the atmosphere was almost festive.
Upon the walls, Egger saw the black bat of Harrenhal's current master, the silver trout of their liege lord, the blue falcon of the Vale... and, flying highest and most prominent among the myriad banners, the silver-gray direwolf.
Robb Stark had marched with incredible speed. Only days after withdrawing from the Western front, he had already arrived at Harrenhal!
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