Chapter 201: The Fiancé
By donning the mask of a loyal man of the Night's Watch and seizing the moral high ground—acting as if everything he did was for their own benefit—Egger instantly made himself untouchable.
Undoubtedly, if any other black brother dared to speak to the nobility of the Seven Kingdoms with such a tone, they would likely be hounded to death later, even if they survived the initial encounter. But here and now, Egger's roar caused no ill effects. The room was already a chaotic den of shouting; he had simply joined the fray, offering a passionate opinion rather than a personal attack.
Given the North's inherent closeness to the Watch, the argument felt more like a family squabble than a breach of protocol. It felt perfectly natural.
Egger's outburst didn't exactly intimidate anyone, but the voices favoring peace with Tywin suddenly grew louder than the opposition. As the room continued to buzz, Robb had to rap the table again to restore order.
"The Chief Logistics Officer has reminded me of something important I nearly overlooked: our enemies are not just Renly and Tywin. We cannot waste too much strength or time in the South because, after all—Winter is Coming." For the first time, Robb felt his family's words fit the situation perfectly. He paused for a few seconds before looking at the Watchman. "Egger, I agree to let Jaime join the Night's Watch. But are you certain you can control him? Can you ensure he won't desert or cause further trouble in the North?"
"If he deserts or violates the discipline of the Watch, the Order will deal with him according to the law. The Lion's shadow does not reach the Wall."
"Fine. If no one else has an objection, the matter is settled. Everyone, return to your duties. The army will rest here for today and tomorrow. We march for King's Landing the morning after next."
With the commander's decision made, the remaining lords had little room for further protest. The Wolf, the Fish, and the Falcon had all profited immensely under Robb's command—and a leader who brings victory always commands authority. Ultimately, Jaime joining the Watch didn't actually harm the interests of any lord present; on the contrary, it effectively handed a high-profile hostage to the North. At the very least, the Riverlands no longer had to fear incursions from the West.
...
The lords filed out past Egger, whispering among themselves. The Watchman remained inside, waiting until Robb finished giving final instructions to Edmure Tully before stepping forward.
"Robb, a word in private."
"What is it?" Robb walked a few paces in confusion, following Egger to a corner of the room.
"Arya is with me."
"Arya!?" Robb was overjoyed. "Where is she? Is she hurt? What happened? Why didn't she escape to Dragonstone with Sansa and Stannis that day?"
"She's waiting outside." Egger recounted everything that had happened the day Renly took the city, then added in a low voice: "Doing this violates the principle of the Watch not interfering in the realm's affairs. Just take her quietly; don't make a scene. Once my party returns to the North, you can announce that she escaped King's Landing on her own and found you."
"I understand. My quarters are upstairs; I'll dismiss my attendants in a moment. Bring her then." Robb gripped Egger's arm emotionally. "You have no idea how much I've worried about that mischievous little sister... I won't say more, but House Stark owes you another debt. If you run into trouble in the North, just ask. If I can solve it, I will!"
"I'll thank you in advance then. I'll go out first and bring her back in a bit."
"Good."
...
Egger left the meeting room and scanned the area, but Arya was nowhere to be seen. He turned to his guards: "Where is 'Ali'? I told you to wait here."
"A big gray dog came out of the room just now, and Ali ran off after it..."
The other guard interjected: "What dog? That was a wolf!"
They must have meant Robb's wolf, Grey Wind. Egger felt slightly relieved; with that wolf around, Arya was at least safe from harm. That damn brat, he cursed inwardly, why does she always run off right when people are looking for her?
Actually, it wasn't that she ran off when people were looking for her—it was that she was running off all the time.
After a silent oath at the girl, Egger began asking soldiers about the direwolf's whereabouts. No one in the army failed to recognize the commander's war-pet. After some effort, Egger found her in the stables of Harrenhal, hundreds of yards away.
"Ali, what are you doing!" Arya was squatting by the wall with her back to him, seemingly playing with Grey Wind. A small squire of the Night's Watch being that friendly with Robb Stark's wolf... the girl really wasn't afraid of someone putting two and two together. Egger grew anxious. "Get over here!"
"No! Leave me alone for a while!" Arya turned around, her eyes red and puffy as if she were about to cry. The massive gray wolf lowered its head to nudge her with its snout, almost as if comforting her.
"What's wrong?" Egger approached cautiously. He had to admit, direwolves grew incredibly fast. It was only a year old, yet its shoulder already reached Egger's waist.
Grey Wind looked up and bared his teeth at Egger, but having seen the man several times and with Arya's arms around his neck, the wolf didn't actually attack.
Arya turned back and buried her face in Grey Wind's fur, her voice muffled: "I miss Nymeria..."
Nymeria? That was the wolf Arya had been forced to drive away. Egger realized why she was upset and found it hard to scold her for wandering off. He sighed. "Nymeria is surely doing fine out in the wild. Don't think about her for now. Come on, follow me back to see your brother."
"No." Arya stood up and patted Grey Wind's head. The direwolf wagged its tail, trotted over to sniff Egger, and then ran back toward the tower where Robb stayed. "He sold me. I'm not going back."
"What do you mean, sold you?"
"Suddenly I have a fiancé, and Robb picked him for me! Without even asking!"
So that was it. It seemed while he was arguing with the Northern lords, Arya had overheard something from the surrounding soldiers.
"That's a family matter. My mission is just to get you safely to your kin. Go back and see Robb; you can talk to him. Even if you can't talk him out of it, it's not like he's going to make you get married and enter a bedding ceremony right this second."
Now that the terrifying wolf was gone, Egger lost his hesitation and reached out to pull the girl back.
"Don't touch me! I won't see him!" Arya jumped and ran toward the side of the stables. Egger checked to make sure the wolf was gone before giving chase.
"Stop! Accepting a marriage arrangement is a duty of a noble house member. Don't be like your aunt... you'll only hurt yourself and everyone else!"
"I don't care! I want to love who I want and marry who I want!" Arya was fast, darting like a shadow through the soldiers scattered around Harrenhal.
Free love? Wasn't that the story he'd told her specifically to catch her interest? Egger felt a sudden pang of regret for his own cleverness. He pushed through the crowds in pursuit, and after several hundred yards, he finally cornered her in a dead end, catching her just as she tried to slip past him.
"You brat, why must you be such a handful!" Egger growled, dragging her back.
"Master! If... if you dare sell me out to Robb... I'll... I'll..."
"You'll what?"
"I'll... I'll tell Robb and my fiancé that you touched my butt!"
"When did I ever touch your butt!"
"Doesn't matter, you did!" Arya thrashed like a live fish. "I don't care, take me back to Winterfell. I won't see Robb."
The girl was clever enough to know how to threaten him. Harassing a noble girl was a capital offense; even a light sentence would involve losing the hand that did the touching. At worst, he'd be killed by House Stark or her future husband.
Truly, no good deed goes unpunished. Egger's temper flared. He grabbed Arya, threw her over his shoulder, and gave her two sharp, resounding smacks on the backside. "I'm not just touching, I'm hitting! If you don't want more, you'd better behave!"
Egger didn't hold back on those smacks. Arya winced in pain, nearly crying out. For a brat who wouldn't listen to reason, pain finally proved to be a deterrent. She grumbled and fell silent, her eyes brimming with tears she refused to let fall, as Egger carried her back to the tower and into Robb's room.
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