Chapter 288: New Burdens and Countermeasures
Damn it, do I have a blood feud with you or something?
The words almost escaped Egger's lips.
The speaker was a member of House Karstark, someone Egger didn't know well. Glancing at the man with confusion, Egger couldn't tell if the fellow was dragging him into this trouble out of simple-mindedness or some ulterior motive.
Though annoyed, he maintained a smile and shook his head. "Well—I have no particular opinion."
Robb chuckled. "Don't be formal. Offering a viewpoint isn't the same as interfering in the internal affairs of the Seven Kingdoms."
Didn't you just say we weren't talking business? A few cups of wine and you've already forgotten your own words?
Despite his internal grumbling, Egger wasn't the type to shy away from speaking his mind. Since he couldn't deflect the request, he stepped forward frankly and laid out the pros and cons of holding Asha Greyjoy hostage.
"Lord Egger makes a valid point. Keeping Balon's daughter in hand suppresses uncontrollable factors and ensures we hold the initiative in any future developments." Surprisingly, Roose Bolton once again spoke up in support of Egger's view. "The North won't face a famine just because of one extra prisoner."
Robb was still young, and his tolerance for alcohol was clearly lacking. His face was flushed, and thinking had become a chore. Finding the matter a bit of a headache, he finally decided to stop overthinking it. "Well, since it seems the majority feel Asha Greyjoy should be detained, then so be it."
There hadn't even been a vote; where did this majority come from? Fortunately, the method of disposing of Asha wasn't a matter of high principle, nor did the final decision infringe upon the interests of any house present. Since the Stark had spoken, the others said no more. Those who wanted to drink raised their cups, those who wanted meat picked up their cutlery, and those in the middle of a good story resumed their chatter. The small interlude seemed over, but as Egger looked up, he locked eyes with the slightly tipsy new Lord Stark.
A sense of foreboding suddenly washed over him.
As if to confirm his intuition, Robb kept his gaze fixed on him. "This woman was captured by Lord Egger's own hand. I believe it is only fitting that you take responsibility for her long-term supervision."
"What?" Egger grew anxious immediately. "My Lord... Asha Greyjoy was not captured by my hand personally, and besides... supervising her requires manpower, which is exactly what the Wall and the Gift lack most!"
"You need manpower to watch her, but I don't? Most of Winterfell's guards either went to King's Landing with my father or followed me to war. We've already emptied the dungeons and pressed the jailers into the guard duty because of the shortage. For her sake, I'd have to restart an entire building and establish new patrol shifts... whereas your Queenscrown is already housing quite a few people. One more won't hurt." Robb said with a light laugh. "Besides, from what I see, the Gift doesn't exactly look like it's lacking people."
If you'd just give the word that the Gift Settlement Plan can proceed, then we wouldn't be lacking people, Egger thought bitterly. But he couldn't say that out loud. He looked at Robb with distress, hoping the young lord would read his subtext:
(Are you kidding me? You dumped Theon, Joffrey, Tommen, and a bunch of Ironborn on me at Queenscrown. I haven't even figured out what to do with them yet, and you're tossing me another burden? This is bullying!)
Robb curled his lip, shook his head without speaking, his eyes flashing with a similar light:
(You lured me to the Gift to bolster your campaign for Lord Commander; did you really think I'm too young to understand anything? If I back you, you have to share my burdens! It's just one more prisoner—what's the big deal?)
After a silent battle of wills, Egger sighed and yielded. "Very well. Since Lord Stark has spoken, the prisoner will be escorted to Queenscrown at a later date, and I shall take charge of her supervision."
"Excellent. Keep a close eye on her; don't let her escape." Robb nodded with satisfaction. "It's a long way from the Iron Islands to the Gift, with nothing but wilderness in between. Even if she did escape, she wouldn't fly far."
That was true enough. Wasn't it precisely because of the harsh environment that the Wall was the top choice for the Seven Kingdoms to exile their unwanted?
A young noble female prisoner—it sounded exotic, but in reality... it was just trouble upon trouble.
However, once you have enough debt, you stop worrying. Compared to the headache of settling Joffrey and Tommen, handling Asha was minor. After all, this woman didn't have a father like Jaime—a master swordsman who was right there by Egger's side and one of his key supporters.
In fact, Egger still hadn't found the right moment to tell Jaime that his two children had been handed over by Robb and were currently confined within the walls of Queenscrown.
With the election for Lord Commander at its most critical juncture, the Wall couldn't afford a single unnecessary ripple. Egger planned to wait until he was firmly in the Commander's seat before explaining everything to that powder keg, and handling the cluster of troublesome figures at Queenscrown in one go.
Speak of the devil. Not long after Egger returned to his room following the banquet, Jaime Lannister—who had just been on his mind—paid him a solitary visit.
"Jaime." Egger suppressed an unnatural expression and greeted him. "Sit. What's the situation?"
Could this guy have found out through some channel that his sons are at Queenscrown? But that place is full of my trusted men; the chance of a leak is low... and this heartless Kingslayer doesn't seem like the type to go digging for information.
Fortunately, Jaime's expression was neither angry nor fierce. He didn't wait for Egger to finish before plopping himself down in a chair. "Val came to see me today."
"Val, the 'Wildling Princess'?" Technically, Val was the sister of Mance Rayder's wife, but everyone called her that, and Egger had followed suit. He nodded, confused, before catching the issue in Jaime's words. "But she's not allowed to leave Hardin's Tower. How could she come to find you?"
Jaime paused, clearing his throat before continuing. "Well... she notified the guards, and a brother came to get me. I went to see her at Hardin's Tower."
"Oh—" Egger looked at Jaime with great interest. "And?"
Egger was no longer the technician just scraping by in a state-owned enterprise from before his transmigration. As the current Chief Logistics Officer and the frontrunner for Lord Commander, his sensitivity to things had sharpened. He could see the massive amount of information hidden behind a seemingly simple exterior: a "Wildling Princess" under house arrest at Castle Black could actually command her guards to send a message to Jaime, and more importantly—the famous Kingslayer, the man who killed two kings, actually scurried off to see her. This was interesting indeed.
It seemed that while Egger was away from the Wall, Jaime hadn't been idle. Val was quite the anomaly among wildlings; growing up in the harsh lands Beyond the Wall, she had managed to become tall, shapely, and strikingly beautiful, with rather elegant manners. While she didn't quite match Cersei in beauty, considering she was also blonde... it wasn't that strange for a certain blonde-lover to take a liking to her.
Of course, Jaime himself was quite the catch—"killing two kings" might actually be considered cool to a wildling, and with his handsome looks, it might even be Val who was pursuing him.
"It's not like that!" Jaime snapped, annoyed by Egger's suggestive look. "Val is just bored being locked up. She occasionally stands at the top of the tower to chat with passing brothers. We've just become somewhat acquainted!"
"Right, right, I understand. You're just 'ordinary friends.'" Egger waved a hand to cut off Jaime's clumsy denial. "I have zero interest in that. I'm not your superior yet, and even if I'm elected Lord Commander, I won't interfere in your private life—but you didn't come here just to tell me you have a wildling friend, did you?"
"Of course not. She told me that over the last two days—strange people have frequently been hiding in the corners outside Hardin's Tower, watching their family."
(Isn't that just her making up an excuse to call a handsome guy over to relieve her boredom?) Egger thought. He shrugged and smiled. "So what? I can't stop the brothers from looking at the King-Beyond-the-Wall's sister-in-law... if she minds, she should learn from her brother-in-law—show her face less and stay inside more."
"It's not that simple. Val told me: those people aren't like the usual onlookers. They don't leave even when she doesn't show herself. Moreover, they aren't just watching from afar; they've been approaching the guards during shift changes to strike up conversations, trying to trick their way in."
Egger grew alert, his playful expression vanishing. "Are you sure she isn't joking?"
"No!" Jaime tapped the table impatiently. "Do I look like a fool to you?"
Egger rested his chin on his fist, sinking into thought. Within the Night's Watch, there had always been opposition to Mormont's decision to keep the King-Beyond-the-Wall and his family under house arrest. The voices calling for the execution of the traitor had never truly faded... could someone be planning to strike at the former spiritual leader of the wildlings at this critical juncture?
A few seconds later, Egger felt a jolt of realization. He suddenly understood why Denys Mallister had been so willing to leave Castle Black and hand him such a massive political gift.
"Did Val recognize the people watching the tower? No... it doesn't matter. Even if she's being paranoid, I can't afford to be careless." Egger considered it and decided to act as if the threat were real. His victory was nearly assured; at a time like this, he had to be doubly cautious. Even if his opponents hadn't thought of it yet, he had to completely eliminate the possibility of any accident happening to Mance that might throw the Gift into chaos. "We can't ignore the possibility of the Conservatives using this as a breakthrough. How about this... we prioritize safety: transfer Mance's entire family to Queenscrown, where they will be entirely under the protection of my men."
Technically, Egger had no authority to change the former Commander's orders. Fortunately, neither of the two men present were sticklers for rules. Jaime nodded without question. "That works. Transfer them tomorrow?"
"No. All the Northern lords are at Castle Black right now. If I make a huge scene moving the King-Beyond-the-Wall's family, I'd have to waste effort explaining it to them. Besides, with the castle packed with Northern soldiers, our opponents likely won't risk moving now." He thought carefully before making a final decision. "First, arrange for a few reliable brothers you brought from the Westerlands to join the regular shift at Hardin's Tower... I'll send someone to Queenscrown to bring back reinforcements. In two days, when I accompany the Northern lords to the Nightfort, you move Mance Rayder's family immediately."
"Fine." Jaime was satisfied with the arrangement, nodding as he stood up to leave.
"Wait." Egger stopped him.
Although the total strength of the Night's Watch had seen a rare increase, its overall quality hadn't made a leap. Jaime and the dozens of elite Westerlands soldiers his father had sent were likely more combat-capable than the other three or four hundred old, weak, and sick men at Castle Black combined. If the plan to move Mance Rayder met with resistance, they would likely need to rely on their deterrence... in this regard, Jaime Lannister was the best person to execute the transfer. But having him do it presented a new problem: if he arrived at Queenscrown with Mance's family and discovered his own two sons were there—and that Egger had hidden this fact—things would get messy.
He had to get ahead of it.
"There is one thing I should inform you about." Egger waited for Jaime to sit back down before speaking slowly. "As Eddard Stark arranged before his death—Stannis was to inherit the throne, while Joffrey and Tommen were to take the black. Now, Robb Stark has handed them over to me. I have them temporarily settled at Queenscrown... I wanted to ask your thoughts as their 'uncle.' Would you prefer to have your two nephews brought to Castle Black so you can look after them yourself, or should they stay at Queenscrown under my care?"
Jaime's body went rigid.
Uncle? Egger was being polite, but everyone knew the truth: the so-called "nephews" were the children of Jaime and Cersei, the products of incest reviled by the world.
According to the law, once a man takes his vows and becomes a brother of the Night's Watch, his past mistakes and crimes are wiped clean. While reality was never quite that simple, since arriving at the Wall, he truly hadn't heard any mockery or insults. The high-ranking officers were too refined for that, and the ordinary brothers were wary of Jaime's prowess and the Westerlands soldiers following him. Besides, many at the Wall had committed crimes far worse than kingslaying; Jaime was only different because the person he killed happened to be a king. And at this world's end north of the North, frankly—who among those who loved King Robert would ever end up in this godforsaken place?
Jaime had thought he could escape the past and start a new life, but the past followed him like a shadow. This feeling of inescapable trouble was surely unpleasant.
After his expression shifted several times, Jaime gritted his teeth. "If I say I won't get involved, what would you do?"
Egger hadn't fully decided, but the basic plan was formed. "I originally planned to establish a school at Queenscrown—to provide education while managing hostages and assimilating the children of the wildling leader families. Letting Joffrey and Tommen stay with their peers should be good for them."
"Peers? You'd have my... nephews stay with a bunch of wildling children?"
"What else would you suggest? Have the two children come to Castle Black, to stay with their 'uncle' and a bunch of goddamn criminals?" Egger countered bluntly. "Have you considered how much cold treatment they'd face? How many whispers behind their backs? You can't protect those children right now—recognize that fact!"
Jaime took a deep breath, his fists clenching. A moment later, he spoke: "I might not be able to protect them, but I can make anyone who harms them pay the price! Whether that person is Robb Stark or anyone else, you'd best remember that!"
With that, he huffed and left the room without looking back.
Egger watched the departing back of the Kingslayer, arms crossed and a dark look on his face, feeling both annoyed and amused. That brainless Jaime... he hadn't even asked where Myrcella was. Here Egger was, trying to protect his children, and the man ended up threatening his own ally. What exactly was going on in that head of his?
Egger had long since experienced Jaime's lack of foresight, so he didn't intend to hold a grudge. The physical protection considered in keeping Joffrey and Tommen at Queenscrown was actually secondary. Compared to people living south of the Wall, the Free Folk had also discovered through their long struggle with nature that inbreeding lowered the quality of offspring. But unlike the civilized world, the wildlings simply preferred stealing women from distant tribes when forming new families; their repulsion toward incest was far lower than that of the people of the Seven Kingdoms.
They might despise Jaime's inability to steal a woman from afar, mocking him for eating the grass near his own nest, but they wouldn't focus much attention on the so-called abominations. As long as Egger ordered the logistics department at Queenscrown to keep the palace scandals of the capital to a minimum, the children of the New Gift would not subject Joffrey and Tommen to much abuse on that account.
That was the real protection the two children needed.
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