Chapter 380: Going Through the Motions and the Dispute Over Melting the Sword
Facing threats from Daenerys by sea, land, and air, only the Lion Gate and the King's Gate—facing due west and southwest—remained open for half a day during fair afternoons. By the time Egger sailed back to the mainland from Dragonstone, it was already late. After inspecting the saltpeter he so anxiously awaited, he spent the night resting at Blackwall Keep.
The King's Landing branch of the Night's Watch Logistics, led by Egger, had briefly gained full ownership of its industries after the fall of the capital's elites who supported Renly Baratheon. However, as the new King's Landing nobles loyal to Stannis found their footing and sought profit, Nina—representing the Watch—had to proactively cede some of the grease. Fortunately, these new power players were split between the Crownlander faction and the Narrow Sea faction (Stannis's old guard). Since even these factions weren't monolithic, Nina carefully managed the size of the cake distributed to these lords to keep them in check. Combined with Egger's personal fame and the status he held as Lord Commander, no one dared entertain the thought of swallowing the Night's Watch Industry whole, provided King Stannis didn't have any crooked ideas himself.
Giving away half the cake significantly reduced the Watch's direct revenue, but the benefit was clear: it completely avoided the risk and exhaustion of fighting the nobility while Tyrion and Egger were absent and the industry was leaderless. After toppling Janos Slynt, the Industry used Allar Deem to control the King's Landing underworld and influence the smallfolk, while using large dividends as protection money to turn the legitimate nobility into allies. One could almost say that while the King was the first boss of the City Watch, the Night's Watch Industry was the second.
Employees of the Industry, clad in black cloaks or vests, were viewed as VIP citizens by the Gold Cloaks. Leveraging this, Egger rested comfortably before leisurely arriving at the King's Gate the next day. With a simple word from Nina, they bypassed the long queue waiting for the gates to open and were among the first to enter the city.
Once inside, they headed straight for the Red Keep. Thanks to an appointment made through internal City Watch channels, they were granted entry without issue.
Entering was easy, but inside the Red Keep, Egger did not receive the grand welcome he had enjoyed on Dragonstone. Because Melisandre had kept her arrival secret, Stannis—who had written several letters to the Wall requesting her return—did not show his face. Only the famous "Onion Hand," Davos Seaworth, agreed to spare a moment for Egger. The meeting took place in a private office rather than a formal setting like the Throne Room, and lasted a mere thirty minutes.
This difference in attitude was easy to understand. Daenerys, returning from across the Narrow Sea, needed to win over every possible force to pave her way to the Iron Throne. Stannis, however, already held King's Landing and sat upon the throne. He didn't need a group of exiles to validate his legitimacy, nor would he dream of asking the distant Wall garrison to march south to protect his crown. Having nothing to ask for officially and no personal friendship privately, he naturally ignored the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
Egger had come to ask the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms for reinforcements. He knew it was a futile gesture, but he decided to go through the motions as planned. The Blackbird's arrival in King's Landing required passing through Blackwater Bay, which was controlled by the Targaryen fleet. Anyone with a brain would guess he had been granted passage by Daenerys. People would inevitably whisper: what had the Watch promised or given the Dragon Queen for such safe passage?
As a neutral Man of the Night's Watch, if he came south and only met with the Targaryen restorationist while ignoring the true King on the Iron Throne, his motives would be questioned. It could trap the Industry between the Dragon's Den of Daenerys and the Stag's Mouth of Stannis.
By seeking this audience, he created the illusion of neutrality: he had come south only to beg the King for help. He asked, he was refused, and any future blame for what followed would not rest solely on his shoulders.
Davos, born in Flea Bottom, was approachable, but Stannis was currently besieged by troubles of his own. After fifteen minutes of unproductive haggling, the Onion Hand remained firm: no reinforcements would be sent north. At most, Egger could pick whatever prisoners he wanted from the dungeons—a firm no to such scum from Egger.
The brief meeting ended on a sour note. Egger left the Red Keep with a grim face, reuniting with his followers outside. Only after they were some distance away did his expression normalize. "Alright, the play is over. One last stop. Once that's done, we leave King's Landing before the gates close. If all goes well, we'll be out of the river and into the sea before dark. As long as there's a moon, we sail day and night."
The last stop was Tobho Mott's smithy. As the premier master armorer in King's Landing, his shop sat at the summit of the Street of Steel on Visenya's Hill. Mott claimed to be the only smith in the city who could work color into the metal itself rather than painting the surface. Egger suspected this involved some chemistry with metal ions. That wasn't the point; the real reason Egger sought him out was that Mott had studied in Qohor and knew the secrets of reworking Valyrian steel. In the original story, he was the one who reforged the Stark ancestral blade, Ice, into two swords. His reliability was guaranteed.
As a technician being taken back to the Wall, Qyburn remained by Egger's side. From the whispers of the guards, he had already heard what the Lord Commander intended to ask of Tobho Mott.
"My Lord, is it true you recovered Dark Sister from beyond the Wall?"
"It is true. Why?"
"Are you aware that Dark Sister was the blade of Visenya, sister to Aegon the Conqueror?"
"I am. Does Mr. Qyburn have a point?" Egger glanced at Melisandre, who was also riding nearby. The Red Priestess looked back at him, clearly hoping that the newcomer Qyburn could convince him not to melt the sword.
"Such a famous Valyrian steel sword carries immense significance. Whoever holds it enjoys great honor. Why would you want to melt it down?"
Significant? Egger shook his head helplessly. "Mr. Qyburn, you were a Maester; surely you are well-read. Tell me: in whose hands was Dark Sister last seen?"
"Prince Aemon the Dragonknight passed it to Lord Bloodraven, who was the last recorded owner."
"Then let me tell you: Bloodraven went beyond the Wall on an adventure and eventually died there. The sword remained there until a certain brother of the Night's Watch stumbled upon it. It wasn't gifted to me by a previous owner, nor was it won as a trophy of war. I simply 'found' it. Tell me, under the laws of Westeros, am I its legal owner?"
"This..." Qyburn's expertise was in natural sciences; he wasn't entirely clear on the nuances of property law. "But House Targaryen is fallen..."
"And if Daenerys Targaryen flies here on a dragon and demands her family's ancestral blade, do I give it back or not?" Egger continued. "I could hide its identity, of course. But every Valyrian steel sword in the world has a name and a history. If I don't reveal it as Dark Sister, what use is a nameless blade, no matter how 'significant'?"
He raised a hand to stop Qyburn from interrupting. "Fine! Let's assume the Dragon Queen and this 'Prince Aegon' both die in the war against King Stannis and no Targaryen remains to claim it. I must ask: what is the actual 'significance' of Dark Sister? In what epic battle did it slay a foe worth mentioning? What legendary event did it play a part in?"
"During the Dance of the Dragons, Prince Daemon used it to pierce Prince Aemond's eye while they dueled above the Gods Eye."
"The Dance of the Dragons... Hmph, a foolish civil war fueled by a lust for power. If any Targaryen takes pride in Daemon killing Aemond, I hold them in contempt," Egger snorted. "Let me tell you, what makes Dark Sister special compared to other Valyrian steel swords is merely that it belonged to House Targaryen. And even within House Targaryen, it was the less important of the two blades. Even its more famous brother, the sword of conquest Blackfyre, has no truly legendary deeds. Aegon the Conqueror wanted it buried with him, and Aegon the Unworthy gave it to his bastard Daemon instead of his heir Daeron—not because he wanted Daemon to be king, but simply because the boy was a better swordsman!"
"Do you understand my point? Because its owners were Valyrian dragonlords, its quality might be slightly better than those bought by other nobles, but as for 'extraordinary significance,' even to the Targaryens, it was just a Valyrian steel sword. It represents neither kingship nor legitimacy. Everyone who tried to become king based on a sword alone is dead! I am a Lord Commander of the Night's Watch who found a lost blade of a fallen house. If any great lord in the Seven Kingdoms thinks more of me for that reason, he is a fool!"
"Umm..." Qyburn was overwhelmed by Egger's eloquence and couldn't find a rebuttal. "But even ignoring the significance, a razor-sharp, indestructible Valyrian steel sword is a powerful weapon against the Others, even if you never announce its name."
"What kind of Lord Commander relies on a single sword to win a war rather than preparing his troops? No matter how sharp Dark Sister is, how many times will I get to swing it against an Other? If I forge it into arrowheads, I've calculated that I can make fifty. That means fifty attacks against the Others. Besides, this is only one part of the 'gift' I've prepared for them." Egger didn't want to discuss it further and nudged his horse forward. "We all remember Dark Sister because it belonged to the sister of Aegon the Conqueror, a founder of the dynasty. But who remembers the name of the sword used by some king in the age of Azor Ahai? In this war between life and death, I have prepared several layers of surprises for the enemy. No matter which 'surprise' eventually kills the Night King, the official report of the Night's Watch will declare: we shot him down with a set of arrows named Lightbringer."
Hooves clattered against the paved roads of King's Landing as the group sped up to keep pace. In the jolting ride, no one questioned him again.
To be honest, Bran bringing back Dark Sister was just an extra surprise; Egger didn't truly care whether it was melted or not. But precisely because he didn't care, having people constantly bicker over such an insignificant matter annoyed him. He had grown stubborn: "The fame and significance of a weapon are bestowed by the user, and history is written by the victors. I bet that in a thousand years, the world will only remember that Egger West defeated the Night King with 'Lightbringer,' and no one will remember some queen from a long-dead dynasty who had a sword called Dark Sister."
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