Chapter 384: A False Alarm
Stepping out of the dim archway of the inner keep, Egger easily spotted his apprentice in his field of vision. Arya was dressed in light, practical training gear, practicing swordsmanship with someone in the open square. She skipped and darted with agility, her ponytail whipping behind her head as she delivered heavy slashes followed by lightning-fast thrusts. She spun, leaped, and landed on her toes, constantly shifting left and right while launching a dazzling offensive, all while letting out shouts that were likely meant to bolster her own spirit—it was this very sound Egger had heard from a distance.
Setting aside practical combat effectiveness, Egger had to admit that Arya's form with a blade was truly pleasing to the eye; it was no wonder a large crowd of soldiers had gathered to watch. Many were cheering or shouting haphazard directions, and some, seemingly eager for chaos, were even heckling to egg on her or her opponent.
Beric watched for a moment, his eyes lighting up. "Beautifully fought. Who is this lady? She seems to have received quite excellent sword training."
"Arya Stark, the younger sister of the current Lord of Winterfell," Egger replied.
In truth, after her training with Jaqen and her own passion for seeking out sparring partners even when she wasn't with him, Arya's skills were quite formidable. Compared to Egger—who was busy all day and could only carve out small pockets of time to maintain his fitness—Arya, even without the experience of training at the House of Black and White across the Narrow Sea, had become quite proficient. She might even be better than him.
Of course, better here referred only to the theoretical level of moves and techniques. The disadvantages in strength and size, as well as the shortfalls in actual combat experience and psychological grit, could not be overcome by practice alone. Furthermore, the swordsmanship the Faceless Men taught Arya was better suited for ambushes and assassinations than for frontal clashes in a duel. Thus, despite making her wooden sword dance in flowery patterns, she still couldn't do much to her opponent, and was even forced to retreat awkwardly at times to dodge counterattacks.
"So it's Lady Stark." Thoros stared into the yard with interest and let out a wine-scented belch. "Tsk tsk... that's the longest-legged lady I've ever seen. With a figure that good and such training, she surely doesn't have an ounce of flab on her. Her future husband will be a lucky man... Hey, why is she wearing leg irons? Is that a legendary self-imposed restriction to suppress her true power and increase the difficulty?"
What? Egger was confused for a second, then jumped in fright. Prompted by the comment, he realized that the person standing motionless in the center of the yard, parrying Arya's storm-like assault, was his prisoner, Asha Greyjoy. The conversation he, Beric, and Thoros had just had was a complete case of talking past each other!
He had heard Arya's voice from afar and was familiar with her silhouette, so he had found her in the crowd instantly upon entering. Consequently, he had overlooked the Daughter of the Kraken, who was dressed inconspicuously and moving with minimal effort. But Beric Dondarrion and Thoros's group didn't know Arya Stark in this timeline. As adult men and soldiers, their eyes had immediately locked onto the other woman in the yard—the one with longer legs and better skills.
This wasn't just an embarrassing case of a mismatched Q&A. Egger certainly hadn't forgotten: Asha was a prisoner because she had led the Ironborn to invade the North, and Arya was the sister of the Warden of the North—a wooden sword could still kill if it hit a vital spot!
He immediately shouted in alarm: "Arya, what are you doing? Get away from her!"
In his panic, even a man as cautious and rational as Egger made a mistake. Arya, suddenly hearing his voice, didn't move away from Asha. Instead, her attention was split by his shout, and she turned back toward him with a look of joy: "Master?"
In that moment of distraction, Asha's wooden sword struck Arya in the back.
Egger's heart nearly leapt out of his throat. Fortunately, things didn't play out as he feared. After a small stumble, Arya turned back indignantly as if nothing had happened: "Hey! Why did you sneak attack me?"
"Didn't your master ever teach you not to get distracted in a fight?" Asha retracted her wooden sword and looked mockingly at Egger, who had rushed over to pull the girl away and shield her behind him. "What is it now, Lord Commander? If I wanted to hurt this brat, she'd have died dozens of times in the ten or so days you were gone."
"No I wouldn't!" Arya shouted defiantly. "I only... lost once or twice. Most of them were draws!"
"Alright, you, be quiet!" Egger, relieved it was a false alarm, gave Asha a warning glare but didn't say much. He took the wooden sword from Arya, tossed it aside, and grabbed her arm to lead her away from the center of the practice yard. Along the way, he swept a stern gaze over the soldiers who had been enjoying the spectacle of noble ladies dueling. "What are you looking at? Disperse! Get back to whatever you're supposed to be doing!"
"What are you doing!" Arya, who had been having a great time, struggled against Egger's grip as her arm hurt slightly. "I only just started fighting her today!"
"You're asking me? Do you know who that was? I don't mind you finding someone to practice with, but... at least pick someone appropriate!"
"We aren't using real swords," Arya talked back, her face full of displeasure. "Besides, she's only a little bit better than me. She couldn't do anything to me."
Egger was in no mood to bicker with her. He would simply tell the guards later that Asha and Arya were forbidden from sparring, and that was final. As a prisoner, the Kraken's daughter was a bit too restless. Who knew if she had considered, in that split second, hurting Arya to spite the Starks, only to abandon the idea? The human heart is the hardest thing to predict. If anything happened to Arya while she was under his care, he couldn't bear the responsibility.
Dragging Arya back to the Lord of Blackhaven, Egger had to re-answer the question Beric Dondarrion had asked: that long-legged lady in the yard was his prisoner, Asha Greyjoy, while this reckless little girl beside him was Arya Stark. Clearly, while Arya's flushed face and light sheen of sweat had their own charm, Beric and the others were still more interested in the mature Asha. After a few hollow greetings and pleasantries, Yam, the mayor of Queenscrown, came running over upon hearing the news.
After identifying the guests he had brought back to Yam and ordering him to settle Lord Beric and his followers in their quarters, Egger began arranging the real work. "I've brought a large shipment of saltpeter from King's Landing. A small portion of it was scraped from walls; send that directly to the Weapons Department to assemble dragonglass bombs without a moment's delay. The rest is mixed with a large amount of salt; have the pyromancers and relevant departments prepare for purification immediately. As for the specific process, have Qyburn work with them. Also, this is Tobho Mott, a famous master smith from King's Landing. Have someone take him to the foundry in the industrial zone. Let him see if anything is missing for him to begin work, make a list, and implement it as soon as possible."
"Yes, my Lord."
After summoning several low-level foremen and assigning the tasks Egger had listed, Egger breathed a sigh of relief, having processed all the goods and guests brought from the south. He then turned to the most obvious problem he had noticed upon entering the town. "What's with those people in tents outside the walls? I told you to issue a Medium-Level Warning the day after I left. Why haven't they all been settled inside the walls after ten days?"
"Sigh—my Lord, you don't know. Two days ago, a false alarm of an attack came from the direction of the Gorge. The number of people currently gathered at Queenscrown isn't at all what a Medium-Level Alert should look like... Many New Gift tribes living within half a day's journey also panicked and moved here after seeing the beacons. The total number far exceeds Queenscrown's normal capacity. They refuse to move back home now that they've made the trip, but letting them all into the town would disrupt normal production. We can only settle them outside for the time being."
"A false alarm?" Egger turned serious. "What happened?"
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!