Chapter 390

Although he’d boasted of his mastery, this was Tobho Mott’s first time reforging an actual Valyrian steel sword. For Aegor, breaking down Dark Sister into arrowheads was little more than a calculated gamble—success was ideal, but failure wouldn’t be devastating. For Tobho, however, this was his craft and his legacy. As King’s Landing’s premier blacksmith, failure on such a high-profile project would mar his impeccable reputation. Reforging Dark Sister was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and as the craftsman responsible, Tobho was even more anxious than Aegor.

While the rest of Crown's Rest’s inner keep scrambled to manage the lack of rooms, Tobho moved into the Gift’s most well-equipped forge workshop with his apprentice, sleeping there instead of using the guest room Yarm had prepared. He spent half a day verifying that all necessary tools and equipment were in place and another day and a half melting a small Valyrian steel trinket he had brought with him, testing the forge’s capacity and refining his technique. By the third day, he was ready. He approached Aegor and confidently declared himself prepared to reforge Dark Sister.

Given the value of the sword, Aegor assigned someone to supervise the process and ensure no foul play. The volunteer for this task was none other than Melisandre, who insisted from the start that Dark Sister was “the prophesied blade” and claimed she would personally oversee the reforging.

Ten workers tasked with maintaining the forge’s heat and assisting in the process moved into the workshop, working around the clock. Firelight glowed through the cracks of the forge doors and windows, and smoke billowed from the chimney continuously. After over ten hours of closed-door labor, Tobho’s muscular apprentice arrived to knock on Aegor’s door and deliver the news: the reforging was complete.
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Aegor, though not particularly excited, felt a certain anticipation as he made his way to the forge with Arya and Myrcella in tow.

The timing of the operation had been deliberately chosen—starting in the afternoon meant that the critical stages of reforging and shaping would occur during the silent, undisturbed hours of Crown's Rest’s winter night. According to Tobho, this setup allowed for maximum focus and minimal distractions.

Melisandre had no objections. Thanks to her magical powers, she could forgo food, sleep, and even basic human needs, making day and night irrelevant to her. Despite keeping her eyes fixed on the process throughout, she appeared as radiant as ever, while Tobho, after a sleepless night, looked exhausted yet brimming with pride. One glance at his expression told Aegor the process had likely been a success.

“I’ve reforged your sword into seventy-one arrowheads, my lord,” Tobho announced, pushing a wooden box across the table toward Aegor. “Except for the final residue left in the melting pot that couldn’t be retrieved, the loss was nearly zero. Feel free to inspect or weigh them yourself.”

At first glance, the contents of the box resembled a heap of iron nails, but upon closer inspection, the seventy-one arrowheads were neatly arranged, each gleaming faintly under the forge’s light. Subtle red and black ripples swirled across their surfaces, a clear indication—even to the untrained eye—that these were no ordinary objects.

Aegor glanced at Melisandre, who gave no indication of doubt. Confident in the claim, he nodded with a smile. “Excellent. Was the process smooth?”

“Not entirely,” Tobho admitted, his pride tempered by honesty. “The melting process took longer than expected. This sword, though Valyrian steel, seemed slightly different from the Valyrian steel I’ve worked with before. I had to increase the heat significantly to melt it. Additionally, Lady Melisandre’s flame magic during the final casting phase ensured a one-hundred-percent success rate, with no need for recasting.”

“It was more than just ensuring success,” Melisandre interjected coolly. “Your so-called runes and crystals are mundane trinkets, suitable for ordinary Valyrian steel but woefully inadequate for dragonsteel. Without my magic stabilizing the process, you’d have lost much of its precious energy.”

Tobho’s face flushed with embarrassment, and he nodded quickly. “Yes, yes, Lady Melisandre’s assistance was indispensable.”

Judging by their expressions, Aegor could guess the truth: Melisandre wasn’t lying, and Tobho, being a mundane blacksmith, likely couldn’t detect the difference between dragonsteel and Valyrian steel. Still, he dared not argue with a true sorceress, leading to his awkward admission.

“As long as it’s done,” Aegor said, dismissing the minor hiccups. In a good mood, he picked up an arrowhead to examine it closely. It was a five-centimeter-long, slender, triangular spike with razor-sharp edges that gleamed coldly. At its base was an extended tang meant to fit into an arrow shaft. Despite its delicate appearance, Aegor’s grip revealed its incredible durability—Valyrian steel didn’t bend, break, or deform under his force.

“I crafted these with your instructions in mind, my lord,” Tobho explained proudly. “You emphasized maximizing penetration and quantity without compromising lethality."

...

Aegor had indeed given these two requirements, and his reasoning behind them was simple: wanting to forge more arrows was merely to ensure more chances at slaying the Night King at the most critical moment. As for prioritizing penetration power, the reason was even more straightforward—Valyrian steel’s lethality against White Walkers came from its fire-aspected magic, not physical destruction. The arrowheads didn’t need complex designs like blood grooves or barbs; as long as they could pierce through the White Walkers’ armor or cover and stab into their bodies at the decisive moment, that was enough.

He lowered his head and carefully examined the arrowhead in his hand, confirming that Tobho had indeed followed his instructions to the letter. Satisfied, he nodded in approval and let the blacksmith continue speaking.

"A three-edged pyramid tip—both highly penetrative and simple in structure, saving material. This choice wasn’t difficult. But when it came to selecting the connection method between the arrowhead and the shaft, I did spend some time considering. There are only two main types: socketed and tang-mounted. In simple terms, one is where the arrowhead has a hole, and the shaft is inserted into it; the other is where the arrowhead extends into a needle-like tail that is inserted into the shaft."

Seeing that the leader of the Night’s Watch was willing to listen to his technical explanations, the blacksmith became even more enthusiastic.

"Generally speaking, socketed arrowheads save more material compared to tang-mounted ones. However, the thickest part of a three-edged pyramid arrowhead is only about as wide as a standard arrow shaft. If I were to add a socket at the back to fit a shaft, the entire structure of the arrowhead would have to be redesigned. Either it would ruin the streamlined shape, or I’d have to extend and widen it with an added 'base'... which would actually increase material consumption instead of reducing it. Not to mention that socketed arrowheads have lower precision."

"After weighing all factors, I ultimately chose the tang-mounted style. And once I made that decision, I considered a hybrid design—making the arrowheads from Valyrian steel but replacing the tang with iron or copper to save material. Unfortunately, real-world experience told me that no other metal could properly fuse with Valyrian steel. If we want the arrowheads to be sturdy and durable, they must be forged in a single piece, entirely from Valyrian steel."

"An arrowhead has this much complexity?" Arya was amazed and mimicked him, picking up one of the arrowheads to examine it closely—though, of course, she couldn’t really see anything special. All she knew was that it was Valyrian steel, the same rare and precious material as her family’s sword, Ice.

"Master, can I have one?" She looked up at Tobho with eager eyes. "I want to wear it as a pendant, or maybe stick it in my hair as a hairpin! Father's sword, Ice, is still with Margaery’s family, and when that happens, I’d be the only Stark with a Valyrian steel weapon!"

"Ice is in the hands of the Tyrells?" Aegor hadn’t known this, but after thinking about it, he realized it made sense—House Stark and House Tyrell were still at war, so there was little chance of a peaceful resolution anytime soon. "Once the war is over, I’ll make sure both you and Maeve get one. For now, these arrowheads are for warriors who will actually be fighting the White Walkers."

"But I can shoot! And I shoot well! Ser Rodrik said that in all of the Seven Kingdoms, there aren’t many girls better than me at archery!"

"Uh—" Aegor was momentarily speechless. He had never actually tested Arya’s archery skills. But "not many girls in the Seven Kingdoms are better than me"—how good was that, exactly?

As he thought of a response, he discreetly snatched the arrowhead from Arya’s hand and placed it back into the box. "Alright, let me see your archery skills when there’s a chance. If you’re really that good, you can be part of the fight against the White Walkers. Sound fair?"

"Okay! But you’d better not go back on your word!"

While the master and apprentice had their brief discussion, over on the other side, the blacksmith swallowed nervously—he still had plenty more details to explain.

"That’s right! Though the item is small, there’s a lot of complexity to it! Miss, just look at the thickness of the tang—it’s a crucial detail. If this were made of ordinary materials, an arrow tang this thin would be completely useless; it would break the moment the arrow struck something… But luckily, this is Valyrian steel. I did extensive calculations to ensure this thickness was both the most material-efficient and provided the necessary strength.

"Now, the only remaining issue with these Valyrian steel arrowheads is that compared to iron, they are too light. To prevent the arrow’s center of gravity from shifting too far back, I’ve already devised a solution—I’ll forge some small bronze rings to fit around the front of the specialized shafts made for these arrows. This will increase the weight and strengthen the connection between the arrowhead and shaft, making them more stable!"

"Alright, Master Mott." Aegor cut off the blacksmith’s seemingly endless technical breakdown with a smile. "You’ve done well. Seventy-one arrows—one-fifth of that is fourteen and a fifth. As a reward for your craftsmanship and dedication, after the war, you may keep fifteen of them.

"If you wish to return to King’s Landing quickly to resume managing your forge, I’ll arrange for a carriage to take you—the Night’s Watch is short on ships at the moment. But if you’d rather stay in the Gift to personally collect your payment, then while you remain here, I ask that you share your knowledge and forging techniques with our Night’s Watch smiths. Consider it a contribution to the defense of the Wall. In return, you’ll be compensated at the highest rate for a master craftsman."

Without waiting for the blacksmith—who seemed both proud of achieving a major milestone in his career… or perhaps simply too talkative—to respond, Aegor turned to the guards following behind him.

"Seal up this box of arrowheads and take it back to my chambers. Also, pass on my orders—"

Seventy-one Valyrian steel arrows. This number exceeded Aegor’s expectations. Deciding how to allocate them was worth careful thought. But at that moment, inspiration struck.

"Pass on my orders—two days from now, a small archery tournament will be held in Crown’s Rest. The most skilled archers will earn the right to stand beside me in the final battle, wielding 'Lightbringer' to hunt the White Walkers. This is a chance for eternal glory—to have their names written in the annals of history!"