Chapter 345

Before heading south to King’s Landing with Tyrion, Aegor had been a fully-fledged member of the Night’s Watch—a soldier who stood guard atop the Wall through freezing nights, patrolled the Ghost Forest, and even fought against White Walkers.

He thought he understood cold. But reality hit him like a slap in the face, forcing him to truly grasp why even the Northerners distinguished between winter and summer.

After the violent storm that struck during Robb Stark’s inspection of the Wall, the Gift enjoyed a stretch of "good weather." Of course, in the North, "good" simply meant no snowfall, wind that didn’t knock people over, and occasional glimpses of the sun. The temperature, however, continued its relentless descent after a brief, deceptive rise.

When Aegor first arrived, Castle Black had been cold, but tolerable. The temperatures hovered around freezing. On sunny days in the wildlands away from the Wall, there was even a faint hint of warmth. The coldest nights were only about five to ten degrees below freezing. A few extra blankets could keep a sentry from freezing, even in the harshest winds.

That mild chill now seemed like a fond memory. True Northern winter had arrived, and for Aegor, a man born and raised in the temperate southern lands, it was a harrowing experience—cold so fierce it could drive one mad.

Hot water splashed into the air would freeze before hitting the ground. Maintaining an outdoor bonfire became a challenge—one had to either build shelters to trap the heat or mix tar to fuel larger fires. Even the thickest furs and layers of clothing couldn’t fully insulate against the biting cold, which seemed alive, wriggling into every crevice and pore. Sentries could no longer stand watch in pairs; commanders had to rotate at least three shifts to prevent frostbite and death. Meanwhile, the Milk River at the bottom of the canyon, once a natural barrier, began to freeze, and the Seal Bay near Eastwatch demanded constant vigilance to prevent the docks from freezing over entirely.

Aegor was mortified to find himself, the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch and the first line of defense against the dead, so reluctant to leave his chambers that the mere thought of stepping outside felt unbearable.

But reluctance and inaction were two different things. With great power comes great responsibility. No matter how cold he felt, Aegor could not afford to show weakness. Clenching his teeth, he continued his regular inspections and issued orders to ensure the execution of his strategies. He handled every matter, big or small, concerning the Gift and the Wall with precision and efficiency, setting an example for his men.
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The bitter cold stood in stark contrast to the fiery activity across the Gift and along the Wall. Construction efforts were in full swing. The southern patrol station, Canyon Watch, and the harbor outpost, Icecanyon Port, had been completed and were already operational. Craftsmen from the North, the Riverlands, and even the Crownlands, along with young apprentices eager to learn, had begun gathering high-quality timber and discussing tonnage and designs to officially launch the construction of the Northern Fleet along the western coast.

Militarily, Aegor held a strong hand. The Night’s Watch was already a well-trained standing army. With Denys Mallister pledging his loyalty and Cotter Pyke brought to heel, Aegor had achieved near-total control over the Watch. The logistics division’s elite guards, though smaller in number, were better trained, more disciplined, and fiercely loyal—only lacking some battle experience.

In addition, a mass training program for all inhabitants of the Gift was underway. This included the old Gift settlers along the Wall, mountain clansmen, and wildlings from beyond the Wall—all of whom were acclimated to the harsh Northern climate. Hardened by their environments, they were tougher than they looked. Under Aegor’s oversight, improved rations and moderate training quickly transformed the previously malnourished into healthy, robust recruits—prime candidates for a disciplined militia. With only basic training and integration into the logistics division’s well-organized command structure, they could form a formidable fighting force.
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However, the militarization process was not without its challenges. The training was mandatory, meaning all eligible individuals were required to participate, whether they volunteered or not. Unlike enlisting soldiers, many recruits were unwilling participants. The rebellious spirit of the mountain clans and wildlings became apparent—the same fierceness that made them tough survivors also made them defiant and difficult to discipline.

While the mountain clans, long allied with the North, were relatively cooperative, the wildlings—proudly calling themselves “free folk”—were inherently resistant to anything resembling discipline or submission. Though they refrained from outright rebellion, many adopted a passive resistance, deliberately dragging their feet during training.

These troublemakers, often from larger clans, were difficult to manage. Neither persuasion nor punishment, such as confinement (which held little threat in the freezing cold), seemed effective. Cautious not to escalate tensions, Aegor hesitated to enforce harsher measures. Progress was slow—until a logistics officer from King’s Landing proposed a novel solution: grouping the trainees into squads and introducing a collective punishment system. If any member resisted discipline, the entire group’s wages would be docked, with the withheld amount redistributed as rewards for more cooperative squads.

Aegor never expected such a crude method to work so effectively. Those who ignored scoldings or glared defiantly under whippings quickly found themselves disciplined by their own squadmates, unwilling to lose their pay. Without the instructors lifting a finger, the issue was resolved internally, much to Aegor’s mix of amusement and exasperation.
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While the training program gained momentum, Aegor received a report from Nina, who had recently returned south to handle financial matters. In a letter, she detailed her success in Lannisport, where she had met Tyrion Lannister and secured a loan of forty thousand gold dragons—despite avoiding any interaction with Tywin Lannister. Though the loan came with interest, it was a remarkable gesture, given the Westerlands’ ongoing post-war recovery.

This was a major breakthrough. Developing technology was like building a tower. The existing technology of Westeros was akin to a line of single-story cottages—functional but primitive. To introduce gunpowder weapons into warfare, Aegor needed to first strengthen the foundation (the first floor), then build the infrastructure (the second floor), before reaching his ultimate goal. Without state support, this endeavor was far more difficult than expected. The donations from Northern nobles had already been nearly spent, and the remainder was tied up in existing budgets. Without the Lannisters’ funding, Aegor might have been forced to abandon his monopoly on gunpowder weapons and invite Robb Stark to join the project.

Now, with this new influx of funds, Aegor could press on. The large-scale production of gunpowder was one of the key technologies required for his "second floor." Following Aegor’s instructions, Nina had taken immediate action: she purchased several barrels of saltpeter from the Crownlands and Riverlands to address the immediate shortage for experimentation, organized exploration teams to locate saltpeter mines in Stannis Baratheon’s territory, and established a new experimental base in King’s Landing to study saltpeter production methods.
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Back in the Gift, progress was also being made in metallurgy. Copper and tin deposits had been discovered, and now iron ore had finally been found in the southern hills. Unfortunately, the quality of the ore was poor—barely suitable for tools, let alone weapons. For now, sword and armor production remained reliant on donations and purchases, while cannons would have to be made from bronze.

Still, Aegor pressed forward. With a focus on precision metal casting, his engineers had recently succeeded in producing hollow metal spheres for explosives. This foundational technology would pave the way for future cannon manufacturing. After weeks of failed attempts, they had perfected the molds and begun mass production, with the first prototypes sent to testing grounds for live trials.
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Aegor made it a habit to visit the industrial zone outside Castle Black every afternoon. But today, just as he donned his coat to step outside, he was met by the keeper of the rookery from Crown's Rest.

“Lord Commander, a message from the Nightfort.”

Aegor unfolded the letter. His face grew solemn as he read.

The long-awaited signal had arrived: Brandon Stark, missing for months, had reappeared beneath the Nightfort, in the dark well that hid the Black Gate.