Chapter 221

Aegor had thought that once he left the treacherous King's Landing and returned to the Wall, he could rely on the wealth of the Night's Watch's industries and his position in the corps to live without bowing and scraping or relying on clever words to smooth over trouble. Unfortunately, things did not go as planned. Upon reuniting with Lord Commander Mormont, the first new task the old bear handed him was, once again, to convince someone to lend their aid.

Fortunately, this time, the target was relatively easy to deal with.

The mountain clans lived by hunting and gathering in the mountains north of the Wolfswood. Historically, they had always maintained mutually beneficial relationships with the lords of the North and the Night's Watch, free of conflicts of interest. They were proud, impoverished, and sensitive to honor—traits that made them, in Aegor’s eyes, the kind of naive, face-saving people who were easiest to win over.

His strategy was simple: approach them with respect, gifts, and promises.

...

Like most of the Night’s Watch, Mormont was satisfied with the regular “ransom” Aegor sent to the Wall and had no intention of recalling the man—much less expecting the self-appointed “Chief Logistics Officer” to return voluntarily. So when Aegor unexpectedly reappeared at Castle Black with his retinue and immediately joined the battle, Mormont was struck by an unfamiliar sense of guilt. For all his efforts to keep Aegor in check, it seemed he had unfairly misjudged the man. In Mormont’s eyes, Aegor had suddenly become one of his most valuable subordinates.

The Northern way of thinking was simple: a man with a sharp mind, unparalleled contributions to the corps, and the courage to return during the Wall’s most dangerous hour was someone you could trust.

...

When Aegor set out to visit the mountain clans and requested that Jaime Lannister and a few of his companions accompany him, Mormont agreed without hesitation. Aside from Jaime’s formidable combat skills, there was also Aegor’s habit of “tying himself to important narrative figures.” Accompanied by twenty newly promoted rangers and ten personal guards, Aegor first visited the Flint Clan of the Mountains, the largest of the clans and the closest to the Wall.

The “Flints of the Mountains” were so named to distinguish them from the Flints of Widow’s Watch and Flint’s Finger—branches of the family whose ancestors had left the mountains, earned their keeps, and founded their own noble houses. Those who stayed behind preferred to call themselves “the First Flints.”

True to their reputation for hospitality, the Flints welcomed Aegor and Jaime warmly after he presented his gifts—an ornate suit of armor donated by Tywin Lannister, several sharp steel weapons, a small trove of obsidian tools, and some southern trinkets—and introduced himself. Surprisingly, the mountain folk were not as isolated as Aegor had expected. They had heard of him as the “Slayer of White Walkers” and even knew Jaime’s infamous title. To Aegor’s amusement, the news that “the man who killed two kings” had arrived drew a crowd of curious young men.

Torganhen Flint, the clan chief, hosted a feast for the Night’s Watch visitors. Aegor had never eaten so much game in his life. Once the meal was over, he explained his purpose.

“For the past six months, the Flint Clan has suffered frequent raids by the wildlings,” the old chief said bluntly. “The truth is, we have a common enemy and are willing to help the Night’s Watch.”

Torganhen was direct and willing to cooperate, but there was a catch. The Flints and the Umbers of Last Hearth were the closest to the Wall; if the Wall fell, they would suffer first. Still, Torganhen was reluctant to send too many men.

“I’ve already sent thirty warriors to join Lord Eddard’s son in the south against the lions. There aren’t many fighting men left in the clan. If I send too many to the Wall, what happens if the wildlings attack us here?”

It was not an excuse but a legitimate concern. Many of the wildlings who crossed the Wall were not Mance Rayder’s elite warriors but starving families fleeing the White Walkers and winter. Along the way, lacking food and resources, they resorted to looting.

“That’s a fair concern,” Aegor acknowledged. “How many people are in the Flint Clan?”

“A thousand, maybe two thousand. I’ve never counted,” the chief replied. “But we’re spread across five villages. If you only need a few dozen, I can spare them without a word. Any more, and it’ll be difficult.”

A few dozen? Even if every clan sent a similar number, it would be far from enough. Aegor drank the clan’s homemade liquor, lost in thought, until a bold idea struck him: Why not relocate the non-combatants—women, children, and the elderly—to the Wall’s gift lands? That way, the Flints wouldn’t need to keep as many warriors at home for defense.

“If I propose relocating your entire clan to the Gift, near the Wall, would you consider it?” Aegor asked.

“Relocate to the Gift?” The chief blinked in surprise. “That would solve many problems, but we live off the mountains. We don’t farm. If we move to the Gift, what will we eat?”

“You seem to have forgotten,” Aegor said confidently, “that you’re speaking to the Night’s Watch’s Chief Logistics Officer. My greatest skill is feeding people. I swear to you: if even one member of your clan starves under our protection, I will present my head to you!”

...

Torganhen was intrigued but cautious. He tapped his thick, calloused fingers on the table. “What if, while we’re gone, wildlings or other clans take over our lands?”

Aegor smiled, hearing the unspoken request. “You can leave one village behind to guard your territory. And if anyone dares encroach, the Night’s Watch will support you—militarily, if necessary—to reclaim it.”

“Isn’t the Night’s Watch supposed to remain neutral?”

“Neutrality doesn’t extend to our allies,” Aegor replied without hesitation. “Anyone who threatens our friends threatens us.”

Impressed by Aegor’s assurances, the old chief grinned. “In that case, I’ll leave one hundred behind to guard our lands. The rest will relocate to the Gift and fight alongside the Night’s Watch against the wildlings—and whatever else comes our way.”