Chapter 197

What was supposed to be a peaceful, uneventful period of lying low turned into a nerve-wracking ordeal with the addition of one small "unauthorized member." Before Renly’s army even entered the city, the Red Keep had already fallen to the traitorous City Watch, leaving Stannis with almost no chance of victory. If Renly were to march into King’s Landing and discover Arya Stark hidden under Aegor’s roof…

It would be no different than tattooing the direwolf sigil on his forehead, blatantly declaring his allegiance. At that point, there wouldn’t even be time to consider whether to accept Renly’s offer of recruitment—he’d be lucky to escape with his life.

Inside the residence, Nina reverted to her old trade, personally tailoring a set of well-fitted black clothes for Arya and cutting the girl’s hair down to mere inches. For months, Aegor had pushed Arya to behave more ladylike—dressing neatly, staying composed, and practicing etiquette—only to now have to personally order her to be disguised as a boy. Life, it seemed, was full of annoying ironies.

After helping with Arya’s transformation and crafting her a fabricated identity, Aegor braced himself for the imminent searches. But the dreaded knock on the door never came. After two days and nights of martial law, the city reopened, signaling the end of the struggle for King’s Landing.

The Night’s Watch office resumed operations. With his extensive network of friends and informants, Aegor quickly pieced together a clear picture of the battle.
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The same afternoon that Aegor had whisked Arya home under the enemy’s nose, Stannis led his cavalry back to the Red Keep. The fighting within the castle hadn’t ended yet; soldiers loyal to Stannis still controlled parts of the keep, including Maegor’s Holdfast. Caught in a pincer between Stannis’s forces outside and his loyalists inside, the traitorous garrison quickly lost ground. By evening, Stannis had retaken the southern gate of the Red Keep and most of the inner walls.

But the battle soon reached a stalemate. Renly’s army, having breached the city’s defenses from the north, poured into King’s Landing and reached the Red Keep. The two sides engaged in fierce skirmishes over the keep’s structures and side gates.

Stannis’s troops were far superior in both discipline and leadership compared to the mutinous garrison and Renly’s forces. But reinforcements from Renly’s army outside the city continued to arrive, tipping the balance. While Stannis needed to retake every gate and structure to hold the Red Keep, Renly’s forces only needed to defend a single entry point long enough for reinforcements to secure their foothold.

The battle raged until sunset. After several failed attempts to retake the Red Keep entirely, and with the risk of being surrounded increasing by the minute, Stannis made the painful decision to abandon the castle. Under the cover of night, he led his forces southward, breaking through the River Gate before Renly’s army could fully encircle them. After routing enemy forces along the Blackwater Rush, he signaled for the Dragonstone fleet to come ashore. Stannis evacuated his soldiers, loyal followers, and their families, retreating to Dragonstone.
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Compared to the great sieges of ancient empires, the battle for King’s Landing was little more than a clash of amateurs—an embarrassing spectacle where the slightly less incompetent side scraped by thanks to sheer numbers and luck. But for Aegor, the outcome was the worst-case scenario:

If Stannis had defeated Renly, Westeros’s civil war would have effectively ended. The Night’s Watch industry could have complied with policies to shut down brothels and halt certain printing operations while continuing all other business as usual.

If Renly had eliminated Stannis, Aegor could have safely cast off his black cloak, pledged loyalty to the new king, and likely earned a seat on the Small Council, instantly becoming a major power player in the realm.

But instead, both Baratheons survived.

The deadlock between the two kings remained unbroken, leaving Aegor in an awkward position with three pressing issues:
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The first and most urgent issue: what to do with Arya Stark, now hiding in his residence.

Handing her over to Renly and Margaery was a tempting solution. The theatrical couple would surely treat Arya kindly, but doing so would cost Aegor a loyal apprentice and fan while alienating the North, Riverlands, Vale, and Stannis. On the other hand, keeping her hidden indefinitely was just as untenable. A Stark living in his house, surrounded by a detachment of guards—most of whom were loyal but still human and thus prone to temptation—was a disaster waiting to happen.
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The second issue: Renly would undoubtedly renew his offer to recruit Aegor into his Small Council. Should Aegor refuse again and risk offending him, or should he side against Melisandre and Stannis by joining Renly, knowing full well that Renly’s death was only a matter of time?
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The third issue: Stannis’s retreat to Dragonstone meant the war was far from over. With Dragonstone and King’s Landing now firmly in opposing camps, shipping between the two would be impossible. The Night’s Watch industry relied on Dragonstone’s obsidian deposits, and while the industrial park still had a few tons in stock, it would last no more than half a month—barely enough to meet King’s Landing’s demand, let alone Aegor’s plans to expand sales across the Seven Kingdoms.
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One other unconfirmed rumor loomed over Aegor’s thoughts: Eddard Stark, former Hand of the King, had failed to escape during the fall of the Red Keep and had been captured by Renly’s forces.
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"You just had to run off, didn’t you?" Aegor glared at Arya, his frustration boiling over. "Sansa and Stannis both managed to escape, but your father? He went back through the River Gate to look for you, only to get himself caught. What do you think about that?"

"I—I didn’t mean to..." Arya stammered, tears welling in her eyes. For the first time, she truly grasped the consequences of her actions. "What do we do now? They won’t hurt him, will they? Master, please... I was wrong. Save him, I’m begging you!"

"The Night’s Watch does not meddle in the affairs of the Seven Kingdoms!" Aegor snapped, using his neutrality as a shield. "And even if I wanted to, how would I do it? Your father is the Lord of Winterfell. Do you think Renly would be stupid enough to harm him? As long as they have him, they hold the North, Riverlands, and Vale hostage. He’s probably eating better in the Red Keep than I am here. Meanwhile, I’m trying to figure out how to save myself!"
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Nina, who had been quietly observing, finally spoke up. "Master, I don’t understand why you won’t join Renly’s Small Council. But... there is a way to solve two problems at once." She glanced nervously at Arya before continuing. "Claim that you’re undertaking a mission for the Night’s Watch and travel north to return Lady Arya to her family. It would give you a reason to leave the city for a while and avoid Renly’s attention. Once his Small Council is full, you can return—he wouldn’t dismiss someone else just to make room for you."

Aegor knew the plan had merit, but he also knew Renly wasn’t an idiot. Leaving King’s Landing right as Renly solidified his rule would be tantamount to openly refusing his service. Stories of scholars and officials retreating into seclusion to avoid serving rulers were familiar to Aegor, yet he had never imagined he would one day face such a dilemma himself.

Still, with Arya in his care, fleeing the city suddenly seemed like the best option. After staring at Arya for a long moment, he made up his mind.

"Fine. I’ll leave King’s Landing for a while. Honestly, this city is exhausting—every decision, every step, feels like walking a tightrope. As the Night’s Watch’s Chief Logistician, I should return to the Wall anyway. It’s time to check on the progress of the plans I left for the development of Eastwatch-by-the-Sea."

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