Chapter 20

Robert Baratheon was a terrible king—this was something nearly everyone in the Seven Kingdoms, both inside and outside the court, could agree on. While his life was consumed by wine, women, and indulgence, he was no fool. Deep down, he understood one thing clearly: he didn’t like or trust the Lannisters. His good Hand of the King and foster father, Jon Arryn, was dead, and Robert had no desire to rule himself. But he couldn’t let the entire realm fall into the hands of his queen’s family.

The kingdom needed balance.

So, he thought of his old friend in the North, Eddard Stark.

Bringing the Warden of the North to King’s Landing to serve as Hand of the King, however, was no simple matter.

Westeros operated under a peculiar, semi-feudal system. On the surface, the king resembled an ancient Chinese Zhou Dynasty emperor, while the great lords were akin to vassal princes. But there was a fundamental problem:

Of the eight major families ruling the nine regions of Westeros, none—aside from the Baratheons—had been directly installed or empowered by the king on the Iron Throne.

Robert’s rebellion, which toppled the Targaryen dynasty and placed him on the throne, was often called the “War of the Usurper” precisely because of this. The Baratheons had not truly established a new dynasty but merely replaced the Targaryens on the throne. The realm remained much as it had been under Aegon the Conqueror’s rule.
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The Starks of the North, the Lannisters of the West, the Arryns of the Vale, and the Martells of Dorne had all been kings in their own right before Aegon’s conquest, with legitimate authority and the strength to back it up. After being conquered, they surrendered their titles but continued ruling their lands as before.

The Tullys of the Riverlands, the Tyrells of the Reach, and the Greyjoys of the Iron Islands were different. They rose to power by swiftly surrendering to Aegon’s forces and replacing the more powerful kings they once served.

Only the Baratheons owed their rise entirely to Aegon’s conquest. Orys Baratheon, Aegon’s rumored half-brother, was rewarded for his service with dominion over the Stormlands, but even then, he solidified his position by taking the Storm King’s castle, marrying his daughter, and adopting his sigil and motto.

From a modern perspective, Aegon’s conquest paled in comparison to something like Qin Shi Huang unifying China. Aegon subdued the Seven Kingdoms primarily through dragons, a terrifying advantage in battle, but he lacked the administrative tools or manpower to unify and govern them effectively. Instead, he relied on the existing structures, maintaining a loose system of vassalage.

It wasn’t for lack of ambition but due to necessity. The harsh climate, sparse population, and limited technological development of Westeros made centralized governance impossible. Roads were poor, and communication was slow, which meant that any attempt to impose a centralized bureaucracy risked fragmenting into regional warlordism.

This is why “eliminating the roots” of rival factions was such a rare concept in Westeros. Even if a ruling family was exterminated, the victors would still need to find local figures to govern in their place. Attempts to appoint loyal bureaucrats often failed, as distance from the crown allowed them to grow into independent powers.

This was a textbook case of how backward productivity restricted the development of political structures.
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Three hundred years later, the Baratheons replaced the Targaryens on the throne, but as the youngest of the great families, Robert’s position was weak. He had neither the loyal bannermen nor the dragons the Targaryens once wielded. Governing over seven families, each older and more established than his own, was a task far beyond him. Small wonder the once-mighty warrior now drowned himself in wine and hunting, incapable of dealing with the kingdom’s complexities.

This was the ultimate truth of rulership: winning a throne was easy; keeping it was hard. To maintain his fragile grasp on power, Robert married a Lannister, appointed Jon Arryn as Hand, and relied on his alliances with the Starks and Tullys. Together, they formed a coalition strong enough to keep the Tyrells, Martells, and Greyjoys in line.

But Robert couldn’t simply summon Eddard Stark to King’s Landing with a royal decree. Eddard was not just his subject but his closest friend, a brother in all but blood. For the sake of their friendship, Robert had to travel north in person, both to convince Ned and to propose a betrothal between their families, further strengthening the bonds of their alliance.

For all his faults as a king, Robert was born into a noble family and understood the necessities of power. He may have been a scoundrel, but he was no fool. So, he came north—and he intended to stay awhile.
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For Aegor, this confirmed what he had begun to suspect: the world he had transmigrated into was no mere replica of the show or books. It was a living, breathing reality. From his brothers of the Night’s Watch—like Garry, Will, and Benjen—to the lords and ladies of the great houses, everyone had a depth and presence far beyond what he had expected.

Thankfully, while appearances and nuances differed, the events, personalities, and motivations remained largely consistent with the story he knew. This was his greatest advantage. With preparation, Aegor could adapt to any situation and manipulate the players of this grand game of thrones to his benefit.

And tonight, two of the most important players had walked into his room: Tyrion Lannister and Jon Snow. By any measure, these two dominated the narrative of both the books and the show. Their growth, arcs, and decisions shaped the fate of Westeros. Aegor knew these characters inside and out, thanks to the countless analyses he’d read before his transmigration.

Jon’s decision to join the Night’s Watch had come earlier than expected, spurred by the shattered swords. It was a minor deviation, and Aegor had no interest in stopping it. Jon was still a secondary player for now, but Tyrion—already armed with his sharp wit and noble birth—was a man of influence.

Tyrion’s promise of help was only a verbal agreement for now, but based on what Aegor knew of the man, it was one he could trust. Still, Tyrion wasn’t a king or the head of his family. His influence was limited, and Aegor couldn’t take his support for granted—especially since, if events followed the original story, Tyrion himself would soon face challenges just trying to leave the North.

If Aegor was going to escape the Night’s Watch with Tyrion’s help, he might first have to save the man offering him a way out.