Chapter 177

"The trial is set for this afternoon. Why are you here so early?" A Stark guard in a gray cloak, naturally friendly toward men in black, spoke kindly. "Don’t linger at the gates of the Red Keep; you’re making us keep an extra eye on you. The sun’s blazing, and everyone’s tired. Go grab some food nearby and come back later."

"We’ve already eaten," Nina replied quickly, then added, "But Lord Aegor probably hasn’t! Come on, let’s find somewhere to eat."

A group of people escorted the freshly released Aegor to the nearest tavern outside the Red Keep. They ordered a spread of dishes to give him a proper "welcome back" meal.

The scene was peculiar—several people watching as only one man ate. Fortunately, apart from Ser Alliser, everyone present was one of Aegor’s subordinates, so there was no awkwardness. As he drank wine and tore into roasted meat, Aegor casually asked, "During my absence, has everything within the Night’s Watch enterprise been running smoothly?"

"You warned us in advance, my lord," Nina answered, sitting at his side and dutifully pouring his drink, her admiration and joy at seeing him again evident. "The enterprise has been operating as usual. We did cooperate with Lord Eddard’s investigation into Janos Slynt and Tyrion Lannister during that time. Though your absence lasted longer than expected, we restrained ourselves and didn’t act recklessly to try and rescue you."

"Well done." With King’s Landing cleared of Lannister influence, Eddard’s control was nearly absolute. Attempting to pull Aegor out of jail prematurely wouldn’t have worked and might have even worsened the situation. Being docile and cooperative while imprisoned had proven the better strategy—Eddard released him of his own accord. Aegor initially saw Nina as just an assistant, but her consistent ability to flawlessly carry out his orders had steadily earned his trust. He turned to Ser Alliser: "You’ve come to testify, but what about you? From what I’ve heard, you and Slynt go way back."

"We do," Alliser replied gruffly, "which is exactly why I came—to see the consequences of his ‘disagreement’ with you."

"As a member of House Thorne and a knight anointed with holy oils, you have every right to attend this trial without my permission," Aegor quipped, smiling. "But let me correct you: Slynt wasn’t just at odds with me. He opposed the Night’s Watch enterprise and the interests of the Watch itself."

Alliser snorted and turned his head away, clearly unimpressed with Aegor’s wordplay.

The two had never gotten along back at Castle Black, and a change in location wasn’t about to change that. Their strained relationship meant no further conversation ensued. Aegor, his appetite sharpened by days of prison rations, devoured his meal in silence. After resting briefly, he decided against returning home. Instead, he joined Nina, Jeros, and the others to watch his enemy face judgment.
----


Two hours later, they returned to the Red Keep, where the gates had finally opened to those attending the trial.

As the former Commander of the City Watch, Janos Slynt, a name familiar to most of King’s Landing, was deemed worthy of a trial presided over personally by the Master of Laws. To demonstrate the rule of law and the fairness of the proceedings, individuals of status and invited commoners were encouraged to attend as observers.

Aegor, lacking noble lineage or a title, and without a formal invitation, technically had no right to witness the trial. However, during his imprisonment, public opinion in King’s Landing had quietly shifted. Once mocked as the "White Walker Slayer," a nickname born of derision after the exaggerated tales in The Night’s Watch’s Fantastic Adventures, Aegor’s reputation had been transformed. The wight brought into the city and the circulating rumors of "the Night’s Watch entrepreneur toppling the Commander of the City Watch" lent credibility to his past exploits. The derision had begun to turn into respect.

While the Seven Kingdoms had once dismissed Aegor as a fraud, the demonstration of the wight at Eddard Stark’s behest had reversed the narrative entirely. The image of a resourceful and skilled member of the Watch who had faced off against White Walkers made Aegor, unbeknownst to himself, a legend among the residents of King’s Landing and the Crownlands.

With this growing, intangible force known as "reputation," Aegor was no longer treated as an ordinary man of the Night’s Watch. As he and Ser Alliser, accompanied by several witnesses from the Night’s Watch enterprise, strode confidently through the gates of the Red Keep, the guards recognized him and made no attempt to bar their passage.
----


While they were allowed into the Red Keep, access to Maegor’s Holdfast and the royal residence, where Robert was recovering, remained strictly off-limits. With the many guards Eddard had stationed along the way, observers and witnesses were firmly guided along a fixed route to the throne room, where the trial would be held.

The Red Keep lacked the space to dedicate a separate venue for judicial proceedings. Instead, the throne room doubled as a courtroom, with trials typically held in the afternoons after Eddard’s morning audiences. The staff used the midday break to arrange tables, chairs, and spaces for the prosecution and witnesses.

Walking into the repurposed throne room, Aegor felt his earlier resentment toward Eddard’s brief interrogation and week-long imprisonment dissipate. Now, this was a proper trial. Compared to this spectacle, his private questioning in the Hand’s office felt like a family squabble. Despite Eddard’s stern demeanor and self-proclaimed impartiality, he was, at heart, a compassionate man—a staunch ally of the Night’s Watch who consistently shielded its interests. That hadn’t changed before this incident and wouldn’t change after it.

It also struck Aegor that this was his first time inside the famed throne room. To his disappointment, the legendary Iron Throne forged from dragonfire was nowhere to be seen. Since neither the king nor the Hand would be presiding over the trial, and the Master of Laws lacked the authority to sit on the Iron Throne, the iconic seat had been covered with a drape. A large wooden chair had been placed before it for the trial.
----


Janos Slynt had made many enemies, but few were powerful enough to bring him down. The common folk despised him, yet most lacked the status to witness his trial. As people filed into the throne room, the observer benches filled to just over half capacity—a far cry from the packed spectacle of Tyrion’s trial for regicide in the original timeline.

Soon, Arya darted into the room, her energy unmistakable. Upon spotting Aegor, she huffed dramatically and deliberately sat at the opposite end of the observer benches.

"What’s wrong with Lady Arya?" Nina asked, puzzled. With Arya’s usual personality, she should have gleefully run over to greet Aegor.

"She’s sulking," Aegor replied, recounting Arya’s failed attempt to sneak out of the Red Keep to continue her sword lessons. He then realized the young wolf girl was his only reliable source of inside information. If they had a falling-out, it would be his loss. "Nina, go over and cheer her up. While you’re at it, see if you can learn anything about the king’s condition and when the war might officially begin."

Nina nodded and headed over to Arya. Before long, the two were chatting amicably.

When the trial’s presiding judge, Master of Laws Renly Baratheon, entered the hall, Aegor realized he’d miscalculated. If Robert were gravely ill or dead, Renly, second in line to the throne, would have surely returned to Storm’s End to secure his claim. The fact that Renly remained in King’s Landing suggested Robert’s condition wasn’t critical. But then why would the Lannisters risk a war with the Iron Throne?

Aegor’s thoughts were interrupted as Renly called for the accused to be brought forth. The trial was about to begin.
----


Janos Slynt entered the throne room under the escort of two Gold Cloaks.

Compared to their last encounter a week prior, the man seemed to have aged twenty years. His once-solid frame had withered, his already thinning hair nearly gone, and the remaining strands had turned gray. He looked utterly defeated, slumping between his escorts as they helped him to the defendant’s stand, where he clung to the railing as though it were the only thing keeping him upright.

"Janos Slynt, butcher’s son," Renly began, seated on the wooden chair before the draped Iron Throne, his resplendent attire exuding authority. "You stand accused of murder-for-hire, abuse of power, embezzlement, extortion, inciting unrest, and leaking critical military information. How do you plead?"

Clinging to the stand, Slynt forced himself upright, his voice hoarse yet defiant. "I plead not guilty! These accusations are nothing but fabrications by the queen’s faction and other schemers!"

Like Aegor, Slynt denied all charges. But could the former Commander of the City Watch withstand the mounting evidence and pressure?

Renly’s expression remained unchanged. He turned to the guards. "Summon the first witness."

...