“What happened… This… where should I even begin?” Nina grew nervous again, fumbling for words and unsure of where to start. “Let me think.”
(Where was that sharp, confident businesswoman who had just been asking me about contracts, bonds, investments, or loans? How does she even talk to clients like this?)
Aegor felt a pang of concern for her but vaguely realized that his presence might be making her uneasy. Still… was talking to him really that intimidating?
The Night’s Watch office looked just as it had two months ago, yet there were subtle changes. The golden sign Aegor had personally ordered still hung high above the entrance, but now, strange objects resembling advertising boards stood on the ground outside. Dismounting to examine them, Aegor discovered they were made of paper—cleverly reinforced. Their contents? Recruitment notices, job advertisements, bonds, and investment explanations. It seemed the instructions he’d left before depa...
2025-01-28 22:25:05 +0000 UTC View Post“Marriage should be decided by one’s parents.” Forcing down the frustration in her chest, Margaery forced a smile onto her lips. “Let’s not discuss such matters, Lord Aegor. The lords of the League of Justice have all been apprehended. Since His Majesty has commanded you to accompany the army, it seems he bears no intent to kill them. Do you know how they will be dealt with?”
This was not something the Night’s Watch could possibly influence. Though Margaery appeared to di...
Highgarden had long set its sights on the crown.
As one of the most powerful houses in Westeros, rivaling even Tywin Lannister, the Tyrells had spent the decade following Robert's Rebellion lying low and avoiding controversy, patiently waiting for Robert's sons to come of age. The Queen of Thorns had poured her heart and soul into grooming Margaery—not only to be beautiful and charming but also politically savvy and cunning. The goal was clear: to make her a queen.
With Highga...
“Ser Selmy,” Aegor greeted, stepping closer.
“Ser Wester,” the old knight replied, turning to get a better look at the newcomer under the moonlight. Though they weren’t acquainted, Aegor’s reputation as someone loyal to the Night’s Watch and dedicated to its cause had earned him a degree of respect from Barristan. The old knight didn’t ignore the greeting. “Why aren’t you at the wedding?”
----
Strictly speaking, addressing Aegor as “Ser” or “Lo...
Aegor coughed violently after spitting out his wine, wiping his mouth as he glanced at Stevron Frey—the man old enough to be Roslin Frey’s grandfather. From the way Stevron’s expression shifted from shock to unrestrained glee, it was clear that even the Freys themselves had no prior knowledge of this “good news.” Robb Stark’s decision seemed to be entirely his own.
The Karstarks, Umbers, and other Northern lords were desperately signaling Robb to withdraw his request, their...
Outside the tent, the raucous cheers and shouts of celebrating soldiers seeped through the canvas, forming a stark contrast to the tense silence within. Under the gaze of countless nobles, Aegor’s body began to tremble slightly—he had not expected Robert to reward him with such a dramatic “make a wish” moment, leaving him unprepared.
Ask the king to release me from the Night’s Watch!
The thought almost escaped his lips, but reason pulled him back at the last second.
The Bloody Gate had fallen, but the events leading to its capture had unfolded in a way no one could have predicted.
For reasons Aegor had not foreseen, the elite troops sent into the mountains to subdue or ally with the mountain clans faced unexpected challenges. These natives, familiar with the rugged terrain, employed tactics that would have made Mao Zedong proud. They refused to engage in direct combat, instead disappearing into the wilderness whenever the loyalist forces approache...
Are the mountain clans truly difficult to deal with?
Not really. They’re poorly equipped, malnourished, and utterly untrained—fighting them would be no different from fighting the Free Folk beyond the Wall. So why haven’t the rulers of the Vale ever made an effort to eliminate them?
The answer is simple: the same reason the Night’s Watch hasn’t wiped out the Free Folk. Sure, a few thousand well-trained soldiers—even ones of Aegor’s modest skill level—could annihilate...
“Damn the Night’s Watch!” Robert’s face flushed even redder in an instant.
As king, his whimsical decision to bring along a “camp-following Night’s Watchman” had originally been a gesture of confidence—a statement that the Bloody Gate would fall with ease. But with the campaign stalled, this unprecedented move had become a constant reminder of his own failure. Aegor staying quietly in the camp would’ve been fine, but now he had the audacity to step forward and offer a...
"Wait!" Earl Buckwell raised a hand, halting Aegor mid-sentence. The unexpected gesture left the Night's Watchman momentarily stunned. The old man leaned forward, his gaze sharp yet calm. "Aegor, I’ve seen your sharp mind at work before; I’ve no doubts about your abilities. But let me ask you this—does your idea guarantee the capture of the Bloody Gate?"
"No," Aegor replied honestly, shaking his head. "It’s not about taking the Bloody Gate. It’s about taking the Vale. My insp...
Aegor listened patiently as Earl Buckwell explained the situation, finally grasping the two main problems plaguing the army—morale and wages.
Simple issues on paper, but with complications that stretched far.
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When Robert ordered over thirty thousand soldiers from the allied forces to split into smaller groups of several thousand and besiege various castles and strongholds across the Vale, an odd situation began to unfold. At every castle, without exception, the mom...
During the duel, Aegor was grateful that Oberyn had shown restraint, but now, having surrendered and accepted defeat, he would count himself lucky if the Dornish prince refrained from mocking him outright. For a man of Oberyn’s station, why would he flatter someone like Aegor—a mediocre fighter and mere quartermaster of the Night’s Watch? What wisdom could a man like Aegor possibly offer him?
This felt... bizarre. Aegor looked at Oberyn in confusion, only to see the prince wink a...
Aegor had only been south of the Wall for a few months, but he made a habit of keeping himself in shape during his time in King’s Landing. Training with Arya—a tireless ball of energy—for two or three hours at a stretch had done wonders for his reflexes and muscle tone, even if his technique remained lacking. When his first strike missed but left him unharmed, he realized he had gambled correctly. Without hesitation, he shifted his stance, using his right arm to drive his blade downward...
2025-01-28 22:21:18 +0000 UTC View Post“So, this is the legendary ‘White Walker Slayer.’ I’ve heard tales of your exploits!” Oberyn spun his spear in a casual flourish, planting it firmly on the ground as he smiled, scrutinizing the new opponent who had been shoved into the circle. “Hmm, it seems the rumors weren’t entirely exaggerated. You’re clearly not from Westeros, are you?”
“I hail from west of the Sunset Sea, a place called Tynna.” Since he had already been pushed forward, retreating into the cr...
This rebellion had drawn together countless secondary characters from the world of A Song of Ice and Fire, all gathered here in the allied army’s camp.
How many were there in total? Too many to count.
Due to limited time and the constraints of social hierarchy, Aegor couldn’t possibly meet all these notable figures. Among them, there were two renowned warriors he hadn’t yet encountered: Oberyn Martell, the Red Viper, and Brienne of Tarth, the Maid of Tarth.
The form...
Outside the tent, the sun shone brightly, heralding yet another ordinary day in the allied army’s encampment. When Aegor finally woke naturally, dressed, and stepped outside, he immediately sensed something off about the atmosphere.
A quick scan of his surroundings soon revealed the source of the oddity: clusters of soldiers were pointing eastward at the sky, chattering animatedly among themselves.
Following their gaze, Aegor squinted toward the horizon and quickly spotted wha...
Petyr Baelish stood on the deck, staring indifferently at the ship’s path ahead. The mist over the sea gradually receded as the June Flower glided smoothly forward, slicing through the gray-green waters. Soon, a jagged ridge of rocky peaks rose from the surface, and the colossal figure of the Titan of Braavos came into view.
This towering humanoid fortress had stood guard for centuries. Its stone legs straddled the gaps in the rocky ridge, each foot firmly planted on a massive boulde...
An alliance with House Tully could indeed bolster House Tyrell's influence across the Seven Kingdoms, while also consolidating their control over the Reach. However, in times of peace, such benefits were merely decorative. Wasting the only marriage opportunity of their precious daughter for this marginal gain seemed unwise—even Aegor, an outsider to the noble games, could see that.
With Margaery bent on becoming queen, failing to seduce the king would undoubtedly shift her focus to t...
Margaery’s attempt to corner Aegor into her schemes had failed. All her acting and eloquent flattery were for naught. Yet, she maintained her composure, showing not the slightest hint of humiliation or anger. That alone made her far superior to a certain someone like Cersei.
When her probing words bore no fruit, she remained unperturbed. With gentle and pleasant conversation, she tried once more but quickly realized Aegor was impervious to her charms. Pragmatic as ever, she decided t...
"Ambition" sounds like a sinister term, but call it "shrewdness," and it instantly feels different. Everyone has desires or goals, and these aspirations should not be treated as monstrous. They are the driving force of personal agency and societal progress. Altruism is indeed a noble and commendable trait that promotes the survival of a group, but purely altruistic beings cannot exist. Those who lack the ability to act selfishly or compete for resources would have long been eliminated by natu...
2025-01-28 21:22:39 +0000 UTC View Post“Our books?” Aegor’s eyelid twitched, and a thought immediately crossed his mind—something so popular with the soldiers could only be a certain type of illustrated, unsavory material. He approached the tent, and as he got closer, he could hear the conversation between the vendor and the soldiers.
“You’re robbing me blind! Ten silver stags for this trash?”
“Robbing you? Open your eyes! This is a book! Do you have any idea how much paper this contains, how much ink...
Amid the rhythmic pounding of the battering ram against the gate, Aegor suddenly found the answer to a question that had been troubling him earlier. In terms of defensibility, the Bloody Gate was still inferior to the Sword Gate. The latter overlooked the approach to Shu with a commanding height. From ancient times until now, no attacker had ever managed to position such a massive battering ram beneath the Sword Gate.
Could this slight difference determine the outcome of the war?
The Bloody Gate stood like an immovable sentinel, wedged between the towering cliffs that flanked the only pass into the Vale through the Mountains of the Moon. Its defenses consisted of two watchtowers clinging to the rock face, a sealed arching bridge of gray stone connecting them, and layers of crenellations reinforcing both structures. From afar, it appeared as though a colossal boulder had dropped from the heavens to completely block the narrow approach into the Vale. With just one glanc...
2025-01-28 21:21:43 +0000 UTC View PostOf course, Aegor knew that calling the King’s actions “putting on airs” was a subjective and emotionally charged critique. While it was undeniable that Robert Baratheon was now a literal fat man, the more important distinction lay in how he was raised. As the eldest son of his house, Robert’s upbringing had been completely different from Eddard’s. If Eddard’s personality was “reserved,” Robert’s was “dominant.” On that note, had both been equally headstrong, their lifelo...
2025-01-28 21:21:24 +0000 UTC View PostAegor and Lord Buckwell came to an understanding, deciding not to dwell further on the subject of retrieving Jarman from the Night’s Watch. After traveling a little further, they arrived at the camp of the Buckwell forces. Amid dozens of blue-and-white striped tents adorned with antler sigils, Aegor and his young squire were given a tent next to Lord Buckwell’s own quarters—a mark of respect and a rare privilege, considering the circumstances of war.
…
The army set off a...
“The tens of thousands of Free Folk beyond the Wall are fleeing the foretold Long Winter and attempting to cross into the Seven Kingdoms. The Night’s Watch, weakened and in disarray, is no longer capable of holding them back. Reform is no longer optional—it’s a necessity. Without change, extinction is inevitable.” Aegor deliberately avoided mentioning the Others. Without concrete evidence, speaking of such things would only make others dismiss him as a fool. “That said, the reason...
2025-01-28 21:20:45 +0000 UTC View PostThe knight did remember Aegor—not solely because of the interest that had accrued on his bonds, which amounted to several gold dragons, but also due to Aegor’s distinct black garb of the Night’s Watch and his unique, unmistakable Eastern features. Upon recognizing him, the knight greeted Aegor warmly and took the initiative to introduce him to his companions.
"This is the Night’s Watchman I mentioned to you all earlier," the knight began, addressing his peers. "You all insisted...
Not even young Cassie, barely a man grown and a boy of King’s Landing, could hide his wide-eyed astonishment. And Aegor, who had "served in the army" in another life, found himself equally stunned by the sheer scale of the massive encampment before him.
Compared to this vast assembly of soldiers, Castle Black looked like little more than a modest outpost—though, to be fair, the Night’s Watch truly was meant to be the sentinels of the Seven Kingdoms. Such a stark contrast made sen...
"What are you so worried about? No one’s sending you into battle—just think of it as a sightseeing trip," Tyrion said with a shrug, attempting to console Aegor. "The Vale has some beautiful scenery if you’re not climbing mountains. Do you really think Robert could lose? At worst, it’ll be a stalemate."
"I’m not worried about my personal safety," Aegor sighed. "It’s just that our enterprise is at a critical stage of growth. If one of the two pillars behind the Night’s Watc...