Chapter 26: Risk and a Violent Breakout
The tendency to take things for granted was a mistake Egger had already made several times since entering this world.
Whether it was his initial encounter with the White Walkers—where he nearly died due to a wrong impression of enemy numbers—or this failed attempt to interfere with the plot, the root cause was the same flaw. He had assumed Jaime and Cersei wouldn't dare tryst in the First Keep while someone was in the courtyard; he was ignored. He then assumed Bran would walk to the base of the tower and climb upward... instead, both parties slapped him in the face with their actions, and the tragedy was not avoided.
After racking his brain for half the night, Egger still couldn't find a clean way out of his future predicament. He forced his eyes shut, and in a state of physical and mental exhaustion, he drifted into a fitful sleep without knowing when.
Sleep is always the best restoration. When the first light of dawn filtered through the small latticed window of his room the next morning, he lay in bed for a minute before a bold idea suddenly struck him.
Since he couldn't stay out of the plot, why not stop hiding altogether?
During his insomnia the previous night, half of his time was spent considering how to save Bran from assassination, while the other half was spent weighing how to clear his own name if the attempt happened anyway. Neither path bore fruit for a simple reason: while brainstorming, he had unconsciously shackled himself with a restrictive condition—not getting himself involved.
As for who actually ordered the assassin with the Valyrian steel dagger, the original author had only offered subtle hints, and the showrunners never gave a definitive answer. Before his transmigration, fans on forums could argue for hundreds of pages; some blamed Cersei for wanting to tie up loose ends, others suspected Joffrey after he was slapped by his uncle, and some even had wild theories about Littlefinger sowing chaos from King's Landing. Each viewpoint had persuasive evidence, making it impossible for Egger to be certain.
If he didn't know who the assassin was, who sent them, or when they would arrive, how could he stop them quietly?
Stopping the assassination was difficult, but distancing himself afterward was even more impossible. The reason was simple: his move to the old inner ward wasn't a secret, and his status as the first witness to Bran's fall was public knowledge. Not to mention, the accident was directly related to him. Since he wasn't innocent, how could he clear his name?
With these hurdles in his way, to keep his thoughts shackled by the hope of hiding in the shadows and being forgotten was pure fantasy.
In that case, he would simply join the game!
Egger was generally a rational and calm man, but he was stubborn to the bone and didn't believe in fate. He didn't like looking for trouble, but if trouble found him, he wasn't afraid to face it. If he couldn't clear his name or stop the hit on Bran through his own strength, he would discard all extra conditions—use the crudest, most direct method to break the deadlock. What if he simply told the Starks that someone was planning to kill Bran?
Following this logic, his first thought was an anonymous note, but he'd still be in trouble once the attempt happened. To avoid suspicion, he needed to play the role of the absolutely innocent, beyond-reproach whistleblower.
He needed to find a member of the Stark family and inform them that Bran was in danger.
But who? Egger first thought of his new acquaintance, Jon Snow, but realized the boy was still just a child and his reliability was questionable. That left only one member of the Wolf family he knew and had a chance to see.
As for the target of his report... after a moment's thought, Egger chose Joffrey. The prince was the primary suspect and was even suspected by Tyrion in the books. More importantly, his identity was the most sensitive but wouldn't implicate Egger personally—Joffrey bore the name Baratheon; he was, at least in the Starks' eyes, the son of King Robert.
To learn that a child—and the future ruler of the Seven Kingdoms—wanted Bran dead would make Eddard furious, but he wouldn't explode immediately. Even if he did, it would be hard to link it to Tyrion, who was supposed to take Egger away from the Wall. To escape that dangerous, miserable hellhole, Egger no longer cared about the consequences.
If there truly was some eerie presence maintaining the plot, he wanted to see: if he risked everything to intervene directly, how would it deal with him then?
Bran's fall had delayed the King's return to King's Landing. Robert was meant to take Eddard back as the new Hand, but now that his friend's son lay between life and death, the King chose to stay out of solidarity, spending the night with his "brother" watching over the comatose child.
To maintain plausibility, Egger waited patiently for a day before cautiously approaching his superior, whom he hadn't spoken to in days: First Ranger Benjen Stark.
...
"Is there something you need?" The reinforcements Benjen had requested for the Watch hadn't arrived, and now his nephew lay half-dead in a bed. The Stark looked exhausted and worried.
"My Lord, there is something... I am unsure if I should speak of it."
"Since you've stepped through the door, I assume you've already made up your mind. Speak quickly."
"This matter involves a high-ranking individual. I humbly ask for your protection, my Lord."
Benjen looked at Egger with suspicion and gave an impatient nod. "You have it. Speak."
"It concerns your nephew, Bran." Egger began his narrative, using carefully organized words. He felt a bit like a fawning courtier whispering slander, for the simple reason that everything he was about to say was a fabrication. "I was the first to find him when he fell, as I was nearby practicing archery with Ser Jaime. This morning, when I overheard people discussing the incident, I instinctively paid closer attention."
"Mhm," Benjen nodded, signaling him to continue.
"The ones speaking were Prince Joffrey and a knight in armor I didn't recognize. The knight said that even if Bran recovered, he would never walk again, and that he might as well be dead."
The First Ranger knit his brows. In a sense, the statement was true: in this cold, cruel world, a cripple's life was undeniably difficult—Tyrion's upbringing was proof enough. But to think such a thing was one thing; to say it aloud was a grave disrespect to the Lord of Winterfell. Who would be so arrogant?
Well, the identity didn't really matter; one couldn't exactly prosecute someone for a stray comment made in private. Benjen looked at the sharpest ranger under his command, knowing the man wouldn't come to him with a petty report over just one sentence. There had to be more.
"Prince Joffrey agreed with the knight. Ordinarily, that would have been the end of it and I would have left, but the Prince's next words made me wary." Egger continued with a look of feigned tension. "The Prince said he intended to give Bran Stark 'mercy' and end his suffering once he woke."
"'Mercy'?" Benjen's frown deepened. "What exactly did he say?"
"He said he would 'give the Stark boy his release, just like a Braavosi would'." Egger vividly described the scene and dialogue that existed only in his mind. "If it were just that, perhaps I would have ignored it, but then the Prince produced a dagger... I couldn't see it clearly as I was behind a haystack, I could only listen—he told the knight, 'This is a dagger of Valyrian steel, taken from my father's armory. The hilt is dragonbone; it is a fit blade for a Stark child'."
"Go on."
"I couldn't hear much else as they walked away, but I am certain the Prince told the knight to find a catspaw and give him the Valyrian steel dagger to do the deed." Egger added vaguely, "I feel this might just be a child boasting, but given the gravity of the situation, I decided to inform you. Even if it is a joke, adding an extra guard outside young Master Bran's room is no great trouble."
Benjen sat in grim silence for a long while. Finally, he stared at Egger and spoke. "Do you realize what you are doing?"
"To accuse the future King of the Seven Kingdoms without evidence is treason, punishable by death."
"It seems you understand Westerosi culture and law well enough. Then I won't waste words. Go back to your room. Remember not to speak a word of this to anyone. To anyone. Do you understand?"
"As you command."
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