Chapter 34: Finalized
The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder—figuratively speaking. Fortunately, Tyrion was not a physically whole man; no matter how heated the argument became, Benjen could not exactly come to blows with him. Maester Aemon pondered for a moment, then waved his hand to signal the Stark and the Lannister to cease their bickering. He turned his head slightly toward Mormont, who had been sitting by watching the "tigers fight" from the sidelines.
"Lord Commander," the blind maester began, "word has returned from Dragonstone. They have granted us permission to send men to establish a mining operation for dragonglass."
"From there? Can't we just send any random lot?" Mormont's brow arched, then a sudden realization struck him. "You mean..."
The blind maester nodded. "Dragonstone is quite close to King's Landing. Since Lord Tyrion has such confidence in Egger's abilities, why not give this young man a chance to prove himself? He crossed the sea to reach Westeros, only to be sentenced to a lifetime of service on the Wall for stealing a few potatoes to fill his belly. To finally get an opportunity to leave, only to have us ruin it... even if he stays, he would surely be harbor a heart full of resentment."
Spot on. Tyrion roared his agreement with Aemon internally. He turned to Mormont, who had been silent for a while, waiting for his stance.
"Since you deem it so, I have no objection," Mormont said, out of respect for Maester Aemon. "Ask Benjen if he's willing to release the man."
The decision fell back to Stark. He was loath to let this annoying Lannister have his way, but he could not easily brush off Aemon's suggestion. He asked one question: "If he goes and never returns, who takes responsibility?"
"I will, of course. Not only that, if he fails to complete his mission or fails to make a greater contribution to the Watch after leaving the Wall, you may recall him directly. If he deserts, lay that at my door as well. How does that sound?"
"And how exactly would we lay it at your door? Would you come to the Wall to serve in his stead, or march your family's army up here to help?" Benjen said coldly. "Either scenario is unrealistic. Instead of playing with empty words, let's be practical. As the wealthiest family in Westeros, House Lannister's patronage for the Night's Watch—the shield that guards the Seven Kingdoms—shouldn't be so meager that it's embarrassing to mention, wouldn't you agree?"
"Heh, and here I thought all Starks viewed worldly possessions as dirt." Tyrion breathed a sigh of relief, though he gritted his teeth at the impending slaughter of his purse. Choosing between face and coin is a hard choice for any man, even the clever ones, and he decided he wanted the former today. "Since it is for the defense of humanity, I naturally won't be stingy. Now, let us discuss the details of the patronage and Egger's specific duties once he leaves the Wall!"
Egger didn't find a place to sit and wait; instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the Lord Commander's office from a short distance away.
A while after Tyrion entered, the Lord Commander's personal steward left the room and soon returned with the First Ranger and Maester Aemon. Clearly, the negotiations were making progress. This left him feeling anxious; if he had to describe it, it felt like waiting outside a delivery room for a child to be born. Whether Tyrion could successfully persuade the black-clad bigwigs to let him leave with a mission to collect supplies would determine if he could start a new life in this world.
If it failed, he would have to obediently join the next patrol. Even if he didn't die and managed to flee back by some miracle, he would still just be a Night's Watch soldier on the front lines of the war between the living and the dead. At best, he'd get a promotion and a raise, slowly working his way from a common ranger to a squad leader, then eyeing the position of First Ranger, and eventually seeing if he could compete for Lord Commander. The dangers to be faced and the youth to be wasted in that time were unimaginable. One wrong step, and this transmigrator-turned-crow would truly live and die here.
But what if he succeeded? He could follow Tyrion out. The vast world of Westeros, massive opportunities, and countless possibilities would all be waiting for him to explore and seize. The lifelong label of the Night's Watch was a headache, certainly, but where there's a will, there's a way. What difficulty couldn't be overcome with a focused mind?
...
He waited patiently for a long while more. The Lord Commander's personal steward pushed the door open again; this time, the Lord Steward and the First Builder were called inside. After a brief moment of confusion, Egger was suddenly ecstatic: It's a lock! Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck were high-ranking officers, but they generally didn't meddle in night's watch affairs outside their own purviews. For them to be called into the office—unless Tyrion had suddenly developed a passion for wall maintenance and administrative paperwork—it had to be to discuss the quantity and types of material support. In other words, they were haggling over the ransom required for his departure!
Barring any accidents, the result would be revealed soon. It felt a bit improper to keep standing right there, so Egger thought for a moment, turned back toward the Great Hall, found a seat, and began to wait.
...
About half an hour later, the wooden door creaked open. The person who entered was not Tyrion, but Benjen Stark.
The First Ranger stood by the door with an expressionless face for several seconds before speaking: "Egger, you won't be joining the next patrol. The Lord Commander has arranged a more important task for you. Get ready; when the Lannister has seen enough of the Wall and prepares to leave, you go with him."
"Ah... understood." Egger stood up. Though he had anticipated the result, he still struggled to suppress his wild joy. "But I was supposed to lead the way for this patrol. Am I truly leaving now?"
Why bother acting?
Benjen let out a quiet snort in his mind. He wasn't stupid. The Lannister dwarf had suddenly approached the Lord Commander, not only expressing a willingness to provide aid but also specifically naming Egger to go to King's Landing to oversee the first shipment. As the person in question, how could this lad be ignorant of the plan?
He must have fed that dwarf some kind of potion or struck some sort of deal to make him pay such a price to fish him out of the Night's Watch... This made Benjen slightly curious. While he didn't like the Lannisters, he had to admit Tyrion was a clever man. How could such a person be persuaded with just a few words to bleed his own coin for a stranger? He had already seen that Egger was no ordinary bird; Maester Aemon even had thoughts of grooming him. He just hadn't expected that even from the lowly position of a common ranger, this kid could manage to befriend a Duke's son and turn him to his own use, finding a way off the Wall in one fell swoop.
"As for leading the way, Will is certainly no worse than you." Egger was an established brother of the Night's Watch; though the man's face maintained that characteristic Stark coldness, he didn't give him a hard time just because he was leaving. "You are a smart man. Since you've found a way out, I have no reason to stop you. Now, stop worrying about others. You'll know the details of the Lord Commander's new mission soon enough. See that you complete it without cutting corners."
Because the Lions and Wolves were historically at odds, Egger had been cautious and avoided Benjen regarding his plan to have Tyrion take him away. Looking back now, he had likely been judging a gentleman with the heart of a scoundrel. With his little secret exposed, his face warmed slightly, and he didn't argue further, simply nodding his assent: "Understood!"
The First Ranger was satisfied enough with Egger's frankness. He said nothing more, gave his subordinate one last look, turned, and left the hall.
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