Chapter 36: Painting a Vision
"What?" Jon struggled to keep up with Egger's rhythm.
"Our existence as the Night's Watch is to deal with wildling incursions and the threat of the Others. Which do you think is better: exhausting ourselves just to barely keep the enemy outside the gates, or simply eliminating the enemy altogether?"
Jon's eyes widened as he suddenly grasped Egger's meaning.
"Imagine if someone could lead the black-clad army to wipe out both rivals—the living and the dead—ensuring that no threat ever rose again north of the Wall. Would this ice wall, and the army guarding it, even need to exist?" Egger stared into the bastard's eyes. "When a man of the Night's Watch dies, his remaining brothers announce: 'And now his watch is ended.' This tradition has lasted thousands of years. Why has no one stood up to eliminate the enemy once and for all and proudly declare: 'Our watch is ended'? To disband the Brotherhood, return home in glory with supreme honor, and become a hero greater than Azor Ahai... how wonderful would that be?"
"That... how is that possible?" Jon's pupils dilated. "How could it be done?"
"The Others are the enemies of all mankind. There is no need for mercy; kill every one that shows its face. If possible, it is best to extend actual control to the Lands of Always Winter, find their nests or point of origin, and solve it at the root." Egger made a sweeping gesture of extermination. These were ideas he had brewed for a long time; he might no longer need them himself, but he wanted to share them with Jon, the future Commander. "As for the wildlings—in Tyrion's words—they are merely residents living north of the Wall. They prize freedom, and I admire that romanticism, but absolute freedom does not exist. Use means to make them understand this truth, and then bring them into the fold."
The ranger, about to leave the Wall, was in high spirits and spoke voluminously. The other two in the room—not just Jon, but even Tyrion—listened without interrupting. The dwarf found that his adventurer friend always managed to say something startling; spending a bit of coin to fish him out was proving to be no loss at all. Even if the task wasn't easy to accomplish, simply being able to conceive and propose it was impressive.
"The Night's Watch produces nothing, yet it must maintain a massive structure like the Wall, which is almost useless in times of peace. How much manpower and resources are wasted to feed a thousand men who don't work the land?" Egger continued his persuasion. "Solving the problem of the Others and wildlings once and for all wouldn't just free up hundreds of men; it would add tens, perhaps hundreds of thousands of residents to the sparsely populated North in one stroke. What kind of change would that bring to the North's power ranking among the Seven Kingdoms?"
Jon, raised in the ruling House Stark, understood well the North's awkward middle-of-the-pack standing. If what Egger said became reality... his standing in his father's heart would surely rise, wouldn't it? Perhaps even Lady Stark's attitude toward him would soften?
...
"But to achieve any of this, it is utterly impossible as a common soldier!" Egger's expression turned grave, his sudden rise in volume pulling Jon back to reality. "You must first find a way to climb to a position of sufficient influence within the Watch—Commander is best, of course... and the night's watch operates on an elective system. If you remain this naive youth who is smug after defeating a few untrained wildlings and recruits, you will never have friends, brothers, or confidants. You will never have a foothold in the Black Brotherhood."
"I... I never thought about being Lord Commander."
"Is that so?" Egger relaxed his tone. "A soldier who doesn't want to be a Commander isn't a good soldier. From a personal perspective, you are the son of the Warden of the North, Lord Stark; you shouldn't lack ambition. From the perspective of the greater good, only by standing high and commanding enough resources can you change the world for the better. This isn't a thirst for power—it's that power should be in the hands of those with the will, the vision, and the ability to improve the world, so it can have a positive effect!"
Jon remained silent for a long time, the final sentence ringing in his ears. Tyrion Lannister seemed to recall something and chuckled to himself, also remaining silent.
"If you've made up your mind to leave before taking your vows—even if you're mocked as a bastard and a coward—we can leave together in two days. Or, if you're content being a common soldier for life, then act as if I said nothing. Otherwise, while you're lying in bed, think well on my words."
"You certainly have a knack for 'painting visions' for people," Tyrion said with a grin as they walked out of the armory side-by-side. "I saw the way that boy's eyes lit up; he was clearly hooked—'a hero greater than Azor Ahai!' Quite the imagination you have."
"I actually hope he succeeds. Think about it: I'll be in King's Landing or somewhere else diligently raising supplies for the Watch, thinking this boring, arduous life will last until I die. Then one day, poof—" Egger made a gesture of a bubble bursting. "The Night's Watch suddenly fulfills its mission and disbands. I'm free... how wonderful and miraculous! It's a fantasy, but a man must have dreams."
"Hahaha!" Tyrion enjoyed being made to laugh more than doing the making, especially when he could trade jests back and forth. Friends should be able to make each other laugh, shouldn't they? Unfortunately, most people either feared his power or despised him; few could satisfy this craving. He truly liked Egger. "Tell me, I sometimes can't help but wonder: was my initiative to help you leave the Wall also induced by your superb vision-painting skills?"
"If I said yes, would you kill me?"
"Of course not. I'd bring you before my father and have you tell him all the 'benefits' of choosing a dwarf as his heir, to see if you could bluff him into passing Casterly Rock to me."
"That might be difficult, but based on my understanding of Westerosi customs and laws, you should be the legal heir to Casterly Rock, shouldn't you?"
"Forget it. He'd leave Casterly Rock to my sister before he'd give it to me."
"If something should be yours but isn't given to you, why not find a way to take it yourself?"
"This isn't a throne where whoever holds it is the winner." The topic suddenly turned serious, and Tyrion made a face. "Treasonable talk like that is fine to say, but for your sake, don't let anyone hear you."
"Fair enough. Let's drop the treason and tell me about your talk with the Lord Commander. Besides Benjen—the 'poor' Northern noble—giving you a hard time, did you run into any other trouble?"
"Trouble? I'm the Queen's brother. Only that hothead Stark—your boss—would dare give me attitude." Tyrion wrapped his clothes tighter, shivering. "When I mentioned the aid, your Commander smiled brighter than the most hospitable whore in King's Landing. But the moment he heard I had conditions, his face dropped. He didn't dare refuse me directly, so he dragged in Stark and your Maester... heh."
"And what did they say?"
"Maester Aemon is a man of reason; it took some mental effort to convince him, but it wasn't grueling." Tyrion's tone took on a hint of respect when mentioning the blind Maester. "But Benjen... he doesn't like me. More accurately, he probably dislikes all Lannisters. But he has no grudge against you from across the Sunset Sea, and he certainly won't turn away supplies that would significantly strengthen the Wall's defenses." Tyrion pouted. "After a friendly 'discussion' regarding the volume of supplies, the deal was done. I've always believed everyone in the world can be viewed as cargo. Egger, you should feel fortunate that your price wasn't too high."
Egger put on a pained expression. "Should I be happy that I'm not worth much?"
"That is indeed a sweet dilemma." Tyrion smiled again. "Do you know my brother's most famous nickname?"
"Everyone knows it: 'Kingslayer'."
"Quick answer, but I must admit, at least the fact that he killed the Mad King isn't a false accusation." Tyrion stopped smiling and let out a long breath. "After the Usurper's War, Eddard Stark insisted that Jaime take the black. At the time, the alliance of Baratheon, Stark, Tully, and Arryn had won; the Targaryens were wiped out; and the strongest Loyalist force, the Tyrells of Highgarden, had been subdued. Because the Mountain under my father killed Princess Elia, the Martells—who still had their strength—would have loved to see every Lannister dead. Think: if our good King had nodded his head and sent my brother to be a Crow, what could House Lannister have done?"
"Your family couldn't have handled the other four Great Houses right after their victory. Even the proud Lord Tywin would have been forced to bow his head and send his son to the Wall."
"Exactly. Luckily, our good King didn't agree. If someone wanted to fish out Ranger Jaime Lannister today, they likely couldn't pay the ransom even if they sold Casterly Rock. Being too valuable isn't always a good thing, so I suggest you be happy you're 'cheap' for now." Tyrion gave a somewhat strange smile. "Why do I say 'for now'? Because... once you hear the rest of the news, you might not be so happy anymore."
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