Chapter 45: Seeking Help from the Hand
"Good afternoon, brothers of the Night's Watch. How may I be of service?"
Even as Hand of the King, Lord Stark remained as courteous as ever. At the very least, Egger now knew this politeness wasn't a facade, and that gave him more confidence in what he was about to ask. "My Lord, a hundred thousand wildlings are approaching the Wall from beyond, and small bands that have already crossed are severely disrupting the peace of the North. We have been commanded by Lord Commander Mormont to come to King's Landing to seek aid from the Iron Throne."
Yoren coughed a few times and cut in: "I'm here to find men to hold the Wall, my Lord. I ought to wait for the King's next court to explain our needs and see if the King and his Hand have any scum in their dungeons they wish to be rid of. But Egger insisted on coming straight to you, so we came without a moment's delay."
Yoren's use of his companion's name jogged Lord Stark's memory. He turned to stare at the newly appointed representative for a moment; Egger's distinct features allowed the Hand to recognize him.
"You were right to come to me. If you waited to see the King at court, you might not manage it until winter actually falls. So, Egger... what exactly are you here to do?" Ned asked with a double meaning. He no longer felt ill will toward the ranger, but this young man in black knew about Joffrey's attempt on Bran's life. Now that he was in King's Landing, any slip of the tongue could cause a massive storm—harming not only others, but himself.
"I am responsible for raising supplies and equipment, recruiting subsequent personnel, and overseeing the dragonglass mining on Dragonstone, my Lord," Egger said, his speech steady and clear just as it had been during their last meeting. "Since these tasks require someone who is literate, capable of calculation, and able to organize plans, I was sent."
A man like Eddard Stark, who so deeply valued rules and legal tradition, would never tolerate a sordid deal like paying a ransom to let a Night's Watchman leave the Wall. The three highest leaders of the Watch surely knew this, which was why they would never inform the Warden of the North about their arrangement with Tyrion.
And this was precisely Egger's greatest current advantage. Aside from Mormont, Maester Aemon, and Benjen Stark, only Tyrion knew the full truth behind his being sent to King's Landing. Even the Chief Steward and the builders only knew that Tyrion was providing a grant to the Watch. Thus, despite being pressured and coerced by his own superiors, in the eyes of everyone else in Westeros... he was the official representative sent by the Night's Watch to the capital to raise supplies, the authorized agent of Jeor Mormont and his Black Brotherhood.
This status wouldn't earn Egger the respect of the King's Landing nobility, but it would at least ensure he wasn't casually dismissed or ignored. Even in its state of total decay, the Night's Watch remained an independent power protected by the Iron Throne, legally on par with the nine Great Lords of Westeros.
"Raising supplies, recruiting personnel, and mining dragonglass?" The Hand repeated Egger's words hesitantly, and a trace of a smile managed to break through his usually stiff expression. "Heh, you truly carry a heavy burden. How many men did Jeor Mormont give you?"
"The Watch is short-handed; only the two of us came, and Yoren must soon return to the Wall with his recruits. By then, only I will remain in King's Landing, but Commander Mormont has granted me the authority to act as I see fit and decide how best to carry out the work." Egger placed the document signed and sealed by Mormont on the table before Lord Stark, silently thanking Tyrion for the foresight of securing it. Without it, his plans would be difficult to launch. "Therefore, I thought of you, my Lord. Currently, only you in King's Landing can help the Night's Watch in its great crisis."
Ned unfurled the parchment. He didn't read every detail, but a glance at Mormont's signature and the seal of the Night's Watch was enough to make him believe. No Night's Watchman would dare desert and then walk right into his presence to seek death; the clever ranger before him had to be telling the truth. "I see. How can I help you?"
Egger observed the other man's eyes and expression, smiling inwardly with satisfaction. Even if Eddard Stark read every single word on that parchment, he wouldn't find a loophole. The document was real, and his words were true. The only change was that Egger had quietly twisted the meaning of Mormont's phrase "authority to act as he sees fit".
The Old Bear's true meaning was that the Watch would provide no help, and everything was up to Egger and Tyrion to figure out. But the transmigrator used context and preconception to explain it as having full power to represent the Watch in the capital, successfully leading the de facto ruler of the North and current Hand of the King into his trap.
Now, as long as he held this authority and secured one more document, he could play the fox borrowing the tiger's terror in the capital and begin his bold plans.
...
"I realize the Kingdom is currently facing financial difficulties, so I do not expect the treasury to provide direct aid. However, upon investigation, I found that after ten years of peace, King Robert's plan to 'hide wealth among the people' has proceeded quite smoothly. Since the treasury is tight, I've decided to use reverse thinking and raise support from the private sector," Egger said proactively. "But I cannot handle a team-sized task alone. I need one or two literate men who can do sums to help, and Yoren..."
"Regrettably, I can neither read nor count," Yoren shrugged.
Hide wealth among the people... Ned wondered if Robert would roar with laughter or turn red with shame upon hearing that. He nodded; the request was not unreasonable. "I understand. I will choose two from the guards who meet your requirements and lend them to you."
"Thank you, my Lord," Egger said with a look of gratitude. "Furthermore, I may be stationed in King's Landing for some time to coordinate supplies and gather recruits. I need an office—it needn't be large, but it should face the street and not be too remote, to facilitate my recruitment efforts."
Set up a storefront like a merchant and hang a sign to recruit volunteers for the Night's Watch? Ned knew the state of the Wall's garrison all too well and was skeptical... but for the Hand of the King, this was a simple matter. "Very well. I will have the City Watch see if there are any vacant buildings belonging to the Iron Throne."
"Thank you, my Lord. One final thing." Egger pulled Yoren in as cover and used two perfectly normal requests to numb the Great Lord's vigilance, luring him in for the final blow. "Commander Mormont has tasked me with recruitment and mining, which requires coin. I cannot carry too much capital alone, so I must secure men and tools on credit to get the work started, then have the creditors petition the Watch directly for payment... There is no problem with the plan itself, but I have encountered an obstacle."
"On credit? Mormont must be desperate indeed." Ned sighed again. The sheer amount of royal debt had shocked him; now, after the Iron Throne, was the Night's Watch to start borrowing as well? "What is the obstacle? Speak."
"The merchants and nobles of the South likely do not recognize or acknowledge the Lord Commander's signature and seal. They might take me for a traveling fraudster," Egger said, choosing his words with extreme care. "Therefore, I would ask your Lordship to issue a certificate in the name of the Hand, declaring that I am indeed a man of the Night's Watch and am truly raising supplies and provisions for the Brotherhood."
"Hmm—" Eddard Stark rested his fist against his chin, sinking into thought.
As Hand, Ned's hesitation showed he was at least cautious and responsible. However, as a first-time Hand who hadn't seen the variety of bizarre scams Egger had witnessed in his previous world, he was ultimately not sensitive enough to such things. He didn't see any problem with it, nor did he realize that a certificate written, signed, and sealed by the Hand—no matter the content—would become a powerful tool in the hands of the right person.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he pulled a blank piece of parchment from the clutter on his desk, dipped a quill into the ink, and looked up at Egger. "This is the first time I've issued such a thing. Tell me then, what should it say?"
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