Chapter 146: A Mad Dog's Bite—Refusing to Let Go
The messenger, having received his gratuity, was more than happy to answer questions. From him, Egger quickly learned the outcome of the war to suppress the rebellion in the Vale.
Lysa Tully, who had been hiding within the Eyrie, finally descended the mountain. To the surprise of many, she did not face the severe punishment most had imagined. Instead, she was merely forced to return to her childhood home of Riverrun. Her son, Sweetrobin, was left in the Vale to be raised and educated by a regency of nobles appointed by King Robert, led by Ser Brynden the Blackfish Tully.
After a moment's reflection, Egger understood why things had ended this way. Since several of the founders of the Lords Declarant had already been sent to the Wall, wouldn't punishing Lysa Tully further be equivalent to the King slapping his own face? Robert was currently doubling down on his public stance—even if Littlefinger had fled, and even if the world knew Lysa's murder of her husband was a certainty, as long as those in power insisted they were merely suppressing a rebellion for a vassal and pretended never to have heard the rumors, then this was the only way the matter could conclude.
In a world under the feudal lord system, justice and truth were secondary; it required only peace and stability.
Egger didn't care what kind of treatment Lysa would receive back at her old home; he was currently both irritable and nervous.
He was irritable because that madwoman Lysa Tully had sparked the war in the Vale, wasting two months of his time. Why couldn't the aftermath have dragged Robert down at the foot of the Eyrie for just a little longer?!
He was nervous because he had no idea how far Eddard's investigation into the rumors had progressed, whether Cersei had already devised a plan to kill Robert, or if the King had already heard the news and what his countermoves might be. Situated outside the Red Keep, he was currently blind to these critical details.
He lacked the power to gather intelligence effectively and dared not interfere directly. Since returning to King's Landing, he had been busy re-familiarizing himself with the Night's Watch industries; now, he was preparing the establishment of the Queenscrown stronghold. All he wanted was a little time to develop, but he now had a sinking, ominous premonition: he likely wouldn't get his wish.
Now that Robert—the cuckolded king raising another man's children—was back, would he choose willful ignorance, ignore the rumors, and continue his riotous lifestyle? Or would he flip the table, slaughter every Lannister in King's Landing, and launch a war against Tywin? Or perhaps, would he be picked off by Cersei at the first opportunity, leading to global chaos just as in the original story?
Regardless of which side struck first and won, Egger would be the loser. Only by finding a way to keep the two sides from clashing could his plans proceed smoothly.
After seeing off the herald, Egger stood up and paced unconsciously around his office a few times before pushing open the door to the backyard and walking out.
...
Arya had just finished a sparring session with Jaqen and was flushed, arguing about something with Kon. Seeing Egger enter, she immediately beamed and shouted excitedly, "Master, are you joining us?"
"No, I just came out for some air. Carry on." Egger smiled and shook his head. What was he doing in the backyard? Arya couldn't help him solve this massive headache; he really was just there for air.
A few days ago, when he first learned of the rumors from Tyrion, he had considered using Arya to indirectly educate her father, the Hand, on the fact that hair color has no direct correlation with biological paternity. But looking at the girl's guileless, innocent face, and considering the near-zero level of biological and genetic research in Westeros, Egger felt that any move might backfire—and potentially drag him down with it.
Circling the backyard, Egger recalled his previous two successes relying on risky gambles: falsely accusing the Prince to the Starks after Bran's fall to save Tyrion, and leaving a few notes to force out the realm's greatest chaos-monger, Petyr Baelish...
This time, could he broaden his thinking again and rely on unconventional methods to survive the crisis?
After a bout of wild, unbridled brainstorming, a crazy thought popped into his head: What if he staged a kidnapping of Arya? If she went missing for a few days, the gravity of the event would instantly consume all of Eddard's energy, leaving him with no heart to investigate rumors. It would buy time, at the very least.
With a bit more thought, Egger quickly snuffed the idea out. Even if his status and influence had grown, there was still a massive difference between a bold attempt and suicidal stupidity. The exposure of Cersei and Jaime's incest would, at worst, cause civil war and delay the growth of the Night's Watch industries... but if he started playing games with the Hand's daughter, it would be his head on a spike.
"Master!" The girl's crisp shout snapped Egger back to reality. Arya stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Can you stop pacing in circles? I can't even focus on practicing with Kon!"
"Oh? You're lecturing your Master now? I'm training your ability to 'maintain focus during combat.' Did you think that once you learn the sword, every enemy will fight you one-on-one?" Egger forced a relaxed expression. "Keep practicing, ignore me!"
...
After being distracted by the news of Robert's imminent return for a long while, he finally gritted his teeth and decided to prepare for the worst possible outcome. He went back into his office, sat in his chair, and after some thought, began issuing orders.
"Nina, arrange for someone to go to Dragonstone. Bring back that..." He paused, realizing he didn't actually know the name, and corrected himself: "Bring back the lad managing the obsidian mine for me. He's done a good job. I plan to have him lead the team to Queenscrown to oversee the reconstruction there."
"Yes, my lord. His name is Yam."
Yam... he might not be happy about being sent so far away, but it couldn't be helped; there were simply too few usable people on hand. "Also, get in touch with Lord Renly Baratheon's attendants. I want to find time for a visit. Since we've already sold the technology to the Reach and Dorne, we might as well deliver it to the doorstep of the remaining kingdoms."
"My lord, shouldn't we try to negotiate a joint venture? Market-wise, the North, the Riverlands, the Vale... especially the Westerlands, are very likely areas we could occupy."
"No, we need cash now." Nina's reasoning was sound, but upheaval was imminent; there was no time to plan that far ahead. "Do it now. The faster, the better."
"Understood." Nina nodded in agreement but remained standing, biting her lip in hesitation. Ultimately, she restrained herself from asking about her brother. "I'll go arrange it immediately."
Neil sat on a pile of filthy straw in a corner of the cell, his mind heavy with worry.
Aside from a few shoves when he was brought in, he hadn't suffered much, but Neil took no pleasure in that. He knew exactly why he had been arrested—having his family come claim him was just a polite way of demanding that Nina trade herself for his release.
He had long heard that Janos Slynt was arrogant and unscrupulous in King's Landing, but he hadn't expected it to reach this level. This man surely knew Nina was on good terms with Tyrion, yet he still dared to move. Did he not even respect the Lannisters?
Well, Tyrion didn't represent the Lannisters; his Queen sister and Kingsguard brother did. He just wondered... would Tyrion actually seek help from the Queen for a commoner subordinate?
The sound of a guard's footsteps came from outside the cell, followed by the jingle of keys. Was another poor soul being locked up?
Looking up, he saw only the guard. "Stand up. You're free to go."
So soon? Neil was both startled and angry. "My sister? Is she here?!"
"What sister? You've got quite the reputation. Lord Renly sent someone to fish you out. Stop talking and get out of here, or haven't you crouched long enough?"
"Lord Renly?" Neil was bewildered. "What Lord Renly?"
"The King's brother! Lord Renly Baratheon!" The guard grew impatient. "Go on now, our Commander is waiting for you at the gate."
Soon, Neil saw the Commander of the City Watch who had coveted his sister again. He looked far from pleased.
"Neil, is it? Regarding this morning, there was likely some misunderstanding between you and my men. You can go now." Janos Slynt spoke in a cold, snide tone. "Go back and tell the Chief Logistics Officer that his methods are impressive; I admire them. But he's using City Watch housing for his Night's Watch office. It was empty and useless before, so I could lend it to him. Now, I have a use for those premises. Tell him to pack up and move out as soon as possible."
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