Chapter 171: Loyalty First
Inside the King's residence, watching a large group of fully armed Gold Cloaks surge past in a clattering line, even a fool could sense that something was wrong. The Night's Watchmen of the wight escort gathered together, whispering in low voices with varying expressions.
"What's going on? Is Westeros about to change dynasties again?"
"Let it change. If House Stark takes the Iron Throne and rules the Seven Kingdoms, it doesn't seem like bad news."
"Lord Eddard—no, King Eddard—would surely send thousands of soldiers to help us guard the Wall."
"Haha, maybe not. Why would he bother with the Wall once he's King? He'd probably just abandon the North and move everyone south to enjoy the warmth. We could just build a new Wall at the Neck and leave that frozen hellscape to the wights and the wildlings!"
...
Most Night's Watchmen held a self-destructive mentality; with almost no hope for the future, they said whatever treasonous things they pleased. At worst, they'd just be sent back to the Wall. Egger, naturally, did not join this pointless discussion. As a traveler from another world and the proprietor of the Night's Watch industries who knew far more inside information than the men beside him, his heart was filled with trepidation. He knew exactly what Ned was going to do. The number of soldiers Jory had brought into the Red Keep was enough to secure victory; Cersei and Jaime had no chance of turning the tables. While it was good that the Hand—who was friendly to the Watch—had seized control and held an invincible position, before Egger could think about how to profit from this upheaval, he first thought of his partner and friend: Tyrion.
Tarnished by rumors, the scandal of Cersei and Jaime had come to light, and House Lannister was in deep trouble. As a core member of the family, how could Tyrion remain entirely uninvolved? Extremely clever as he was, the dwarf had sensed something was wrong the moment the note appeared. For safety's sake, he should have returned to Casterly Rock a week ago when Egger first returned to King's Landing. However, to ensure his partner could smoothly take over the Night's Watch industries after its massive expansion, the dwarf had uncharacteristically decided to risk staying a few extra days. Then, when Robert returned and the sword was hanging over his head... he was further delayed by the conflict between Janos Slynt and the Night's Watch.
After one delay after another, the final result was this: Tyrion still hadn't left. He had said at the River Gate that he was going to the industrial park outside the city to pack up before heading west. Was he already on the road? Now that Ned had taken down Cersei and Jaime, following the principle that one can never have too many high-born hostages, he certainly wouldn't let Tyrion go just because he was a good person. Even if Tyrion had already started his journey, how long would it take? Could he ultimately escape Ned's pursuit and return safely to Casterly Rock?
The more Egger thought, the more uneasy he became. At the River Gate, Tyrion only suspected a change was coming based on Slynt's words and Jaime's reaction. But as for what form that change would take, when it would start, or how far it had progressed... no one knew. Leaving to lie low and being a wanted fugitive fleeing at full speed were two entirely different states of mind. Under the former, Tyrion might set out at a leisurely pace and travel slowly, only to be inevitably caught by the men sent by Ned and Robert!
The Night's Watch industries had indeed begun to show some influence, but it was only enough to deal with the likes of Janos Slynt—and even that minor clash had been fraught with danger. To try and snatch a hostage of the King and the Hand in the Game of Thrones... he didn't even have the qualifications to play. Once Tyrion was caught, Egger would be powerless to rescue him. Tyrion had fished him out from the Wall and worked tirelessly for the interests of the Watch, delaying his own escape. If he were arrested, suffered in a dungeon, or even lost his life because of it, Egger would blame himself forever!
(The only plan now is to find a way to stop him from being caught... I must immediately tell Tyrion about the changes happening in the Red Keep and have him abandon all baggage to flee to Casterly Rock at top speed!)
...
Jaqen H'ghar seemed very interested in the wights and the situation beyond the Wall. Usually one to hide in the shadows without a word, he actually took the initiative to chat with Alliser Thorne and Dywen. Egger had no heart for the conversation. Breaking into a cold sweat, he thought: he might be a known figure in King's Landing, but in the Red Keep, he was truly a small fry. With the Hand's explicit order to seal the gates, what excuse could he use to get out and warn Tyrion?
Sweat rolled from his hair as Egger frantically searched for a strategy. Before he could find one, commotion erupted again from the direction of Maegor's Holdfast. A small squad of Gold Cloaks came rushing back in a panic, led by the Commander of the River Gate, Jacelyn Bywater.
"What happened?"
"The Kingslayer attacked the King! One Kingsguard is dead and two are wounded. The Lannister siblings escaped Maegor's Holdfast under the cover of the Redshrouds and are fleeing toward the northeast corner of the Red Keep. The City Watch is in a chaotic battle with the Lannister guards." Bywater looked tense, his face a mix of shock and fury. "The Hand has ordered reinforcements to completely blockade the main and side gates of the Red Keep. Not even a fly is to get out... Furthermore, the Watch is to arrest every member of House Lannister in King's Landing and seize their assets!"
As a City Watch officer, Bywater had no obligation or need to explain the emergency or the Hand's orders to a Night's Watchman who had nothing to do with the matter. Egger realized—Ironhand was risking a charge of leaking military intelligence to tell him this. He was likely reminding Egger to go and warn their mutual friend!
Jaime had attacked the King—how bad were the injuries? Was it fatal? Egger had no time to ponder; he only had enough time to tell Jaqen to take Alliser's group back to the Night's Watch office that evening. Then, leaving his bodyguard and colleagues behind, he took off running after Bywater toward the Red Keep gates. As for how to get out, he'd have to improvise.
They reached the main gate quickly. A dozen Stark guards stationed there, seeing their frantic behavior, raised their weapons warily. "What's the matter?"
"The Kingslayer attacked King Robert! The Hand has ordered us to assist in guarding the gates and to send men out to command the City Watch!"
"Do you have a written order or a token?"
"No, but I can testify it's true!" In such a rush, how could there be time for paperwork? But the one who gave the order had anticipated this and sent a Stark guard along with the squad. Ned had only brought a few dozen men from Winterfell; they all knew each other, making it impossible to forge an identity. "Open the gates first to relay the orders to the City Watch divisions, then drop the iron portcullis and guard it to the death. Don't let a single soul out!"
The bronze gates groaned open. If he missed this chance, he didn't know when the next would come. Several City Watch soldiers responsible for relaying orders ran out first. Egger tried to slip through but was stopped as expected. "Night's Watchman, where are you going?"
"I... I am the fencing instructor for your Lady Arya. She goes to the Night's Watch industrial park outside the city every day for practice. With chaos in the city, I must go and bring her back immediately!" At the last second, Egger found his excuse. He had sent Arya out of the city to join the security team's training for other reasons, but he hadn't expected it to come in handy now. "She is currently with a Lannister; I must bring her back to safety right now!"
"Lady Arya?" One guard looked at his comrade. "Did she leave the Red Keep today?"
"I don't think so?" the other guard recalled hesitantly. "But she certainly didn't leave through this gate."
Damn, I forgot about that! Eddard Stark had planned this upheaval himself; on such a critical day, how could he possibly let his daughter go out for a so-called fencing lesson? Arya certainly hadn't left the Red Keep today; she was likely locked in the Tower of the Hand being watched by Septa Mordane!
Egger opened his mouth. "She might have left through another gate! There's no time to go and ask. If I'm wrong, it's just a wasted trip. Let me out!"
"Let him go. This is the Chief Logistics Officer of the Wall, a sworn brother of the Night's Watch," Ser Jacelyn Bywater urged. "He wouldn't go to tip off the Lannisters."
"Yes, let him pass. I saw him back in Winterfell," another Stark guard nodded. "He even warned me then that Prince Bran was climbing walls again. If only I had listened to him that day... sigh."
Seeing more than one person speaking up for Egger, the remaining guards naturally didn't say anything more. If anything happened to Lady Arya because they stopped this man, no one could bear the responsibility. "Fine, go. Move fast!"
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