Chapter 217: The Great Council of the Night's Watch
In the same hall where Egger had once been interrogated as a deserter—and where generations of Black Brothers had held their assemblies—another emergency council was convened. Unlike any previous time he had entered this room, Egger now sat at the very front behind the raised long table. He occupied the second seat to Commander Mormont's left, a position symbolizing the fifth-highest authority in the Watch after the Lord Commander, First Ranger, Chief Steward, and Chief Builder. For the first time, he looked down from a position of power upon the sea of black-clad officers and men of Castle Black.
Some of the lords and knights of the Vale, exiled to the Wall by Robert after the rebellion, were also present. Despite their high birth and mid-level commands within the rangers, they were forced to sit at the ordinary long tables below. They likely loathed Egger with every fiber of their being, yet they could do nothing against a Chief Logistics Officer whose rank far exceeded theirs. This sensation—so different from his time in King's Landing—the feeling that the combined strength of my potential enemies is less than my own, and the situation is entirely under my control, was truly magnificent.
"I have been fully briefed on the events at Castle Black during my absence. My thanks to all the brothers who held our base while the rangers were away," Mormont began after clearing his throat. "The purpose of this meeting, besides commending those who fought in the battle, is to address a critical issue: how we shall respond to the Wildlings' subsequent assaults."
...
"The two jars of wildfire the Chief Logistics Officer brought to Castle Black recently achieved staggering results in our defense. If we had a sufficient supply of such a substance... the Wildlings wouldn't be able to step within a foot of the Wall," the Chief Steward noted, turning his head.
The Chief Builder concurred: "Even if the wildfire is gone, sufficient quantities of pitch and lamp oil could produce similar effects."
"Bowen, Othell, you are drifting off-topic." Maester Aemon coughed beside them and shook his head. "When Commander Mormont speaks of 'responding to subsequent assaults,' he means defending the entire Wall, not just the single gate at Castle Black."
Mormont nodded, confirming the blind maester's clarification. "Those with keen eyes will have noticed I did not bring back all the rangers I took to Eastwatch. Why? Because around the same time Castle Black was attacked, Eastwatch also faced a massive Wildling assault. Their numbers were even greater than those encountered here. Fortunately, our port stronghold had stone walls built decades ago to guard against seaside raids; they had fortifications to lean on and were not attacked from the north simultaneously. Through the bravery of the brothers and proactive sorties by the rangers, the attackers were repelled, though at the cost of over a dozen casualties. To bolster the defenses there, I left twenty rangers behind and brought back only half. Jaremy Rykker, report on the state of the defenses to the west."
"Reports of Wildling activity are popping up everywhere. Harma the Dogshead was seen at Deep Lake, the Lord of Bones at Nightfort, the Weeper at Icemark... they are all along the Wall. One moment they are climbing near Queensgate, the next they are battering the walls of Greyguard. Yet, whenever we arrive and man the battlements, they flee, only to resurface elsewhere the next day," Jaremy said. "Fortunately, the garrison at the Shadow Tower followed your orders and did not leave their posts, or the western end of the Wall might have fallen by now. Mance's goal is to scatter our strength, and he has nearly succeeded."
Through caution, the Wall had survived the first wave of Mance's offensive under Mormont's command, but the Old Bear felt no relief. "That is the general situation along the Wall. We are now in a complete bind. The number of enemies who have crossed the Wall into the Gift likely already exceeds the total membership of the Night's Watch; they simply lack the training and equipment to pose a direct frontal threat for now. They are roaming the Gift, and while we cannot ignore them, we lack the capacity to stop them. The Watch must protect the Gift and guard the Wall, yet as masters of this land, we are now so shorthanded we dare not even send out patrols on our own side of the ice. If we do not find a solution, our watch may well end before this winter truly falls."
"The Watch cannot solve this predicament on its own," Egger stated. "We must seek aid from the King and the Lord of Winterfell. The wars in the south are over; King Stannis must march north to support us."
"I have sent every raven I could spare, but the news that returns is grim—Storm's End was taken by a surprise attack from an unidentified army. The occupiers have raised the dragon banners of the old dynasty, claiming a son of Rhaegar lives," Maester Aemon said. As a Targaryen himself, his tone betrayed no emotion. "The Reach has already acknowledged his identity and formed an alliance. I fear King Stannis will choose to lead his army south first to reclaim his ancestral seat."
...
Dammit, what is going on now? Egger's heart sank. Another variable completely outside his plans. In the few days since his return, he had gained a general understanding of the Watch's situation—the fact that the two hundred elite rangers hadn't been lost on the Great Range had indeed made the defense much easier, but it only bought them a few more days. Without outside help, this war of one thousand against one hundred thousand would inevitably end with the Wildlings breaching the Wall and invading the North. If that happened, his various plans and ambitions would be meaningless—a total waste of a trip!
"What about the Northern lords? Surely they can spare at least some men?"
"It is currently the final autumn harvest before winter. Even if they had the men, they would be using them all to bring in the crops. How could they spare any to support us?"
This was lethal. The reason Egger had chosen to head north to Castle Black even after Stannis took King's Landing was because he saw the Wildlings as a massive, unclaimed labor resource. Every time he stood atop the Wall lately, looking out toward the Haunted Forest, he didn't see the enemies his colleagues saw; he saw the cheapest, most accessible labor force in the world.
However, these people were not docile kittens. They wouldn't just flock to his side if he waved a hand and acted friendly. To win over the Wildlings, the crucial first step was to crush them with overwhelming military force, then slowly tame them.
Stannis, when he hadn't yet taken the throne, could speak grandly about saving the realm to win the throne and actually follow through. Now that this duty-bound Baratheon sat securely on the Iron Throne, he was suddenly unable to help the North because of "securing the home front first"?
Could the irony be any thicker?
The side effects of the plot spiraling out of control always manifested at the most defenseless moments. Egger felt he had brought this trouble on himself. He gritted his teeth and pressed further: "What about Lord Eddard Stark? He is the Warden of the North; surely he wouldn't ignore the safety of his own domain?"
"The Northern army is marching south with Stannis toward Storm's End. Ravens have wings, but Northmen do not. Even if they finished the war and turned back immediately, they couldn't reach the Wall within a month, and I fear we cannot hold that long."
Maester Aemon's latest news shattered Egger's entire plan. He furrowed his brow, desperately searching for a way to break the deadlock.
...
Jon stood up from below. "We should negotiate with the Wildlings and reach an agreement—the Watch opens the gates to let them through, and they agree to follow our laws. We have a common enemy; in the coming winter, the Wall needs the strength of every living man."
"Let the Wildlings through the Wall?" Without a second's pause, a voice of opposition rang out. "Lord Snow, I think your head has been turned by that wildling bitch!"
Jon ignored his old rival's taunt and looked directly at the high command seated at the front of the hall. "Lord Commander Mormont, we captured several Wildlings during the attack on Castle Black. One of them, after interrogation and persuasion, has agreed to reveal Mance's plan for attacking the Wall. But she will only say it in public."
"'She'? What did I tell you! I suspect it wasn't 'persuasion,' but 'bed-suasion'..."
Mormont slammed the table, silencing the jeers of the brothers who looked down on Jon. "Enough. Bring the Wildling forward."
The room, packed with hundreds of men, remained rowdy. Jon stood and left the hall, returning ten minutes later with the wildling woman bound in manacles and fetters.
Every eye turned to her.
Ygritte was not nearly as beautiful as the actresses in television shows. She had an ordinary round face, a pug nose, eyes set too far apart, and crooked teeth. Her shock of fiery red hair and fairly pretty blue-grey eyes were her only redeeming features. Nevertheless, at Castle Black, where women were a rare sight, her beauty far outshone the tavern girls of Mole's Town, and she successfully piqued the interest of many a brother.
Mormont studied the captive for a moment. "Wildling girl... what is your name?"
"Ygritte."
"Very well, Ygritte. Jon says you are willing to reveal Mance Rayder's plans for attacking the Wall. Is this true?"
"It is."
"You wanted to speak in public. Nearly everyone in Castle Black is here now. Begin."
...
Something isn't right. Observing Ygritte, Egger quickly sensed an anomaly. He had assumed that Jon and Ygritte were destined to know each other, which was why his "know-nothing" friend had so easily convinced her to betray Mance's plans. But looking at the girl's expression and demeanor, where was the slightest hint of "confession"?
If one had to describe it, Ygritte currently looked more like a revolutionary martyr facing her executioners—standing on the gallows, proud and determined to die for her cause.
If Egger hadn't known it was impossible, he would have suspected Ygritte was about to detonate a bomb and take the high command with her just to clear the way for her people.
...
Ygritte surveyed the room, confirming that most of the Watch was present, before lifting her head high. "Kneelers, you cannot hold the Wall. If I were you, I'd open the gates, strip off those black clothes, and surrender to Mance while you still have a chance to live."
Mormont waved his hand to quell the commotion from his subordinates, staring at Ygritte with displeasure. "I recall you were brought here to reveal Mance Rayder's plans. If you continue with such nonsense, you'll go back to the ice cells. And this time, we won't give you any furs."
The threat seemed to work. Ygritte paused, visibly swallowing the words she had intended to say.
"I have to admit, you crows fight better than we expected." She let out a heavy snort of disdain before returning to the point. "But don't think for a moment you can stop the Free Folk. You are too few, and we are too many. Our attack on Castle Black was but a test. Mance Rayder told us before we left... if this attack failed, he wouldn't waste more time in futile attempts. Instead, he will send ten thousand men to the eastern sea to build rafts and cross the Bay of Seals, flanking Eastwatch from behind. He will send another ten thousand west to cross the Bridge of Skulls and the Gorge to attack the Shadow Tower from the south. The rest of the host and the mammoths will split into teams and go to your abandoned forts. They will work on a dozen sites at once, digging through the blocked gates and passing through the Wall with ease. By then, even if you could fight ten times better, you will be drowned in our tide!"
"Half of those ten thousand would drown in the Bay of Seals, and half of the other ten thousand would fall to their deaths in the Gorge."
Ygritte sneered at this. "I'm not much for counting, but even if you add the two halves that survive, we still have ten thousand across the Wall and behind you."
"A fine plan. If it could be executed efficiently, we couldn't stop it," Mormont said, unprovoked. "Then why haven't you started? With your numbers, you could attack Castle Black while digging through the walls and scaling them elsewhere simultaneously without any pressure."
"Mance hopes you'll realize you're beaten and send someone to negotiate!" Ygritte said scornfully. "In exchange, the King-Beyond-the-Wall guarantees the safety of all crows... I know it's unlikely, but I suggest you consider it. If you have any thoughts, I can pass the word—"
"Negotiate, my arse!" Donal Noye roared, suddenly standing and throwing a cup of water at the wildling woman. "As long as one of our brothers still draws breath, no Wildling will set foot on our land!"
"Your land?" Ygritte dodged the water and shrieked. "The Free Folk have lived here for generations! You people suddenly show up, build a wall to shut us out, and then claim everything south of it is yours! What is that if not thievery?"
"Quiet!" Egger snapped back to reality, exerting his official authority to cut off the argument before more men began roaring.
No wonder Ygritte had agreed so readily. She wasn't confessing Mance's plan; she was delivering an ultimatum! Regrettably, the Wildlings had the capital for such arrogance. The idea of negotiating and winning them over had been something he planted in Jon's head, but after Ygritte's provocation, it couldn't even be put on the agenda.
In truth, since Stannis wasn't coming north, Egger's priority should be how to hold the Wall, not how to recruit Wildlings. "Ygritte, I have some questions for you... why have you pitched your camp so close to the Wall? Does it have to do with the Others?"
"We call them White Walkers," Ygritte admitted readily. "Aye. The Free Folk camp near the Wall because we've found that the closer the White Walkers get to the Wall, the weaker they become. So far, none have ever been recorded coming within a league of it, and even the wights rarely appear."
Another suspicion confirmed. Egger couldn't help but feel lucky: did his success in killing that Other back then also owe something to the fact that the battle took place so close to the Wall?
"Let me guess. The reason you don't just dig through the Wall is because you simply don't have the time," Egger said, staring at Ygritte. "The base of the Wall is over a hundred feet thick with a stone foundation. You'd first have to find the exact location of the gates the Watch blocked, then start digging. Those passages, filled with rock and water and frozen solid, are as hard as a single stone. Even if we let you dig, it would take significant time, and a little harassment from the Watch would delay the work indefinitely. But as winter falls, the power of the Others is growing stronger. Soon, they will be powerful enough to ignore the Wall's influence. By then, even hugging the Wall won't stop them from slaughtering everyone in your camp. Am I right?"
Ygritte was suddenly speechless. She glared at Egger for a long moment before huffing. "You know nothing, crow."
"Yes, I know nothing. But I can see that while you have far more men than we do, time is on the side of the Night's Watch." Egger snapped his fingers with feigned casualness. "If there is no more valuable intel to provide, take her down, Jon."
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