Chapter 247: Sharpening the Blades
"Jon, no one could have foreseen Commander Mormont's accident at a crossroad like this. I don't want to discuss whose responsibility or mistake it was here. The dead are gone; the living must carry on. It is no exaggeration to say that the Night's Watch is currently facing an unprecedented moment of peril. I need your help."
Jon's direwolf, Ghost, had grown massive, like a white-furred calf. If they weren't already well-acquainted, Egger might have been truly afraid of him. The wolf crouched quietly beside the bastard, staring curiously at Egger with blood-red eyes. Compared to the composed beast, his master seemed stuck in a daze following Mormont's sudden end. Seeing Egger's grim, battle-ready expression, Jon swallowed hard. "Is it really that... extreme?"
Egger nodded. "It is! The Gift resettlement plan has practically wagered everything—the Night's Watch and Night's Watch Industries alike. Once it starts, there is no turning back. When Commander Mormont's funeral ends, the election for the 998th Lord Commander will begin. If a commander who opposes accepting Wildlings takes power... if he intends to overturn a plan halfway through, what do you think will happen?"
"All our previous efforts would go to waste." Jon suddenly snapped to attention. "But... the Wildlings... er... I mean the new Gift-dwellers, have already been let through the Wall. If the plan is overturned, what would the new Commander do with them?"
"That is exactly the problem. I intend for them to integrate into the Gift and become subjects of the Seven Kingdoms; that is the ideal solution. But care to guess what Bowen Marsh is thinking? He wants to take their grain, turn his back on them, and drive them back north of the Wall!"
"How is that possible?"
"It isn't, of course. From the Wildlings' perspective, that is a death sentence. Even if we've confiscated their steel, they'll fight the Watch to the death with wooden clubs. And from the Watch's perspective? Driving them back north is equivalent to handing over fresh troops to the White Walkers. I would sooner kill them all than let a single one return north of the Wall."
"Kill them all?" Jon jumped in shock. "But we invited them in. Even if we didn't give everyone bread and salt... in a sense, they are our guests. To violate guest right is to be cursed!"
"Cursed... hmph. In theory, yes. But consider this: these 'guests' hadn't been in our 'house' for more than a few days before they stoned our host to death. Who truly violated guest right first?"
"That isn't the same. It was only one or a few of the new Gift-dwellers who killed Lord Mormont. To view all thirty thousand as enemies because of that... wouldn't that be..." Jon grew frantic, his speech faltering. He stammered for a long while without finding the right words.
Egger was merely rattling him. Seeing the reaction, he quickly waved a hand. "You're right, but unfortunately, you won't be able to talk sense into the brothers who hate Wildlings. There aren't many people in this world who can remain rational when something like this happens. In the eyes of most brothers, 'Wildlings' killed Commander Mormont. To an extent, that is true, and you can hardly blame them for thinking so. Therefore, the most critical thing now is to ensure someone clear-headed and on our side becomes Lord Commander."
Jon nodded quickly. "That makes sense. What can I do?"
"Commander Mormont was grooming you as his successor. My time at the Wall has been short, and I'm not entirely clear on the inner workings here... tell me, if you were to run for Lord Commander now, what are your chances?"
"Not even ten percent," Jon answered honestly. "Lord Mormont did teach me how to be a commander, but knowing how isn't nearly enough. In the end, it's decided by a vote of all the brothers. Noble birth, seniority from years of service in the Watch, ability, connections, and charisma... those are the keys to the election. Out of those, I barely possess half a point. There are many more qualified than I... Ser Denys Mallister of the Shadow Tower, Cotter Pyke of Eastwatch... even Bowen Marsh of Castle Black. These seniors ran against Lord Mormont before; the Old Bear only won because he had ruled Bear Island, held high status, and had rich management experience. I am no match for them."
Egger thought for a moment and quickly realized what the "half a point" was—in the eyes of the world, Jon was Eddard Stark's bastard, someone of noble blood but not a noble himself. Beyond that "half point," Jon had only been in the Watch for a year. As for ability, under the shadow of Mormont and himself, the boy hadn't had the chance to prove anything. Mormont had indeed intended to groom Jon, but tragedy struck before he could finish the job.
The boy couldn't be relied upon. In the original timeline, he won solely through Samwell's trickery and external pressure from Stannis... but Stannis wasn't here. Who else could he count on? Among the officers who supported his plan, who was presentable enough?
"Egger..." Jon hesitated, speaking his mind. "Why don't you run yourself? Though you haven't been in the Watch long, everyone sees what you've done for the Order. Many brothers say life is much better with you as Logistics Officer. Plus, you've killed a White Walker—that's political capital. I would nominate you and tell my friends to vote for you."
Run personally? That was an option, but the problem returned: since returning to the Wall, he had relied so heavily on Mormont's trust that he hadn't spent any effort on winning hearts and minds. Could he expect two-thirds of the black brothers to support a commoner from a foreign land who had only been in the Watch for two years—one of which was spent living in luxury in King's Landing?
It was a pipe dream.
Even ignoring the difficulty of winning, from a subjective standpoint, becoming Lord Commander would complicate a key part of his original plan. The Night's Watch oath is for life, and the position of Lord Commander is likewise for life. These two lifelong constraints combined would make discarding the black cloak exponentially harder.
Ask yourself: if the 998th Lord Commander, Egger West, enacted new regulations allowing brothers to join or leave freely, and then was the first to take advantage of it... what would the other brothers, or the Seven Kingdoms, think?
"I'll go back and consider it." Egger couldn't decide if the pros outweighed the cons, so he set it aside to address the more immediate crisis. "One more thing you can help me with immediately: someone must be held responsible for Commander Mormont's death. If we don't create a target to draw the fire, the brothers will eventually point their spears at me as the architect. I've decided to move against the tribe the killer belongs to. If it goes well, the crisis will be averted, but the potential trouble is as great as the potential gain. The new Gift-dwellers have only just settled; if the Watch mobilizes against one of their tribes, it might be misunderstood by the other twenty thousand as us burning the bridge after crossing it. It could cause a massive uprising."
"What can I do?"
"Visit the various settlements. Explain the situation and the stakes to the tribal leaders," Egger said seriously. "I want them to proactively voice their support for the Watch in hunting down the true culprit and bringing them to justice."
"Understood."
"For the sake of communication, take a Wildling... where is that little girlfriend of yours? Ygritte, take her."
"She is not my girlfriend."
"Fine, I apologize." Egger waved him off; he was in no mood to joke. "One probably isn't enough. How many Wildlings are in Castle Black?"
"Egger... actually, for something like this, wouldn't it be easiest to have Mance Rayder do it? He is the King-Beyond-the-Wall; the Free Folk listen to him."
"Don't be naive!" Egger turned stern again. "Even we in the Watch aren't sure which way the wind will blow. Why should Mance Rayder trust me, run my errands, and appease the settlers? How do you know he'll stabilize the situation instead of seizing the chance to plan a rebellion? No matter what happens, he cannot be allowed to leave Castle Black!"
"Right." Jon nodded quickly.
"However, you did remind me. Mance Rayder can't leave, but his family can." Egger thought for a moment and added, "Take his wife's sister... the 'Wildling Princess' Val. I hear she's quite a sharp girl. Talk to her before you leave. Ensure she understands the tension of the current situation and work out how to convince those clan chiefs."
"She isn't a princess. There is no princess rank in Wildling society."
"Ugh—" Egger massaged his forehead. This boy Jon was sometimes so pedantic about the wrong things. What time was it? Did he have the leisure to argue over semantics? "I know there's no such thing as a 'princess' beyond the Wall, but if everyone knows who you're talking about when you say 'Wildling Princess,' then how is she any different from one? Fine, stop debating it. One more thing: tell the new Gift-dwellers—discreetly—that the Watch is about to elect a new Lord Commander. If a conservative wins, it will be a grave threat to them. Tell them I am doing everything in my power to stop that from happening."
"But... how does that help us? Only sworn brothers can vote... unless you change the rules so Gift-dwellers can vote, but that requires you to become Lord Commander first. It's a contradiction..."
If a democratic Gift were actually created, those savages would likely put Mance Rayder on the Lord Commander's throne—the thought was laughable. In truth, Egger didn't know what use it would be either; he was simply habitually leaving himself a path for the future, just in case. "I haven't thought that far yet, but the worst-case scenario is just a bit of wasted effort. Go and prepare. I'll assign ten men to protect you, but stay alert. And... wear your helmet."
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