Chapter 306: Crisis Averted and Turmoil in the North
Robb felt like he had been played again, but he couldn't figure out exactly how it had happened.
His original plan was simple: question Egger first. The man would likely do as Karstark predicted—attempting to gloss things over with a silver tongue. At that point, Robb would cut through the nonsense and give him a harsh reprimand and warning.
If, after saying everything that needed to be said, Egger's attitude remained improper or he continued to hide the truth, Robb would cast aside sentiment. Starting tomorrow, he would openly support the Commander of the Shadow Tower, helping him rise to Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
With Denys Mallister's steady experience, coupled with the Warden of the North's active suppression of Egger's influence, they would surely be able to stabilize the situation in the Gift.
But who could have guessed that Egger would act like a changed man? Before Robb could even apply pressure or put on a stern face, Egger acted like an upturned cup, pouring out every drop—the cause, the process, and even his inner thoughts. Not only that, he decisively admitted his fault and expressed a willingness to bear all responsibility.
His attitude was so proper it caught everyone off guard.
Thus, the situation shifted inexplicably from "The Warden of the North calls to account the reckless Chief Logistics Officer" to "The Northern lords put their heads together to figure out how to clean up the mess for this troublesome fellow."
The most frustrating part was that as the Lord of the North, Robb could scold anyone he wished or privately decide whom to support, but he had no formal authority to officially punish a sworn officer of the Night's Watch who did not fall under Northern jurisdiction.
Only the King or the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch could discipline the Chief Logistics Officer. Currently, King Stannis was busy suppressing rebellions, and the Lord Commander was still being elected—meaning that unless Robb was willing to burn all bridges, there was essentially no one who could impose a substantive punishment on Egger, even after his confession.
Was this man truly confused and making a mistake, or had he calculated this exact point, feigning weakness to leave Robb with no moves to play?
Robb Stark fought the urge to scratch his head. He was, after all, not yet seasoned enough; when things didn't go according to plan, he lacked flexibility. Dealing with enemies on the battlefield was simple; dealing with his own people in politics was beyond his current capabilities.
Though flustered, he at least knew how to hide it. "Fine. One last question—several officers from Castle Black sent me a letter. Why didn't I receive it?"
"About that..." Egger looked perfectly innocent. "There are sixteen newly activated forts along the Wall. It is easy to put men in them, but training birds to be familiar with them and knowing when to fly to these outposts takes a long time, even for the smartest ravens. In truth, only the seven forts garrisoned by the mountain clans currently have ravenries. IceMark, where we are now, does not have one, and at Nightfort, the number and reliability of the ravens were far from enough to guarantee stable communication. I do not know where the lords at Castle Black sent their letter, but the fact that you didn't receive it is perfectly normal. It was certainly not my doing."
The explanation was persuasive enough. Robb stared at Egger's face for a while, found no flaws, and eventually gave up digging.
Regardless, Egger had stopped hiding the truth about surrounding Castle Black. In terms of attitude, he had passed.
"Enough. Lord Bolton makes a fair point. We should focus on finding a way to resolve the situation at Castle Black properly."
Once those words were spoken, Lords Glover and Umber, who had been watching from the sidelines, breathed a sigh of relief. They were instinctively inclined to support Egger, but he had indeed committed a fault. Before their liege's attitude was clear, they weren't willing to risk sticking their necks out for a few indirect favors. Now that Robb Stark intended to drop the matter, they could finally speak up.
"The priority is to notify the Queenscrown troops at Castle Black to lift the siege and free those trapped inside," Galbart Glover said. "Then, a statement must be issued to explain the situation and admit the error. Of course, it would be best if the party involved did this personally in front of his sworn brothers after returning to Castle Black."
"Hmph. He besieged the place for days, and a simple apology upon his return settles it?" Rickard Karstark realized the tide had turned. Though displeased, he knew his wits were no match for the current momentum. He joined the discussion to secure some advantages for his side. "Now that the Gift has so many people, there must be clear restrictions on non-Night's Watch armed forces. While the Lord Commander's seat is vacant, the Watchmen are restricted in what they can do, yet outsiders roam the Gift unfettered, acting like they own the place. What kind of nonsense is that? My opinion is this: if you come to the Gift, you must accept the governance of Night's Watch law. Even if the mountain clans are friends, they cannot be indulged!"
"Lord Karstark is right." Robb sincerely agreed with this proposal. He nodded. "I will send word to the mountain clans: they are subjects of the North, and I am pleased they came to help defend the Wall, but since they are here, they must follow the laws of the Night's Watch. They must never follow orders blindly just because of who pays their wages or feeds them. Any further unauthorized mobilization of troops will be treated as rebellion, and I will personally deal with it!"
Robb felt this was his last chance to warn Egger and make him realize he was serious. He made an effort to sound stern during the last few sentences. "As for you, send someone back to Castle Black immediately to order your men back to Queenscrown. Don't try any more clever tricks! We will discuss the public statement and apology later!"
This restriction on his freedom of movement hit Egger where it hurt, but the rule was perfectly reasonable; strictly speaking, he had been exploiting a loophole. Playing the role to the end, he couldn't object. He put on a submissive look of complete contrition, nodding repeatedly without a hint of disagreement.
Everything was as expected. He would now obediently do as Robb said and send men back to Castle Black to order a withdrawal. The subordinates receiving the order would pack up and leave quickly. However... what happened after they left Ice-Mark would differ slightly from what the Northern lords imagined. The messengers wouldn't ride day and night like Yohn Royce; they would take a breath every few miles and rest at every outpost. Someone would get injured on the road, someone else would have a stomach ache... in short, various accidents would delay the journey.
Based on Arya's accurate information, he had decisively abandoned his original excuses on the spot, but the backup plan he had already arranged required no modification.
The order to withdraw would reach Castle Black in two to three days. The besieging troops would take a day to leave, and the elite among them—those who were sworn brothers—would set out for Eastwatch under Jaime Lannister's lead to reinforce the unloading team that had already taken over the port.
Even if Cotter Pyke returned home the moment the siege was lifted, Egger had successfully stalled him for over a week. As long as the first shipment of loaned grain was successfully unloaded and stored in the nearest mountain clan fortress during this time, his efforts wouldn't be in vain.
Admittedly, when he returned to Castle Black, he would likely have to offer a public explanation and apology. Ordinary people might think bowing and apologizing to a rival was a loss of face—and it was—but he had besieged the headquarters of the Night's Watch, forced the battle-hardened garrison to stay inside, and yet faced no substantive punishment nor was he forced out of the election.
Anyone with a brain would understand who had truly won.
The mess was settled within the time it took for the guards to eat breakfast. The small squad Egger designated to deliver the withdrawal order set off hurriedly under the supervision of Ser Rodrik, whom Robb had sent. Meanwhile, the Northern lords, having finished wiping the floor for him, proceeded with their planned inspection of Ice-Mark.
The Seven Kingdoms called them wildlings, while they called themselves free folk. However, the group facing the Northern lords now looked neither savage nor free. The boldest, strongest, and most vicious had mostly fallen fighting the Others or following Mance Rayder's assault on the Wall. Among the survivors, those with any wit or responsibility had long since headed to Queenscrown to find work. Those left behind were the old, the weak, and the sick... no, not even the old or sick; only women, children, and a few guarding warriors.
They were ragged and hungry, barely kept in a state of not freezing, not starving by the efforts of the Logistics Department. The lords of the five Northern houses were fully armed—helmets on—carefully visiting these dangerous guests from beyond the Wall, only to find a group of cowering, starving people who could barely speak properly.
That look of fear, numbness, and hopeless stagnation was something Robb had heard of from his father's stories: in the depths of winter or war, when food was running out and spring or peace was nowhere in sight, that was the look in the eyes of the smallfolk huddled in the winter town outside Winterfell.
(The so-called wildlings, once the distance and rumors are stripped away, are just a bunch of farmers who lived beyond the Wall.)
More than one Northern lord felt this way, and that was exactly the effect Egger wanted. However, everyone was playing their part naturally today, with no falsehood. Egger had simply conveyed a message to these New Gift dwellers beforehand—which wasn't exactly a lie—to spark this state: if the Northern lords found them restless or disobedient, they would all be driven back north of the Wall.
Defending the Wall and fighting the Others obviously couldn't depend on these miserable souls... but the leaders of the Great Houses knew that while the world wasn't led by commoners, it couldn't exist without them. If the entire population of the free folk shared the state of the residents here in IceMark, using them to fill the Gift and support the actual garrison of the Wall might truly be a viable choice.
The inspection tour was not yet halfway through, so there was no rush to reach a conclusion. Everyone kept to their tasks. The brief daylight of the northernmost Seven Kingdoms vanished in a flash. As darkness fell and smoke rose from the kitchen chimneys, new guests arrived at IceMark.
They also came from the west, also clad in black... but unlike Yohn Royce, the Commander of the Shadow Tower was not alone, nor did he look travel-worn. His physical and mental state was quite good.
Denys Mallister had decisively packed up and left Castle Black because he judged that the conflict between Pyke and Egger would eventually cause trouble. He left early to stay clear of the mess, fearing for his reputation. He had been proven right, and the trouble was far greater than he had imagined—so great that he felt he might actually profit from it.
On the day Castle Black was surrounded by the Queenscrown army, he learned the news via raven and quickly selected men to ride east along the Wall to find the Northern lords and report. If the news could enrage Robb Stark and topple Egger West, he would be the undisputed next Lord Commander.
Coincidentally, on that same day, heavy news arrived from the direction of Deepwood Motte, further strengthening Mallister's intuition that this was his one chance for victory. He could no longer sit still and personally led his men onto the road.
They didn't ride as desperately as Yohn Royce, so they were a bit slower than the man who had traveled a longer distance, but they finally reached Ice-Mark before total darkness today. There was no need to worry about tomorrow's travel.
Denys dismounted, handed the reins to a subordinate, and stood before the courtyard of IceMark, looking around.
The moisture from his breath formed clouds of white mist in the cold. Judging by the Northern soldiers visible everywhere, he had reached his destination. This election for the next Lord Commander had dragged on far too long; it was ironic that an external crisis would be the thing to force an immediate result.
He took a deep breath. Regardless of the outcome, everything would end tonight.
Soldiers soon approached to question him. After some negotiation, Denys learned to his surprise that someone from Castle Black had already arrived with the news. Robb likely already knew the details of the mutiny and might have even decided on the punishment.
"Tch—"
Denys frowned, pondering for a moment. He decided to find an old friend first to probe for information before deciding his next move.
He quickly changed his plan. After asking for the location of the Northern lords' quarters, he headed straight for the main keep with a clear target: the Karstark quarters.
"Hah, Denys!" Rickard Karstark cried out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
It was hard for outsiders to imagine that a rough, straightforward man of honor like Lord Karstark would be so close to a smooth, cautious, and faultless man like Denys Mallister. But as the saying goes: gentlemen can disagree while remaining in harmony. The difference in their personalities didn't affect their friendship at all. In fact, they had met at a tourney and become friends over forty years ago, before Denys had even joined the Night's Watch.
Denys Mallister removed his winter cap and said with a smile, "I missed an old friend and came for a visit. Do I need a reason?"
"Haha, no, no need. The Wall is the territory of the Night's Watch; as a commander, you can go wherever you please. It's not my place to complain." Lord Karstark laughed heartily, then quickly remembered something. He waved away the servants and younger family members in the room. Once the door was closed, he sat back down. "If you're here to report what happened at Castle Black, you're too late. Yohn Royce cleared everything up this morning."
"I heard. He's the first Watchman in months to set foot on the lands north of the Wall. A day and a night, riding from Castle Black to IceMark—truly worthy of the name Bronze Yohn. He still insists Egger West killed his youngest son; his temper is as tough as his bones." Denys shrugged helplessly, unable to resist a jab. "How did Robb Stark react?"
"He was furious at first, but then... well, it's a long story. Sit down, have some warm wine to heat your body, and I'll explain slowly."
It sounded like things hadn't gone the way he hoped. Denys sat down with a furrowed brow, took the warm red wine Karstark offered, and listened patiently.
Rickard Karstark was a rough man with average narrative skills, but he was an educated noble nonetheless. He picked through the details, hitting the key points, and eventually managed to recreate the morning's strangely defused interrogation for Denys.
"Egger's relationship with the Starks is simply too good; Robb couldn't bring himself to be harsh. Add Roose Bolton whispering in his ear... even something this big was glossed over safely by him." Karstark let out a long sigh. "I'm afraid you've come all this way for nothing."
He glossed it over through luck? Denys didn't think so. Though he wasn't there, he could basically imagine how it went. Making a big thing small and a small thing nothing—it was a masterful piece of crisis management. He had to respect it.
He only wondered how Egger had convinced Roose Bolton to help him.
"I won't have come for nothing, rest assured. If it were just to help Cotter and the others complain, why would I bother coming personally? That would be beneath me." Late was late; there was no point dwelling on it. Denys shook his head slowly. "I have another urgent matter for this trip—delivering emergency military intelligence from the West Coast. The Ironborn, led by Euron Greyjoy, have invaded the Stony Shore and the Rills again. They have surrounded Flint's Finger and are once again threatening Deepwood Motte. The North is in peril."
"What? Those sons of bitches are back again?!" Karhold was a thousand miles from the West Coast, so Karstark wasn't worried about his own home, but the Northern lords always stood together. If anyone was in trouble, everyone helped. The loss of food and resources would make the coming winter very difficult. He was naturally tense. "Didn't those raiders go to pillage the Reach? Why are they back? What is there in the poor North to attract them?"
"That is not for us to consider. Deepwood Motte only has ravens for the Shadow Tower and Castle Black. With Castle Black surrounded, this news could only be delivered to Robb Stark through me. Once the Warden of the North hears this, he will certainly terminate the current inspection tour and lead you all to the West Coast to face the Ironborn. At that point, there will be no one left in the Gift to keep things in check."
"If we leave, no one will be able to suppress Egger." For a lord, protecting vassals was a higher priority than inspecting the Gift; Robb Stark's reaction was easy to guess. Though rough, Karstark quickly grasped the key point. "A pity. We didn't catch the chance to topple him even after he caused such a mess. Later... there will be even less of a chance."
"Did your inspection along the Wall find any problems?"
"Many problems, but none were a big deal. You have to admit, that boy Egger has truly organized the Gift settlement plan quite well. So far, Robb is satisfied with the state of Queenscrown, Nightfort, and IceMark—no, let's not beat around the bush. To be honest, the state of the Gift is far better than Robb expected. He is very pleased," Karstark said with a long face. "I don't like Egger, but I can't find fault where there is none without a guilty conscience. Not to mention—the Glovers and Umbers are inclined toward him, and that old fossil Roose Bolton is speaking for him like he's on some kind of medicine. Even if I wanted to, I couldn't go three-on-one and sway Robb's thoughts alone."
Denys had arrived at IceMark full of hope, yet before even seeing Robb's face, the chance for a reversal had vanished. Even with his temperament, he couldn't hide his regret. He let out a long breath. His expression shifted several times, his gaze drifting for a few minutes before refocusing with a look of determination.
"I have the basic picture. Thank you, Rickard." Denys Mallister rose from his chair and bid farewell to Lord Karstark. "Now, I am going to have an open and honest talk with the future Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and end this damned election—tonight."
"You're going to surrender?" Karstark asked in shock. "That doesn't sound like you. What Egger did this time will cause his support at Castle Black to plummet. You still have a chance."
"If the Ironborn weren't harrying the North and your inspection continued, I would indeed still have a chance. But now... why lie to myself? I could use every trick in the book and maybe drag the election out for months or a year, but that would only hurt everyone without benefiting me. If the Others attacked during that time, it would lead to a catastrophe. What's the point?" As Denys spoke, he didn't hesitate to put his coat back on and head for the door. "Two days ago, the moment I rode out the gates of the Shadow Tower, I swore in my heart: I would never return as a candidate for Lord Commander. If I could have used Egger's siege of Castle Black to topple him, I would have convinced him to drop out and support me in exchange for not stopping the Gift settlement plan. Failing that, I will withdraw and convince him to accept my conditional support. The fact is, he launched a mutiny behind the Warden of the North's back and came out unscathed. I admit I don't have that kind of talent. Since I'm no match for him, why not get the best deal I can while the chips are still in my hand and he doesn't know the Ironborn have arrived?"
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