Chapter 317: "Queenscrown City"
Queenscrown, serving as the hub for supplies, population, and various activities in the Gift, underwent changes every day. Compared to when he had last left, it was already vastly different.
The most prominent difference was the gradual taking shape of the Outer City.
The name Queenscrown in the Common Tongue of Westeros originally referred specifically to the tower where Queen Alysanne Targaryen stayed during her visit to the Gift, and by extension, the small village surrounding it. As for the suffix town, that was merely a mental addition by those who knew it as a geographical location.
The first perimeter wall encircled the original ruins of the lakeside village, forming a castle-like structure that protected the most core buildings: the armory, supply warehouses, stables, staff barracks, and the multi-purpose hall. The rule that only internal personnel were allowed entry would never change. However, as the settlement plan advanced and the population lingering at Queenscrown increased, the open ground outside the castle walls became crowded and chaotic, making management exponentially more difficult.
At this point, it was time to initiate the second phase of Egger's headquarters construction: using the castle built upon the original site as a core, he would expand the stronghold—transforming the castle into a town, making the title of Queenscrown Town, or even Queenscrown City, a reality in more than just name.
After careful planning, the expansion began. The same army of workers that had previously built the roads was regrouped. They cleared away the chaotic, slum-like temporary tents and mud hovels spread around the walls, replacing them with uniform rows of houses constructed from earth, wood, and stone.
These houses would become the dwellings for the first batch of Queenscrown Citizens.
There were two ways to obtain this status: either toil for years to save a fortune and buy a house to earn citizenship, or contribute significantly to major operations planned by Egger. In the latter case, residency rights ranging from several years to permanent would be granted as a reward—requiring only a symbolic, low rent to stay in the assigned dwelling until the term expired or the resident moved out voluntarily.
The first batch of new residents had already emerged: among the mountain clansmen and New Gift residents who had answered the call to join Egger's southern campaign against the Ironborn—the wounded, the families of the fallen, and those who had distinguished themselves in battle—most had secured residency rights for terms ranging from one to ten years.
As soon as the residential area was completed, houses were allocated to these heroes in order of priority.
Beyond the broad objective of giving idle hands something to do, this method ensured that the quality and loyalty of the first generation of Queenscrown residents remained high. Furthermore, the widening gap in living standards caused by contribution-based allocation would increase the residents' enthusiasm for labor and subtly erode the influence of the original free folk tribal leaders.
Those who worked and distinguished themselves for Egger could move out of the dilapidated, scattered villages of the Gift and enjoy the conveniences and services of the Queenscrown Outer City, where jobs were easy to find. Tangible benefit is the strongest tool of governance. If the old tribal chiefs dared to interfere, they would be violating the laws of the Gift; if they ignored it, they would soon find that Egger's influence over their tribesmen surpassed their own.
The officials of Queenscrown naturally selected the strong, healthy, and quick-witted youth as laborers. In any world or time, such pillars of the community are the ones with the most say within families and society. With resources too scarce to satisfy everyone, Egger chose the most efficient approach: tilting the scales slightly to win over those most likely to have ideas and act on them, ensuring his rule over the Gift was stable before planning further.
While the rows of residential houses were a grand sight, they were ultimately repetitive and monotonous—not much to look at. Egger nodded and signaled the party to proceed toward the functional district adjacent to the Inner City.
Schools, clinics, commercial areas, and plazas... though small, it was a complete town. Almost every essential functional building was either completed or under construction.
The so-called commercial area was an expansion and relocation of the single street that had stood outside the gates of the original Queenscrown. The clinic was a double-storied building, slightly larger than its neighbors; it was finished but lacked enough healers to staff it. However, the school had already begun operations.
Over a hundred children from the ruling families of various New Gift tribes—ranging from eight or nine to their mid-teens—were divided into two classes. They had begun receiving basic education, including reading and writing the Common Tongue and arithmetic.
This was a rare sight. Not only for the residents of the Gift, but across the Seven Kingdoms, it was uncommon to see such a large group of people gathered for educational activities.
In a world of irregular seasons, cultural development unconditionally yields to survival-related matters. Education had long been a special privilege enjoyed by the few. Lords with castles had Maesters to tutor their heirs, while less fortunate knights or commoners could only hope to be selected by the Faith or the Citadel to escape a life of toil and gain access to knowledge.
Convincing the wildlings—a people entirely outside the bounds of civilization—that sitting down to learn arithmetic and literacy is as important as labor and physical training was a hassle. Fortunately, the free folk had surrendered hostages as agreed upon when crossing the Wall. Jeor Mormont's original plan was to have these children serve as stewards—servants and orderlies—to the Watchmen at Castle Black, keeping them under watch while fostering bonds through daily contact. But Egger had different ideas.
Many children from these higher-ranking wildling families would one day hold power within their tribes. Since the Watch had to spend grain to feed the hostages and time to slowly assimilate the New Gift residents by influencing their next generation, why not combine the two? By using these princely hostages as the first students of the Gift's school, he could integrate recruitment and indoctrination into daily teaching, influencing them through osmosis.
It is easy to move from frugality to luxury, but hard to go back. In time, when these hostages—who had learned about the civilized world, grown accustomed to life in Queenscrown, and been instilled with Egger's own values—returned to their tribes, even if they weren't fanatical supporters, they would at least not be obstacles or dissenters.
By creating an environment where hard work and loyalty translated into a better life, Egger would gradually expand his influence among the grassroots of the New Gift. By indoctrinating the children of the tribal leaders, he would quietly send his voice and ideals into the upper echelons of the former free folk.
With this two-pronged approach, given enough time, the free folk would be completely assimilated into residents of the Gift.
The greatest difficulty in opening the school was the lack of teachers. It took time for the Citadel to recognize a newly reopened fortress and send a Maester, and one person alone could not carry such a burden. Furthermore, Egger could not entrust such a task to outside forces he couldn't control or verify.
Consequently, the task was temporarily handled by the clerical staff of the Night's Watch Industries. More personnel would soon be sent from King's Landing to alleviate the shortage. Lack of experience didn't matter; they would learn and explore as they went, eventually finding a curriculum suited for the Gift.
The students watched with a mix of curiosity and awe as the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch—the man they saw as the new King of the Wall—walked into the classroom at the head of his retinue and stood at the front.
"Greetings, future masters of the Gift," Egger said with a smile and a nod to the children. "You heard correctly. I call you the future masters of the Gift. This is no joke. But the status of master is not something you are born with; it is something you must earn."
"The fact that you were sent to the Night's Watch as hostages means your parents are leaders of your tribes, leading groups of people. But they are not the masters of the Gift. No offense intended, but the fact is—your parents are merely surrendering soldiers who couldn't survive north of the Wall and traded their children for the right to cross. Everything they have is held by the Night's Watch." Egger pointed toward the Inner City of Queenscrown. "There! The people inside those walls are the true masters of the Gift. Where your tribes live, what you eat for the next month, what areas you are allowed to move in, what you can and cannot do, the prices and wages in the Gift... everything a man can decide is decided by the people inside those high walls!"
"And the fastest way to enter those walls and become one of the actual masters of the Gift lies before you: study well. Learn what your teachers tell you, and learn what I wish for you to know. Once you have mastered it, understood it, and learned how the world inside the Wall works, you will earn the right to enter those high walls."
Egger surveyed the room before continuing.
"Some of you surely think: 'What use is this? I have brothers and sisters, my parents can have more children, and my tribe only recognizes the strongest warrior as leader. By the time I finish this mess and return, my place will have been taken!'"
He shrugged. "A reasonable thought. To that, I can only make this promise—any child who studies hard and earns the recognition of me or the teachers I send will never stand alone! Behind you stands me—the man who holds all power in the Gift and who can influence the fate of every New Gift resident. I will never allow a good child who has studied in my school, who speaks my language, and who shares my ideals to become an outcast or an exile in their own tribe. I don't care what customs your tribes had north of the Wall; once you enter the Gift, you are New Gift residents, and I set the rules!"
Egger didn't expect applause or cheers. He had only come by on his way elsewhere and hadn't prepared much. It was a whim to speak so bluntly—and likely, his words left most of the wildling hostages in a fog of confusion.
But the clever ones among them would lie in bed tonight, think it over, and likely understand his meaning.
He was dangling a massive carrot before the students, telling them in a barely veiled manner: as Lord Commander, he would inevitably interfere in the internal power structures of the New Gift tribes. And he would favor them—the ones sent to Queenscrown as hostages, who learned the culture of the Seven Kingdoms, and who could at least grasp his ambitions and vision.
Even a King couldn't simply drop an outsider into a tribe to be their chief, but if he supported and designated a specific child of the former leader to succeed, the resistance encountered would be much smaller.
This lure was far greater than any reward or punishment system the school had originally devised. Those who could understand it would find the temptation irresistible; those who didn't understand after much thought were simply "rotten wood," not worth the effort of nurturing.
This was a long-term move in a busy schedule; it would take at least two or three years to see results. But Egger was now the Lord Commander; it was time to play the long game.
The so-called General Trend is built from individual long-term moves.
Because she was still sulking that he had left her at the Nightfort to rush back to Castle Black for his inauguration, Arya, who had caught up once the snow eased, had a face full of displeasure. She hadn't said a word despite seeing the massive changes at Queenscrown. Walking out of the school, Egger saw her low spirits and smiled, patting her shoulder. "Look, there are so many people your age here. You might even make some friends among them."
"Who I make friends with is none of your business."
"Fine, fine, I won't interfere... but can you stop scowling? Didn't Ser Rodrik agree to let you stay in Queenscrown for a few days before heading home?" Egger laughed it off. "Come, let me show you something interesting."
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!