Chapter 387: The False Alarm Incident (Part 3)
Despite speaking with such confidence and eloquence when introducing the Gift's combat protocols to Beric Dondarrion, it was only when faced with the harsh test of reality that Egger was jolted awake. He was reminded that he was governing a group of ordinary—and often difficult—civilians.
The New Gift folk came from beyond the Wall, raised in an environment devoid of law or moral education; they were never a gentle or rational lot. Previously, the Night's Watch had managed to suppress trouble through a combination of the carrot and the stick, making examples of agitators, and distributing tribes across the Gift to prevent friction. But as the tides of war forced them to congregate once more, a small portion of these former wildlings quickly seized the chance to prove just how stupid and malicious a human being could be.
Spreading unverified rumors detrimental to morale within Queenscrown—the very city protecting them... committing crimes the moment the alarm sounded... even fleeing south to illegally enter Northern territory only to find death... were these the actions of people with brains?
Egger had considered the potential rumors and fallout of his pre-war absence when he left half a month ago, but he had no choice. Openly announcing a trip to King's Landing for business was better than sneaking away. He could have told these core commanders that he was leaving for a few days and ordered them to keep it quiet, but while that might have kept the commoners in the dark, it would have invited suspicion and overthinking from these high-level administrators, which could have led to even more severe consequences.
Had Egger been present when the false alarm occurred, very few would have dared to cause trouble. In other words, the fact that those people felt bold enough to riot was directly linked to his absence. However, this didn't make him feel a shred of guilt or the sense that he had caused their deaths. Just as a person harassed on the street shouldn't be blamed for their clothing or the frequency of their outings—just because events are linked doesn't mean the responsibility is shared. In any time or place, clear logic must come first.
Instead of self-reproach, he actually felt a degree of relief. The false alarm hadn't produced entirely negative results; at least it had exposed a host of hidden problems in advance. If these pests weren't dealt with early and were allowed to remain hidden until the actual final battle, the consequences would have been far worse.
If nothing else, consider the small tribe that defied the protocol and defected. If they had fled during a real White Walker assault, Queenscrown would never have had the time to send troops to bring them back.
Now, he finally faced the destiny all rulers eventually meet: a difficult choice.
Over a hundred people had fled, but their crime was desertion, not rebellion; since they weren't soldiers, martial law didn't strictly apply. When faced with Warner Buckwell's pursuit, they hadn't resisted but had followed him back to Queenscrown obediently. This was fundamentally different from the Turl tribe, who had murdered Commander Mormont and resisted arrest with arms. Egger couldn't kill them all; he could only deal with the leader.
And in dealing with the leader, he had to consider the aftermath.
It felt like being a king facing rebellious lords—to kill or not to kill? It was no wonder a strange exile organization like the Night's Watch continued to exist even after the White Walkers had vanished into legend.
Egger had no experience being a king and was currently undecided, but he couldn't show weakness before his subordinates. After a moment's thought, he decided to play for time.
"This tribe has a hostage in Queenscrown, correct?"
"Yes, a twelve-year-old boy. He's already been detained."
"Tell the boy that in the moment of greatest danger, his family chose to abandon him," Egger said, affecting an air of composed certainty. "Give him a night to think. Bring him to see me tomorrow, and let him answer me to my face: how does he want me to handle his father?"
"Yes, my Lord."
While he said it was to give the boy a night to think, it was really to give himself a night to weigh the pros and cons. Once Egger made up his mind, he felt the faint inkling of a plan. He offered a cryptic smile and nodded approvingly. "That you were all able to maintain control in the midst of such chaos proves you are the capable leaders I chose and trusted. But now is not the time for rewards. Keep up the good work; if we weather this storm together, we will surely write our own chapter in history."
"Thank you for the praise, my Lord. Your timely return is the best counter-attack against the rumors. At the very least, our future work will face much less resistance." A weary Humphrey managed a small smile of gratitude and shrugged. "But there's one more matter I must ask you about: after the beacons were lit, the last wave of refugees from the surrounding villages swarmed in. Many entered the walls of Queenscrown and refused to leave. But since it was a false alarm, we had to forcibly evict them to maintain order and resume production. It didn't go smoothly at first. Eventually, Ser Warner had to bring several hundred men from Castle Black to help with the suppression. Only with the support of the Queenscrown Guard were we able to successfully 'invite' the non-emergency residents out without bloodshed. However, their presence in tents outside the walls has become a new source of instability. Please advise us on how to handle this."
Queenscrown was not a simple town. From its inception, its design and construction had accounted for its future roles: residential living, industrial production, and wartime defense and refuge. Regarding residency, Queenscrown could guarantee normal operation while housing five thousand people.
The subtext was: if you didn't care about normal operation, it could actually hold many more. This was the primary reason Egger had divided the alert levels into three tiers and the refugees into two waves.
The first wave of refugees consisted mostly of those assigned to lands far from the fortresses. Since they wouldn't have time to evacuate in a sudden emergency, they were moved early into various fortresses, including Queenscrown. About three to four thousand were assigned to Queenscrown under the protocol. Adding the permanent residents, the residential areas were at full capacity and felt crowded, but the industrial zone could still operate as usual.
However, beyond the residential areas, the outer town of Queenscrown had functional zones: schools, hospitals, commercial districts, and plazas. Additionally, there were vast areas of the industrial zone dedicated to the Logistics Department for dragonglass weapon production, metal smelting and casting, and the experimentation and manufacture of various weapons far ahead of their time. Once the White Walker alarm sounds and the second wave of refugees—those living within a day's journey—arrives, the total population inside the walls would surge toward ten thousand. At that point, all functional departments except the hospital and all industrial production would be halted. The large buildings and spaces vacated by the industry would then be used to house those additional thousands of refugees beyond design capacity.
Because of the false alarm, that second wave of tribes had arrived early. But the industrial zone could not be shut down prematurely while the Others were not yet attacking; after all, the mass production of dragonglass bombs and the reforging of Dark Sister into the glorious Lightbringer depended on the smelting and casting sectors. Therefore, the only remaining choice was to keep the final wave of refugees outside the gates to ensure the normal internal operations of Queenscrown.
"It's easy enough to send them home, but I fear that if they made this trip for nothing, they'll dally and waste time during the next alarm, allowing the White Walkers to catch them and turn them into part of the army of the dead." Egger stroked his stubbled chin, thought for a moment, and shook his head. "Forget it. Draft a proclamation for tomorrow: tribes living within ten miles are to be forcibly sent home, but they will be subsidized for their trouble. As for those whose homes are further away, if they truly do not wish to return, let them stay outside the walls. Arrange for armed personnel to manage and patrol them, and do not allow tents within a hundred meters of the gates. During this period of refuge, provide one free meal a day to appease their frustration at the wasted trip."
"Understood." Since the leader had spoken, that was that; with over a thousand Night's Watchmen in Queenscrown, maintaining order was well within their capability. Yam nodded and spoke one last time. "One final thing, my Lord. I know it's inappropriate to trouble you with trivialities at such a critical moment, but I must report: we have run out of rooms in the inner keep. Earlier, when you told me at the gate to arrange single rooms for Lord Beric and the King's Landing smith, I didn't actually have that many vacancies. To avoid an awkward scene, I had my subordinates clear out my own room to accommodate the guests. Tonight, I'll be squeezing into the soldiers' barracks—we can barely manage for now, but once we hit High-Level Alert and the industrial zone shuts down, moving the technical specialists into the inner keep will bring another round of trouble... So, I ask for permission to reorganize and reset the existing room assignments to clear as many backup rooms as possible."
"Don't go to the barracks. You can stay with me tonight, Yam," Humphrey offered. "But remember to bring your own bedding and pillow."
"I can give up my room too." Arya, who wasn't technically supposed to be in the meeting and was sitting in the corner, suddenly interjected with a righteous tone. "I can sleep in Master's room... if that's not enough, we can just squeeze in together, it's not like... ahem."
"Don't give me your nonsense! Was I asking you?" Egger jumped, but fortunately, the others in the room took it as a child's joke and didn't take her seriously.
Must you stick your nose into everything? He turned and gave Arya a fierce glare. Seeing her stick out her tongue in apology, he turned back to the problem at hand. "Very well. Yam will stay with Humphrey for now. I'll look into the specific housing situation before making a final decision on the reassignments. I'll issue a notice then."
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!