Chapter 390: Arrows of Legend
Despite his flamboyant boasting, Tobho Mott was truly melting and forging genuine Valyrian steel for the first time. In contrast to Egger—who viewed casting these arrows as a mere backup plan, indifferent to failure—forging was the profession and life's work of the finest blacksmith in King's Landing. He could not tolerate such a glaring failure on his illustrious resume. Reforging Dark Sister was an opportunity he might never encounter again; as the one actually executing the task, he was far more nervous than the sword's owner. While the inner keep was buzzing with the chaos of room shortages, he had simply moved his apprentices into the most well-equipped primary foundry as soon as he arrived in Queenscrown. He even slept there, never once using the guest room Yam had specifically vacated for him.
He spent half a day ensuring every tool and piece of equipment was present and firing the furnace to familiarize himself with its temperature and performance. He spent another day and a half successfully reforging the small lump of Valyrian steel he had brought from the capital into several arrowheads. On the third day after arriving in the Gift, Tobho Mott found Egger and announced he was ready, subsequently taking Dark Sister from his hands.
With such a famous and precious blade, Egger naturally intended to have someone watch to prevent any tampering. However, the person who ultimately took on this task was quite extraordinary: Melisandre, who had insisted from the beginning that Dark Sister was the Sword of Prophecy, proactively offered to supervise the entire melting and forging process.
Ten workers responsible for maintaining the furnace flames and assisting with the reforging moved into the primary foundry with their bedding. Firelight and heat seeped through the door cracks and small windows, and white smoke billowed from the roof chimney without pause for a day and a night. After over ten hours of enclosed work, the tall apprentice boy—his arms and chest thick with solid muscle—came to knock on Egger's door. He told him that the ordered arrows were finished.
Excitement might be an overstatement, but Egger certainly felt a flicker of anticipation. He quickly called for Arya and her princess companion, and together they hurried to the foundry workshop outside the inner keep.
There was a reason for choosing to begin work yesterday afternoon: this arrangement pushed the most critical stages of reforging and shaping into the dead of night. The winter night in Queenscrown, silent and undisturbed, ensured the smith's concentration remained focused and free from outside distractions.
At least, that was how Tobho Mott explained it to the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch.
Melisandre expressed no objection—as long as the magic within her body or necklace was sufficient, she could go without food, water, or sleep, even bypassing the need for a privy. Day and night were the same to her. Despite having stared at the melting and casting process for every moment without blinking, she still looked radiant and full of spirit. Master Tobho Mott, on the other hand, who had worked through the night, showed an unmaskable exhaustion on his face... yet he looked full of pride and accomplishment. With one glance at his expression, Egger guessed that the reforging had achieved commendable results.
"I have reforged your sword into seventy-one arrowheads, my Lord," the blacksmith said, his chin held high with pride as he pushed a wooden box toward Egger. "Except for the last bit of molten steel stuck in the pot that wouldn't pour, preventing a seventy-second arrowhead, the loss rate was nearly zero. You may inspect or even weigh them as you wish!"
If one didn't look closely, it would be easy to mistake the pile of objects in the box for a handful of iron nails, but they were actually dozens of arrowheads stacked neatly together. They shimmered under the flickering firelight and candlelight of the room, with faint ripples of red and black flowing across the surface. Even a layman could tell these were no ordinary items.
Egger glanced at the Red Woman. Seeing her make no sign, he understood the smith spoke the truth. He nodded with a smile. "Very well. Did the process go smoothly?"
"Not bad, though there's no need to hide it: it wasn't actually as easy as imagined," Tobho admitted, not just content to boast. "The melting of the sword took a bit longer than expected. This blade you provided, my Lord, seems to differ slightly from the Valyrian steel I usually purchase. I had to increase the airflow for a higher temperature to melt it. Beyond that, Lady Melisandre used some fire spells during the final pouring stage to assist, ensuring a one-time casting success rate of one hundred percent with no reworks."
"More than that," the Red Woman said coldly. "The charms and magic crystals you prepared were all common, mundane trinkets. They are sufficient for reforging ordinary Valyrian steel, but Dragonsteel... had I not maintained the spells during the latter half, I know not how much precious magic would have dissipated."
The blacksmith looked embarrassed and nodded in agreement. "Yes, yes, you worked hard, Lady."
Egger looked at the two of them and could guess the sequence of events. A person like Melisandre had no reason to lie to claim credit; what she said was likely true. Unfortunately, as a mere mortal, Tobho Mott probably couldn't perceive the difference in magic concentration between Dragonsteel and ordinary Valyrian steel. He likely harbored doubts about the witch's words but didn't dare openly contradict a priestess of the Lord of Light who actually wielded magic, leading to his insincere admission.
"It's finished, and that's what matters. We won't dwell on the complications." Egger was in an excellent mood and had no time to overthink minor details. He picked up an arrowhead and examined it closely: a slender, tapered point about five centimeters long. Cold light glinted off its edges and tip, while the back end transitioned into a longer, needle-like tang. It was so thin that one might almost suspect it would snap if bent... of course, such a break existed only in the imagination. This was incredibly tough Valyrian steel; even with full manual force, it wouldn't break or bend, and any deformation was so microscopic as to be imperceptible. Upon releasing the pressure, it remained a perfectly straight arrowhead.
"When you were giving the details, you requested that I prioritize penetration and forge as many as possible while ensuring lethality. In designing the arrowhead, I took all your requirements into account," Tobho said, picking one up himself to boastfully introduce it. "To divide it into as many pieces as possible meant the weight of each arrowhead needed to be as light as possible... while simultaneously ensuring penetration. Among several designs, I ultimately chose the triangular-tapered point with a rear tang."
Egger had indeed specified those two requirements, and the motivation behind them was simple: he wanted as many pieces as possible to have more chances to shoot the Night King at the most critical moment. As for prioritizing penetration, the reason was even simpler—Dragonsteel's lethality against the Others relied on its fire-attribute magic rather than physical destruction. The arrowhead didn't need complex blood grooves or barbs; it only needed to be able to pierce an Other's armor or cover and enter their body at the decisive moment.
He lowered his head to inspect the arrowhead in his hand, finding that Tobho had indeed carried out his requests. He nodded in approval and waited for him to continue.
"The triangular taper offers penetration with a simple structure that saves material; that choice took little deliberation. However, in selecting the method of connecting the head to the shaft, I considered it for some time. There are only two ways: the socket style and the tang style. Simply put, one has a hole in the head for the shaft to enter, and the other has a needle-like tail on the head to insert into the shaft." Seeing that the leader of the Night's Watch was willing to listen to the details, the blacksmith seemed to find his second wind. "Generally speaking, the socket style is more material-efficient than the tang style, but the thickest part of a triangular taper is roughly the same as a normal arrow shaft. If I were to make a hole in the back for a shaft, the entire structure of the point would have to be redesigned. It would either ruin the streamlined shape or require lengthening and thickening the base... in the end, material consumption would actually increase, not to mention the precision drawbacks of a socket. After weighing it all, I chose the tang style... and once I took that step, I considered a hybrid plan: a Valyrian steel head with a tang made of iron or copper to save material. Unfortunately, practical experience tells me no other metal fuses well with Valyrian steel. For the arrowhead to be strong and durable, it must be cast as one piece, composed entirely of Valyrian steel."
"A single arrowhead has so much logic behind it!" Arya was amazed, picking up an arrowhead to examine it herself—though, of course, she couldn't see anything specific. She only knew it was Valyrian steel, the same expensive material as her family's ancestral sword, Ice. "Master, can you give me one? I'll hang it around my neck as an amulet, or stick it in my hair as a hairpin! Father's Ice is still in the hands of Margaery's family; I'd be the only one in House Stark with a Valyrian steel weapon then."
"Ice is in the hands of the Tyrells? Have they mentioned returning it?" Egger genuinely hadn't known this, though thinking about it, since the two houses were still at war, they likely hadn't reached an agreement. "Once the war is over, I'll give you and Meave one each, no problem. For now, these arrowheads must be used by the warriors fighting the Others."
"I can shoot a bow, too! And I'm quite good at it. Ser Rodrik said there aren't many girls in the Seven Kingdoms with better archery than me!"
"Uh—" Egger was at a loss for words. He hadn't actually tested Arya's archery. "Not many girls in the Seven Kingdoms with better archery"—what level of skill was that, exactly? While thinking of a response, he stealthily snatched the arrowhead from Arya's hand and put it back in the box. "Well, give me a chance to see your archery. If it's truly that good, there will be a share for you when we kill the Others, alright?"
"Fine, don't you go back on your word!"
On one side, the master and apprentice had their little discussion. On the other, the fletcher swallowed and still had plenty of details to share: "That's right! Though it's small, there's much to know! Look, my Lady, even the thickness of this tang involves great study—if it were an ordinary material, such a thin tang would never suffice; the head would surely snap off upon impact... Fortunately, this is Valyrian steel. I performed quite a bit of calculation to ensure this thickness is both most material-efficient and possesses the necessary strength. Now, these Valyrian steel arrowheads have only one remaining issue, which is that they are too light compared to iron. To ensure the arrow's center of gravity doesn't shift too far back, I've already thought of a solution—I will cast some small copper rings to be fitted at the very tip of the specialized shafts for these arrows. It will add weight and strengthen the stability of the connection between the head and the shaft!"
"Alright, Master Mott," Egger interrupted the blacksmith's endless explanation with a laugh. "You've done well. Seventy-one arrows; one-fifth of that is fourteen and one-fifth. As a token of appreciation for your blood and sweat, you may take fifteen of them after the war is over. If you wish to return to King's Landing to manage your shop as soon as possible... ships are scarce for the Night's Watch right now, but I will immediately arrange a carriage for you. However, if you wish to wait in the Gift to receive your payment in person, I ask that you share your forging and casting expertise with our Night's Watch craftsmen during your stay, as a contribution to the defense of the Wall—in return, you will be paid at the highest technical specialist salary rate!"
With that, without waiting for a response from the blacksmith—who seemed quite ambitious or perhaps just talkative after completing a major life goal—Egger turned to the guards following behind him. "Seal this box of arrowheads and take them to my room. Also, pass down the order—" Seventy-one Dragonsteel arrows; the number exceeded Egger's expectations. How to distribute them was a question worth careful thought, but in a moment, a flash of inspiration hit him. "Pass down the order—Queenscrown will host a simple archery tournament tomorrow and the day after. The top-ranked archers will earn the chance to hunt Others alongside me with 'Lightbringer' in the final battle, winning supreme glory and a place in the history books!"
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