Chapter 400: An Unplanned Intimidation
"And so?" Daenerys sat up straight behind the table, her eyes fixed on Egger, who had entered the room for the third time empty-handed. The sense of crisis in her heart finally breached her limit of endurance. Though she spoke the question, her hand had already quietly gripped the dinner fork sent from the kitchen, concealing it beneath the table without a sound. "Where is the book?"
Although the assassination attempt had ended in a pathetic failure, Arya had inadvertently helped Egger achieve an effect he had considered but ultimately decided against after weighing the risks: giving the Mad King's daughter an intimidation.
The gathering and transmission of intelligence have a shelf life. Even Varys, known as the Spider, is far from omniscient. Daenerys actually had no idea that one of the greatest obstacles to her conquest of the Seven Kingdoms—the younger sister of Robb Stark, Warden of the North—was currently in the same castle as her. Egger had previously been running around frantically looking for the missing Arya; he was supposed to return with the book, yet he had moved in and out of the tower several times without a single word of explanation, his expression panicked and his pace hurried. It was difficult not to imagine the worst... and the sounds of a girl's screaming, crying, and shouting drifting in from outside the tower pushed Dany's nerves to the breaking point.
If she hadn't been certain she hadn't brought Missandei with her, Dany would have almost thought Egger was already doing away with her handmaid, and that she herself would be next.
Although the snatches of sound she caught through the walls reassured her that the commotion outside wasn't a riot or a bloodbath—and the whispered conversation between Egger and Arya was inaudible through the stone—the sheer number of anomalies gave the young Queen the feeling of having fallen into a trap. She was tense to the extreme.
She shouldn't have come.
Despite her deep, heart-felt desire and anticipation for the content of The Prince (Vol. II), she had actually sent ships and men to retrieve it... even if this ancient work were truly so decayed and fragile that it couldn't be moved, there were literate men among her subordinates who could have spent time copying it in its entirety to bring back to Dragonstone for her to read at leisure. However, a faint, lingering thought deep in her heart tempted her, making it hard to resist coming in person. Coupled with the tireless persuasion of the Red Priest, who warned her that the Great War was about to break out and that she, as the Prince That Was Promised, could not be absent... eventually, by some mysterious stroke of fate, she made the decision: at the critical moment when the encirclement of King's Landing was taking shape and the war was nearing a stalemate, she would personally fly north to visit the northern border of her kingdom.
Coming was her own wish. But the reason Dany dared to dismount her dragon and enter a castle in Queenscrown—a place where she was a stranger and where none of her soldiers were stationed—was influenced by others. Half of it was because she had heard what Moqorro saw in the flames and believed her visit to the Gift would be welcomed by the Night's Watch; the other half came from Egger himself. During their previous meeting on Dragonstone, although she had been embarrassed by his refusal to accept her olive branch, the Lord Commander's adherence to principle, his measured behavior, and his appropriate conduct had left her with a favorable impression. The gift he gave her had pleased her greatly... though she only realized that a bit late.
While she maintained a cold and haughty facade toward Egger on the surface, in her heart, Daenerys had developed a modicum of respect for this commander of the Wall's garrison.
It was precisely because she believed this rational and principled man would not do anything foolish that she had accepted the invitation and agreed—contrary to all logic—to risk herself alone to enter a castle that did not owe her fealty, just to read the full version of The Prince.
But now, the man's series of abnormal actions and the clamor from outside the door made Dany regret her excessive trust in others.
If the deterrent of her dragons wasn't enough and the Lord Commander insisted on doing something stupid, her three children would certainly avenge her, but currently, no one could save her!
Though her heart was pounding, she did not panic. She was Daenerys Stormborn, the divinely appointed ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, the proud Mother of Dragons, the hero of prophecy; she was not a delicate little girl who would lose her head at a scare. Even trapped in the tiger's den, filled with unease and fear, she silently gritted her teeth and swore: if the other party intended harm or showed disrespect, they shouldn't expect her to surrender tamely or submit—she would die before kneeling, begging for mercy, or enduring insult!
While tightening her grip on the fork for emergency use, Dany secretly used the rhythm of her soul to call out to Drogon. A dragonrider shares a subtle and indescribable emotional resonance with their specific dragon; a call through this mysterious link might not take effect as instantly as a bell or a horn, but it had been proven feasible through countless practices.
In a few moments, or an hour at most, her three children—led by Drogon, who would sense her unease and anxiety—would surely fly over to take her away!
The glowing charcoal emitted soft pops. Having been tidied up and with the hearth lit, the ground floor of the tower was much warmer and more pleasant than when they first entered—a perfect place to manipulate a Queen.
Egger was entirely unaware that Daenerys was currently on full guard against him: if he dared to step too close or showed any other abnormal behavior, she would immediately fight for her life with that fork.
Fortunately, he had no intention of doing so. Although he physiologically desired close, zero, or even negative distance contact with the Queen before him, his powerful reason and long-cultivated polite habits made him stand across the table, initiating conversation within a comfortable distance.
After gradually becoming accustomed to the mysterious attraction Daenerys radiated, doing this became a thrill of self-challenge: only those who can act against intuition and instinct can achieve great things, right? To endure the temptation that tests one's reason while acting like a normal person, rather than kneeling at her feet, was like a high-intensity mental workout. It offered the same sense of fulfillment as lifting weights—breaking through one's limits and becoming stronger afterward.
This was a pride and persistence that outsiders likely couldn't understand: even if there truly were gods in this world capable of manipulating the human subconscious, and even if a mere mortal like himself truly couldn't resist such means, he was determined to be the one most difficult to influence!
...
"The book is excellent, Your Majesty." While his mind raced to recall his lines, his face skillfully formed a perfectly calm smile. "Before we proceed, I would like to ask the Queen a question: you have returned to Westeros through countless hardships. Do you merely wish to take back 'what belongs to you'—an iron chair and the submission of the Seven Kingdoms?"
"What does my purpose have to do with the Night's Watch?" Daenerys grew increasingly vigilant—she couldn't figure out what Egger actually wanted. Was there a standard answer to this question? If she answered incorrectly, would the guards outside rush in at his signal to seize her or execute her on the spot?
"It has everything to do with it." Egger detected the trepidation and unease in the Queen's tone and knew it wasn't the time to play games, so he answered directly. "If the answer is yes, then I must say: the book Your Majesty desires, and certain suggestions I personally intended to offer you, are all meaningless to you." He spoke with a face of total sincerity. "With the talents and skills of Lords Petyr and Varys, if used correctly, one alone would be enough to reclaim the Seven Kingdoms... and now you have won over both. You only need to recognize the identity of that Aegon in the South and agree to a marriage alliance. Then, within a few months or a year at most, you will surely sit on the Iron Throne—as Queen Consort, of course. And even if Your Majesty wishes to be the sole ruling Queen, as long as you don't mind the trouble of making a few more moves to win over the Reach and Dorne from Prince Aegon... with your fame and the massive advantage of being more widely recognized, it wouldn't be too difficult if you're willing to spend more time and risk riding your dragons into battle a few more times..."
"This is not for the Night's Watch to contemplate," Daenerys interrupted with a dark expression. "I came today for that book. Whether I read it, or how I use what I learn from it, is entirely my business; it is none of your concern. If I remember correctly—the Lord Commander told me just a moment ago that he would fetch it for me immediately. I only want to know now: where is the book?"
This little Queen's head is actually quite clear, Egger thought.
It seemed that attempting to do what he did with Arya—avoiding the main issue and using a hastily devised trick to shift the conversation onto his own track—would be difficult.
"I must first confess something to Your Majesty." Since he couldn't avoid it, he would face the problem head-on. "I deceived you earlier on Dragonstone." Egger spread his hands with a face full of apology. "The book I promised you is not in my hands... more accurately, it does not exist in this world. It exists only in my mind."
"Oh?" Daenerys didn't seem particularly surprised; instead, she narrowed her eyes. As expected, is he going to make his move? This expression, meant to convey anger and threat, appeared on her face with a touch of fatal allure. "I must confess as well: my knowledge of Westerosi laws and customs is somewhat thin. However, as far as I know—the crime of 'deceiving the monarch' is not punished lightly anywhere. You lied deliberately just to lure me here?"
"Indeed. For that—I can only beg for forgiveness." You are indeed a monarch, but I haven't acknowledged you as mine yet—Egger naturally didn't say that. He weighed his words carefully. "I was forced to resort to such a tactic on Dragonstone to deceive Your Majesty out of necessity. At the time, I truly feared that if I answered truthfully, Your Majesty would detain or restrict my movements, ordering me to write the full version before letting me leave. The Gift and the Wall are facing a severe trial; they cannot do without me right now."
Admitting he lied was the most dangerous step in this conversation.
Egger had tried to bypass this hurdle with a clever maneuver, but it failed—if he didn't provide a clear explanation regarding the 'Where is the book?' issue, the talk couldn't proceed. But once he admitted to the deception, he faced another problem: given Daenerys's temper, if she discovered she had been fooled, she might rise in a rage to leave and refuse to listen to anything else. Would he stop her or not?
Egger held his breath. "Besides that concern, there was another consideration. I couldn't make a judgment after seeing you only once: were you truly the Queen... I had come to know through rumors?"
...
Daenerys hated being deceived above all else, and her face was instantly clouded with ill-concealed rage. However, she didn't jump up and head for the door as Egger feared. Stunned by the intimidation Arya had caused earlier—she was currently worried that Egger would suddenly tear off his mask and turn violent. She was gripping the fork tightly under the table, counting the seconds to stall for time, silently waiting for Drogon to sense her unease and come to her rescue. How would she dare to stand up without cause?
"Oh? And which version of me did you hear?" Daenerys had heard bits and pieces of how her enemies slandered her. She tilted her head back proudly and asked with disdain, "The tyrant who feeds dragons with living men? The witch who bathes in the blood of virgins? Or the greatest harlot of the Great Grass Sea who likes mating with stallions?"
"None of those. A rational person can filter the version closest to the truth from chaotic information." Egger also shook his head with a smile. "Beneath these countless rumors, I pulled back the layers of mist and saw... an idealist! Someone who wants to master her own destiny, correct the injustices of the world, and reshape this world into something better!"
Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/MistaQuartz
On Patreon, you can explore Extra Chapters in advance!