Chapter 363: Accurate Intelligence
"Hey, what are you two doing!"
"We... we..." At Arya's shout, an interaction that was perfectly normal somehow felt like being caught red-handed in bed. Myrcella was initially so startled she couldn't speak clearly, and it took several seconds for her to regain her bearings—why was she panicking? "I'm massaging Lord Egger's shoulders. He works day and night to guard the Wall; it's very hard on him."
Arya found herself speechless. She took large, aggressive strides toward them, circling behind Egger and using her superior strength to nudge the little princess aside. "Who doesn't know how to rub shoulders? I'll do it!"
"What was that for?" Myrcella grumbled softly.
"Hey, you didn't even close the door!" Egger reminded her loudly. Fortunately, the guards outside were dutiful enough to clean up after Arya, preventing the room's precious heat from escaping. "Knock before entering someone's room. Have you no manners?"
"None," Arya replied crossly, lifting her chin to look at Myrcella like a she-wolf asserting territorial dominance.
"Alright, Maeve, you can head back now." Egger could no longer relax. He sat up straight and offered an apologetic look to the innocent Myrcella. "I've had living quarters arranged for you. Ask the guards at the door... someone will call you for dinner."
"Mm, I'll be going then—thank you again, Lord Egger!"
Once the little princess had obediently departed, Egger turned to Arya with a look of reproach. "What is wrong with you? Why are you bullying her?"
"Who's bullying her! I treat her like a sister... and she... she actually wanted to..." Arya was about to say wanted to be my master's mistress, but the words felt shameful as they reached her lips. Reflecting on it, that clearly wasn't the case; it was just her overreacting. She muttered and didn't finish the sentence.
"She wanted what?" Egger found it somewhat amusing. Arya had jealousy written all over her face, making her look like a concubine fighting for favor in a palace drama. "Her family has suffered a great upheaval, and she was forced to come to your home as a ward all alone. She's so obedient, sensible, weak, and helpless—you should be kinder to her."
"I am kind to her!" Arya defended herself hotly, but realizing her recent behavior wasn't very convincing, she lowered her voice sullenly. "Hmph—I'm also weak, pitiful, and helpless, but I don't see you being particularly kind to me."
You ungrateful little thing, I haven't been kind to you? Egger rolled his eyes. He knew that the kindness Arya wanted now was for a powerful person to step up and help her break her engagement to restore her freedom. But where in this world is there true freedom without a price? And what adult has the spare time for such nonsense?
"Fine, fine, fine, Lady Stark, the 'weak, pitiful, and helpless' one. Let me ask you, why did you give me the cold shoulder when I went to receive you earlier?"
Arya gave him a sharp punch on the arm. "It's because—last time you passed through Winterfell, you stayed one night and vanished without even saying goodbye! What was that supposed to mean? If you don't want to give me advice, just say so. Who cares!"
Despite her huffy reply, Miss Stark's cheeks turned slightly red. She had originally intended to give Egger the cold shoulder for two days, but after finishing a long heart-to-heart with her mother and her brother Bran, she had wandered aimlessly out of the keep. Her legs had seemingly moved of their own accord, following a familiar path that brought her right outside the Lord Commander's office. Having failed several times in the past to maintain a cold war with Egger, she ultimately surrendered to instinct. She couldn't resist coming in to see him. Thank goodness she did... otherwise, her master might have been stolen away without her even knowing!
"Cough, I really did remember an urgent matter that day. It wasn't intentional." This was his fault, and he knew it. Egger didn't dare ask if Arya's first meeting with her fiancé had been pleasant, fearing he'd be pestered again for a way to break the betrothal. "Never mind, you've arrived at the right time. I was just about to ask you—did you hear any news of Daenerys Targaryen in Winterfell? Has she returned to Westeros with an army? Where did she land, and what is she doing now?"
"I'm not telling you!"
So she had heard something. Egger raised his eyebrows. "Don't play around. This is a serious question. It concerns the survival of the Gift and the North!"
"What does the Mad King's daughter have to do with our survival?" Arya didn't believe him. After a moment of thought, she let out a sudden cry: "Ah! I get it! You must have heard she's the 'most beautiful woman in the world' and you want to go see her! You, you, you... don't you know that beautiful women are like vipers? Dangerous!"
What on earth? A girl's train of thought was truly incomprehensible. If she hadn't mentioned it, Egger would have almost forgotten Daenerys was a woman. With the Others and an army of the dead at the doorstep, who has time to care if she's the most beautiful woman?
His face darkened, and as a denial reached his lips, he instinctively took a detour: "But I think you look quite beautiful today. Am I in great danger right now?"
"Oh, really?" Being female after all, Arya's voice subconsciously mixed with delight and shyness upon hearing the compliment. It took several seconds for her to realize he was countering her argument. She squeezed his shoulders harder in annoyance. "That's right! You're in great danger right now!"
"Ow, stop, stop—is this a massage or a murder attempt?"
The girl really was strong. Wait... he was supposed to be considering the grand strategy of the final battle against the Others, so why did the entire vibe of the Lord Commander's office change the moment Arya barged in? She was young and didn't understand the peril of the situation, but he carried a heavy burden.
Egger quickly suppressed the urge to continue teasing her. He grabbed Arya's hands, moved them from his shoulders, and began to explain in a serious tone the potential battle between Daenerys and Stannis at King's Landing, the impact it might have on the Night's Watch Industry... and how that impact would interfere with the war against the Others.
"The stuff that counters the White Walkers?" Arya only half-understood, but she caught that phrase. "If you have something like that, why didn't you make it in Queenscrown instead of keeping it all the way in King's Landing?"
A reasonable question, but things were never that simple.
Researching the method of producing saltpeter from scratch was not the same as simply moving established smelting and forging techniques to Queenscrown. Although he knew that saltpeter was produced by certain bacteria and could give general directions, he was not an expert. He knew nothing of the details beyond the basic principles—he couldn't list the complete inventory of raw materials, tools, and equipment needed to build the production system. Since he couldn't provide a list, Queenscrown's infrastructure and resource availability naturally couldn't compare to the capital of the Seven Kingdoms.
Besides, of the many inventors in the King's Landing industrial park, not everyone was willing to come north and freeze.
"You wouldn't understand. Hurry up, tell me everything you know!" Egger urged, feigning ferocity.
"What's the rush?" Arya shook off Egger's hands and went back to his shoulders—this time actually rubbing them properly. "The news is several days old. The Mad King's daughter suddenly appeared outside Blackwater Bay with a massive fleet. She defeated the Dragonstone fleet and took the island. Then, she quickly occupied the Crackclaw Point peninsula. They say she's advancing on King's Landing by both land and sea... Hand of the King Davos wrote to Winterfell, hoping the North would fully mobilize and send more troops south to break the siege. But where do we have any spare men? Robb is out there, too, and we don't know if he's received the news through other channels. Sigh... endless war. No wonder people in the castle say we should just be independent."
Dragonstone again. This matched the original plot exactly. It seemed that a correct strategy was the first choice regardless of the timeline, which was a good thing—ships from Eastwatch could sail directly to Dragonstone. If he decided to go with Melisandre to meet Daenerys, at least he could save time searching for her.
"She hasn't attacked King's Landing directly?"
"Pfft, she wouldn't dare. The King has long since prepared to deal with those three dragons. If she dares ride them to King's Landing, they'll be shot down instantly."
Egger breathed a sigh of relief. Indeed, a meticulous veteran like Stannis Baratheon couldn't have gone this long without reacting to the news that his enemy had three dragons. Being prepared was the logical development... Speaking of which, Stannis the Mannis really was the unluckiest King since the unification of Westeros. He wasn't incompetent, yet after more than two years on the throne, he hadn't even seen a unified country. He was a capable commander, but enemies kept popping up one after another. Just as he was finishing off Aegon's Golden Company in the Stormlands, leaving only Storm's End to be taken, his home base at Dragonstone was occupied by another genuine Targaryen Queen. Thinking about it, it was truly frustrating on his behalf.
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