Chapter 364: Leave at a Moment's Notice
Sharpening the axe does not delay the woodcutting. With his head and shoulders thoroughly massaged and official intelligence regarding Daenerys in hand, Egger found his thoughts significantly clearer.
His previous hesitation about accepting Melisandre's proposal stemmed primarily from three unknown factors: 1. Following the drastic shifts in the plot, he didn't know where Daenerys was; going south might lead to a wild goose chase. 2. Given the slow speed of information over long distances, he might arrive in King's Landing only to find it reduced to ashes by dragons—a wasted trip. 3. The Others might attack while he was away, and the drop in morale caused by the Lord Commander's absence could ruin all his preparations.
These three problems could be distilled into one core concern: he was worried he wouldn't make it in time.
Now, the first two problems were solved: Daenerys was likely at Dragonstone, and due to Stannis's military preparedness, she probably wouldn't burn King's Landing before securing her foothold. Thus... combined with Melisandre's unwavering certainty, Egger realized the unstable factors he loathed had been minimized. To hesitate further would be cowardly.
If a risk had to be taken, then going and returning quickly was far better than endless vacillation.
"No!!!" Arya immediately voiced her strong opposition. "I finally managed to come here, and you... you can't wait until I leave before busying yourself with other things?"
"If I could wait, I wouldn't have been agonizing over this for so long," Egger explained helplessly. "Do you think the Gift is a pleasant place right now? You and your mother picked the wrong time to visit. Finish your business and get back to Winterfell quickly... This place will soon be swarmed with refugees from all directions. You won't even have a place to sleep."
"You... you... you—" Arya was so exasperated her voice carried the distressed quiver of someone about to cry. She couldn't comprehend Egger's well-intentioned desire for her safety; she only saw that her master was trying to drive her away just so he could go see another woman.
"Alright, fine. Stay as long as you like. I'll be back to accompany you as soon as possible, okay?" Egger realized his mistake—as Lord Commander, his plan to go south to see the Dragon Queen and King Stannis was a serious official decision. Why was he telling Arya in a way that created the illusion he was negotiating with her? He quickly changed the subject: "How did the talk between you, your mother, and Bran go? Did he agree to go home with you?"
Arya's experience was still too shallow. Swung by Egger's redirection, she instantly forgot the previous argument and jumped to the new topic: "Ugh—I almost forgot because you didn't mention it. Bran has become so strange! When we asked what he did while he was missing, or where Hodor, Summer, and the Reed boy went... he wouldn't talk about it. He just kept saying he can 'see everything' now. He said a lot of things I didn't quite understand, but the gist was: 'I'm definitely staying in the Night's Watch.' And somehow, in the end, my mother was actually persuaded..."
"So, your brother is definitely joining the Watch?"
"I suppose..." Arya replied uncertainly. "Bran said he had things to discuss only with Mother and asked me to leave first. That's why I came here."
"Only with your mother?"
Egger repeated the phrase blankly. It wasn't surprising that Bran could convince Catelyn; the precedent and tradition were there, combined with the accumulated experience and eloquence of a thousand years—even he, as the Master of the Gift, tended to be led by Bran's rhythm during their conversations. But what private matters could he have that Arya couldn't hear? That was strange indeed.
While he was wondering, Egger felt a weight on his shoulder. Arya, who had been standing behind him feigning a massage, had slid her arms forward to his chest. She leaned down, wrapping her arms around his neck and resting her small head on his left shoulder: "Ma~ster~"
The moment her tone turned cloying and sweet, Egger knew she had another bizarre request.
"Don't use that weird voice; speak properly. And—your chin is digging into my shoulder."
Arya gave him a mock-angry shove but then poked her head forward again. This time, she wedged her chin and neck against his shoulder blade. The girl's neck was soft and no longer dug into him, but her small cheek was now practically pressed against Egger's left face.
"The advice you gave me last time wasn't helpful at all. I studied it carefully afterward and came up with a great idea: why can't I just join the Night's Watch too? Why bother wasting effort... arguing with that blockhead back home?"
You too? Egger felt a headache coming on. "Haven't I told you? The Night's Watch doesn't take women."
"But aren't you the Lord Commander? I've asked around—you can make changes to the laws of the Night's Watch!"
So she had come prepared. Egger remained firm: "If a law is changed just for one person, can it still be called a law?"
"Ma~ster~ I'm begging you~" Arya began to act spoiled, leaning her weight onto him and swaying him back and forth. Her cheek rubbed vigorously against his, and her warm breath puffed into his collar.
How did a perfectly normal girl turn into a whiny monster the moment things didn't go her way? With a genuine soft girl like Myrcella as a comparison, Arya's deliberate acting felt so fake it was almost cringeworthy. Egger sat bolt upright. In their current position, if he turned his head even slightly, he would... Though he liked his little apprentice, he had no desire to experience a cliché trope out of a light novel, let alone let the relationship go in that direction. The second daughter of House Stark, however pretty or cute, was on his keep your pants on list.
A noble lady like her was impossible to shake off once provoked.
"Fine, fine. I'll agree to it. Tonight at dinner, ask your mother. If she agrees, I'll modify the law immediately and take you as the first female of the Watch. How about that?"
"You... you... you're mean! I'm not being nice to you anymore!" Arya immediately punched him. She was boisterous and far from shrewd, but she wasn't stupid; she knew a no when she heard one.
"Suit yourself. Get off my shoulder; you're heavy."
Seeing that acting spoiled didn't work, she immediately shifted tactics, letting go of his neck. She gave a small sob, her tone suddenly turning hurt: "Master—I feel like you don't care about me at all. In your eyes, am I just a tool for providing inside information?"
Alright, fine, that move actually worked. Egger felt a genuine pang of guilt. "How could you say that? You've always been Master's most beloved and proudest apprentice... But in this world, not everyone and everything can go exactly as one wishes... Fine! I promise that when the war is over, I will seriously think of a way for you. Okay?"
Egger made the promise sincerely, but who would believe him this time?
"No!"
Egger shrugged to try and nudge the girl away. "Get up. A married woman clinging to a man of the Watch—what would people think?"
If he hadn't said it, it might have been fine, but now her hurt tone snapped back to fierce: "You're the married woman! Your whole family are married women! Don't you dare use that word for me!"
Ha, there was the Arya he knew. Egger felt relieved. "But technically speaking, a girl with a betrothal is a 'woman of a husband'."
"Say that word one more time?!"
"Married woman," Egger said without hesitation. "Gonna bite me? Ow—you actually bit me!"
Arya, who moments ago had been rubbing her face against his and pleading softly, turned into a little she-wolf in her shame. She snapped her head around and bit Egger's ear. It wasn't very painful, but it changed the flavor of the interaction. The girl was young and perhaps couldn't distinguish the line between normal master-student affection and flirting with a man, but Egger couldn't let the rowdiness continue without boundaries.
"Enough, enough. Stop playing." Egger stood up from his chair, turned to catch Arya—who was trying to run away to bait him into a chase—and dragged her toward the door. "It's about time. Come, let's go to the kitchen to see what you want to eat. You can ask your mother at dinner about becoming a crow."
A short while later.
In the main dining hall of the Queenscrown inner keep, the Lord Commander, along with the high-ranking officials of the town, received Lady Stark and her three children from Winterfell. Both sides shared dinner and engaged in friendly conversation. Naturally, the topic of letting Arya join the Watch was never mentioned... Instead, Catelyn proactively stated her intention to continue north to the Wall to visit the frontline soldiers protecting the borders in harsh conditions as a representative of House Stark. She also wanted to go to the Nightfort to fulfill the wish of the most devout Old Gods believers among her escort to pray before the legendary giant weirwood.
As long as safety was maintained, it wasn't a bad thing, though Egger found it slightly odd. Was this a suggestion from Bran's private talk with Catelyn? If so, why hide it from Arya?
Despite his doubts, as an outsider, he couldn't pry into the private conversation between a mother and son. Egger gave his consent and arranged for cooperation. Then, he announced publicly at the table his intention to sail south to King's Landing to seek aid from King Stannis. He did this primarily to observe Bran's reaction: if the Greenseer said "No, the Others are coming, you can't leave," the plan would have to be cancelled. Otherwise, it was feasible.
Fortunately, Bran only gave Egger a slight nod and said nothing.
The lively dinner ended. Arya was dragged back to her room by her mother, and Egger returned to his quarters after briefing his subordinates. Walking on the hard, flat permafrost of Queenscrown, he looked up at the sky and found the weather exceptionally good: the moon was bright, and the sky was cloudless.
His heart stirred, and he changed direction, heading toward Melisandre's quarters.
"What is it?" The Red Woman was surprised by his visit, blocking the door with a frown. "Didn't I say only I should seek you out? Not tonight; I need to save my strength for tomorrow's journey."
This was a small understanding between them—Melisandre was an assistant sent by divine oracle, not a mistress kept by Egger to be summoned at will. If he wanted her, fine—but when it happened was her decision.
Of course, she had misread his intent this time.
"Pack your things. We leave immediately."
"Weren't you just saying you needed to think it over? What has gotten into you?"
"I've thought it over. The weather is excellent tonight. If we leave now, we can catch the ship to Dragonstone by tomorrow morning. If the weather holds for the next two nights, we can save at least two days on the round trip."
"Do two days make such a difference?" Melisandre scoffed, but she reconsidered. The Prince That Was Promised was showing such urgency toward this war; as his supporter... could she afford to be lax? She exhaled, looked at the night sky, and shook her head helplessly: "Very well. Wait a moment."
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