Eddard Stark's family was coming to Crown Town to pick up the children. Aegor had known this for several days. After the news of Bran's reappearance and intention to join the Night's Watch was sent, the reply from Winterfell had already given him a heads-up as the Commander. Robb Stark was leading troops outside and could not arrive in time, so Lady Stark, who had not left Winterfell for a long time, personally went north to bring her rebellious son home.
Thanks to the completion of the road from Winterfell to Crown Town, what used to take several days by horse now took only three to five days by carriage, allowing them to arrive so quickly.
Aegor initially thought Melisandre was so bored she was using magic to detect such trivial information. After understanding, he learned that the Crown Town patrol had discovered it during their routine activities along the King's Road. He had just been in a meeting, and it was not an urgent military matter, so the Red Priestess intercepted it.
He quickly straightened his clothes, tidied his appearance, and took a few people to the square directly opposite the south gate of Crown Town. As expected, he encountered a carriage escorted by Northern cavalry stopped outside the gate by guards, waiting for notification.
Aegor quickly ordered them to be let through, dismounted, and stood by the side of the square to personally welcome Lady Stark.
Of course, it must be mentioned that there were actually two Lady Starks in the North now, Catelyn Tully, the widow of Eddard Stark, and Roslin Frey, the pregnant wife of Robb Stark. The one who came this time was naturally the former. Lady Catelyn got out of the carriage with the help of her servants. Compared to when they first met several years ago, she looked much older, but she seemed to be in good spirits. After all, Bran had been missing for a long time and appeared alive, which was good news no matter how you looked at it.
...
"Commander, thank you for your efforts in finding my son. The Stark family has caused the Night's Watch too much trouble, I am truly sorry. Where is Bran? Is he alright?"
"You are too kind, it is what I should do." It was not about how much effort was spent... well, in fact, no effort was spent at all. But a child is a mother's heart, and Aegor could understand Catelyn's eagerness to get straight to the point after a brief greeting. "He is currently in the room I arranged for him, with dedicated care. I will have someone take you to see him immediately."
Aegor called a guard and ordered him to take Lady Stark to see her son, but another girl, whom many present found slightly familiar but did not immediately recognize, jumped out of the carriage. Upon closer inspection, it was... no, it should be said it was indeed Arya.
Aegor was not surprised that this girl would come with her mother. The second daughter of the Starks, who treated Crown Town as her playground, would not miss this opportunity to hitch a ride north, and using sibling affection to persuade Bran to give up his plan to join the Night's Watch was indeed a clever move. Catelyn had little reason to refuse.
After several months of not seeing her, the quantitative change called growth had finally accumulated into a qualitative change. This girl's appearance now made people sigh at how much a girl changes as she grows up. Her height, which he used to be able to touch by raising his hand, had unknowingly shot up to over one point six meters, almost as tall as her mother. The fat that had gradually accumulated on her cheeks turned her originally thin face into a pleasing oval. Her brown hair, hurriedly cut short when she was taken out of King's Landing, had finally grown back to a length that could identify her gender after nearly two years. Now, it was skillfully braided into a somewhat fancy hairstyle by someone, and a high ponytail was tied at the back of her head. Paired with a clean and neat light gray coat and pants designed for ease of movement, she looked like a vibrant young girl.
How great it would have been if she had been like this earlier. Even if it was annoying to be bothered by her, with a more pleasing appearance, it would make people more willing.
Thinking this, he forced down his annoyance and smiled at his apprentice. Who knew the girl would show no expression, looking like a complete stranger who did not recognize him. After getting off the carriage, she quietly stood beside her mother. Being extremely familiar with the Crown Town Inner Keep, she even saved the effort of curiously looking around.
Aegor had a lot to do, so how could he have time to guess what this little girl was thinking? He turned back indifferently and continued to instruct on the reception matters, but from the corner of his eye, he saw another small figure following Arya out of the carriage. Turning his head to identify her, it was Myrcella, or rather, Miss Maeve Snow.
With a great war imminent, it was understandable for Catelyn and Arya to come see Bran, but with this Little Princess added, three female family members, forming a team to cause trouble for the Night's Watch, what were they doing?
Fortunately, Sansa Stark and Rickon Stark did not get out of the carriage. It was impossible for no Starks to be left in Winterfell. Aegor breathed a sigh of relief, not hiding his confusion and unease, looking at Catelyn and waiting for her explanation.
"King Robert's two sons are here, right?" Lady Catelyn understood, took a step closer, and lowered her voice. "Arrange for Maeve to see them from a distance. Of course, if possible, find a secluded and safe room for them to meet, and do not let outsiders see them. This girl talks about them all day, so I just let her come once to completely put her heart at ease."
Myrcella was actually able to persuade Catelyn to bring her to see her two brothers? Aegor was speechless. He could imagine this Little Princess was liked wherever she went, even in Winterfell. But even so, perhaps only these kind people of House Stark would do something like taking care of even the enemy's children and even fulfilling their wishes.
"Understood." Aegor frowned, but it was not an excessive request, and there was no reason to refuse, so he had to call another guard and carefully instruct him before letting him leave to find the two little princes who had put on black robes at the school. "Lady, the White Walkers are leading the army of the dead to attack the Great Gorge. The Night's Watch has many affairs to deal with, so please forgive me for not being able to accompany you personally. I will order the relevant personnel to cooperate, and you can move around in Crown Town with peace of mind, but it is best not to leave the Inner Keep."
Catelyn understood that it was inappropriate to add trivial tasks to the Night's Watch with private matters at this critical juncture, so she was very polite and cooperative. "Please feel free, I will go and talk to my son properly and bring him back to Winterfell as soon as possible, so as not to add any more burden to the Night's Watch."
"Not at all, it is our great honor for a member of House Stark to be willing to join the Night's Watch." This was the truth, and Aegor did not want to waste more words with her, so he made a gesture of invitation. "Lady, please follow the brother in front. If you have any other needs, just ask, and someone will handle it."
...
The Starks followed the guide toward the castle. Arya rolled her eyes at Aegor as she passed him, snorted, and turned her head away. However, Myrcella slightly bowed and greeted him. She was already as beautiful as a doll, and she was also well-behaved and sensible. It was truly difficult not to feel affection for her, no wonder Catelyn was willing to fulfill her little wish.
Aegor quickly sorted out a bunch of miscellaneous thoughts, confirmed that there were no major oversights or neglect in the reception of the Starks, and handed the matter over to the Town Chief of Crown Town to handle fully. He hurried back to his office to deal with more important official business.
Melisandre was waiting for him in the room.
Aegor threw his coat onto the hanger and sat down in the chair with a serious expression. "As someone predicted, the White Walkers have indeed begun to try to destroy that Haunted Forest. Once the wights have finished cutting down this forest, they will successfully create a passage through the magic barrier that spans east and west, allowing the cold god's power to penetrate. At that time, it will inevitably be the moment when the White Walkers officially move south and launch a general attack. We have at most a few more days to make more preparations. As the most loyal followers of R'hllor, is it only you who will help me? What about the promised donations and more personnel?"
"That is what I want to talk to you about." Melisandre always had that calm and indifferent expression. "Most of the priests, including the High Priest Bennero, believe that Daenerys Targaryen is the Prophet. The highest Red God Church in Volantis has secretly arranged a lot of personnel and resources, but they are all converging toward Daenerys, helping her counterattack Westeros. Unfortunately, she has been dragging her feet and only recently returned to the Seven Kingdoms. Currently, she has no intention of going north to support the Night's Watch."
"So even the priests of the Lord of Light have completely different interpretations of the prophecy, and you, Melisandre, are still a stubborn lone wolf?" Aegor quipped casually, but then immediately felt a jolt. "Wait, what did you say? Daenerys Targaryen has returned to Westeros? Where did you get this news? Is it reliable?"
"Do not worry, it was not from intercepted Crown Town ravens, but from channels you cannot understand or control." Melisandre glanced at him. "I felt the arrival of other priests, and the Lord of Light also reminded me in the flames that Daenerys's army and dragons will be powerful external aid that we must strive for. I plan to take some time to meet Daenerys and try to persuade her to go north to fight death. I think you should come with me. The legendary adventurer from the Sunset Sea, the Other Killer, the one who built the Night's Watch Industry out of nothing, the Commander of the Night's Watch, the uncrowned king of the Gift. The Dragon Queen has just landed, and it is the moment when she most needs public support from famous people like you. Your visit will make my suggestion seem sincere."
"I do not need her army, as for the dragons..." An army not trained to fight the dead would only cause trouble by helping indiscriminately. Dragons, as flying flamethrowers, would naturally be helpful if they could come, but Aegor had not forgotten that the Night King had the ability to kill dragons and turn them into his mounts. "Where did she land? Did she attack King's Landing?"
"How would I know? Seeing detailed details in the flames requires a huge price, and no one in the world can do it. I will go to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea tomorrow and sail south to find Daenerys. Are you coming?"
"Are you kidding me? The wights have already shown up north of the Great Gorge. If I leave the Gift at this time, I will be seen as deserting before the battle, seriously affecting morale."
"They are just cutting trees, and it has already scared you, the Prophet?" Melisandre chuckled lightly, then retorted, "Besides, is morale worth three dragons and the Unsullied? If you are really worried, just go and come back quickly. Do not worry, I can feel it, the cold god's power is still increasing and is far from its strongest. Moreover, such a large forest will take several days to cut down, and even without the Haunted Forest, the Wall is still there. The monstrous power of the heretics accumulated Beyond the Wall is immense, and it will take some time to seep through just this small opening in the Great Gorge. The enemy has waited for several years, they will not care about waiting a little longer."
...
In other words, the decisive battle would not break out immediately as he thought? Aegor listened, but did not dare to be careless. He had not forgotten that what Melisandre said was just her personal judgment, and she was not a god, she could make mistakes.
The Red Priestess continued to analyze the pros and cons from various angles, skillfully using rhetoric, and in short, tried every means to persuade Aegor to go with her. The man accepted everything without arguing, but was ultimately not convinced. At this moment, there was a gentle knock on the door, and the guard pushed open a crack and poked his head in. "Lord, a girl named Maeve is looking for you."
"Oh, another little admirer has arrived." Melisandre was indifferent to Aegor's caution, feeling that she had wasted a lot of time, and turned toward the door with a displeased expression. "If you want to think about it carefully, then think about it. But remember, make a decision sooner rather than later, I will not delay my trip waiting for you."
Aegor shrugged noncommittally, nodded to indicate he heard, and at the same time responded to the guard's inquiry. "Let her in."
(To be continued.)
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