Chapter 360: The Princes That Were Promised... Plural
Someone from House Stark was coming to Queenscrown to collect a child—Egger had known this for several days. After word was sent that Bran had reappeared and intended to join the Night's Watch, the reply from Winterfell had alerted the Lord Commander in advance. With Robb Stark leading his armies in the field and unable to arrive in time, Lady Stark—who had not left Winterfell in a long while—personally headed north to bring her son home.
Thanks to the completion of the main road from Winterfell to Queenscrown, a journey that used to take many days on horseback could now be accomplished in three to five by carriage. That was how she had arrived so quickly.
Egger initially thought Melisandre was bored enough to use magic to detect such trivial intelligence, but he later learned that Queenscrown patrols had spotted the party during their routine activities along the Kingsroad. Melisandre had simply intercepted the news while he was in his meeting since it wasn't an urgent military matter.
He straightened his clothes, tidied his appearance, and led a few men to the plaza facing the south gate of Queenscrown. Sure enough, he found a carriage escorted by Northern cavalry stopped at the gate by guards, awaiting clearance.
Egger hurried to order them through and dismounted at the edge of the square to personally receive Lady Stark.
It must be noted, of course, that there were currently two Lady Starks in the North: Catelyn Tully, the widow of Eddard Stark, and Roslin Frey, the pregnant wife of Robb Stark. The one arriving today was, naturally, the former. Lady Catelyn stepped down from the carriage supported by her servants. She looked much older than she had when they first met years ago, but her spirits seemed high—after all, Bran being found alive after such a long disappearance was good news by any measure.
"Lord Commander, thank you for the effort you spent searching for my son. House Stark has caused far too much trouble for the Night's Watch; I am truly sorry! Where is Bran? Is he well?"
"You are too kind, My Lady. It was only right." As for spending effort... well, in truth, he hadn't spent any at all. But a child is a mother's heart, and Egger could understand Catelyn's eagerness to skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point. "He is currently in a room I arranged for him, under professional care. I will have someone take you to see him immediately."
Egger called for a guard and ordered him to lead Lady Stark to her son. Just then, a girl hopped down from the carriage. Many present found her vaguely familiar but couldn't quite place her at first. Upon closer inspection... no, it was definitely Arya.
Egger wasn't surprised the girl had tagged along with her mother. The second daughter of House Stark, who treated Queenscrown like her personal playground, would never miss an opportunity to hitch a ride north. Using sibling affection to persuade Bran to abandon his plan to join the Watch was a clever move; Catelyn had little reason to refuse.
After several months apart, the quantitative changes of growth—or rather, development—had finally reached a tipping point. The girl's current appearance was enough to make one marvel at how much a girl can change. The height that used to be easy to pat on the head had unknowingly shot up to over 160 cm, nearly matching her mother. The gradual filling out of her cheeks had turned her once long, thin face into an eye-pleasing oval. The brown hair that had been hastily cropped short when she left King's Landing had finally grown back over two years to a length that clearly marked her gender. Someone skilled had braided it into a fancy style with a high ponytail at the back. Dressed in clean, practical light-grey trousers and a tunic designed for movement, she was the very image of a vibrant young lady.
It would have been nice if you'd looked like this sooner. Even if she's annoying, it's easier to be patient with someone who's easy on the eyes, Egger thought.
With that in mind, he suppressed his irritation and smiled at his apprentice, but the girl didn't give him any face. She wore the expression of a stranger who didn't know him at all, standing quietly by her mother's side. Being intimately familiar with the inner keep of Queenscrown, she didn't even bother to look around curiously.
Egger had a stomach full of affairs to manage; he had no time to ponder what the little girl was thinking. He turned back to continue the reception arrangements, but his peripheral vision caught another small, dainty figure emerging from the carriage behind Arya. Turning to identify her, he realized it was Myrcella—or rather, Maeve Snow.
With the Great War looming, it was one thing for Catelyn and Arya to see Bran, but adding the little princess made three female guests. What was the point of this group trip to cause trouble for the Night's Watch?
Fortunately, Sansa and Rickon didn't crawl out next—Winterfell couldn't be left without a single Stark, after all. Egger breathed a sigh of relief, not hiding his confusion and unease as he looked at Catelyn for an explanation.
"King Robert's two sons are here, yes?" Lady Catelyn understood, stepping closer and lowering her voice. "Make arrangements for Maeve to see them from a distance. If possible, find a secluded, safe room for them to meet privately without outsiders seeing. The girl talks about them all day; I figured she might as well come once to put her heart at rest."
Myrcella had actually managed to beg Catelyn into bringing her to see her brothers? Egger was speechless. He could imagine it: the little princess was loved wherever she went, even in Winterfell. Even so, probably only the kind-hearted Starks would do something as generous as looking after an enemy's children and granting their wishes.
"I understand." Egger frowned, but since it wasn't an unreasonable request, he had no reason to refuse. He called a second guard, gave him very specific and detailed instructions, and sent him off to the school to find the two little princes who had taken the black. "My Lady, the Others are leading an army of the dead to invade the Gorge. The Night's Watch has a mountain of affairs to handle, so please forgive me for not accompanying you personally. I will order the relevant staff to cooperate. You are free to move about Queenscrown, but it is best not to leave the inner keep..."
"It is quite a lot of trouble for you, Lord Commander." Catelyn understood that adding trivial personal tasks for the Watch at this juncture was inappropriate, so she was quite polite and cooperative. "Please, go about your business. I will go and have a proper talk with my son. I will certainly take him back to Winterfell as soon as possible and burden the Night's Watch no further."
"Not at all. Having a member of House Stark willing to join the Watch is a great honor for us." This part was true. Egger didn't want to waste more words; he made a gesturing motion to show the way. "My Lady, please follow the brother ahead. If you have any other needs, just ask; someone will handle them."
The Stark party followed the guide into the castle. As Arya passed Egger, she rolled her eyes at him and huffed before turning away. Myrcella, however, gave a slight curtsy to greet him. She was already as pretty as a Barbie doll, and being so polite and sensible made it hard not to feel for her. No wonder Catelyn was willing to grant her wish.
Egger quickly cleared the clutter of thoughts. After confirming there were no major oversights in hospitality, he handed the responsibility of the Stark family's reception to the Mayor of Queenscrown and hurried back to his office to deal with more important matters.
Melisandre was waiting for him inside.
Egger tossed his coat onto a rack and sat in his chair with a heavy expression. "As someone predicted, the Others are indeed trying to destroy that weirwood forest. Once the sea of wights finishes logging that grove, they will have successfully punched a hole in the magical barrier that spans East to West, creating a corridor for the Great Other's power to pass through. That will surely be the moment the Others officially move south for the general offensive. We have a few days at most to make further preparations. As a priestess of the Red Temple and a loyal follower of R'hllor, are you really the only one coming to help me? What about the promised donations and extra personnel?"
"That is exactly what I wanted to discuss with you." Melisandre maintained her usual unhurried, cold expression. "Most priests, including High Priest Benerro, believe that Daenerys Targaryen is the Prince That Was Promised. The Great Red Temple of Volantis has arranged a great deal of manpower and resources, both openly and covertly, but they are all converging toward the Mother of Dragons to aid her invasion of Westeros... Unfortunately, she dithered and only recently returned to the Seven Kingdoms. Currently, she has no intention of heading 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, Mel, turn out to be a stubborn lone wolf?" Egger quipped, but then he suddenly froze. "Wait, what did you say? Daenerys Targaryen has returned to Westeros!? Where did this news come from? Is it reliable?"
"Rest assured, it wasn't from intercepting a raven to Queenscrown, but from a channel you cannot comprehend or control." Melisandre glanced at him. "I feel the arrival of other priests, and the Lord of Light has reminded me in the flames that Daenerys's army and dragons will be a powerful external force we must secure. I intend to find time to meet the Dragon Queen and try to persuade her to head north to face death—I think you should come with me. The legendary adventurer from across the Sunset Sea, the killer of White Walkers, the man who built the Night's Watch Industry from nothing, the Lord Commander, the uncrowned King of the Gift... The Dragon Queen has just landed; this is the moment she most needs the public support of a famous man like you. Your visit would make my suggestion appear sincere."
"I don't need her army. As for the dragons..." An army untrained to fight the dead would only cause chaos, but dragons, as flying flamethrowers, would naturally be a boon if they could help. However, Egger hadn't forgotten that the Night King had the ability to slay dragons and turn them into his own mounts. "Where did she land? Has she attacked King's Landing?"
"How should I know? Seeing minute details in the flames requires an immense price; no one in the world can do it. I will head to Eastwatch tomorrow and sail south to seek out Daenerys. Are you coming?"
"Are you joking? The wights have already appeared north of the Gorge. If I leave the Gift at a time like this, it will be seen as desertion, which would severely impact morale!"
"They're just cutting trees. Has it frightened the 'Prince That Was Promised' that much?" Melisandre chuckled, quipping back. "Besides, can morale match three dragons and the Unsullied? If you're really worried, just go and come back quickly. Relax, I can feel it—the Great Other's power is still rising; it is far from its peak. Moreover, a forest that large will take days to clear. Even without the weirwood grove, the Wall still stands. The heretical power amassed beyond the Wall is immense; it will take time to seep through a small opening like the Gorge. The enemy has waited for years; they won't mind waiting a moment longer."
Meaning the final battle wouldn't break out immediately as he had feared? Egger heard her, but he didn't dare be careless—he hadn't forgotten that Melisandre's words were only her personal judgment, and she was not a god; she could be wrong.
The Red Woman continued to analyze the pros and cons from various angles, skillfully using her rhetoric to try every means to persuade Egger to go with her. The man took it all without talking back, yet in the end, he was not convinced. Just then, there was a light tap on the door. A guard peeked through a crack. "My Lord, a girl named Maeve is looking for you."
"Hmph, another little admirer." Melisandre dismissed Egger's caution. Feeling she had wasted enough time, she was somewhat displeased and turned to head for the door with an ill-tempered look. "Think it over then. But remember, if you're going to make a decision, do it soon. I will not delay my departure for you."
Egger shrugged noncommittally and nodded to show he heard, responding to the guard's query at the same time: "Let her in."
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