Aegon soon learned the outco of the rebellion in the Vale.
Lysa Tully, who had been hiding in the Eyrie, eventually ca down from the mountain. But contrary to most people's expectations, she was not punished as harshly as imagined. Instead, she was rely sent back to her family ho at Riverrun and ordered to leave her son "Sweetrobin" in the Vale, where he would be raised and educated by a group of nobles, regents appointed by King Robert, including Ser Brynden "Blackfish" Tully.
After a mont's thought, Aegor understood why things had played out this way: since the leaders of the so-called Alliance of the Righteous had already been sent to the Wall, punishing Lysa Tully now would only be a slap in the face. Robert was being stubborn, as long as the powers that be insisted that the rebellion had been a matter of protecting their vassals, and pretended they had never heard the rumors about Lysa, then everything could be swept under the rug.
In a world ruled by feudal lords, justice and fairness were less important than peace and stability.
---
Aegor didn't care how Lysa would be treated when she returned ho. At the mont, he was both irritated and anxious.
What irritated him was that Lysa Tully that madwoman had sparked a rebellion in the Vale, wasting two months of his ti. And yet, after the war ended, why couldn't she have kept Robert trapped at the Eyrie just a little longer?!
What made him anxious was this: to what extent had Eddard investigated the "rumors"? Had Cersei plotted to kill Robert? Had Robert learned the truth? And if so, how would he respond? Aegor was stuck outside the Red Keep and knew nothing about any of it.
He wanted to gather intelligence, but he was powerless. He didn't dare get involved. Since returning to King's Landing, he'd been busy reacquainting himself with the Night's Watch holdings and had now begun preparing for the establishnt of the Backcrown stronghold. All he wanted was a little ti to develop. But now, he had a vague premonition, he might not get his wish.
...
...
When Robert—the cuckolded king who still enjoyed playing father—returned, would he choose to remain blind to the rumors and continue his foolish life? Or would he flip the table, slaughter every Lannister in King's Landing, and march to war against Tywin? Or would Cersei strike first, find an opportunity to kill Robert, and plunge the realm into chaos just as in the original tale?
No matter who struck first and won, Aegor would be the loser. Only by avoiding direct conflict between the two sides could his plans continue smoothly.
After sending the herald away, Aegor stood up, paced absently across his office, then pushed open the door to the backyard and stepped outside.
…
Arya had just finished sparring with Jaqen and was arguing with him, her cheeks flushed. When she saw Aegor co in, she imdiately bead and called out excitedly, "Master, are you joining us?"
"No, I just ca out for so air. Carry on." Aegor smiled and shook his head. Why had he co into the yard? Arya couldn't help him with the current ss. All he could do was get a little fresh air.
When he had first heard about the rumor from Tyrion a few days ago, he had briefly considered using Arya to indirectly tell her father—the Hand—that "hair color doesn't directly determine parentage." But when he looked at the girl's bright, innocent eyes and thought about the current state of biology and genetics in Westeros, which was basically nonexistent, Aegor realized that any attempt to ddle might backfire and end with him dragged into the ss.
As he walked aimlessly around the yard, Aegor recalled the two major problems he had previously resolved by taking bold risks.
Could he once again think outside the box and rely on unconventional thods to weather the coming storm?
After indulging in wild ideas for a bit, Aegor suddenly ca up with a crazy plan: what if he staged a fake "kidnapping" of Arya, making her disappear for a few days? Such a major event would surely divert Eddard's full attention, pulling him away from the investigation into the rumors. Would it buy him a little ti?
But after just a mont's thought, Aegor dismissed the idea. Even with his rising status and growing influence, there was still a huge difference between "bold action" and "suicidal idiocy." If Cersei and Jai's affair was exposed, the worst that could happen would be a war across the Seven Kingdoms and a delay in the Night's Watch's developnt… but if he dared to play dirty tricks, he could very well lose his head.
"Master!" The girl's crisp voice brought Aegor back to reality. Arya had her hands on her hips, glaring at him. "Can you stop pacing already? I can't even concentrate enough to spar with Akun!"
"Oh? Scolding your master now?" Aegor forced a relaxed smile. "I'm training your ability to stay focused in battle. Do you think every enemy you face will give you a nice one-on-one duel?" He waved her off. "Keep practicing, don't mind !"
…
After stewing for a while over the news that Robert was about to return to King's Landing, Aegor finally gritted his teeth and decided to prepare for the worst-case scenario. He pushed open the door to his office, sat back down in his chair, thought for a mont, and began issuing orders.
"Nina, arrange for soone to travel to Dragonstone and bring back that…" He paused, realizing he didn't know the man's na, and rephrased, "Bring back the one managing the dragonglass mine. He's done well. I plan to have him lead the team to Queenscrown and help rebuild it."
"Yes, ser. His na is Yam."
Yam… He might not be thrilled about such a long journey, but there was no helping it. There were simply too few people he could trust. "Also, get in touch with Lord Renly Baratheon's people. I'd like to visit them soon. Since we've already sold the technology to the Reach and Dorne, we might as well offer it to the rest of the kingdoms."
"Ser, why not try negotiating a joint venture? Besides other benefits, the markets in the North, Riverlands, and the Vale… especially the Westerlands, still have great potential to be opened."
"No, we need coin right now." Nina's suggestion was reasonable, but with turmoil looming, there was no ti to plan that far ahead. "Just proceed. The sooner the better."
"Yes." Nina nodded in agreent, though she remained standing, biting her lip and hesitating for a mont. In the end, she suppressed the urge to ask about her brother. "Understood. I'll see to it right away."
---
Neil sat on a filthy pile of straw in the corner of his cell, deep in thought.
Aside from being shoved around a few tis when he was brought in, he hadn't suffered much hardship. But that didn't make him feel any better. He knew perfectly well why he'd been locked up, asking for a family mber to co collect him was just a euphemism. In truth, wasn't it just forcing Nina to exchange herself for him?
He'd heard Janos Slynt was arrogant and lawless in King's Landing, but he hadn't expected this level of brazenness. The man clearly knew that Nina had ties with Tyrion, yet still dared to act. Did he truly think nothing of the Lannisters?
Well, Tyrion didn't represent House Lannister... but his sister the queen and his brother the Kingsguard certainly did. The real question was, would Tyrion actually plead for help on behalf of a civilian subordinate?
Footsteps approached outside the cell, followed by the sound of a key turning in the lock. Another poor soul about to be tossed in?
He looked up and saw a guard. "On your feet. You're free to go."
So soon? Neil was both stunned and suspicious. "Where's my sister? Is she here?"
"What sister? You sure think highly of yourself. Lord Renly sent soone to get you. Stop talking nonsense and get out. Haven't you been sitting here long enough?"
"Lord Renly?" Neil was dumbfounded. "Who's Lord Renly?"
"The king's brother! Lord Renly Baratheon!" the guard replied impatiently. "Hurry up, our commander's waiting for you outside."
Soon, Neil ca face to face once again with the garrison commander who had his eye on Nina and the man looked less than pleased.
"Neil, is it? What happened this morning was likely just a misunderstanding between you and my n. You're free to leave now," Janos Slynt said in a cold, flat tone. "Go back and tell the Chief Logistics Officer that he's quite capable, and I admire that. But he's been using the garrison's building to open the Night's Watch office. That building was vacant before, so I allowed it. But now I need that space for official use. Please ask him to pack up and move out as soon as possible."
(To be continued.)
***
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