The section of the King's Road within the Gift, from where it had been rerouted north to Castle Black—spanning dozens of miles—had long since been renovated and compacted. It was wide and straight, regularly patrolled and maintained. Even the constant snowfall hadn't buried or covered it. The frozen, hardened black surface cut sharply through the vast white wilderness, like a black line drawn across the land by the hand of a god, pointing directly to the Wall.
"The round trip between Castle Black and Queenscrown has already been shortened from a full day to just half. In the foreseeable future, we'll continue repairs heading south from Queenscrown. Once the main north-south artery through the Gift is complete, I also plan to repair the east-west route near the Wall, connecting all nineteen castles. That will form a high-quality, T-shaped central traffic route through the Gift." Aegor rode alongside Robb and Jon, speaking of his infrastructure plan to the Warden of the North while braving the cold wind. "With that, whether we're transporting supplies or mobilizing troops in an ergency, the efficiency will be twice what it is now."
Arya interrupted, slightly annoyed. "So you're only fixing the roads in the Gift? The road from Winterfell to the Gift is terrible, and it's still called the King's Road."
Robb turned his head to look at his sister, who was being blown about on horseback by the cold wind and could hardly sit steady, and shook his head. "When the lords are speaking, children should not interrupt. It's windy out here, go back into the carriage."
"No, I'm not cold. Listening to the master boast is too interesting!"
...
Damn it. In this girl's mouth, his grand and long-term construction project had beco re boasting. Arya really didn't hold back... Aegor was almost embarrassed enough to scratch his head. He forced himself to remain composed, smiled, and nodded. "If Lord Stark permits it, there's no problem repairing the Wolfswood stretch of the King's Road in the North. That section's condition is already much better than what we had here, and the widening and leveling work isn't major. Once it's repaired, if the Wall ever faces a crisis, the Northern army will be able to respond much faster."
Robb moved his lips, wanting to say, "I haven't even agreed to continue the Gift resettlent plan yet," but the scene at Queenscrown had greatly improved his view of this attempt to accommodate and manage the Wildlings. After thinking for a mont, he simply nodded and gestured for Aegor to continue his "boasting."
"Besides that, I've co up with a new idea. At the beginning, to prevent the resettled Wildlings from threatening the North, the New Gift folk taken in through the resettlent plan weren't spread evenly throughout the Gift. Instead, they were placed in a large triangle bordered by the Wall, Shadow Tower, Eastwatch-by-the-Sea, and a line connecting them to Queenscrown, with a broad uninhabited zone serving as a buffer between them and the North." Aegor licked his lips and continued, "Once the T-shaped main route is complete, I plan to add direct roads connecting Queenscrown to Shadow Tower and Eastwatch. That way, between the T and a V-shaped intersection, about 99% of the Gift's population will fall within this triangular network. Based on that, I want to set up a basic public transportation system."
"Public transportation?" Robb frowned. He had never heard such a term.
"When the Wildlings passed through the Wall, all livestock except for poultry and animals raised purely for at were confiscated by the Night's Watch. That gave the Night's Watch an unprecedented abundance of animal power, but left the New Gift folk without livestock. They're forced to walk and push handcarts when traveling to Queenscrown for supplies. Just one grain run takes several days round trip." Aegor explained. "Once the roads are complete, I want to dispatch carriages on fixed routes from Queenscrown to Shadow Tower and Eastwatch, letting Gift residents hitch rides. It'll improve the use of the Watch's livestock, offer convenience to the people, and avoid wasting resources keeping animals idle."
"That sounds a bit too idealistic," Robb smiled, finding it intriguing. "Tens of thousands of people, and you want to send a few wagons? You'll break your wheels if the horses don't die first."
"Of course, passenger numbers must be limited. That's simple—charge a fare. It will also help recycle coinage and control the wealth of the New Gift folk. The Gift is a special case. It's a miniature society where the population is concentrated in one area. That ans we can boldly test new ideas. Even if sothing goes wrong, it can be corrected quickly, without major consequences or long-term impact."
"Public transportation!" Arya exclaid excitedly. "Can you also set up a carriage route between Queenscrown and Winterfell? Then, if I get bored at ho, I can just hitch a ride and co to the Gift to play."
"You know how far it is from Winterfell to Queenscrown?" Robb glanced at her. "And I'll remind you, my dear sister—I'm your guardian now. I love you, but that doesn't an I'll always indulge you. Without my company or permission, you absolutely cannot leave the castle on your own, no matter who you're going to see or what you want to do. If it happens again, don't bla for guarding you like a prisoner, just like Mother did."
Arya knew she had no grounds to argue about sothing like this. She pouted and muttered, "Got it."
...
The weather was rough, but there were still things to be thankful for. At least there was no snow falling from above, and the wind, though strong, wasn't blowing directly north to south. Despite its force, it hadn't grown so violent that it silenced conversation. The party of over a hundred pressed on against the wind, chatting to keep morale up while maintaining their pace.
At midday, they found a sheltered spot and paused for a quick break. Not long after setting off again, a black speck appeared on the grey northern horizon. It quickly erged from the mist, turned into a human figure walking toward them, and soon ca into clear view—it was a man in black.
As he neared, Jon was the first to recognize him. "Grenn!"
Robb, unfamiliar with most of the Watch, asked curiously, "Who's Grenn?"
"A Ranger. A good friend of mine... But why would he be here?"
The man rode a pony that clearly wasn't Night's Watch issue—probably taken from the Wildlings—but it ran fast. He reached the group within minutes and, recognizing Jon, shouted, "Jon!" Then his eyes shifted in surprise. "Lord Aegor!"
"Long ti no see, Grenn. This is the Warden of the North, Lord Robb Stark." Aegor quickly introduced the man beside him, then asked urgently, "Did sothing happen at Castle Black? Why are you riding all the way here?"
"Castle Black—" Grenn had thought he would have to ride until midnight to reach Queenscrown, but he hadn't expected to et the man he was looking for less than ten miles out. Once the shock wore off, he cast a nervous glance at Robb—the famous half-brother of Jon, and now Warden of the North. He hesitated, unsure whether he should speak in front of him. After a mont's thought, he pulled a folded note from inside his black cloak and handed it to Aegor. "Sam... asked to bring this to you."
Aegor took the note with a puzzled expression and opened it.
Sam's handwriting was clear and familiar, and the contents were straightforward. He could understand every word, but he couldn't fathom why Sam had written this or what he expected Aegor to do with the information now.
It wasn't a riddle. If he didn't understand, it ant he was missing a key piece of information. A bad feeling rose in his chest. Aegor apologized to Robb, pulled Grenn aside, and questioned him about what had happened.
"Ser Denys Mallister and Lord Cotter Pyke both withdrew from the election. They're now supporting Lord Yohn Royce. By the ti I quietly borrowed this old horse and slipped out of Castle Black, Royce already had more than five hundred votes!"
"What?!"
...
A second later, Aegor understood the purpose of Sam's note. Ten seconds later, he had already made a decision. Thirty seconds later, he returned to Robb and apologized.
"Lord Stark, I am terribly sorry, but sothing urgent has happened at Castle Black. Please forgive , I must leave imdiately."
"Master! Master, I'll go with you!" Arya called.
"Robb glared at her, then turned back to Aegor and nodded. "Very well. If it's urgent, go. You can almost see the Wall from here, and with the road this wide, you won't get lost."
---
The fact that the road was wide was a blessing. Aegor galloped north along the newly renovated stretch of the King's Road, feeling deeply grateful for the decision he had made back then.
The renovation, starting from Castle Black and heading south, had cut his travel ti from Queenscrown by at least two hours. Now, he could only hope those two hours were enough to salvage the situation.
Spurring his horse to its limit, Aegor covered the final stretch in a blur, appearing within sight of the sentries at Castle Black.
"Lord Aegor is back!"
The gate opened without hesitation.
Though he had gained his position through unconventional ans at the ti, the Chief Logistics Office was now short-staffed, and his influence and prestige were still less than the other few chiefs. But at the very least, no one disputed his place among the Night's Watch leadership. Even his opponents never questioned that.
He encountered no resistance and rode straight into the courtyard of Castle Black, which had not changed in the two months since he left. Dismounting, he tossed his reins to a subordinate, flung his windproof cloak over the saddle, and in one smooth motion rolled up his sleeves and adjusted his collar.
Standing in the center of the yard, Aegor turned his head, scanned the area, and shouted loudly, "Go to every tower and call out. Tell every brother not on duty to gather in the Great Hall. I have sothing to say!"
With that, he took off his gloves, adjusted his collar, rolled up his sleeves, and strode toward the election chamber.
He had beco quite good at playing politics, but this ti, smooth talk would not be enough. This ti, he had to tear things apart, slap faces, and explode the situation.
It was an all-or-nothing gamble. Everything depended on what happened next.
(To be continued.)
***
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