Chapter 222

Jaime and the Westerland volunteers he brought to the Wall were well-equipped and highly trained. After their arrival, Mormont quickly arranged for them to join the Night’s Watch in a trial by fire. As expected, Jaime became a ranger captain—a position of minor authority that, at least in name, made him Aegor’s sworn brother.

After the feast, the visiting Night’s Watch members were assigned accommodations by the elder Flint. As officers, Aegor and Jaime were granted one of the sturdiest and most windproof tents in the clan. Sitting on the bed, Jaime glanced at Aegor.

“You’ve just casually added a thousand mouths to feed and promised a fortress to the clansmen. Won’t Mormont have a problem with this?”

Oh, so the Kingslayer had finally decided to open his mouth after a month of brooding silence.

Aegor regarded him with mild surprise. “A thousand mouths? I’ll take care of feeding them—that’s none of Mormont’s concern. And as for the so-called fortress? It’s just a rat-infested ruin, worthless to the Night’s Watch. If Mormont prefers to leave it empty rather than house the reinforcements I’ve brought, then the Watch deserves to fall, and the Wall has no hope of holding. In that case, I might as well start planning my way out.”

The Wall once had nineteen castles, but the Night’s Watch only had enough men to staff three of them. Sixteen sat abandoned. Originally, Aegor’s plan had been to settle the wildlings in those empty fortresses after their surrender. But his firsthand inspection of the frontlines made it clear: without external reinforcements, the wildlings would slaughter them long before they could be brought to heel. Out of desperation, he had to accelerate the plan to repopulate the Gift with allies—replacing wildlings with mountain clans.

The clans were far easier to manage than wildlings, given their established ties to the North. But they weren’t without drawbacks. The clansmen weren’t homeless and could leave as they pleased. When winter ended, the temperature rose, and the mountains came back to life, many would undoubtedly abandon the fortresses and return to their ancestral lands. The Kings of Winter had spent centuries failing to fully integrate the clans into their rule. Aegor, a newcomer, had no illusions about succeeding where they had not.

Clansmen or wildlings—which was the better choice for allies? Only time would tell.

...

Once the room quieted, an awkward tension filled the air. Since Jaime had broken the silence, Aegor decided to seize the opportunity to build rapport with the valuable swordsman and noble. “Jaime, you’ve been at the Wall for a few days now. How does life here compare to what you imagined? If you have any problems, let me know, and I’ll do my best to help.”

“Thanks,” Jaime replied, removing his armor and lying back on the bed, hands behind his head as he stared at the tent’s ceiling. “But you’d better take care of yourself first.”

Take care of himself? Aegor was baffled. As a superior officer, he had only been trying to foster goodwill with the new ranger captain. Being scolded in return was something he couldn’t tolerate. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Do you really think everyone’s blind?” Jaime scoffed. “The first time we met at Winterfell, and later again in King’s Landing, I thought you seemed like a decent person. But who would’ve guessed you have such... peculiar interests?”

“What peculiar interests?” Aegor was even more confused. He had plenty of secrets, but none that he thought would provoke Jaime Lannister of all people. “Can you be more specific?”

“That boy you brought with you on the way north,” Jaime sneered. “His pants were soaked in blood. Did you think no one would notice? I don’t care what your preferences are, but there’s a limit. Do you want to kill him? Where is he now, Winterfell? Or did you get rid of him?”

...

Aegor froze, his mouth slightly open in shock.

Jaime and the Westerlanders had seen it. But they’d gotten it completely wrong: they thought Arya Stark was his boy toy—or worse, a slave he’d abused to the point of bleeding. That was so far from the truth it was absurd, but no wonder Jaime looked down on him.

That damn girl Arya had caused him no end of trouble!

Aegor’s head pounded. Jaime was, without question, the strongest fighter currently at the Wall, commanding over forty elite soldiers. Winning him over was critical. But if he didn’t clear this misunderstanding, Jaime would forever see him as a depraved predator. In that case, forget camaraderie or loyalty—he wouldn’t even be able to maintain a working relationship with him.

But how could he explain? If he revealed that the “boy” was actually Arya Stark, he’d be giving Jaime a dangerous piece of leverage. Though Stannis currently ruled King’s Landing, any hint of partiality could jeopardize the Night’s Watch’s neutrality.

After a brief internal struggle, Aegor decided to take the gamble. “What exactly do you think you know? Do you even know that child’s name, or whether they’re a boy or a girl? Do you think you’ve seen through me so easily?”

“Hm?” Jaime studied Aegor’s expression, noting his confidence. His tone softened, realizing he might have jumped to conclusions. “So that kid... is a girl?”

Aegor said nothing but raised an eyebrow. Jaime, a man in his thirties, immediately caught on. “Ah. That blood was...”

“Exactly. So now you understand. I can’t tell you who she is, but I hope you see that I’m not the kind of person you imagined.”

“My mistake,” Jaime admitted, his voice much calmer. Aegor’s journey from King’s Landing and the child’s disappearance at Winterfell clicked in Jaime’s mind. As a Lannister, his sources were sharp, and he quickly pieced together Arya Stark’s identity. “But isn’t helping her a violation of the Watch’s neutrality?”

“You helped Tyrion escape King’s Landing after your mess. Wasn’t that a violation of neutrality too?” Aegor shot back without hesitation. “Surely you understand: some rules aren’t meant to be followed to the letter.”

The tent fell into silence for a few moments. Jaime finally sat up, looking slightly embarrassed. “Fair enough. I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

With that, he shrugged and returned to Aegor’s earlier question. “Since you were honest with me, I’ll be honest with you. No matter what my father said to you at Casterly Rock, ignore him. Don’t try to treat me differently or find a way to get me out of the Night’s Watch. Just let me be a regular brother.”

Aegor nodded, puzzled but curious about Jaime’s sudden candor.

“It’s nothing personal,” Jaime continued with a sigh. “But I’ve made too many mistakes in my life. Joining the Watch might be the only right decision I’ve ever made. Let me keep this one vow. If I die fighting the wildlings—or the White Walkers you all talk about—then send my bones back to Casterly Rock. That’s all I ask.”

...

Aegor was surprised but quickly understood. Jaime’s outlook was unexpected yet made sense in hindsight. Different people in different circumstances had different priorities. Aegor was busy building achievements to reclaim his freedom, but for Jaime, joining the Watch was likely his form of redemption.

Though the conversation began with misunderstanding, it ultimately brought the two closer together—a small but meaningful step toward camaraderie.