Chapter 269

"The Gift awaits your arrival, my lord," Aegor said with a sigh of relief. The journey north was now decided, but he couldn’t simply take Robb to the Gift immediately. Preparations were necessary. Before his transmigration, Aegor had often criticized the bureaucratic pomp of preparing for leadership inspections. Yet now, he found himself becoming the very person he once despised. "However, there are still some matters to address. After all, I came south due to a lack of supplies, only to spend my time fighting and traveling without securing a single grain of food. Please allow my men to temporarily camp outside the city while I assign tasks to my subordinates and send them to procure provisions. You’ve just returned from the south yourself, my lord. Surely, you have family and political matters in Winterfell that require your attention."

"Two days," Robb said decisively. "There is indeed much to handle, but my brother is missing—his fate unknown. Finding him is the highest priority. In two days, we ride north."

"Understood," Aegor replied, recognizing the tone of finality.

"In addition to myself, I will invite representatives from House Glover, Umber, Karstark, and Bolton. These four houses are the closest to the Gift, and their input is vital for deciding this matter of utmost importance to the safety of the North—especially their lands."

"This..." Aegor hesitated. Among the four houses, only the Glovers and Umbers could be considered loosely allied to him. He had anticipated dealing solely with Robb, but now it seemed he would face five individuals instead. The inclusion of the others drastically increased the variables in his plans. He would need to send word to Crown's Rest immediately. "As a liege lord, it is admirable that you consider the well-being of your bannermen. In that case, I shall take my leave—"

"Enough with the flattery. Sit back down," Robb interrupted, waving him off. "We’ve finished discussing the wildlings, but there are other matters—specific people, in fact—that I need to entrust to you, or rather, the Night’s Watch." He motioned for Aegor to remain seated. "Joffrey, Tommen, and their sister, Myrcella, are currently at Winterfell. Their parentage is no longer in question, but King Robert’s dying wish was to ensure their survival. My father laid out plans for their futures: the two boys must ‘voluntarily’ join the Night’s Watch, while the girl will be given a new name, adopted by Winterfell, and raised alongside Sansa and Arya."

"You want me to take the two boys to the Wall?" Aegor asked. He had been informed of this months ago and was thus not surprised. "The Night’s Watch is in no position to refuse. However, I’m concerned about... the Kingslayer. If Jaime Lannister perceives this as a calculated insult, he might react impulsively."

"If the Kingslayer has any sense, he’ll recognize this for what it is: an act of protection for those children!" Robb declared firmly. "And even if he does take it as an insult, so what? The Targaryens once forced all of Westeros to accept their incestuous practices with fire and blood. Who is Jaime Lannister compared to them? The moment he lay with his sister, he should have been prepared to endure the world’s scorn."

Robb paused, realizing his outburst was directed at Aegor rather than Jaime. He softened his tone. "Even if the Kingslayer does harbor resentment, how he chooses to act is a matter for the Night’s Watch. I trust... you won’t let me down."

...

No one wanted to be saddled with a hot potato, but handling such "unwanted yet untouchable" individuals had always been part of the Night’s Watch’s duty. Aegor shrugged. "If you have such faith in me, my lord, I will do my best to manage this."

"Keep them safe. Whether the Watch chooses to let them live idly or shape them into true brothers of the Watch is irrelevant. The key is ensuring they don’t fall into the hands of those who would use them to bring greater calamity to the Seven Kingdoms."

Aegor nodded. He understood perfectly well what "greater calamity" meant. The mere thought of Joffrey falling under Tywin Lannister’s influence after the Westerlands recovered from the war was enough to make his stomach churn. The last thing Westeros needed was another contender for the throne, following Stannis, Aegon, and Euron.

Troubles never ceased. Aegor furrowed his brow, but he knew there was opportunity even in misfortune. If Robb was going to burden the Night’s Watch with such problems, he would undoubtedly feel compelled to offer compensations elsewhere. The Stark family’s reputation for fairness and honor could be leveraged to secure additional benefits.

"Wait," Robb said, stopping Aegor mid-motion as he rose to leave. "There’s more. You recently captured Asha Greyjoy during the fighting at Deepwood Motte. Have you given much thought to that?"

"Thought to what?" Aegor asked, puzzled.

Robb smirked faintly, as if expecting the question. "Your beautiful prisoner has a brother, you know."

"Oh... right." Aegor blinked, catching on. More complications loomed on the horizon.

"In the early stages of our campaign against the Westerlands, Theon suggested returning to the Iron Islands to convince his father, Balon Greyjoy, to join the war effort. I declined, as our progress made his help unnecessary," Robb explained. "In other words, while Balon sent his brother and daughter to attack the North, his son remained in our hands."

Theon was a hostage, no matter how prettily they called him a ward. And a hostage’s purpose was to restrain the actions of their captor. But what if the captor simply didn’t care?

"I know what everyone says: that I should execute him myself," Robb admitted. "But by Westerosi law, Theon is the rightful heir to the Seastone Chair. If his sister or uncles wish to solidify their rule, they’ll have to eliminate him first. Why not keep him alive as leverage against the Ironborn?"

"But if he takes the black, he forfeits his claim," Aegor pointed out. He nearly added that Robb might simply not have the stomach to kill Theon, but refrained.

Robb neither confirmed nor denied the implication. "As long as he lives, keep him safe. Make sure no crazed Ironborn assassin slips through to kill him. Beyond that, treat him like any other brother of the Watch."

Aegor sighed. Keeping Theon alive in the midst of wights, southern intrigue, and marauding Ironborn was no simple task. "I’ll try, but I make no guarantees."

Unlike Bran, Theon wasn’t someone Robb would demand the impossible for. Still, Aegor remained seated, wary of another sudden "one last thing."

After a moment of silence, Robb finally asked, "Aegor, both Commander Mormont and I have always trusted your judgment. Do you think... I made the wrong choice?"

Was he asking about sparing Theon? Aegor gave a nonchalant shrug. "Killing him would be justice; sparing him is mercy. Considering his background, connections, and current circumstances, he poses no real threat to the North. Right or wrong doesn’t matter. As a brother of the Night’s Watch, though, I’ll say this: with the dead marching and the Wall under threat, what the Watch needs are capable men and resources—not more burdens."

...