Chapter 146

After receiving the bribe, the messenger was eager to answer Aegor’s questions, and he quickly learned the outcome of the Vale rebellion.

Lysa Tully, who had holed herself up in the Eyrie, ultimately came down from the mountains. But, to the surprise of many, she wasn’t subjected to the harsh punishment people had expected. Instead, she was simply sent back to her family’s home in Riverrun, while her son, “Sweetrobin,” was left behind in the Vale under the regency and care of nobles appointed by King Robert, including Ser Brynden “Blackfish” Tully.

Aegor quickly deduced why the matter had ended this way: with the leaders of the "Justice League" already sent to the Wall, punishing Lysa further would undermine Robert’s claim of restoring order in the Vale. Despite Littlefinger’s flight and the near-certainty of Lysa’s involvement in Jon Arryn’s murder, Robert was determined to maintain the façade of putting down a rebellious vassal. So, as long as the Crown pretended not to have heard the rumors, this was the only way the situation could conclude.

In a feudal system like Westeros, justice and righteousness weren’t the priority—peace and stability were.
----


Aegor cared little about what kind of treatment Lysa would face in Riverrun. He was both frustrated and uneasy.

What frustrated him was that this madwoman had caused the rebellion in the Vale, wasting two months of his time, yet in the aftermath, Robert hadn’t stayed trapped in the Eyrie long enough for Aegor to benefit from the distraction.

What made him uneasy was that he had no idea how far Eddard Stark had gotten in investigating the “rumors,” whether Cersei was plotting to kill Robert, or if the latter had caught wind of these events and had a response prepared. As an outsider to the Red Keep, Aegor was completely in the dark.

He had no means to gather intelligence and no ability to interfere. Since returning to King’s Landing, his time had been consumed by regaining control of the Night’s Watch industries. Now, with preparations underway to establish the Queenscrown base, all he wanted was some peace to further his plans. Yet, a foreboding sense of trouble loomed: it seemed increasingly unlikely he would have that peace.

Would Robert, cuckolded and humiliated, ignore the rumors and continue his debauchery? Would he flip the table, slaughter every Lannister in King’s Landing, and declare war on Tywin? Or would Cersei, as in the original timeline, find an opportunity to have him killed, plunging the realm into chaos?

No matter who struck first or won, Aegor would lose. His only chance to keep his plans intact was to prevent a conflict from erupting.

After dismissing the messenger, Aegor rose and paced around his office before stepping into the courtyard to clear his head.
----


Arya, her cheeks flushed, had just finished sparring with Jaqen. She was arguing spiritedly with "Akun" when she saw Aegor enter. Her face lit up, and she called out excitedly, "Master, are you here to join us?"

"No, I just needed some fresh air. Carry on," Aegor replied with a smile, shaking his head. What was he doing in the courtyard? Arya couldn’t help him solve this pressing crisis. He was really just here to clear his head.

When Aegor first heard about the rumors from Tyrion, he briefly considered using Arya to subtly educate her father about the lack of direct correlation between hair color and parentage. But seeing Arya’s guileless and innocent demeanor, coupled with Westeros’ near-total ignorance of biology and genetics, Aegor realized any such move could easily backfire and implicate himself.

As he strolled through the courtyard, his thoughts drifted to his past successes in overcoming crises: framing the Lannister prince to save Tyrion after Bran’s fall and forcing Petyr Baelish—the realm’s most infamous schemer—out of the capital with just a few anonymous notes. Could he think outside the box again and find an unconventional way to weather this storm?

A wild idea struck him: what if he staged Arya’s “kidnapping,” making her disappear for a few days? It would force Eddard to divert all his attention to finding his daughter, leaving no time to investigate the rumors. Every delay bought him more time.

But as quickly as the idea came, Aegor dismissed it. There was a fine line between boldness and stupidity. While Cersei and Jaime’s affair being exposed could lead to chaos and hinder the Night’s Watch industries, a misstep on Aegor’s part could cost him his head.

"Master!" Arya’s sharp voice snapped him back to reality. Hands on her hips, she glared at him. "Can you stop pacing already? You’re distracting me from my sparring with Akun!"

"Oh, now you’re lecturing me, are you?" Aegor forced a lighthearted tone. "I’m just training your ability to focus in battle. Do you think learning the sword means your enemies will always fight you one-on-one? Keep sparring—ignore me!"
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After stewing in frustration over Robert’s imminent return, Aegor finally gritted his teeth and resolved to prepare for the worst. He returned to his office, sat at his desk, and began issuing orders.

"Nina, arrange for someone to go to Dragonstone and bring back... uh..." He paused, realizing he didn’t know the person’s name. "Bring back the young man managing the obsidian mines for me. He’s done good work, and I’m assigning him to lead the reconstruction at Queenscrown."

"Yes, my lord. His name is Yam."

"Yam... He probably won’t be thrilled about being sent so far, but we’re short on capable hands. And also, get in touch with Lord Renly Baratheon’s attendants. I’d like to arrange a visit. Since we’ve already sold the technology to the Reach and Dorne, we may as well offer it to the remaining kingdoms."

"My lord, shouldn’t we consider negotiating partnerships instead? The North, the Riverlands, the Vale... especially the Westerlands—those markets could still be ours to dominate."

"No, we need cash now." Nina’s suggestion was reasonable, but with chaos on the horizon, there wasn’t time for long-term planning. "Go handle it as quickly as possible."

"Understood." Nina hesitated, biting her lip as if she wanted to ask about her brother, but she held back and left to carry out her tasks.
----


Meanwhile, in his cell, Neil sat on a pile of filthy straw, lost in thought.

Though he hadn’t been mistreated beyond some shoving during his arrest, Neil was far from relieved. He knew exactly why he was imprisoned—his release hinged on his sister. They might have couched it as needing “family to vouch” for him, but it was clear they wanted Nina to offer herself in exchange.

Janos Slynt had a reputation for being arrogant and corrupt, but Neil hadn’t expected him to go this far. Surely, Slynt knew about Nina’s connections to Tyrion Lannister, yet he still dared to act. Did he think so little of the Lannisters?

Well, Tyrion wasn’t truly representative of House Lannister. His queenly sister and Kingsguard brother were the real powers. But would Tyrion intervene for a mere subordinate?

Footsteps echoed outside the cell, followed by the jingle of keys. Was someone else about to be thrown in here?

Neil looked up to see a single guard unlocking the door. "On your feet. You’re free to go."

Already? Neil’s heart sank. "What about my sister? Did she come for me?"

"Sister? Don’t flatter yourself. Lord Renly sent someone to get you out. Now shut up and get moving unless you want to stay here longer!"

"Renly?" Neil was bewildered. "What does Lord Renly have to do with this?"

"The King’s brother, Renly Baratheon! Now stop asking questions and get out—Commander Slynt is waiting for you at the gate."
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Outside, Neil was greeted by a visibly unhappy Janos Slynt.

"So, you’re Neil," Slynt said, his tone cold. "About this morning—must’ve been a misunderstanding with my men. You’re free to go. But tell your Chief Quartermaster this: his tricks are impressive. I’m very impressed. But the Night’s Watch office is on City Watch property, and I’ve decided I need that space back. Kindly pack up and vacate as soon as possible."