Chapter 13: Winterfell and the Plea for Help
Winterfell is not a city, but a castle. Its purpose, like the Red Keep in King's Landing, is simply to provide a residence and protection for the lord, without the various functions of a city, and without the existence of "citizens." It is said to have been built by Brandon the Builder with the help of giants. As a noble's castle, Winterfell is quite impressive, but compared to another structure built by the same person, the Wall, it is insignificant in terms of size and grandeur.
Not counting the surrounding villages and the summer-abandoned winter town, the area enclosed by Winterfell's high walls is less than a hundred acres, with a small portion of that being the godswood. The permanent residents within the walls, aside from the retainers, subordinates, servants, and their families who serve House Stark, consist only of a standing army of over a hundred men, the largest in the North outside of the Night's Watch.
As a ranger who has stood guard on the Wall and killed White Walkers in the Haunted Forest, there isn't much in the world that can intimidate Aeg. His first impression of Winterfell was not awe or admiration, but a slight surprise: the political center of the North, the home of many important characters in the world of ice and fire, was actually so small. No wonder they were in a fluster just to receive the king! However, upon further reflection, he realized that he was subconsciously comparing what he saw to the Wall, and perhaps there was no building in the world that could be considered "large."
It was already late, and with a mind full of thoughts, Aeg followed Benjen through the gates of Winterfell and entered.
"Welcome home, Lord Benjen." The guards, who had served House Stark for many years, of course recognized the brother of their liege lord. He eagerly took the reins of the Chief Ranger's horse. "I'll have someone arrange your lodgings and bath immediately."
"No need, where is my brother?"
"The lord has just finished receiving the king and is probably busy in the main keep. I'm not sure."
"The king is already here?" Benjen frowned. "Damn, I was supposed to be two days early. At least I didn't miss the banquet. You go about your business, I'll go see him myself."
"Yes, my lord."
Winterfell was crowded with people at the moment. The usually spacious training ground was filled with horses, carriages, boxes, and busy servants. Robert Baratheon's northern tour had brought hundreds of attendants and guards, and the queen and princess had brought even more luggage. The large number of people could not be accommodated within the castle and had to be dispersed to the towns outside the castle to be properly settled. The castle gates were bustling with activity, and Benjen led Aeg through the high and low corridors and paths of the castle with familiarity, quickly arriving at the main keep, the residence of the Stark family. After greeting them, they entered and soon found the Lord of Winterfell, who was taking a break in his study.
"Benjen!" Eddard Stark was instructing servants on the reception arrangements when he saw his brother, and a genuine smile spread across his face. He stood up, waved the servants away, and walked towards his brother to give him a big hug. "How is life on the Wall. still as tough as ever?"
"I've gotten used to it." Benjen patted his brother's arm and let go. "But recently, there have been some developments beyond the Wall that I believe the Warden of the North should be informed of."
"Yes, the wildlings. I've heard something about it in the letters. But you wouldn't know how much effort I spent dealing with Robert today. That guy is as fat as a pig now." The Lord of Winterfell complained to his brother with a wry smile. He had dark brown hair and a long face that was a mirror image of Benjen's. Even when smiling, he had an air of authority that was not easily angered. He was the first person Aeg had met since his transmigration who truly had the demeanor of a ruler. "Can it wait until after tonight's welcoming banquet?"
"No, now. What I need to discuss with you immediately is more important than the welcoming banquet, the king, the queen, and everything else in the world." Benjen Stark shook his head solemnly and gestured to Aeg, who was standing by the door. "This is one of my rangers. He will tell you what happened."
Seeing his brother's serious expression, Eddard also put away his smile and turned to Aeg. "Hello. friend, what should I call you?"
For a lowly soldier to be treated so courteously by a noble who is also a lord of a region, this could only happen in the North. Aeg knew that the other's friendliness was largely directed at the black cloak he wore. "You can call me Aeg, my lord. I am not from Westeros and do not have a surname in the usual sense of the Seven Kingdoms."
"Not from Westeros?" Eddard had heard for the first time of the existence of foreign Night's Watch members. He looked at Aeg with curiosity and then turned to Benjen with a questioning look.
"Aeg comes from a continent west of Westeros that no one has heard of." The other Stark shrugged as he introduced him. "He encountered White Walkers on patrol beyond the Wall with Waymar Royce and escaped back to the Wall to alert us."
"White Walkers?"
Eddard's expression darkened, and the look he gave Aeg was now filled with suspicion.
He did not believe in the existence of White Walkers. In his view, Waymar Royce's disappearance was most likely due to an ambush by wildlings. The father of the missing person, Yohn Royce, as the most important vassal of his foster father and brother-in-law, Jon Arryn, had visited Winterfell on his way to sending his son north to join the Night's Watch. His behavior and words had made it clear that he hoped Eddard, the Lord of the North, would take good care of his son. Although the disappearance of a Night's Watch ranger could never be blamed on the Lord of Winterfell, it still made Eddard feel uncomfortable. He had the illusion that he "couldn't explain to the child's father."
"Wait a moment, if I'm not mistaken, you are one of the three rangers that Waymar Royce took beyond the Wall. If the White Walkers killed your commander, why did they let you and the other person return?" Eddard's attitude quickly changed, becoming aggressive. "According to the Night's Watch's rules, how should deserters be dealt with?"
"It wasn't the White Walkers who let us return, but we escaped with great difficulty." Aeg tried to ignore the intimidating questioning in the Warden of the North's eyes, understanding that any sign of weakness at this moment could lead to disastrous consequences. "Moreover, as we approached the Wall, another ranger and I worked together to kill a pursuing White Walker."
"Where's the body?"
"When White Walkers die, their bodies evaporate, leaving no remains." Aeg explained, realizing that this sounded like a flimsy excuse, so he quickly added before the other could respond: "But I have other evidence."
"Oh?" The highest lord in the North glanced at his brother and snorted almost imperceptibly, turning to sit in the chair on the other side of the table where he conducted his affairs. "Show me."
Benjen stood to the side and remained silent, while Aeg, as if he had rehearsed it, quickly picked up his bag and placed it on the chair opposite Eddard Stark, beginning his presentation.
He had brought all the broken swords and the obsidian dagger to Winterfell, with the three broken swords each in a sturdy, puncture-resistant pouch. Aeg took them out one by one and arranged them on the table, piecing them back together. Waymar Royce's sword was so badly shattered that it took Aeg some time to put it back together. The Lord of Winterfell frowned but patiently waited for him to finish before asking: "Three broken swords, and a black dagger, what does this mean?"
"The three broken swords belong to three rangers who faced the White Walkers head-on. Waymar Royce fought bravely to the death; Gared was seriously injured and is still slowly recovering at Castle Black. Only I, by sheer luck, am still able to jump around." Aeg spoke calmly, as if reciting a well-known fact, introducing the evidence he had placed on the table to the first lord of the North. "And this little black thing is the obsidian dagger that ultimately killed the White Walker."
"So, three people who fought with 'White Walkers', all had their swords broken?" Eddard rested his chin on his fist. He knew his brother; Benjen was not someone who could be easily fooled. If the Night's Watchman before him was just a simple deserter, he would never have brought him to his presence. So, he decided to hear the explanation: "But how do I know these swords weren't broken by you?"
"Please observe the breaks in these swords, my lord." Aeg pointed for the Stark lord to see. "Can you notice that the damage to these swords is different from what would normally happen?"
"I've never seen a sword shatter like this. How is it done?" Eddard Stark took a moment to find the issue. He was a seasoned warrior and had seen many broken swords, but never one that had shattered. He picked up a small piece of Waymar's broken sword from the table, examined it for a moment, and even tapped it. He finally confirmed that it was real steel.
"It was frozen." Aeg uttered a word that caught attention. "More specifically, I believe it was the ice magic from the White Walkers' weapons that caused the steel swords to shatter. Their weapons appear to be made of solid ice, but the standard-issue steel swords of the Night's Watch break with a single hit upon contact."
Then, Aeg repeated the explanation he had given to Lord Commander Mormont and Maester Aemon, refining it and making it more complete. This time, well-rested and well-fed, his physical and mental strength had been fully restored. Whether it was the simplicity and clarity of the narrative content or the moderate and persuasive tone of his speech, it was far superior to the last time.
After explaining the cause of the swords' shattering, he briefly modified and informed the other of the process of escaping from the White Walkers and the chance encounter that led to the killing of the pursuer. Eddard Stark listened patiently throughout, until the Night's Watchman finished his prepared speech, before putting down his hand that had been supporting his chin, looking thoughtfully at his brother standing to the side.
Benjen Stark met Eddard's gaze, understanding that his brother still did not fully believe in the existence of White Walkers. There was nothing he could do about it, as he himself was only making an educated guess that Aeg was telling the truth, and he couldn't lie and say he had seen it with his own eyes.
"Shadow Tower has also submitted reports of suspected White Walker sightings. Rangers from Castle Black and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea claim to have discovered a massive migration of wildlings, with many villages being abandoned. It looks like they're fleeing from something." The Chief Ranger made a final effort. "A series of signs indicate that the Wall's garrison is facing an unprecedented challenge, and you know what state the Night's Watch is in now. We need help."
"I'll notify the lower ranks. You can go to the dungeons later to pick people."
"What the Night's Watch needs now are supplies and troops, not a bunch of scum or new recruits!" Benjen bluntly interrupted his brother. "Having a group of criminals who have only received basic training defend the Seven Kingdoms? It's barely sustainable even without incidents, let alone the current critical situation. I brought someone here on purpose, not just to do the same thing as the ravens."
The room fell silent. Eddard, the Duke, sat quietly, fiddling with the obsidian dagger Aeg had submitted, and pondering.