Chapter 28: Returning North
In contrast to the journey south from the Wall over a month ago, Aeg's return to the Wall meant experiencing the increasingly cold temperatures, narrowing roads, and dwindling signs of human life. Three days after leaving Winterfell, the fields and villages gradually disappeared. They approached the no man's land between the Wall and the North's guardian territory. The trees in the wolf woods grew darker and denser, and the King's Road slowly turned into a forest path.
The mountains were to the west, and the road led northeast. The weather became colder than before, and the nighttime temperature had already dropped below freezing. Whenever the north wind blew, it felt like knives cutting through their tightly wrapped sheepskin coats. Moreover, the forest would echo with the howls of distant wolf packs. Every time Jon's white direwolf heard them, it would perk up its ears but never respond.
A week after setting out, they met with Yoren, a Night's Watch raven, who was waiting for them at a wooden manor on the edge of the wolf woods before entering the Gift. The so-called raven was actually an official in the Night's Watch responsible for recruiting personnel. They were named as such because they often traveled across the country, bringing all sorts of scoundrels and desperate people back to the Wall, turning them into what the wildlings called "crows."
This Yoren did not look as honest and loyal as he did in the original series. His fierce expression and thick beard that almost covered his features could scare a child at first glance. He brought with him two ragged farm boys from the Fingers.
"Rapists." No matter how fierce, a raven was still just an official. Yoren nodded to the two rangers and succinctly introduced the identities and backgrounds of the two new recruits. Westeros had a very simple and brutal punishment system for common criminals, especially in the North. Whatever part of the body was used to commit the crime was cut off. Hands for theft, tongues for slander, and heads if one made the wrong choice in a moment of confusion. Two rapists. obviously, life on the Wall, no matter how hard, was still better than becoming eunuchs.
After the two groups joined, they became a party of nine plus one wolf. Jon Snow kept glancing at Yoren and his two gloomy companions, his expression becoming strange, and he unconsciously fell silent and bewildered. Aeg noticed the changes in the boy and, of course, understood the reasons: the bastard had only met Benjen and himself, two members of the Night's Watch, and had obviously mistakenly believed that the black-clad legion was full of similar upright characters. He certainly wouldn't know that Aeg had been chosen for the trip to Winterfell because of his decent appearance, knowledge of books, clear mind, and eloquence.
Obviously, Yoren and the two rapist recruits were a shocking wake-up call for him. Aeg felt sorry for him. The path he had chosen, or rather, the path he was forced to take because of his status, was a difficult one.
***
No matter if they were setting up or breaking camp, Tyrion couldn't help. He was too small, and his stumbling and limping would only get in the way. So, whenever they stopped to settle down, the dwarf would wrap himself in his fur coat, grab his wineskin, and read a book by himself while others pitched tents, took care of the horses, and lit fires for warmth.
That evening, after everyone had finished setting up camp, Aeg found Tyrion at his usual spot on the edge of the camp.
"What are you reading?"
"A book about dragons. I took it from Winterfell's library with Eddard Stark's permission. I need to finish it and return it." Tyrion put the book down on his knees and showed Aeg the content, "Today, I read about the Field of Fire battle."
"What's that?"
"One of Aegon's battles to conquer the Seven Kingdoms. In that battle, King Loren of the Rock and King Mern of the Reach joined forces to resist the Targaryen conquest. Their combined forces had six hundred lords, five thousand knights, and over five thousand mercenaries and foot soldiers. The Targaryen forces were about a fifth of their size, mostly recruited from previously defeated enemy armies, with questionable loyalty." The dwarf knew that Aeg had only recently mastered the written language of Westeros and still had difficulty reading, so he introduced the content of the book to him, "The two armies met on the flat, fertile plains along the riverbank. The allied forces charged, and the Targaryen army immediately scattered and fled. In just a few minutes, as the text says, 'the years of conquest seemed to be coming to an end. but this was only the few minutes before Aegon Targaryen and his two sisters entered the battle.'"
Aeg had already guessed the subsequent development, "Then the dragons joined the battle, and the tide turned instantly. Everyone in the Seven Kingdoms knows that."
"Correct, but this was the only time in history that all three dragons Vhagar, Meraxes, and Balerion attacked simultaneously. More soldiers were burned by dragonfire in that single day than in all the other battles of the conquest combined. After the 'Field of Fire' and the 'Burning of Harrenhal,' the other kings gradually realized that neither holding their cities nor taking the offensive could lead to victory. As a result, the Starks of the North and the Arryns of the Vale surrendered without a fight, and the Seven Kingdoms were quickly unified, with six kingdoms under one rule."
"With dragons on your side, it's a complete steamroll. The battle is just for show and has no military reference value."
"Of course, I'm just reading it for fun. Why would I need military reference value?" The dwarf looked at Aeg strangely, then quickly understood when he remembered that the other was a Night's Watch soldier, "The Gardeners were wiped out in that battle, and the Tyrells became the rulers of Highgarden. Thank the gods, my ancestors survived that battle and surrendered decisively, which is why I can sit here today, reliving that battle across time and space."
Aeg was unfamiliar with the multitude of terms in this world and only realized at this moment that among Aegon's opponents in the Field of Fire battle were the Lannister's Westerland lords. No wonder Tyrion paid special attention to this battle.
"Why are you reading again?" Jon Snow also walked over, still looking glum. The chief ranger was his elder, and the Night's Watch raven and the other new recruits were completely different from what he had imagined. Feeling out of place with the people around him, the boy could only find some common ground with Aeg and the dwarf.
"Is there a problem with reading?" Aeg spoke before Tyrion could, "Jon, how old are you?"
"Fourteen."
"You're only fourteen, yet you're taller and stronger than many farmers' children at twenty. Why do you think that is?"
"Maester Luwin says that bastards tend to grow faster than other children."
"You're fourteen and still believe such childish lies?" Aeg laughed openly, "Who's older, you or Robb?"
"The same age, I think." Jon's expression immediately fell, "I don't know my exact birthday, but Robb is probably a bit older."
"You're the same age, but Robb seems a bit taller and stronger than you. What happened to bastards growing faster?" Aeg smiled, "Let me tell you, you and Robb grow taller and stronger than your peers because you eat better than most people in the world! Many farmers' children don't get enough nutrition during their critical growth stages and never reach your height and build, but you have fish and meat at every meal, along with all sorts of vegetables grown in Winterfell's glass greenhouse."
"Under my father's management, almost no one in the North goes hungry!"
"Eating enough and eating well are different. If it's just one meal, a well-balanced feast and filling up on coarse grains and porridge have the same effect, but over fourteen years, the difference becomes obvious."
"Is that so, but what does this have to do with reading?"
"It doesn't have much to do with it, but in my hometown of Caina, there's a saying: every bite you eat becomes a part of your body." Aeg said, "And then there's: every book you read becomes a part of your soul; every friend you make becomes a part of your social circle."
"And the body, soul, and social circle, perhaps with a bit of luck, are actually a person's entirety." He concluded, "So, I try to eat well, I try to read a lot, I try to make friends with people worth knowing. Don't ask others why they're reading again. Tyrion may be shorter than you, but his soul is much more substantial than yours."
The boy blinked a few times, nodding thoughtfully. The dwarf, on the other hand, had a strange expression. He was often flattered, but it was rare to hear compliments spoken with such artistry and to his liking. He looked at the other with renewed interest, finding the Night's Watchman more and more intriguing, "Aeg, do you know, I initially thought you were an accountant for the Night's Watch, then I thought you were a braggart, then you became an adventurer from another continent. Now you're a philosopher."
Aeg smiled, "Is that so? But these identities don't conflict with each other."
Now, he never forgot to build a closer relationship with Tyrion. Whether he could leave the Wall without escaping depended on whether the little man took his matters to heart. However, what he had just said, though intended to please the other, was not made up. Eating well, reading good books, and making friends with good people were his principles in life before crossing over. And the dwarf in front of him, despite his physical imperfections and a host of bad habits, was undoubtedly one of the most worthwhile people to befriend in this world.
***
Jon was still young and, while he felt that what Aeg said made sense, he was far from being able to identify with it or resonate with it internally. After Aeg's lecture, he felt a bit hungry. He glanced in the direction of the camp, "Dinner should be ready soon. Let's go check."
"Yeah, let's go. We haven't finished the good stuff we brought from King's Landing, but I don't know if there's enough meat to go with the wine."
The camp was a welcoming sight: people had set up windbreaks against an old wall, the horses were fed, and the campfire was lit. Yoren sat on a stone, skinning the freshly hunted game. The aroma of stew wafted through the air. Tyrion limped over to Morris, the servant stirring the hot soup, tasted it with the ladle, and handed it back.
"Add more pepper."
Aeg walked over to the makeshift table and sat down to enjoy dinner, but as soon as his butt touched the ground, several whooshing sounds suddenly rang out, accompanied by arrows landing and even piercing the pot used for cooking soup. They were under attack.
"Ambush!"
Yoren threw down the game he was skinning and drew his sword with a roar.
*****
Sorry for the delay.
Unfortunately I set the time to publish wrong.