Chapter 45: "Seeking Help" from the Hand
"Good afternoon, brothers of the Night's Watch, how may I assist you?" Eddard Stark, now the Hand, maintained his customary courtesy. Aeg knew this courtesy was genuine, which bolstered his confidence for the request he was about to make.
"Lord, a hundred thousand wildlings beyond the Wall are advancing, and small groups that have already crossed are disrupting the peace of the North. We are here on Lord Commander Mormont's orders to seek aid from the Iron Throne in King's Landing," Aeg explained.
Yoren coughed and added, "I'm here to find men to guard the Wall, my lord. I should wait for the next time the king holds court to present our needs and see if there are any prisoners you wish to send our way. But Aeg insisted on coming directly to you, so here we are."
Yoren's use of his companion's name prompted Lord Stark to recognize Aeg, thanks to his distinctive Asian features.
"Coming to me was the right choice. Waiting to see the king in court might take until winter. So, Aeg. what brings you here?" Eddard asked, his question carrying a double meaning. He no longer harbored animosity towards the Night's Watch ranger, but this young man in black knew about Joffrey's plot to assassinate Bran. Any slip of the tongue in King's Landing could cause a stir, harming not just others but himself as well.
"I am tasked with gathering supplies and equipment, recruiting more men, and mining dragonglass on Dragonstone, my lord," Aeg replied with the same steady pace and clear enunciation as before. "This work requires someone who can read, calculate, and plan, so I was sent here."
***
Eddard Stark, a man of rules and legal traditions, would never condone the outrageous deal of "paying a ransom to allow a member of the Night's Watch to leave the Wall." The Night's Watch leadership would never inform Eddard Stark, the Warden of the North, of such dealings with Tyrion.
This was Aeg's greatest advantage. aside from Mormont, Maester Aemon, and Benjen Stark, only Tyrion knew the truth about why he was "sent" to King's Landing. Even the chief steward and the craftsmen were only aware that Tyrion was providing assistance. Thus, despite being coerced by his superiors, Aeg, having left the Wall for the capital, was seen as the official representative of the Night's Watch, sent to gather supplies.
This identity wouldn't earn Aeg the respect of King's Landing's nobles, but it ensured he wasn't treated with disdain or ignored. The Night's Watch, even in its dilapidated state, was a force protected by the Iron Throne and, legally, ranked with the nine great lords of Westeros.
***
"Gathering supplies, recruiting men, and mining dragonglass on Dragonstone?" The Hand hesitated, repeating Aeg's words, and a smile appeared on his usually stern face. "You have a heavy burden indeed. How many men did Jeor Mormont send with you?"
"The Night's Watch is short on manpower; only the two of us came. Yoren will soon return to the Wall with new recruits, leaving me alone in King's Landing. Lord Commander Mormont has granted me the discretion to carry out this work," Aeg said, placing the document signed and sealed by Mormont before Lord Stark. He silently thanked Tyrion for securing this document, crucial for his plans.
Eddard scanned the parchment, trusting Aeg's statement after verifying Mormont's signature and the Night's Watch seal. No member of the Night's Watch would desert and then seek death in his presence. The clever ranger must be telling the truth. "How can I help you?"
Aeg noted Eddard's gaze and expression, inwardly smug. Even a thorough reading of the document would reveal no loopholes. the proof was genuine, and Aeg's words were true. The only alteration was Aeg's subtle twisting of Mormont's words, "allowing him to act on his own discretion."
The Old Bear's true intention was that the Night's Watch would not provide him with any help, and everything would be up to Aeg and Tyrion, who had stood up for him. But the time traveler, using selective interpretation and preconceived notions, had explained it as "having full authority to represent the Night's Watch in King's Landing" and successfully used the power of habit to mislead the actual ruler of the North, the current Hand of the King.
Now, as long as he held onto this token of authority, and deceived his way into obtaining another proof, he could act recklessly in King's Landing, the capital of the Seven Kingdoms, and carry out his bold plan.
"I am aware that the kingdom is currently facing financial difficulties, so I do not expect direct aid from the treasury. But after investigating, I found that after years of peace and development, King Robert's plan to enrich the people has been quite successful. Since the treasury is tight, I thought in reverse, to gather support from the people," Aeg proactively stated. "But I cannot handle a task that requires a team on my own. I need one or two people who can read and do arithmetic to assist me, and Yoren."
"I'm sorry, I can neither read nor do arithmetic," Yoren shrugged.
Enriching the people. Robert would either laugh heartily or blush at these words, Eddard Stark thought to himself, but on the surface, he still nodded. This request was not excessive. "Understood, I will select two suitable guards for you to use."
"Thank you, my lord." Aeg feigned gratitude. "Also, I may be stationed in King's Landing for a while to coordinate supplies and recruit new soldiers. I need an office, it doesn't have to be big, but it would be best if it's not too remote and faces the street, to facilitate my recruitment work."
(Like setting up a storefront to recruit volunteers for the Night's Watch?) Eddard was well aware of the situation at the Wall and was skeptical. but for the Hand of the King, this was a simple task. "Hmm, I'll have the King's Landing guard look into it, to see if there are any vacant houses belonging to the Iron Throne."
"Thank you, my lord. There's one last thing," Aeg used Yoren as a cover and used two seemingly normal requests to dull the vigilance of the nobleman before him, luring him in for the next request. "Lord Commander Mormont has put me in charge of recruiting men and the mining of dragonglass. This requires money, but I cannot carry too much funds alone, so I can only use credit to gather the men and tools first, start the mining and recruitment work, and then have the creditors demand payment directly from the legion. The plan itself is not a problem, but I've encountered an obstacle."
"Credit? Mormont must be really desperate," Eddard sighed again, the enormity of the royal debt had startled him, and now, after the Iron Throne, even the Night's Watch was starting to borrow money. "What obstacle? Tell me."
"The merchants and nobles of the South may not recognize or acknowledge the signature and seal of the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. They might mistake me for a charlatan," Aeg chose his words carefully. "Therefore, I would like to ask you to write a proof, in the name of the Hand, declaring that I am indeed a member of the Night's Watch and am truly gathering supplies for the legion."
"Hmm." Eddard Stark pondered, resting his fist on his chin.
As the Hand of the King, Eddard's hesitation to immediately agree already showed caution and a sense of responsibility. However, being a first-time Hand and not having witnessed the myriad of strange and bizarre scams like Aeg had before his time travel, he was ultimately not sensitive enough to such things. He did not detect any issues and was completely unaware of the immense power that a proof written and signed by the Hand, regardless of its content, could wield in the hands of those with ulterior motives.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he pulled out a blank piece of parchment from the clutter on his desk, dipped a quill pen in ink, and looked up at Aeg, "This is the first time I'm writing a proof for someone. Tell me, how should I write it?"