The Eminence in GOT-Chapter 56: Helping the Night Watch

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The middle of the eighth month of the year 299 A.D.

Castle Osgiliath, Valley of the Solar Flame, Dorne

«Oh, you're all so much trouble. - I said tiredly, tossing aside another Shadow report and leaning back in my comfortable velvet-upholstered chair.

The Seven Kingdoms were blazing in war. The Riverlands, the Kingdoms, the North, the West. Now the Stormlands and the Expanse had joined them. And where there was war, there were always her comrades - hunger, death and plague. It was like a stone dropped on a smooth water surface, causing unrest across the continent and affecting everyone, whether you were a simple peasant working in the fields near Staromest or a king looking down on the rest of us from the top of the Iron Throne.

I was tired.

The war was taking its toll on me as well. Changing my production strategy from luxury goods to weapons and ammunition, consumed by both sides like children eating candy, screening and resettling refugees fleeing the Riverlands and Stormlands, beefing up caravan security due to the increased brigands... not to mention the Stark girls still in my city and the recently arrived Princess Myrcella and Aris Ockhart, who are making me work hard to hide the former from the latter. If it weren't for Robb Stark's insistence that his sisters stay here longer until the outcome of the battle between Stannis and Joffrey Baratheon is decided, I would have sent them to the North a long time ago without bothering with such complications.

All of this was added on top of my previous work and the absence of my right hand, Fiora, was wringing me out like a rag in the hands of a professional dishwasher. Even Reynis says I've started actively graying and at this rate my hair will be the color of pure snow before next year comes.

"Nothing, soon Klisa will finish her training and I'll feel better." - I thought, smiling faintly as there was a light knock on the door. - Come in, Alaric.

«You called, father? - Asked me the youngest son, in contrast to his tired father, so bright with life. If I hadn't known that he was working as hard as I did as head of the city guard because of the arrival of refugees and the resurgence of crime, I would have thought that he was doing nothing but resting.

«Yes, I did. Come in, sit down. - I nodded toward a chair nearby. - I called you to give you a very important task.

«You don't look too good. - Alaric said, taking a closer look. - You should take care of yourself, Father. There are many secretaries and clerks in the world, and you are the only one.

«Is it that bad? - I asked, rubbing my sore eyes. The young man only nodded silently. - I can't, son. This is a time when the existence and future of our entire house depends on me and my decisions. When all this mess about the Iron Throne is over and I have handed over the reins of power to your brother, having married him first, then we can rest. Until then, we'll have to be patient.

«Is the situation really that serious? - Alaric asked, who was rarely in the castle because of his constant work in the city and did not know the situation on the continent, which had been established during the last two months of the war.

«You have no idea how serious it is. - I answered, taking out a detailed map of the Seven Kingdoms from the side drawer of my desk and spreading it out on the table. - Everyone is now actively waiting for one thing: for Stannis Baratheon to reach the capital. Whether he succeeds in taking it or not, the future of Westeros depends on it.

«I haven't been following the situation on the continent too closely, but does King's Landing have any chance of winning? - My son asked me in surprise, his finger tapping a fat point on the shore of Blackwater Bay. - Stannis is still one of the most experienced warlords in all the Seven Kingdoms, and his army and navy, which he acquired after Renly Baratheon's assassination, numbers thirty-five thousand men and two hundred ships. Even if the Imp were a wizard and Brinden Rivers in one person, he has no chance of holding the city.

«If it weren't for one thing. - I said, taking one of the blue-marked papers and handing it to Jr. - Littlefinger and his entourage were seen in Bitter Bridge. What could an official envoy of the Iron Throne be doing in a camp with the largest army and the most coveted widow in Westeros? - Seeing the slight incomprehension on my son's face, I gave him a clue. - Mace Tyrell has announced many times in public that he wants to make his daughter queen, and Joffrey is unmarried and has never been besieged by the Lord of Highgarden in his castle unlike Stannis.

«They want a marriage between Margaery and Joffrey. - Alaric said thoughtfully, afterward widening his eyes slightly at the hunch that had come. - That would make the Lannister army almost twice the size of Baratheon's.

«That's why I said it all depends on whether or not he gets to King's Landing in time. - I nodded, resting my head on my fist. - If he manages to take the city and kill Joffrey and Tommen, the Tyrells will have no reason to help the Lannisters and the Golden Lions will lose. What the "just" and recently converted to R'glorianism Stannis will do to them after that is not hard to guess. If not, Baratheon will be defeated and the War of the Four Kings will have one less king.

«What's more favorable to us? - Alaric asked thoughtfully, squinting at me.

"He knows me well," I thought with a grin, recognizing that despite his youngest offspring's dislike of intrigue and backstabbing, living in Dorne and interacting with me, Lyon, and Fiora, he had learned to recognize and sometimes use it. - And it is to our advantage for both sides to lose as many men as possible in this battle. Our men will organize a riot and some sabotage in King's Landing during the siege, so that by the time the Tyrells approach, part of the stag army will already be in the city. City battles are always bloody and brutal, and the winner is determined by chance. One way or another, the victorious side will have a ruined and burned to the ground city and mountains of corpses. And while they're licking their wounds, another attack will come.

«What is it? - My son asked me in surprise.

«Take a look. - I handed him the report with the ash mark. - The Golden Swords broke their contract with Mir, paying him a gigantic penalty, and moved into Volon Theris. Goris Edorien, their treasurer, your late grandfather's man who later joined my service, had some interesting news. It seems they were hired by some magister from Pentos, who said they would serve the true ruler of the Seven Kingdoms, who would bring the exiles home.

«What does that mean?

«I have no idea. - I shrugged my shoulders and answered honestly. - The Pentoshian is probably Illyrio Mopatis, who previously sheltered Viserys and Daenerys Targaryen and organized the latter's wedding to Khal Drogo. Maybe he hired an army for the wench who was rumored to have gotten dragons like Fiora, or maybe for someone else, but the fact remains that the Golden Swords are coming to Westeros. And that's ten thousand trained thugs and twenty-five war elephants. They're going to give the victors a lot of trouble, no less than the Starks.

«And what does Prince Doran plan to do? - A thoughtful Alaric asked, on whom I'd poured almost the entire Seven Kingdoms account.

«I don't know that either. - I honestly threw up my hands under my son's surprised gaze. - Don't look at me like that. Our spy network is not omnipotent, and Doran keeps his plans only in his head and doesn't even tell Oberyn about them. But I think he's waiting for the finale. - At the eyebrow raised in mute question, I continued. - Look, son. Didn't you find it odd that he agreed to the frankly useless marriage between Myrcella and Tristan? Why did he start gathering troops at Celestia? Why did he order me to prepare a fleet to sail north? My guess is that Doran is waiting for the Baratheons, Targaryens, Starks, and Lannisters to bleed each other dry so he can finish them off by putting his son on the throne, married to Robert Baratheon's last daughter.

«Will he have the strength? - Alaric asked, looking at the Sunspear symbol on the map with a look of skepticism. - Even six exsanguinated kingdoms could easily scrape together an army to easily decapitate Dorne.

«Well, first of all, not six, but four. - I corrected him. - Unless Robb Stark does something stupid, the North has a good chance of holding out for the rest of the war. Second, you underestimate the Martells too much. They're the only ones who lost nothing in Baratheon's Rebellion, only gained, and now that they've absorbed most of the Ironwood lands, they can safely field an army of twelve thousand lances. Add four thousand Fowlers, three Jordains, three Daines, two Quargils, five hundred Ullers, a thousand Waith, one and a half Manwoodies, eight hundred Viles, and three thousand other small Dornish houses. That comes out to nearly thirty-odd thousand men. A very serious force.

«You forgot about us. - Alaric reminded me, but that wasn't quite right.

«No, I hadn't. - I answered, scratching my beard, which had grown out over the last few months and needed to be trimmed. - Our warriors will not participate in the war anyway. The Martells have entrusted us with guarding the Prince's Pass while the others fight in the north. I agreed, for I don't want to lose men for glory and small booty. Besides, we're in charge of the Dorne fleet, so we'll be fighting mostly at sea, not on land.

«How many soldiers do we have? - Alaric asked, crossing his arms across his chest. - Father, you hide them so well that I wouldn't be surprised if we had twenty thousand soldiers on duty for a long time, while others thought six at most.

«You're exaggerating, of course. - I grinned cheerfully, quickly remembering the number of troops on the balance sheet. - Your sister has three and a half thousand in Meereen now, guarding the construction of the fortress at the Skahazadhan flood. One and a half thousand are spread throughout Essos, guarding our branches and factories. On the mountain passes there are now two thousand huntsmen. And finally, three thousand are stationed here and are now working on the construction of a normal route from our valley to Princes Pass. In all, excluding your guards, the Guards, and the servants of the war machines, we have exactly ten thousand men, of whom one and a half are cavalry, and thirty trained war elephants.

«Are these the ones my brother brought from East Essos? - The son asked, smiling involuntarily. He loved those big gray beasts and often, when time allowed, visited the small valley where the Elephant Islanders lived and played with their little cubs.

«That's right. - I nodded, wrinkling my nose. Unlike my children, I didn't like the Bivnenos much, and they reciprocated. The last time I'd been on inspection in that village, one of the young and naughty ones had knocked me down with a strong jet from its proboscis despite the entreaties of its handlers, giving Fiora a good laugh. If I didn't know that unlike the same horses and dogs, elephants were at most friendly, where everything was built on trust between the beast and the chaser, I would have ordered the beast to be nailed for such a "wonderful" experience.

«Ten thousand looks like a very big number, but how many of them can we field in case of war? - Alaric asked the right question, understanding perfectly well the background of such a large army of a mere lord's house.

«Half at most, or a little more if your sister returns. Still, I can't keep the guards off the mountain passes and factories because of the war. Deserters, bandits, and other rabble fleeing from the Dornish Lords are regularly trying to pass through the former, and the factories are constantly being tasted by our competitors, who are trying to squeeze us out of the Free Cities' markets. - I answered, glancing quickly at the nearby water clock and realizing that I had talked too much to my son, forgetting to tell him why I had called him. - Alaric, back to your assignment. A letter has recently arrived from the Night's Watch from an old acquaintance of mine, Gior Mormont. Something is happening beyond the Wall and the Order may not be strong enough to deal with it.

As I handed my son the small letter with the bear's seal on it, I remembered how I felt when I learned that Old Bear had joined the Night's Watch. I had always had fond memories of the Mormonts - it was from them that I had made my first successful trade, it was from them that I had learned of the culture and people of the North, it was through them that I had come to the Dull Shore and obtained wargs, one of the pillars of my army's strength. That was why I had tried to help Maege, who had become head of the house after Gior's departure and Jorah's banishment. And now Mormont has remembered his old promises and written me a letter asking for my help.

«White walkers? The living dead? Really? - Alaric looked at me with a look of skepticism. - Father, these are ancient fairy tales from a time when people were stupid and ignorant and mistook magic for anything they wanted. I wouldn't be surprised if the White Walkers and their dead were a tribe of wildlings whose leaders dyed their skin blue and whose simple warriors used human bones for armor. It's all a bit of a sideshow, isn't it?

«Forgive the Gods, Alaric, you live in a place where the chief navigators of ships are bird people. What do you think this is, a sideshow?! - I frowned at my son and cursed the local mentality of complete disbelief or the strongest understatement of what one has not personally seen. No matter how hard I tried it touched my children to some extent. - You saw a dragon with your own eyes, a living flame! You think that's a magic trick, too? Your sister walked out of the flames before your eyes, unharmed. That's also a magic trick? Son, this world is a great and vast place beyond Westeros and the Free Cities. Don't be a frog at the bottom of a well for whom the world is just a little piece of sky to look at from the bottom. Do you understand?

«Got it, Father. - The younger man answered a little embarrassed, though I could see that he didn't fully accept my words. But nothing - if he saw the Wall, stretching from horizon to horizon and as high as some mountains, he would understand everything at once.

«Anyway, Old Bear has asked for my help, and I can't refuse him. - I continued, pointing my finger at East Watch-by-the-Sea, the easternmost castle and the Night Watch's only port. - You'll take three hundred soldiers and go there to help in case of need and make sure the timber supply keeps up. The latter is a top priority. There is a new war brewing between Tyrosh, Lys and Mir over the Disputed Lands, and they are actively building a fleet. I've negotiated a mutually beneficial treaty with the Magisters and Archons, whereby they will exchange two measures of wood for one measure of grain.

«But that's thousands of tons of food. - Alaric's eyes widened in surprise. - I'm well aware that we have another ten years' worth of food in our storehouses. Why do we need so much?

«Son, you saw the white raven that flew in from the Citadel. - I said tiredly, recognizing that the overwork had taken its toll on Alaric. He's usually more savvy. - The long Summer was over, and soon winter would begin. And by Quibern's reckoning, it's going to be one of the longest in a thousand years. And we've had a war raging here for months. The West is burning, the Riverlands are burning, the coasts of the Expanse and the North are burning, the King's Lands are burning, part of the Stormlands are burning. After this war is over, only the Spacious and the Vale will have normal supplies left. - I didn't mention the North and Dorne, because you can't grow much in the desert and taiga.

«You want to repeat the same scenario with the famine in King's Landing, but on a nationwide scale?! - Still staring at me in shock, the blond asked. - Father, we'd be killed for such a thing!

«Of course not, son. I'm not so crazy as to blackmail the angry and hungry lords of Westeros. - I reassured him, though I recognized inwardly that the idea was not a bad one, but with a great many disadvantages. And the hatred of most of the continent was at the top of the list. - Just when the war is over and all sides sit down at the negotiating table, our kind will have additional weight in the form of significant food reserves, which we can share with those who support us. A neat trick that will give us a lot of benefits in the future.

There was a brief silence, where each of us was thinking about something else. And while I was thinking about whether to reinforce the squad we were sending with the Skagos garrison, my son, judging by the look on his face, was actively considering who he would take with him to the North and who he would give the post of head of the city guard to while he was away. I didn't worry about the latter - Alaric had several deputies, and each of them was as good as his superior, if not better.

«I'll do your bidding, Father. - Breaking the silence, the younger man said, rising from his chair and putting his hand to his heart. - When do I have to leave?

«In two days. In that time, settle all your affairs and select the people you need. - After weighing the pros and cons once again, I decided to reinforce my son's squad with one island garrison. - Before you come to the Watch, look to Skagos, to the House of Conung. The Magnarians have long been our subjects, and their castle has become a port where our ships come to wait out storms or pick up goods from the island. You'll take half the garrison there. With your three hundred and fifty guards, you'll have half a thousand men. That'll be enough to help the Night's Watch. And when you return, I will have a reward for you so generous that many lords would envy you.

«I will not fail you, Father. - Alaric smiled proudly, and performed the traditional greeting I had introduced when I founded the Citadel Guardians, striking his right fist at his heart. - Tempered by the fire of the sun!

«Tempered by the fire of the sun. - I copied my son's gesture as I watched him walk briskly out of my office and set out to accomplish the task at hand.

"And yet I am left all alone" - I thought involuntarily, realizing that all my children were out of town, leaving their father and mother all alone. Though most of the blame was on me.

I was the one who had sent Elaina back to Meereen to repay Galazza Galar for the ritual over Reynis. For the rest of the city, it was the Galarians who initiated the building of a fortress at the most convenient spot on the river, investing money in its construction and hiring mercenaries to guard it from Dothraki raids. This immediately raised the prestige of their family to the same level as the Loraks, Razdars, and Tshaks, considered the strongest and noblest among the Great Lords.

Lyon traveled to distant Azabad to negotiate with its governor on a very delicate matter.

Fiora went to Sotorios to raise and educate her dragon, who may do much good or harm to our house in the future, depending on the situation.

And Alaric went to the North to help the Night's Watch.

"Should we get another one?" - A sudden thought occurred to me as I sorted through the remaining documents and reports and sent them to the desk. - "I don't think Eilis would mind, and thirty-eight isn't a bad age for a woman."

With these thoughts I left the office, heading towards Eilis's workplace, to make her a small proposal and to get some alone time now that all our children had left Osgiliath and the servants wouldn't dare disturb their resting masters.

***

A few days later

Inner Garden, Osgiliath Castle, Valley of the Solar Flame, Dorne

«How does the princess feel, Ser Aris? - I asked the short knight standing next to me with the symbol of three oaks on his chest. Though against my background, most of the inhabitants of the Seven Kingdoms would be small. We were now standing in a small tiered garden with the most beautiful and rare plants from all over Essos and northern Sothorios, watching my ward, Prince Tristan Martell, play with his betrothed, Princess Myrcella Baratheon.

«Excellent, Ser Felix. - He smiled and looked at the little green-eyed girl with a milky complexion, long golden hair that curled like good sheep's wool, and full red lips. - She likes it here. Prince Tristan is a clever and kind boy, the local servants are obedient and dutiful, and your town and castle... Don't tell anyone I said this, but your lands are a hundred times more beautiful than King's Landing.

«I won't, Ser Aris. - Smiling as well, I replied.

Aris Oakheart was a unique man in his own way. The youngest son of Aris and Lister Ockhart, he was fourth in the line of succession and might not have even dreamed of becoming Lord of Old Oak. Eventually he became famous as a knight with a good and honest reputation, managing to please all the lords of Westeros he met, which was not possible for everyone. It was this that allowed him to take the place in the Kingsguard vacated by the Greyjoy Rebellion as a neutral and agreeable figure, uninvolved in political conspiracies.

So he was that rare exception, being a true knight, serving his monarch, not getting involved in politics and abiding by the code of honor that was originally supposed to be the norm.

"The imp knew who to send with his niece for her safety" - I thought as I continued to watch the enthusiastic children playing with the little elephant. Seeing the joyful gleam in the bright green eyes, I involuntarily said:

«She is an exact copy of her mother when she was a baby.

«Did you see the queen when she was a princess, Ser Felix? - The Kingsguard, who was only twelve when the Baratheon rebellion happened, looked at me in surprise.

«I saw it, Ser Aris. I had no title then, nor was I a knight, traveling the world in search of knowledge and treasure. And one time when I was in Lannisport, the entire main branch of the Lannisters came on my ships, with the exception of Lord Tywin and Lord Kivan. That's where I met the current Queen, Kingslayer and Imp, whose fame rattles throughout the Seven Kingdoms. - I joked lightly, and when I saw the slight smile on the knight's face, I realized that the joke had succeeded. - Though Myrcella is very different from her mother and father. From what I've seen, she is compassionate and generous, capable of pity and empathy that her mother and older brother are not. And her gentleness and shyness was lacking in both her parents. No offense, Ser Ockhart, but she is far better than both her brothers.

«I cannot argue with that, Ser Temper. - The guardsman nodded reluctantly, changing his address slightly. From the first moment we met, he had called me Ser, not Lord, which in local etiquette meant that I was first and foremost a knight to him, not the ruler of these lands. It was by no means an insult - yet rescuing the king from Twilight's Dale, being knighted by Barristan Selmy himself, and my participation in the battle of Ruby's Ford had given me considerable fame in knightly circles, putting me on a level only slightly short of the Kingsguard (though knowing who they took there, it was more of an insult than an honor) and the most famous knights alive today. - King Joffrey is indeed no paragon of virtue and nobility," he frowned at this point, remembering something not so pleasant, "but her brother, Prince Tommen, has the potential to be a fine knight and warrior worthy of his late father.

«Sadly, no, Ser Aris. - I shook my head negatively. - It is my duty to hear the tidings that come from Red Castle, and they make it clear to me that Tommen will never be a worthy knight or king in the event of his brother's early, Gods forbid, death. He doesn't have the inner core that would allow him to be his own person and be an independent and strong man who doesn't bend to the will and desires of others. Myrcella does have that core and it is clearly seen in the way she interacts as an equal with Tristan, who is a leader among his peers.

«You are right about something, Ser Felix. - Ockhart frowned a little and put his left hand on the hilt of his sword. - But I am sure that in the future Prince Tommen will be a worthy husband and warrior, one who will glorify the name of his family for centuries to come.

"If you keep him away from Joffrey, perhaps." - I thought, out of the corner of my eye noticing a servant approaching, handing me a small message with a red marker. The news was about the Lannisters. After reading it, I had to go to the study and send some messages to King's Landing and to a smuggler I knew.

«I'm sorry, Ser Aris, but I must leave you. Some urgent business has come up and I need to take care of it. - I bowed quickly, letting the guard's words pass my ears.

The news was urgent indeed. Tywin Lannister, who had left Harrenhal with twenty thousand troops, leaving a ten thousand-man garrison at the castle, had tried to cross the ford near Jester's Town and had been ambushed by Robb Stark and Edmar Tully. Judging by the letter, while the latter was very credibly feigning defeat (or not?) and retreating from the ford, pursued by an army of lions, the Young Wolf, using goat trails in the mountains, secretly led five thousand Northmen to the ford and attacked the still-crossing and stretched Lannister army, forcing them to retreat back to the eastern shore. Tywin lost nearly five thousand men killed, wounded, and captured and was driven back, while the Northerners (who didn't know where the hell they came from, because Stark didn't take soldiers from Coldhall or the southern part of the Westlands) and the rivermen, having lost only five hundred men, managed to repel the enemy's attack.

But that was not the most important thing. After the defeat, Tywin marched southeast at a brisk pace, on his way to gather the scattered Riverlands units towards the city of the Full Cup, where Mace Tyrell's troops were secretly headed. Looking at the dates and calculating the speed of the troops in his mind, they would arrive at King's Landing on the same day as Stannis. One hundred thousand against thirty-five. Baratheon was doomed, for with Tywin's forces the disparity was almost threefold.

We needed to send word to Davos Seaworth, the Shadows, and the head of the city's factories. The second was to do as much damage as possible during the siege and, if possible, shoot one particular man. The third was to agree to Tyrion Lannister's request for help during the siege.

And Davos was to tell Stannis of an impending trap and rebellion in King's Landing itself. If two equally strong rams could not face each other, then let the weaker ram save more strength and sit like a pain in the ass at Dragonstone and keep the Iron Throne in check.

Game of Thrones needs to go on and be suspenseful for as long as possible. The Lannisters have already taken a big battering from the Starks and Stannis Baratheon should be the one to finally destroy all of their remaining forces.

***

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