NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63: Chapter 63
"Yeah." Eddard nodded briefly in greeting, remaining seated on his horse. His sharp eyes scanned the Night's Watch office, which was still under construction. A faint smile of interest crossed his face. "It looks quite formal. When do you expect to start recruiting?"
"In two or three days. I'll begin as soon as possible," Aegor replied. "This office won't just handle recruitment. It'll also serve as a hub for receiving, accounting, and transferring the food, equipment, and funds donated by the nobles and common folk of the Seven Kingdoms to the Night's Watch. Everything will be recorded and sent to the Wall."
"Hmm…" Eddard hesitated, his gaze briefly narrowing. "Where did you get the money for all this?"
"Lord Tyrion Lannister provided me with a squire to assist," Aegor answered without missing a beat, gesturing toward Jack. "This is Jack."
Realizing he couldn't avoid the introduction, the young squire quickly stood and greeted the Hand of the King. Unlike Aegor's calm demeanor, Jack was visibly nervous, it wasn't surprising, given the well-known animosity between the Stark and Lannister families.
Eddard had initially wondered why there was someone here in red robes, but now that his confusion was resolved, he saw no reason to show any disrespect to a servant. He gave Jack a curt nod in acknowledgment of his greeting before turning to a short man standing nearby.
"The wildlings beyond the Wall are restless, and the Night's Watch is struggling," Eddard said gravely. "Even with the treasury short on funds, symbolic support must be provided. Go raise some money to allocate to the Night's Watch. Consider it part of our national defense expenditures."
"Me, sir?" The short man looked taken aback, his expression innocent. "The kingdom's finances are—"
"There's no room for debate," Eddard interrupted firmly. "This is a matter of defending the realm. You managed to find prize money for the tourney, you can handle this. Isn't that your job as Master of Coin?" His tone left no room for argument. "I'm not asking for much. Just a few dozen or a hundred gold dragons will do. Enough to help the Night's Watch establish itself here. The rest is up to his ability."
"Well, if it's the Hand of the King's order…" The man sighed dramatically, his tone dripping with reluctance. "I suppose I'll just have to make it work."
Eddard ignored the man's theatrics and turned to one of his guards. "Jory, you stay here with Arya. Lord Baelish and I have other matters to attend to."
"Yes, my lord!"
"What?" A girl's voice rang out in protest. "You promised to take me shopping, and now you're leaving? I'm coming with you!"
The protest drew Aegor's attention, and for the first time, he noticed the girl among the group. Without needing much thought, he recognized her as Arya Stark, the second daughter of Eddard Stark. As for the short man Eddard had ordered to raise funds, Aegor realized with a jolt that this must be Petyr Baelish—Littlefinger himself, the master manipulator who thrived on chaos.
It took Aegor a moment to fully register this revelation. Littlefinger's appearance was somewhat different from the TV series portrayal, which was likely why Aegor hadn't recognized him immediately. But now that he knew, he couldn't help but take a longer look. First, he understood why Baelish had earned the nickname "Littlefinger." Then, like a cold bucket of water poured over his head, he remembered that the events of the original story were still unfolding, moving forward like an unstoppable wheel rolling downhill.
…
"The place the Hand of the King and I are heading isn't suitable for children," Baelish said with a sly smile, giving Arya an exaggerated wink. "Especially not for girls."
"I'm not a child!" Arya snapped.
"Be patient, Arya," Eddard said gently, trying to placate her. "I'll come back later, and we'll continue shopping. And, Aegor…" He turned toward the Night's Watchman, his voice calm but weighted with meaning. "Do your best. And stay out of trouble."
With that, Eddard gave a brief smile, then gestured for Baelish and the guards to follow him. The group rode away, leaving the Night's Watch office behind.
...
The big boss was busy, and as quickly as he came, he left. Eddard Stark's group disappeared down the street almost immediately. Arya was left fuming at her father's inconsistency, loudly complaining about his broken promise to take her shopping. Meanwhile, Jory, the captain of Stark's guards, tried his best to soothe her frustration.
Aegor, however, was quiet. He stared in the direction Eddard had gone, lost in thought.
By telling him to "stay out of trouble," was Eddard hinting that he should keep quiet about Joffrey's supposed "assassination" of Bran? And what about the order to Littlefinger to raise funds for the Night's Watch? Was that Stark's way of throwing him hush money?
No, those concerns were secondary. With Eddard's honorable nature, there was little risk of him harming Aegor, even if he suspected or knew that the "assassination attempt" on Bran was fabricated. The real question was, what was Littlefinger up to now?
Piecing together the conversation he'd overheard, Aegor tried to reconstruct the events: Arya, restless and bored, had likely badgered her father into taking her out for some entertainment. Unable to say no, Eddard had agreed. But then they ran into Littlefinger, who came bearing some urgent business. Whatever the reason, Eddard had decided to accompany him instead, leaving his daughter behind.
…
In the original story, Eddard didn't take Arya shopping at all. But this time, the story had diverged. Without the Starks blaming the Lannisters for Bran's fall and alleged assassination attempt, Catelyn hadn't secretly traveled to King's Landing. Tyrion hadn't been kidnapped, so there was no conflict between the Lion and the Wolf. As a result, Jaime hadn't challenged Eddard to a duel, and the fifty Stark guards were still alive and well.
Eddard may have argued with Robert over the plan to assassinate Daenerys Targaryen, but it hadn't damaged their friendship. He was still firmly in his role as Hand of the King. In this relatively peaceful environment, it made sense that Eddard, as a father, would take time to indulge his restless daughter. But for him to suddenly change plans and follow Littlefinger meant the matter was serious.
What could be so important?
---
"They seemed to be heading in the direction of the inn we're staying at," Jack muttered, breaking Aegor's train of thought.
The mention of the inn reminded Aegor of something. Littlefinger's earlier comment to Arya—that the place wasn't suitable for children, especially girls—suddenly clicked. He recalled Tyrion's insistence on staying at the Albatross Inn when they arrived in King's Landing. "The Red Keep is too far from my favorite brothel," Tyrion had said.
It only took Aegor a few seconds to reach a conclusion: "They're going to Silk Street."
"Silk Street?" Jack repeated, his tone hesitant. As Tyrion's squire, he was well aware of what went on there. He'd even accompanied Tyrion on some escapades. But he couldn't reconcile the idea of Eddard Stark, of all people, visiting such a place. "But… Lord Stark doesn't seem like someone who would go to a brothel."
"Going to a brothel doesn't necessarily mean going for that." Aegor's pupils dilated as more details from the original plot flooded back into his mind. He suddenly understood exactly what was happening.
…
Littlefinger's ultimate goal was to sow chaos in the Seven Kingdoms and profit from the turmoil. As a master manipulator, he could exploit any situation, no matter how minor or coincidental, to further his ambitions. Whether or not Catelyn had come to King's Landing was irrelevant—Littlefinger would find a way to insert himself into the Starks' affairs regardless.
Without Catelyn's misguided assurances of Littlefinger's trustworthiness, Eddard would naturally be more wary of him. But for a manipulator of Littlefinger's caliber, even the slightest opening was enough.
Now, the cunning schemer was leading Eddard Stark to Silk Street, ostensibly to investigate the death of Jon Arryn. But in truth, Littlefinger was setting Eddard up to "discover" the true parentage of Cersei's children.
This revelation would be a death sentence for Eddard. His honorable nature would compel him to act, ultimately leading to Robert's death, his own execution, and the explosion of civil war. Renly would flee King's Landing to rally support for his claim to the throne. Stannis would assert his "legitimate" rights. Robb Stark, still little more than a boy, would be thrust into the role of King in the North, naïvely freeing Theon Greyjoy in the process.
The War of the Five Kings would begin.
…
Aegor felt a chill as he realized the implications. His confidence in the success of the Night's Watch bonds had always rested on two pillars: Tyrion's involvement and the universal nature of human greed. But war was the ultimate destroyer of trust. In a time of chaos and uncertainty, no one would dare risk their money, no matter how high the promised returns.
In King's Landing, Aegor could avoid or navigate threats from individuals like Robert, Joffrey, or even Cersei. But chaos and war? There was no escaping that.
For his plans to succeed, peace was essential. And someone like Littlefinger, who thrived on chaos, was an obstacle he couldn't ignore. Their interests were fundamentally at odds.
Littlefinger's plans had to be stopped.
***
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