GOT: Chapter 351/352

Chapter 351: Know Yourself and Know Your Enemy (Part 2)

"After a long summer, the stars shall bleed. This clearly refers to the bloody comet in the sky. No one can say how it was produced, or why it hangs there, neither moving nor disappearing."

"The cold darkness shall engulf the world undoubtedly refers to the winter that has arrived, and by extension, the coming of the White Walkers."

"In this hour of dread, a hero shall be reborn amidst smoke and salt. This is nonsense. Saying it is the same as saying nothing. Where is there no smoke and salt? There is some in Nightfort's kitchen."

"Finally, there is some substantive content, which has also caused much controversy, in the following. He shall wake dragons from stone, and draw the burning sword from the fire. That sword is Lightbringer, the red sword of heroes." Bran rubbed the armrest. "This sentence can be a description of fact or a complex metaphor. Before we attempt to interpret it, we must accept this. The things in the prophecy are not necessarily themselves. Dragons from stone are not necessarily true dragons, and a burning sword is not necessarily a sword that emits fire. They can also be symbols and references."

After Aegor nodded, the boy continued. "If one were to say Stannis Baratheon is the Prophet, then waking dragons from stone would refer to the dragon statues on Dragonstone, and as for Lightbringer, any glowing sword would suffice. But if someone believes Daenerys Targaryen is the Prophet, then dragons from stone are true dragons hatched from fossilized dragon eggs, and the burning sword can refer entirely to the fiery breath spewed from a dragon's mouth." He looked up at Aegor and shifted the subject. "But what if someone wanted to say you, Commander, are the Prophet? Dragons from stone could be wildfire, because the preparation of that flammable substance uses petroleum, and the burning sword, naturally, would be the raging flames produced when wildfire is ignited."

Aegor raised a hand to interrupt the Greenseer's lengthy discourse. "I understand what you mean. The ambiguity of prophetic statements allows for great subjectivity and malleability in interpretation. Anyone can be the Prophet if they dare to make it up. So what?"

"You quickly grasped one of the key points." Although Bran's expression did not change, approval was evident in his tone. "But did you notice the sequence of events in the prophecy and the subtle differences in their actual fulfillment?"

"What?" Aegor finally felt a bit lost.

"This is an ancient prophecy from Asshai, so distant and ancient in both space and time that even I cannot trace its original source. And yet such a prophecy, after enduring the test of long ages, has finally begun to turn into reality. It seems miraculous and accurate, but if you pay attention to the details, you will find parts that are not quite accurate."

"For example?"

"After a long summer, the stars shall bleed, and the cold darkness shall engulf the world." Bran reread the first three lines. "Did you notice the order of these three events? Summer ends, the bloody comet appears, and only then do the White Walkers return. But in reality, the White Walkers had already been active beyond the Wall for over a year before you encountered them, and the bloody comet appeared more than a year after you killed the first White Walker. This gap, one before and one after, is two years. And this long summer was not truly recognized as ended until more than a year after the bloody comet appeared. So, the correct order is that the cold darkness awakens, the stars bleed, the long summer ends."

Aegor was of the Night's Watch and had been closer to several major events than most. He did not need to think to know that what Bran said was true. But for the common folk living muddled lives, two or three years passed in a blink. Moreover, what could these subtle differences in sequence indicate?

"I do not understand. What does it matter if the first part of the prophecy has a slight issue with the order? It might be distortion from oral transmission, or perhaps the one who made the prophecy was not a stickler for details. To negate the prophecy based on this is a stretch."

"No, I am not trying to negate the prophecy. I am trying to offer a new perspective. Have you considered that this subtle difference in sequence might be due to a delayed reaction because the response was not quick enough?" Bran shook his head, rejecting Aegor's charge. "If the stars shall bleed represents the beginning of fulfillment, or the return of magic, then the White Walkers should have appeared at the same time as the dragons and the bloody comet, or at least around the same time. But the fact is, the latter two appeared overnight only after you encountered the White Walkers, and after the news spread that the Night's Watch had planned a ranging to the North but ultimately abandoned it, with a gap of over two years between. Did you never think anything of that?"

"You mean..." Aegor suddenly understood.

"Rather than the prophecy beginning to be fulfilled, it is more like a certain entity finally realized the opponent had started to act, and then hurriedly conducted some operations to create the celestial phenomenon, causing the content of the prophecy to begin turning into reality."

Aegor narrowed his eyes, finally understanding what the so-called third type of prophecy meant.

"You mean, this prophecy is not a prediction at all, but a guarantee. What supports it is not foresight or some magical power like speaking things into existence, but a powerful entity using strength and means to ensure that it all comes true."

"It is only a guess, but it explains many things." Bran affirmed Aegor's guess and posed a question. "Let us assume for now that this guess is true, and you are the one behind the prophecy pushing it to come true. Would you start planning and cultivating the Prophet decades or even centuries in advance, just to fight one final battle and drive away the darkness?"

How could Aegor, a mere mortal, simulate the thoughts of a god? He wanted to refuse the question, but then he thought of himself as a private enterprise owner, a taste of which he had just had while founding the Night's Watch Industry.

The operation and development of an enterprise, the implementation of a leader's policies, strategies, and ideas, inevitably require various talents to carry out the work. Were these talents cultivated by Night's Watch Industry starting from sperm, eggs, embryos, or even parents and grandparents?

Of course not. Society adjusts dynamically. As long as humanity is not wiped out, there will always be ordinary, excellent, and exceptional people, suitable and unsuitable. Whatever kind of employee a boss wants can be recruited somewhere, it is only a matter of abundance, time, and cost to find and hire them.

By switching his mindset, he quickly reached an answer. "No, I would not expend extra effort planning and cultivating in advance. I would accumulate resources and strength to ensure I do not fall behind the general trend. When a hero is truly needed, I would search within a certain time and place for one or a few suitable candidates, provide them with resources, clandestine aid, and opportunities, and have them win this war against the cold god for me."

Before he finished, Aegor suddenly realized that his answer was typical great-power thinking, selecting suitable pawns to fight proxy wars. What Bran meant was that the Prophet is not born. Whoever happens to fulfill the prophecy by chance, or is chosen and aided to repel the darkness, that person is the hero of the prophecy.

As for the places where this person matches the ambiguous descriptions, busybodies and future generations will write and fill them in.

So, Daenerys setting herself ablaze to hatch dragons and then cutting a swath with her advantages, finally returning to Westeros with a large army, and himself successfully establishing the Night's Watch Logistics Department and, after turmoil, becoming Commander and strengthening the Wall's defenses... was R'hllor secretly aiding all of this, and was he merely an agent?

This conjecture was a great challenge to free will and made Aegor uncomfortable. No one likes to be a puppet on strings.

"This ancient prophecy is actually a warning from the Lord of Light, the sworn enemy of the cold god, issued to that other similar entity. If you oppose me, someone will surely deal with you. The key is not the Prophet at all. Its core is the last sentence, the result. The hero will drive away the darkness." After much explanation, Bran finally returned to his logic. "As for who the hero is, and how they drive away the darkness, it is completely irrelevant. What the Lord of Light wants is for the result to come true."

How could he make two legendary deities sound like street thugs brawling? Aegor could not help the association, a being blazing with fire threatening another figure of ice with a harsh tone. Dare to move, and I will kill you.

He quickly realized his sense of familiarity. This widely known prophecy from Asshai was simply the otherworldly, magical, deity-specific version of Do not say I did not warn you.

"The cold god has the White Walkers, and the Lord of Light has the hero of the prophecy. Perhaps they cannot, perhaps they do not want to, perhaps they have reached an agreement. In short, these only two true gods according to the red priests have chosen to decide the winner through a long-distance contest," Bran concluded. "This means that even though none of us knows what these two beings are, or what they look like, this does not affect our actions. As humans, our opponents are the White Walkers on the chessboard, not the cold god outside it."

After going in a circle, Bran not only failed to clear Aegor's confusion, he made his mind more chaotic. According to this theory, he, who had become the de facto Lord of the Gift and had barely begun to escape the status of a pawn in the game of thrones, had merely jumped from a lower chessboard to a higher one, far from realizing his dream of becoming a player.

If he abandoned the defense of the Wall and allowed the White Walkers to invade the Seven Kingdoms, could he force the Lord of Light to come forward? The thought rose uncontrollably, but reason told him that Bran's words were ultimately only his own inference. He could not use the lives of all in Westeros as guinea pigs to test it.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 352: A Gift

Although the question about the gods did not get the most desired answer, Aegor tentatively accepted the premise that the cold god would not directly intervene. Rather than being convinced by Bran, it was more like having no choice but to believe it. At least they knew what the White Walkers and the wights looked like and what their weaknesses were. But the cold god... if it truly existed and truly moved against the Night's Watch, who would know how to slay a god?

At least, Aegor had obtained enough information related to the defenses along the Wall. Overall, there were no major gaps to fill in his defensive arrangements. If he had to point out something that needed modification, it would be that the garrisons of the two new strongholds, Ice Canyon Port and Gorge Lookout, as well as Shadow Tower, needed further reinforcement, and the patrol routes on the south side of the Great Canyon also needed to be further opened up and repaired, in order to raise the frequency and density of patrols along the canyon to the same level as the top of the Wall as soon as possible, to better deal with the threat of the army of the dead on the north bank of the Great Canyon.

Bran took another sip of water, silent for a moment, giving his throat a rest and giving Aegor enough time to think.

"If the Commander has no other questions, then I will take the liberty of offering a suggestion. Do not place all your hope on repelling the enemy outside the Wall. Prepare to fight the White Walkers who cross the Wall." The boy's face showed a look of recollection again. "Thousands of years ago during the Long Night, humans and the Children of the Forest fought the White Walkers without the Wall. The dead pressed forward step by step, and the living retreated steadily. They were almost forced south of the Neck, until a team of heroes, combining courage, wisdom, and ability, landed by ship from the rear, in the middle of the narrowest point bordering the North and Beyond the Wall, that is, the location of Nightfort where we are today. At the cost of their lives, they cast powerful magic, creating a magical barrier and unexpectedly cutting off the power source of the White Walker army moving south. In this way, the legendary Azor Ahai had the chance to lead the combined forces, and with one push, won the Battle of the Dawn."

"I understand. As long as the Wall stands, fighting the White Walkers south of the Wall gives us a great advantage." Aegor shook his head. "But conversely, the living spread across this side of the Wall are also extremely likely to become the enemy's prey and reinforcements. I will not actively let the White Walkers pass just to utilize the Wall's function of shielding the cold god's power, exposing millions of residents in the North to threat. As the highest officer of the Night's Watch, to put it plainly, I am a gatekeeper, and since I am a gatekeeper, it is my duty. Regardless of whether I succeed or not, I must at least try to block the enemy outside the gate."

"I hope the Night's Watch can do it." Bran nodded silently. "I am only telling you to be prepared to fight the enemy south of the Wall."

Aegor had already prepared without him saying it. Of the original nineteen strongholds of the Night's Watch, Crown Town, Ice Canyon Port, and Gorge Lookout, the newest one established between the port and Shadow Tower, which one was not built with matching high walls and fortresses under his orders, and for what purpose?

Was it not so that in case a battle, whether against the dead or the living, broke out on this side of the Wall, his side would definitely not just sit and wait for death?

"Thank you for resolving so many of my doubts." If the other party had not first revealed his identity, Aegor would likely have feigned ignorance. But now that they both knew a little about each other's background, there was no need to act. "You have just returned from beyond the Wall, and I presume you need rest, so I will not bother you further. I have sent a raven to Winterfell informing them of your safe return from beyond the Wall, and also had Nightfort arrange the itinerary... it seems a bit late today. We will depart tomorrow morning to return and wait for your brother to send someone to pick you up in Queenscrown."

"I will return to Queenscrown with you." Bran nodded. "But it is because it is now the Night's Watch headquarters, not to return to Winterfell. Almost every generation of the Starks has had someone join the Night's Watch, and in this generation, it should be my turn to bear this responsibility."

Aegor frowned. Bran wanted to take the black. Yes, if he truly wished to contribute the most to fighting the White Walkers, where could be more convenient than being in the Night's Watch?

In theory, the person making the application and the Night's Watch Commander who could make the decision were both in this room, so this matter could be decided on the spot. And emotionally, Bran would be his subordinate after becoming a member of the Night's Watch. Whether considering the sense of security brought by having this extraordinary person under his command, or the direct military benefit of the Night's Watch having a deluxe warg scout from now on, it made it impossible for Aegor to refuse.

But the reality was not that simple. Robb did not have a son yet, and as long as Bran was alive, he was the beloved brother and first heir of the Lord of the North. The result of the Mad King allowing the Lannister heir, that is, Jaime the Kingslayer, to take the white cloak without Tywin's consent, the whole world had seen.

"This matter, in principle, I do not object." Aegor, who had gotten up from the chair, stood still, and after thinking for a while, gave his answer. "As long as your mother and brother agree, you can take the oath directly. I hope you can understand the concerns."

"I am immobile, so it is inconvenient to travel back and forth between Winterfell and Queenscrown to persuade my family before joining the Night's Watch. I will trouble the Commander to send a raven conveying my decision to Winterfell and ask them to come find me in the Gift." Bran nodded, seemingly not worried at all about the possible opposition and obstacles. "We were so busy talking about the White Walkers and the Wall that I almost forgot another important matter. I brought something back from beyond the Wall and intend to present it to the Night's Watch, as an early thank you to my sworn brothers for the trouble of having to look after a physically disabled me in the future. It is in the corner by the bed. The Commander can walk over and get it himself."

Aegor looked over there but did not see anything, so he had to walk around the chair Bran was sitting in and go in a bit farther. Finally, he saw something in the gap between another cabinet on the inner side of the bed and the Wall, a slender longsword leaning against the Wall, sheathed in an old scabbard, looking as if it had not been used for several hundred years.

A strong premonition suddenly emerged from the depths of his heart, and after Aegor bent down to pick up the weapon, it almost turned into certainty. This sword was so light, so light that one could not help but suspect the scabbard was empty.

"Dark Sister, Lord Bloodraven was her previous owner," Bran explained calmly, his tone so casual it was as if he were talking about a spatula. "There are countless records about her story in the histories, so I will not elaborate. You only need to know that she is forged from Valyrian steel and is the bane of the White Walkers. A fine sword for a hero. I believe you can make full use of her."

Aegor held the Valyrian steel sword and was stunned for a moment. Although he was familiar with the plot, to be honest, he had pretty much forgotten such minor details as the Greenseer having a Valyrian steel sword in his hand. This was indeed an unexpected surprise.

"Understood. I promise, I will make it serve its proper purpose." This sword was given to the Night's Watch, not to him personally. Aegor was not being pretentious. After expressing his sincere and solemn gratitude, he took his leave again. "Then get some good rest. The great battle is imminent, and I need to make more preparations."

Bran finally nodded and did not speak up to stop him a third time, watching Aegor leave the room.

Outside, the cold wind howled, but the sky was still bright. Aegor closed the wooden door, took a deep breath, and instead of rushing to put on his gloves, he raised Dark Sister with bare hands, one hand on the hilt and the other on the scabbard, cautiously attempting to draw the sword.

The sword's surface had a terrible feel of mixed grime and dampness. Due to prolonged disuse, the scabbard mouth had bonded with the semicircular guard of the hilt. Aegor's first attempt without much force failed to draw it. It was not until he applied a little more strength and tried a second time that the iron filings and dirt condensed at the scabbard mouth finally yielded to the external force, cracking and abandoning their mission.

There was no cool flash of light, nor the legendary crisp dragon's cry, but even under the low sky of Nightfort where the sun was obscured by clouds, the Valyrian steel drawn from its scabbard still shone as if newly forged. The wavy patterns were clearly visible, yet it looked as if a very thin layer of transparent glaze had been applied to the surface, not affecting the blade's inherent smoothness and metallic sheen at all.

"Clang." The sword was not very long. Aegor quickly drew the entire blade, the tip pointing upwards, holding it in a standard Night's Watch posture, examining it closely.

The surrounding guards waiting in the sheltered area saw Aegor come out of the room and came from the corners to watch.

"Valyrian steel?"

Someone quickly guessed it, not because they were knowledgeable, but because as Aegor's guard squad, they were all extremely familiar with their commander. It was the first time the Commander, who was never a weapon enthusiast, had examined a sword so seriously, so this sword could not be ordinary. Since they had to guess, they naturally started with the highest grade, Valyrian steel.

"It really is?" Seeing Aegor nod, everyone gasped in unison.

Unless you were in Westeros, you could not truly appreciate how scarce and precious Valyrian steel was in this world. Even before the Doom, when this metal had not ceased being produced, the price of a Valyrian steel sword was enough to arm an army. After the methods of smelting and forging Valyrian steel disappeared with the fall of the Freehold, and every Valyrian steel weapon became a limited edition, its value soared to an inestimable level. Even House Lannister, rich enough to rival a kingdom, could not obtain another one through legal channels.

Any Valyrian steel sword could easily be exchanged for a castle that was by no means shabby, or get the Iron Bank and House Lannister to readily approve hundreds of thousands in interest-free loans. And the one Aegor was holding now was the legendary weapon once held by Visenya, Aegon Targaryen's sister, which had made great contributions alongside the Conqueror during the unification of the Seven Kingdoms.

(To be continued.)