GOT: Chapter 154/155

Chapter 154: Win or Die

On the first day of the "three days" declared by Tyrion, the King's Landing garrison continued to obstruct and harass the normal operations of the Night's Watch until Tyrion arrived with his men. Only then did they feign a retreat. But Janos Slynt wasn't without sources of intelligence. On the second day, a strange shift in the wind made him sense something was wrong, and he ordered the Gold Cloaks to stand down.

Inside the East Camp of the garrison, the commander sat in his office, discussing the mysterious visitor who had just left with his trusted aide.

…

"That was the Queen's man?" Yarral Dim, Slynt's top henchman, asked in surprise. "Why would the Queen send someone to see you?"

"He gave me a generous gift. He told me the Queen's dwarf brother is conspiring with that Night's Watchman named Aegor to frame me. He convinced many nobles at court to accuse me of numerous crimes in the name of the Hand of the King, all to remove me from my post as Commander of the City Watch," Slynt said stiffly. "No wonder, when I visited several shops yesterday, their attitudes weren't as respectful as usual. Their masters must have told them to report me by name."

"Huh?" Yarral looked confused. "Why would the Queen bother with this? And she's Tyrion's sister by blood. Why would she betray her own brother to help us?"

"As Queen, isn't it natural that she has spies in the palace and access to inside information?" Slynt's expression darkened. He was beginning to regret dealing with the Night's Watch. "As for why she would help me… heh, she wanted to bribe me to turn traitor for her. Kill the King, drive out the Hand, and put her bastard son on the throne. The reward she promised me was that, if successful, all accusations against me would be silenced and I would be granted a title."

"Rebellion?" Yarral was shocked. "So, the rumors about her and her brother are true? Now that the King has returned, she can't hide the affair anymore, so she's gambling it all?"

"Seems that way. Yarral, if you were Commander of the City Watch, would you agree to her offer?"

…

"My Lord, this… I'm afraid it wouldn't work. King Robert knows every one of our brothers in the Watch. If he shouted at us in public, the lads would tie us up and hand us over to him on the spot."

Yarral stammered. But really, it wasn't just that the soldiers knew the King. If a commander had enough authority and offered enough rewards, any king could be overthrown. But the current situation was this: on one side was the realm's founder, famed for martial prowess and unmatched prestige, the Lord of the Seven Kingdoms who paid all the City Watch's wages. On the other side was a commander who showed no concern for his men and often docked their pay. Slynt had no issue being overbearing with Robert's backing, but who would follow a mad dog that turned on its master?

Half the soldiers in the City Watch were loyal to the King. Most of the remaining thousand hated their commander. Even if the one hundred men of the East Camp remained loyal to Slynt, that shallow loyalty, built only on receiving regular wages, was not enough to make them rebel.

Slynt understood all this and nodded. "I don't think it'll work either. The King summoned me two days ago. Didn't he hint at taking action against the Lannisters? His Grace is already wary of the Queen. Without his command, our men can't even enter the Red Keep. We have no siege gear, so what's the point of rebelling? Cersei's finished, and she wants to drag me down with her. If one of those three bastards were actually my son, maybe I'd have done something big. But she never even slept with me. Why should I risk my life for her?"

Yarral sighed in relief. "So, you didn't agree to her offer."

"I agreed."

"What?!"

Slynt glared at him. "Idiot. Just because I agreed doesn't mean I'll do what she asks. I can always tip off His Majesty and earn myself some merit."

"Ah, I see!" Yarral breathed easier. "But then, how do you plan to deal with the Night's Watch and the dwarf trying to bring you down?"

"Hmph. Simple. The rumors about Tyrion and his sister not getting along are true. At this life-or-death moment, the Lannisters aren't united and still act on their own. Laughable." A grim look flashed across Slynt's face. "Since this 'Night's Watch' man wants to mess with me, what if I tell the King that the one behind the Night's Watch is Tyrion Lannister, and the Queen once tried to bribe me into murdering him?"

Yarral thought about it, then shook his head.

"You never think. His Grace will only believe the Queen failed to bribe me, so now she's using her brother to get me dismissed."

"That makes sense!"

"As long as the King trusts me, I can buy myself some time." Janos Slynt took a deep breath. He hadn't felt this close to disaster in years. He hadn't expected a mere Night's Watch enterprise to wield such power. He had been too careless. "She's just a woman. Aegor and Tyrion want to kill me? Since they made the first move, they shouldn't blame me for striking back."

Didn't you start the fight first? Can't others retaliate? Yarral thought, but since he and Slynt were in the same boat, he could only support his boss. "My Lord, what do you want done?"

"Kill the two of them. Once they're gone, those fools plotting with them to take me down will be leaderless and fall apart. They're just a bunch of petty crooks looking for profit. When their leaders die, they'll only focus on fighting over the Night's Watch's spoils and won't care about me anymore," Slynt growled. "You oppose me for some little girl? I'll kill you. Not only will I sleep with her, I'll make her hand over part of the Night's Watch fortune to me. I'll spend your money to sleep with her. I'll use your money to raise my son!"

"Brilliant idea, my Lord. I heard Nina handles the accounts for the Night's Watch. It should be easy to get her to move some funds back your way!" Yarral said excitedly, then hesitated. "But, my Lord, these two aren't like those fools who promised to testify against you for Jon Arryn last year. And now isn't a good time. His Grace just ordered us to reorganize the Watch for use at any time. If we mobilize our men and kill two important figures in broad daylight, we won't be able to explain it. Besides, the Hand has already begun his investigation. We can't kill the Hand too, can we?"

"Then don't use our City Watch men. Use your underworld friends!" Slynt frowned in thought. "As for the Hand, I'll simply tell His Grace, 'The Lannisters are planning rebellion and may strike at any moment. Please act swiftly.' With the King's temper, he'll definitely strike first. As long as chaos breaks out in the Red Keep and the lions, wolves, and stags are fighting, do you think the Hand will care about a nobody like me?" A smug expression crossed his face. "Once we help King Robert bring down the Lannisters and secure King's Landing, we'll have earned great merit. Even if the Hand keeps investigating, at worst our crimes and deeds will cancel each other out. My life will be safe. And once we clash with Lord Tywin next, who'll have time to look into me during such a mess?"

"What a great plan, my Lord!" Yarral realized for the first time that his boss wasn't just ruthless, he was smart too. This plan was flawless.

"It's not that I have a good plan. It's that you're too stupid and I have to think of everything!" Slynt snapped. "Go, act quickly. I want those two ungrateful rats dead today. The longer they live, the greater the risk I lose my head!"

Pleased with his own brilliance, Slynt suddenly remembered something and added, "Wait, don't touch Tyrion. He's still a Lannister. Better to wait for His Grace's orders. His father, Tywin, is still out west. If the King strikes a deal with him later and tries to swap hostages, then investigates his son's death, we might get sold out by that stiff-necked Eddard Stark."

The terror of "The Rains of Castamere" still echoed. Even in King's Landing, the Commander of the City Watch feared Lord Tywin's wrath.

"Understood. I'll get it done."

"Hold on. Why so eager?" Slynt slapped the table. "There's one more thing. If I didn't tell you, you'd never guess. This Aegor West was once a ranger of the Night's Watch, nicknamed 'White Walker Slayer.' They say he's skilled enough to fight the Dornish Prince, the Red Viper, for dozens of moves. Your street thugs might bully common folk, but can they handle a warrior like him? I'll give you a note. Go to the armory and fetch two crossbows. Slip them to your friends. Tell them to get some practice in before taking action."

"Yes, my Lord!"

Yarral Dim collected the crossbows and bolts, then left the commander's office. Janos Slynt stood and slowly walked to the window.

…

If Cersei hadn't sent me that intel in time, I'd have sunk in this ditch. I really ought to thank her. But getting dragged into a rebellion that'll get me killed? No chance. Let those highborns play their game of thrones. People like me, with no name and no background, just need to cling to the right leg. I've got an old mother and a pile of wives and children. Why should I fight for the realm with a lunatic who beds her own brother? What a joke.

The Seven truly favor me. Gazing at the busy Night's Watch office across the street, Slynt sneered. Soon, another woman would join his harem. The harder the woman was to get, the more fun she would be. As long as that girl didn't have any foolish ideas about avenging her boss, he would make sure she was well pampered.

(To be continued.)

Chapter 155: The King's Rebellion Begins

Before crossing over, Aegor had never been a boss or a ruler. He couldn't have imagined how terrifying the power of capital could be until he experienced it for himself. The Night's Watch, a business enterprise barely six months old, was compared by Tyrion to his own daughter. This half-year-old "infant" had just thrown its first punch, and the balance of victory nearly tipped in its favor.

By the end of the second day, even the most ill-informed shopkeepers and merchants were whispering over dinner to their families and friends, "Janos Slynt is about to be in big trouble."

Tyrion had declared that he would bring the man down in three days, and now, it seemed there was a real chance he would succeed.

…

In his communications with partners, Aegor learned that every faction in King's Landing with financial interests in the Night's Watch enterprise had already nodded in agreement with Tyrion's plan to replace the commander of the City Watch. Even those not yet aligned with the group had agreed to stay out of the matter after Tyrion sent word. The lords of the Crownlands had even begun preparations for a meeting of representatives to choose a new commander. Having learned their lesson, this time they wouldn't entrust such a key position to some irrelevant citizen of King's Landing.

All that remained was for the Hand of the King to make his move, and all of Aegor's preparations would come into play.

(This must be the trend of the times… or more bluntly, when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it down?)

Aegor walked out of the Steel Gate Garrison, pleased to have gathered yet more evidence of Slynt's misdeeds.

The enemy was finished. The final and only factor that would now determine whether Tyrion's last name would need to be written backwards was when Eddard Stark would officially dismiss and arrest Slynt for investigation.

Lannister, written backwards in Westeros, might sound like "Rhettsnell"? Amused by how Tyrion's name sounded in reverse, Aegor untied the horse at the entrance of the Iron Gate Watch Station, mounted up, and rode home in the fading twilight.

…

Half the list of City Watch officers had yet to be visited, but there was no need anymore. The evidence they had already gathered was enough to see the current commander executed ten times over. Sometimes, it turned out, swords were not needed to bring down an enemy.

"You've been running around these past two days. You're exhausted. Tomorrow, the whole office will take a day off. We'll head to the Night's Watch Industrial Park outside the city to avoid the spotlight. Who knows if that mad dog Slynt will get desperate and lash out? We'll return after he's under control."

The "Night's Watch Logistics Security Team" had now grown to over a hundred members, plus many employees. Even if Slynt rallied his loyalists, it would be far from enough.

"Yes," Jaqen replied, as curt as always.

"Let's go home and get some sleep."


---

Night had just fallen, and King's Landing was not yet asleep. Though few pedestrians walked the streets, sounds echoed from every direction—cats yowling and fighting in the alleys, dogs barking at doors, laughter spilling from taverns, and snatches of drunken singing drifting by.

Amid the noise of the Seven Kingdoms' largest city, two men rode beneath the last light in the west, heading down the bustling main street toward the residential district where they lived.

Turning onto a side road, they were just a few hundred meters from "home" when Jaqen suddenly said, "Stop."

"Hmm?" The power struggle was nearly over, but Aegor remained on edge. He reined in his horse immediately. "What is it?"

"A piece of rope."

With the help of the dim glow still lingering in the sky, Aegor soon saw the rope Jaqen had spotted. It lay slack on the ground, both ends stretched between houses on either side of the road. It looked unremarkable, but it was easy to imagine what would have happened had they ridden forward unaware. The rope would have gone taut as they passed, likely tripping their horses. If crushed beneath the animals, they would have been seriously injured if not killed.

They're after me. Aegor instantly understood. This swordless war had already tilted in his favor, and he was just waiting for the victory to ripen. But the enemy must have caught wind of this. While it wouldn't change the final outcome, he only had one life. If he died, no matter how triumphant the Night's Watch enterprise became, it would have nothing to do with him.

It was impossible to completely contain word of such a massive top-down mobilization and fusion of money and power. Still, Aegor hadn't expected the enemy to act so quickly. He didn't waste time wondering where the leak came from. His hand instinctively reached for his waist, and the cold hilt of his sword gave him a shred of comfort. He wasn't defenseless. This time, he had brought a weapon and a faceless man, nominally his subordinate. He was ready.

As soon as they stopped, the sounds around them grew sharper and more distinct. Aegor stood alert, weighing whether to retreat or push forward. But then Jaqen, still mounted beside him, raised his left leg without warning and kicked him hard.

Caught off guard, Aegor lost his balance and was thrown from the saddle.

The sudden attack, from someone he thought an ally, gave him no time to react. His ankle twisted as he hit the ground. Both legs slipped from the stirrups, but he barely avoided smashing his head or being dragged. He rolled, landed on his feet, and drew his sword with a clang.

Why had Jaqen attacked him? Aegor braced for a fight, dread settling in his gut. If this Faceless Man from the House of Black and White had turned against him, then he was in grave danger tonight.

"There's a crossbowman above. Into the alley!"

Instead of charging, Jaqen used the momentum from his kick to leap from the horse, crouching and slipping past Aegor as he spoke.

Everything had happened so fast. Aegor's mind finally caught up, realizing that the two sharp sounds he'd heard right before the kick had been arrows whizzing through the air. If Jaqen hadn't kicked him at that exact moment, he would've been hit.

Without wasting a second, Aegor ducked low. While the enemy reloaded, he followed Jaqen into the narrow gap between two buildings.

It was now completely dark. In the narrow space between buildings, even the ground was hard to make out. Footsteps rang out behind them, and pain flared in Aegor's right shoulder. He reached up, and his fingers came away wet. The arrow had grazed him.

Up ahead, four figures emerged from the shadows by the road. The gleam of short blades and daggers flashed in their hands as they suddenly blocked their path.

"Where do you think you're going, boy?"

"You messed with someone you shouldn't have. And now you think you can just walk around the city?"

Aegor didn't bother replying. After only a few seconds of sizing them up, he judged the four men's abilities. They were clearly untrained, thugs who had only just picked up weapons. In a real fight, they would be no better than wildlings beyond the Wall. Even though it was two against four, as long as Jaqen fought at full strength, they posed no threat.

But with more enemies pursuing from behind, the situation was dangerous. Aegor didn't want to get caught between two groups. Gritting through the pain in his shoulder, he raised his sword and swung it. The steel blade whistled as it cut through the air.

(To be continued.)