Chapter 282

"Such eloquence, Lord Chief Logistics Officer. You’ve truly made me reconsider myself today." Despite being humiliated in front of everyone, Ser Denys Mallister maintained his composure. His face did not redden, and his tone remained steady. "You believe that unprecedented crises demand reform. I, on the other hand, believe that it is precisely because we face such dire circumstances that we must exercise caution."

He paused before continuing, "An 'incompetent leader,' as you put it, may not be better than those who came before, but neither have they committed more mistakes. While we haven’t brought significant changes to the Wall, we haven’t made any grave errors either. And you, for all the contributions you’ve made to the Night’s Watch, have caused the death of a respectable Lord Commander and placed our nineteen castles in an unprecedented situation—either occupied by former enemies or vulnerable to attacks from the south. You’re a radical; we are conservatives. You use the strengths of radicalism to compare against the shortcomings of conservatism—an unfair comparison, wouldn’t you say? Bluffing and theatrics might fool the common brothers who have no say in leadership, but they won’t scare those of us with experience and judgment."

The old hawk wasn’t blinded by Aegor’s verbal onslaught; in fact, he had the grace to endure it with dignity. His calm rebuttal dimmed the impact of Aegor’s performance.

Aegor had opened with his strongest play, throwing down the equivalent of a "trump card" at the very start, which had allowed him to seize the upper hand. However, momentum wanes. His best arguments had already been used, and the longer the debate dragged on, the greater the chance of his earlier victory being chipped away. If he wanted to hold onto his gains, he needed to end this confrontation now.

After a moment’s thought, Aegor straightened and replied with practiced poise, "I won’t deny it—words are futile. Let us respect the choice of our brothers and speak through votes and action."

"Words are indeed futile," Mallister agreed with a nod. "But you seem to forget one thing: Lord Cotter Pyke and I control over a third of the votes in this election. You’re free to participate, just as we are free not to cast our votes for you."

----

Of course, Aegor was keenly aware of this. But today, the opposition’s united effort to throw their votes behind Yohn Royce—his sworn enemy—had nearly resulted in Royce becoming his superior. It was a disaster that would have rendered much of Aegor’s work since arriving in Westeros meaningless. Only through Jon and Grenn’s warnings, Sam’s reminders, and the renovated King’s Road allowing for his last-minute dash to Castle Black had Aegor managed to turn the tide.

For now, preventing Royce from winning was victory enough. He had no energy to spare for anything else.

Old Mallister had proven himself a tough opponent. Despite Aegor’s scathing words, the veteran remained rational and devised a response. With all his cards played, Aegor knew that prolonging the debate would only risk the audience realizing that his criticisms weren’t entirely fair. He needed to end this now.

As he calculated his next move, a sudden, sharp voice rang out: "Shameless! Just because my teacher called you incompetent, you’re refusing to vote for him?"

----

Hundreds of black-clad brothers turned to locate the source of the voice. Aegor, however, immediately recognized it and couldn’t help but grin. That girl. It seemed his care for her hadn’t been wasted—she had appeared at the perfect moment to bail him out.

When Aegor had encountered Grenn on the King’s Road earlier, the northern patrol had been less than three hours away from Castle Black. While Aegor had ridden ahead with his guards to arrive first, he knew the main group wouldn’t be far behind. Arya’s arrival wasn’t entirely unexpected, though how much she had overheard was another matter. More importantly, if Arya was here, then where was Robb Stark?

"And who is this young lady?" Mallister asked, narrowing his eyes at Arya. He had been at Castle Black for two months and knew the faces of everyone present. The girl was clearly not a wildling hostage sent from beyond the Wall.

Before anyone could answer, the sound of boots echoed from the stairway. Jon Snow descended first, shouting, "Arya! I told you not to run so fast. If you fall and scar your face, let’s see who’ll marry you in the future!"

Hot on his heels was Robb Stark, flanked by a dozen Winterfell guards. They entered the hall, their presence commanding.

The Night’s Watch brothers exchanged uneasy glances. The atmosphere was tense, even hostile. It was clear this wasn’t a welcoming party. Surveying the room, Robb frowned and addressed Aegor, "What’s going on here?"

"Robb!" Arya darted to her brother’s side and exclaimed, "That old man—just because my teacher called him useless—he’s threatening not to vote for him!"

"Quiet, Arya," Robb chided gently, patting her head. "Let the adults speak." He turned to the senior Night’s Watch officers. "It seems there’s an election for Lord Commander underway. May I inquire about the outcome?"

Maester Aemon spoke, "Lord Stark, we are honored by your presence. However, over two hundred votes remain uncast. Those who do not vote by supper will be counted as abstaining, and only then will the election conclude."

Robb nodded thoughtfully. "I see. Friends of the Night’s Watch, as Lord of Winterfell, I implore you: humanity faces an unprecedented threat. I hope you can set aside your differences and swiftly choose a Lord Commander to lead the defense of the realm."

----

Robb’s plea stirred something within Aegor. A new idea sprang to mind. No, this wasn’t over yet. He could use this opportunity to strike another blow against the conservatives.

"Lord Stark!" Aegor called out, fixing his gaze on Mallister. "I, too, wish for a swift resolution. Unfortunately, we have encountered some... difficulties in reaching a consensus."

"What difficulties?" Robb asked, surprised.

Aegor explained, "According to the rules, brothers at other castles entrust their votes to their commanders or a representative, who then casts them on their behalf. A candidate must secure two-thirds of all votes to win. While this system is reasonable, we now face a unique problem. After years of decline, only three castles remain fully manned by the Watch. The Shadow Tower and Eastwatch together control over a third of the votes, which rest entirely in the hands of Ser Denys Mallister and Cotter Pyke. If these two commanders allow personal feelings to cloud their judgment and refuse to compromise, they could theoretically prevent a Lord Commander from ever being elected. I propose a change to this system."

"Oh?" Robb raised an eyebrow. "And what change do you suggest?"

"Hold elections at all three castles, supervised by your men to ensure fairness. Allow every brother of the Night’s Watch to vote directly."

The room erupted in murmurs. Mallister’s face darkened as he stood abruptly, his voice sharp with anger. "Lord Stark, with all due respect, you have no authority to alter the rules of the Night’s Watch. That power belongs solely to the Lord Commander!"

"And yet you can’t elect one," Robb replied, his tone icy. "I have no desire to interfere with your traditions, but the North faces unprecedented danger. As Warden of the North, my priority is my people. If necessary, I will intervene."

Realizing he may have pushed too hard, Aegor quickly backtracked. "Lord Stark speaks wisely. For now, let us allow the brothers to cast their votes freely and decide the next steps after the results are clear."

The tension in the room lingered, but Aegor’s retreat diffused some of the immediate hostility. For now, the battle continued.