Chapter 107

Outside the tent, the sun shone brightly, heralding yet another ordinary day in the allied army’s encampment. When Aegor finally woke naturally, dressed, and stepped outside, he immediately sensed something off about the atmosphere.

A quick scan of his surroundings soon revealed the source of the oddity: clusters of soldiers were pointing eastward at the sky, chattering animatedly among themselves.

Following their gaze, Aegor squinted toward the horizon and quickly spotted what had captured their attention. Hanging low in the eastern sky, beside the rising sun, was a comet. Its tail stretched long and crimson, as though someone had slashed a bloody wound across the blue skin of the heavens. Or perhaps, it seemed, a fiery fragment had broken off the sun itself, burning fiercely against the morning light.

The Red Comet.

The sunlight had concealed it earlier, but once noticed, it became impossible to ignore. Its brightness was striking, its color vivid, and even standing beside the sun, it refused to be overshadowed. One could only imagine how dazzling it would be in the night sky.

It might shine as brightly as the full moon, Aegor thought with a shiver of unease. He racked his brain, trying to recall its significance. It had been too long since he had read the A Song of Ice and Fire books, and much of his memory of the details was hazy. He vaguely remembered that the comet’s appearance coincided with Daenerys Targaryen hatching her three dragons. But whether the comet’s arrival revived magic and awakened the dragon eggs, or whether the birth of the dragons caused the celestial phenomenon, he couldn’t remember.

And even if he could figure it out, what difference would it make? Daenerys was far away in Essos, beyond his reach. The cliché of a transmigrator chasing after the “most beautiful woman” might sound appealing in theory, but in the harsh reality of this brutal world, Aegor had neither the time nor the energy for such frivolities.

Tyrion, due to Aegor’s intervention, was likely staying in Westeros to play his games of wealth and influence. Without one of the realm’s sharpest minds at her side, Daenerys’s chances of successfully reclaiming the continent were uncertain. As for whether she was as beautiful and legendary as the stories claimed? Aegor decided he would only judge for himself if he ever met her in person.

...

Aegor resolved to stop thinking about Daenerys, but the image of the Red Comet lingered stubbornly in his mind. He took a deep breath and instinctively tried to analyze it using the logic of his past life. A comet so bright and vivid, visible even in daylight, should have gradually entered view along its orbit, not suddenly appeared out of nowhere. It was illogical.

If it were as close as it seemed, then the comet’s angular velocity relative to the ground should have been enormous. Observers should see it streaking across the sky at a rapid pace, not hovering motionless.

Perhaps it was much farther away, and its massive size made it so striking? But that didn’t make sense either—something so large, even if gaseous, would cause gravitational disturbances. Yet everything remained calm.

The only plausible explanation was that it was small and close, moving in tandem with their world’s orbit. But that brought him back to the same question: how had it appeared so suddenly?

Aegor’s thoughts spiraled for a while before he finally gave up. There were too many mysteries in this world that defied his understanding. If this world’s rules allowed the comet’s existence, he could hardly call it “illogical.” What mattered was recognizing the limitations of his own knowledge and learning to work around them.

...

“Everyone’s saying the Red Comet means the Bloody Gate will fall soon!” Kessi, his young squire, excitedly relayed the rumors spreading through the camp.

“The Red Comet and the Bloody Gate,” Aegor mused with a faint smile. “It does sound poetic. Do you believe it?”

“Isn’t it true?” The boy hesitated, clearly eager to say yes, but under Aegor’s watchful gaze, he meekly corrected himself. “No, I don’t.”

“I’m sure there are soldiers among the defenders at the Bloody Gate who think this comet foretells the defeat and destruction of Robert’s army instead. Believe whichever you like, but always remember to think for yourself. Whether your conclusions are right or wrong, they’re better than blindly following what others say.”

“I understand,” Kessi replied, though it wasn’t clear if he truly did.

Aegor nodded, saying no more. Whether acknowledged or not, he was now a man of influence, with his own faction and followers. In such a position, guiding and mentoring those around him was both natural and necessary. The stronger his people were, the more secure his power would become.

...

That day, the Martell forces carried out their turn in the siege of the Bloody Gate. After suffering casualties on both sides, they declared their task complete and withdrew to the main camp to assume defensive duties.

Aegor’s business in the allied camp was nearly done. Over the past six weeks, he had visited nearly every notable family present, promoting the Night’s Watch’s ventures. Of the knights and lords he approached, some forty or fifty had expressed genuine interest. Even if only half of them invested, and each purchased just one hundred gold dragons’ worth of bonds, it would amount to a fortune in the thousands.

Having finished breakfast, Aegor strolled through the camp, the sun rising steadily behind him. The Red Comet still loomed over the eastern horizon, but after a year at Castle Black, Aegor had grown accustomed to strange and ominous sights. As unsettling as the comet might seem, it paled in comparison to the Wall. So long as it didn’t fall from the sky and wipe out humanity, life would go on.

With his work in the camp nearly complete, Aegor looked forward to returning to King’s Landing and focusing on his entrepreneurial pursuits. As for the rebellion? So long as Robert didn’t get himself killed, the outcome had little to do with the Night’s Watch.

...

Ahead, under a massive banner of a crowned stag in gold and crimson, cheers, shouts, and the clash of steel filled the air. Stationary armies needed distractions, and tournaments were a favorite pastime. Soldiers often divided into teams based on their loyalties and held jousts, melees, or single combat. Victories brought glory, and losses were opportunities for another challenger to step forward.

Kessi, as always, watched the spectacle with rapt attention, but Aegor had grown bored after a few matches. These were, after all, nothing more than killing techniques—important skills, but they only drew one closer to danger. Aegor was playing a far larger game, one that could shift the world itself. His strategy relied on staying away from personal peril, using grand designs to reshape the world.

But today, the cheers caught Aegor’s attention. He heard someone shout “Beauty!” and “Prince!” Could it be Brienne facing off against Oberyn Martell in single combat?

...