When Lord Commander Mormont decided to treat hired auxiliaries separately from the “true Night’s Watch,” Aegor was briefly frustrated—his infiltration plan had been seen through. But as time passed and the Night’s Watch industry flourished, his thoughts gradually began to shift.

The hundreds of full-time, professional soldiers within the Night’s Watch were certainly not a force to be underestimated, but their overall quality was lacking. Only the Black Brothers serving as Rangers could truly be considered a professional fighting force. Compared to trying to influence such a mixed and unruly group, wouldn’t it be better to establish a clean, independent force one wholly his own and built on a stronger foundation?

Aegor had already made up his mind to claim a site within the Gifted Lands to construct his first base. But when the four thousand gold dragons were actually secured a few days ago, he brought the construction plans forward ahead of schedule, now backed by ample funds. The purpose was not, as it appeared, to accommodate the pyromancers—in truth, “providing a base for the Wisdoms to produce wildfire” was merely one of several pretexts to justify acquiring Queen’s Crown.

Since Mormont was determined to draw a line between the Logistics Department and the “orthodox” Night’s Watch, Aegor would follow that logic and go further, establishing a force that outwardly appeared affiliated with the Night’s Watch but in fact had no formal chain of command under it. A force in name only, which might even one day rival the Watch in power.

Of course, he could never utter such treasonous thoughts aloud. To carve out a portion of the Gifted Lands to be used exclusively by a “Logistics Department” that didn’t answer to Castle Black, if one were to exaggerate the matter, it would be akin to a miniature land division, a political maneuver rarely tolerated in Westeros. A bold step, to be sure, but one that must be taken with great caution, under the protection of carefully prepared, seemingly legitimate justifications.

Aegor had prepared three main ones:

First, since the Lord Commander had decreed that the mercenaries under the Logistics Department were to be trained outside Castle Black, they would need a place to do so, no?

Second, as the Wisdoms themselves argued, wildfire could not be transported all the way from King’s Landing to the Wall. Was there any place more suitable than the Gifted Lands to store, produce, and move wildfire under cold, stable conditions?

Third, the Night’s Watch had an enormous and growing demand for supplies, especially food and meat to improve the diet of the Black Brothers but these had limited shelf lives. After Nina did the calculations, she determined it was far more cost-effective to purchase directly from the North and deliver to the Wall, rather than shipping everything up from the South.

All three points supported the same conclusion: the Night’s Watch Logistics Department required a base that lay within the Watch’s sphere of influence but also close to the heart of the North.

Aegor’s final choice was Queen’s Crown. Located just south of Castle Black, near the Kingsroad, and almost at the geometric center of the Gifted Lands, it was the ideal location. It lay equally close to both the eastern and western ends of the Wall, allowing support to be dispatched quickly to any part of the Wall or wildfire, stored provisions, and food to be delivered to any stronghold… or even any territory within the North.

Though the village had been abandoned, Aegor had passed through it once, somewhat casually, while traveling south with Tyrion. Its infrastructure—roads and foundations—remained largely intact, meaning construction materials and labor costs could be significantly reduced. Most importantly, its status as “abandoned” gave Mormont little ground to refuse Aegor’s application. After all, what objection could there be to the department that regularly supplied the Watch with goods settling in an empty village?

As Tyrion once said, this was an open scheme. Unless Mormont suffered a sudden lapse of reason and chose to rupture their alliance, he could do nothing but watch as Aegor advanced step by step toward a future where he could stand on equal footing… and control his own fate.

—

“That all sounds very impressive,” said Wisdom Hallyne. A man who had witnessed the rise and fall of dynasties, a veteran of many courts and intrigues, he was not easily swayed by Aegor’s grand vision. “We’ll see what it’s actually like when we get there. Even if I believe in the Chief Logistics Officer’s intentions, you’ll have to properly arrange housing and supplies for our Alchemists and their apprentice assistants before we agree to anything else.”

“Certainly. Whatever the Guild requires, just say the word. If it’s within my ability, I’ll see it done.”

With funds in hand, Aegor spoke with confidence. But the longer Hallyne went on, the more he realized the matter was far more complicated than he’d expected. What he thought was a lucky opportunity might, in the eyes of others, be more like inheriting a burden.

—

The Alchemists’ Guild was in far worse shape than even the Night’s Watch had imagined. During the chaos when Lannister forces breached the gates of King’s Landing and ended the Targaryen dynasty, many pyromancers had either died or vanished, leaving the order grievously weakened.

After the war, Robert Baratheon issued a decree: they were to manage the vast stores of wildfire hidden beneath the city. This order was non-negotiable, and it meant that a group of pyromancers, along with their apprentices and assistants, were now permanently bound to a deadly task from which they could never withdraw. Until the end of their days, they would be caretakers of volatile, flammable substances.

Do the job well, and there would be no reward. Make a mistake and lose your head.

The arrangement itself wasn’t entirely unreasonable. What was unreasonable was that, as punishment, Robert had also refused to provide them with any funding. The work… was unpaid.

—

Alchemists are not immortal beings who can go without food, they need to eat. The once-vast assets of the Alchemists’ Guild had been plundered by the Lannister army, reduced to nearly nothing. The pyromancers and their companions, who had once thrived under the Targaryen dynasty, had now fallen so low that they worried daily about their next meal.

Those with intelligence and connections had long since vanished without a trace. The only ones left in King’s Landing were a handful of aging men who lacked any transferable skills and couldn’t flee even if they tried. They survived on whatever they could scavenge. The younger apprentices and assistants could still find part-time work around the city to earn a little coin, but the pyromancers themselves relied on the occasional illicit sale of wildfire to stay afloat.

Aegor had once taken part in such a black-market transaction. In truth, even Tyrion had heard of these dealings by word of mouth. With Varys as his Master of Whisperers, it was impossible that Robert Baratheon didn’t know. But the king himself was perpetually short on coin, and besides, he lacked the standing to interfere, being in the wrong.

…

The matter of resettlement, of course, applied to both groups, those remaining in King’s Landing and those moving north to the Gifted Lands. After considerable “negotiation,” Aegor finally reached an agreement with the two old foxes.

The Alchemists’ Guild filled the wildfire storage cellars in King’s Landing with water and sealed them with stone walls. The Night’s Watch Industries arranged jobs for the family members of guild members in the soon-to-be-opened workshops for household goods and cosmetics. Aegor also took responsibility for hiring people to clear out all facilities and equipment from the guild hall and oversee their safe transport by ship to the North.

In addition, a new and secure wildfire production chamber had to be built in Queen’s Crown, a stone structure modeled after the Alchemists’ Guild Hall in King’s Landing, one that would automatically collapse and extinguish any fire in case of an accident. The pyromancers would only agree to work under absolutely safe conditions.

Then came the matter of compensation. Robert had ordered the pyromancers to serve the Night’s Watch with just a single command but the Alchemists’ Guild was not a subordinate branch of the royal government. Even if they followed the order, they still needed some incentive to do so. That was simple enough, Aegor copied the Night’s Watch industry’s compensation and reward structure for senior team leaders, added a few generous bonuses, and managed to coax the two elderly men, who hadn’t lived well in more than a decade into a complete change of attitude.

To demonstrate both sincerity and strength, Aegor also inquired about the residences of the pyromancers and promised to deliver the first installment of resettlement funds shortly.

After all was said and done, the two fire mages who had barged in so aggressively were sent away in high spirits. Aegor made a rough estimate, just cleaning up the Alchemists’ Guild’s mess and relocating it to the Gifted Lands would cost at least several hundred gold dragons, and that wasn’t even counting the ongoing wages and bonuses.

He had only just begun to build his power and he was already learning what it meant to burn through coin like wildfire.

…

Not long after, the royal herald finally arrived at the Night’s Watch Office.

…

“Aegor West, by command of King Robert, I’ve already informed the Alchemists’ Guild. They should be coming to report to you shortly,” announced the young attendant from the Red Keep, with an air of self-importance, completely unaware that the pyromancers had outrun him.

“In addition, I bring a certificate, signed and sealed by the Hand of the King and the Master of Coin. From this day forth, you and all activities you directly oversee shall be permanently exempt from taxation across Westeros.” He added, “The Master of Coin also asked me to remind you, this exemption only applies to taxes owed to the Iron Throne. When dealing with the other Six Kingdoms, you may still be subject to local levies imposed by the regional lords under different names.”

“I understand, I understand. You’ve done well, young man.” Aegor accepted the royal decree and the tax exemption certificate with a beaming smile. He pressed a few silver stags into the boy’s hand. “Take this and buy something nice for your horse. It must be worn out from running messages all over the city today.”

He examined the document and nodded. “This came at just the right time. But since His Majesty’s order has already reached us, may I ask, when will the king himself return to King’s Landing?”

The herald coughed lightly and tucked the coins into his pouch. “Hard to say, my lord. But the matter in the Vale has been resolved. He should return in two or three days at most.”

(To be continued.)

***

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