Winterfell was Arya’s home, and Aegor had no authority to dictate where Lady Stark could or couldn’t go within her own castle. So, he had no choice but to let the girl follow him to the Lord’s study.

Upon entering the room, he saw that Robb was not alone. His mother, Catelyn, was also present.

Eddard Stark’s widow fixed her daughter with a reproachful gaze. “Arya, what are you doing here?”

“Robb’s been busy with this and that since he got back. I just want to talk to him,” Arya said. Sensing something was off, she quickly let go of Aegor and ran to her brother’s side, clinging to him. Robb’s expression softened at once. Like his father, he doted on his younger sister and couldn’t bear to be stern with her, so naturally, he let it go.

“Sit down, Aegor,” Catelyn said softly, though the worry in her eyes was plain. After the Night’s Watchman took the seat she indicated, she continued, “First, let me thank you for your efforts in bringing stability and peace to the North. But please forgive me—as a mother, I only want to find out the whereabouts of my son, Bran Stark, as quickly as possible. Not long ago, the Night’s Watch sent word that they had found him, and Winterfell immediately arranged for someone to retrieve him. But when the man returned, he reported that the boy had disappeared again, and that there were internal issues within the Night’s Watch, making it impossible for anyone to explain the situation clearly. Amidst the chaos of war, I cannot go north myself to investigate, and since you are the Chief Logistics Officer, I presume you know more about the Night’s Watch than most. Could you please tell us what is really going on?”

“No problem, My Lady,” Aegor nodded and repeated what he had just told Arya earlier, narrating it again in full.

In Bran’s disappearance, if the Night’s Watch bore any blame, it was only for “failing to properly watch him after intercepting him.” Fortunately, Aegor had been careful. He hadn’t gone to Nightfort during that period and had never seen Bran once, so he was not directly involved.

With little connection to the incident, he felt no guilt. Nor did he need to cover for anyone or shirk responsibility. He simply told them what he knew. He answered every question clearly, and the conversation went smoothly.

…

“So Lord Commander Mormont was injured while trying to retrieve Bran?” Maester Aemon’s letter to Winterfell after the incident had not included that detail. Catelyn only learned of it now. “I apologize for troubling the black brothers. For something like this to happen while the Wall faces such a crisis… As a mother, I cannot escape some of the blame. But, if I may ask selfishly, does anyone at the Wall know where my son might be? If possible, could you spare some men to search the Gift again?”

“After the unfortunate death of Commander Mormont, the Night’s Watch and the Gift fell into disarray. Then came the food crisis caused by needing to feed the Mountain Clans reinforcements and the New Gift settlers. Amidst such chaos, no one had the capacity to properly investigate. I apologize for that, My Lady. Once matters settle and the situation improves, I will personally oversee the search.”

“Mother, the Northern army has returned, and we have plenty of men now. In a few days, I will lead a party north myself to investigate Bran’s trail and bring him home,” Robb said.

Robb is going north himself? Aegor was stunned by this unexpected good news. He had carefully prepared to dig a deep pit to trap Robb into supporting his cause, with the most important step being persuading him to go north. But the moment he stepped into the room, Catelyn was present, and the conversation had veered entirely toward Bran. He had almost forgotten his lines…

And ironically, Robb had walked straight into the trap of his own accord.

Just imagine: he leads his troops south to drive out the Ironborn, returns victorious a month later, with the new Warden of the North following behind him. No matter how Robb chooses to present it, the North and the outside world will view this as the North backing Aegor’s policies. With the right follow-up operations, a comeback would be well within reach.

…

“I’m going too!” Arya interrupted. Whether she cared more about her brother or simply wanted to get out of the castle, who could say? Either way, the motives didn’t conflict.

“We’re not going out to play. What would you do if you came along?” Robb looked at his sister seriously, then turned to Catelyn. “Mother, let me handle the matter of Bran. For now, please rest and trust your son. I also have some other matters to discuss with Aegor. Why don’t you take Arya back for now… we can talk more at dinner?”

This was both a son’s request to his mother and a Warden’s instruction to a family member. Though she was filled with unease and wanted to continue questioning Aegor, Catelyn knew how to prioritize the larger picture. In front of an outsider, she understood the importance of giving her eldest son, now the lord of a region, proper respect.

She stood and beckoned Arya. “Come now, come back with me.”

In front of her mother—especially a sorrowful one—Arya didn’t dare throw a tantrum like she had with Septa Mordane. She obediently rose from beside Robb, stuck her tongue out at Aegor in passing, and followed Catelyn out of the study.

—

Only the two men remained in the room. Clearly, everything up to this point had been a prelude. Now came the true conversation between the Warden of the North and the Chief Logistics Officer of the Night’s Watch.

“The Night’s Watch let tens of thousands of Wildlings through the Wall.” Robb watched his mother and sister leave and close the door behind them. The warm look of a dutiful son and loving brother faded. When the room was quiet, he turned to Aegor with a serious expression. “I know that Commander Jeor Mormont ordered this, but according to my sources, the one who truly planned and pushed it forward was you. After Bear died, you were also the one who kept the Gift resettlement project running… Is that correct?”

Robb’s understanding of what had happened in the Gift was far more detailed than Aegor had expected. Where had he gotten his information?

Aegor was surprised but not flustered. “Yes. That is entirely correct.”

In the Gift, Aegor could hide behind the late Commander Mormont’s orders to keep conservative voices from prematurely ending the plan. But he knew that wouldn’t work on Robb Stark. Not here. He had come south precisely to seek support from this young lord. He had to be honest, to take responsibility.

“Before his death, Commander Mormont and I developed a comprehensive and detailed legal framework for the Gift, specifically to govern the Wildlings permitted to cross the Wall. We also implemented a series of targeted policies to ensure that they posed no threat to the Night’s Watch or the North. The plan was supported by the financial resources of the Night’s Watch industry and backed by a complete social management system.”

“But none of that stopped Bear from being stoned to death by a few Wildlings.”

Facts are always the sharpest weapon. Aegor hadn’t expected Robb to come out swinging. His rhythm was instantly broken. “That… was an accident. The culprits and the clans that sheltered them have all been severely punished.”

“I’ve heard. House Mormont was reportedly satisfied with how it was handled,” Robb said with a shake of his head. “But to say it was an accident… If Bear hadn’t let the Wildlings cross the Wall, would the original Grey Area Citizens or Mountain Clans have stoned the Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch? That sounds like sophistry.”

It was, in fact, sophistry. Aegor quickly gathered himself and steadied his position, which had been thrown off by the earlier interruptions from Arya and Catelyn. “But—”

Robb raised a hand to cut him off. “I’m grateful that you and your men came from the Gift to help drive out the Ironborn. But I cannot support everything you do simply because of that. The North does not belong to me alone. I must be accountable to all its people—especially my vassals. And the truth is, almost every noble lord I’ve spoken to expressed strong opposition when they heard this news. I used the excuse that ‘the North does not interfere in the internal affairs of the Night’s Watch’ to calm them for now. But that is only a temporary measure. In the end, the Night’s Watch—or rather, you—must give me a proper explanation. Only then can I give the Northmen a reason not to trouble the Night’s Watch further.”

(To be continued.)

***

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Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep