For the first time in its history, the Night’s Watch Commander election, conducted with a one-person, one-vote system, finally came to an end. Once the votes were counted at fortresses other than Castle Black, the results were immediately sent to the headquarters via raven.

Voting had been suspended for several days to allow the brothers to clear their minds and reflect on their true intentions. This cooling-off period significantly reduced emotional influence on the results, as reflected in the Castle Black tally—Aegor’s votes there had slightly decreased.

However, in total, he once again pulled ahead of his remaining rivals with unstoppable momentum. The votes he lost at Castle Black were made up for by new supporters who had sworn their oaths to the Night’s Watch under Melisandre’s influence. Shadow Tower and Eastwatch-by-the-Sea cast eleven and forty-six votes for him, respectively. While there were some abstentions and minor losses at the newly activated fortresses that had previously supported him, the number could be counted on one hand.

After many twists and turns, the final tally showed Aegor nearing five hundred votes. With dozens of abstentions, his percentage had actually surpassed the halfway mark.

Victory was within reach.

—

“Eastwatch-by-the-Sea cast forty-six votes for that guy?” Cotter Pyke, as Commander, found it deeply humiliating to have nearly a quarter of his fortress’s garrison vote for a rival. He couldn’t accept the outcome. “I’ve fought alongside the men of my fortress for over twenty years. They wouldn’t betray me! Something’s off—the Stark vote counters are rigging the count!”

“The man you’re accusing is the one holding the fate of the Night’s Watch in his hands. If he wanted Aegor to win, all it would take is a single word, my Lord.” Yohn Royce was just as anxious about the election results, but he hadn’t completely lost his composure. “Your soldiers may not have betrayed you. But you’ve forgotten—over thirty Rangers recently transferred from Castle Black are stationed at Eastwatch. They’ve worked with Aegor before.”

“Even if that’s true, that only accounts for thirty-some votes. What about the rest?”

“Shadow Tower cast over a dozen votes for him too, and that was under the direct supervision of Ser Denys Mallister. Face the truth. No matter how beloved you think you are, there will always be a few men who’ve harbored quiet resentment for years but never dared speak out. And there will always be those who believe the man who clothed and fed them is more fit to be Commander than you. The situation is grim, yes, but that man’s votes are still far from the two-thirds mark. If the plan I proposed earlier works, no matter how far ahead he is now, we can still drag him back down.”

Of course Cotter Pyke knew what Yohn Royce was referring to. The sabotage plan was solid, but they had encountered obstacles gathering allies. First, Ser Denys Mallister had condemned them and stormed off, effectively handing the opponent a gift. Then the Chief Officer at Castle Black dragged his feet for days, ultimately refusing to join.

The Wildlings’ surrender and the uprising among the New Gift settlers would be a severe blow to the proponents of the resettlement plan… but if it failed or was exposed afterward, the conspirators would be finished—and might even lose their lives. Bearing the full risk alone, even someone as iron-willed as Cotter Pyke hesitated.

Should they act without allies?

Yohn Royce saw the hesitation in his eyes and clenched his teeth in frustration. Robb Stark had already departed Castle Black that morning with a large Northern delegation and, accompanied by Aegor, had begun inspecting the Wall. With both the radical leader and their strongest backer absent, now was the perfect moment to strike. But a few men from the Vale couldn’t pull it off alone—if they could, Yohn would’ve carried it out long ago.

Ser Denys Mallister had been correct in principle: Mance Rayder had surrendered and was now being held under house arrest at Castle Black. Even if a new Lord Commander were elected, he would still need to hold a proper trial before executing him. A lynching done in haste, just to discredit Aegor, would leave the perpetrators relying on the defense of “the law does not punish the many” to avoid punishment. That meant the number of people involved had to be significant.

With neither Shadow Tower nor Castle Black officers willing to cooperate, and if Cotter Pyke also backed out… what could a mere Ranger captain do by leading a handful of men to assassinate Mance?

His own end would be no better than Aegor’s.

…

“Do you hear those recruits drilling outside?” Yohn Royce pointed out the window. “They’re all Grey Area settlers, mountain clansmen, and Wildlings lured in by Aegor with promises of full bellies, warm clothes, and regular wages… If we don’t act soon, do you really think those men, once they finish training and swear their oaths, will vote for us? Or for the man who brought them here and paid them?”

“They’re not nobles. They can’t just finish training and be approved to join the Night’s Watch overnight.”

“True. But whether they’ve ‘finished training’ or not is just a matter of words from the drillmaster at Castle Black, isn’t it? And the bad news I received is that Endrew has decided to become Aegor’s lackey… We don’t have much time left, my Lord. You’d better decide quickly!”

Cotter tilted his head and listened. The recruits’ voices echoed clearly through the window. The Night’s Watch hadn’t seen so many new men drilling at once in years. By tradition, a fifth of them would be assigned to Eastwatch-by-the-Sea once training was complete. As one of the three Commanders on the Wall, he should’ve been pleased. But right now…

He clenched his fists, deep in thought, his expression shifting several times. At last, he gritted his teeth and slammed a fist onto the table. “Fine! I’m in! Gather the men. We move now!”

“Yes!”

Yohn exhaled in relief, his spirits lifting. Without another word, he turned and strode toward the door—but before he could open it, the door was pushed inward from the outside.

A former Vale knight, whom he had assigned to monitor the daily life of Mance Rayder’s family in Hardin’s Tower, entered, panic all over his face. “Bad news. The Kingslayer and his Westermen are gathered at the base of Hardin’s Tower. They’re trying to move the King-Beyond-the-Wall’s family!”

…

The plan had leaked? Cotter Pyke and Yohn Royce exchanged shocked glances. Only a very small number of people had known about it. The detailed orders hadn’t even been issued to the soldiers yet. Only the people in this room, a few trusted Vale lords, and some Shadow Tower and Castle Black officers they had previously tried to win over had been informed.

Who had betrayed them? Other conservative officers? Or their own men at Eastwatch?

Regardless, this was disastrous. A hundred times worse than Aegor winning votes—this was outright betrayal.

“It must’ve been that old bastard Mallister—he sold us out to Aegor in hopes of keeping his post after the election!” Cotter Pyke bellowed, his face contorted in rage. Just moments ago, he had been hesitating whether to act. Who would have guessed he’d lose the chance altogether so soon? “You few, come with me! Yohn, go rally the others. We can’t let the Wildling King get away!”

…

At the base of Hardin’s Tower, an old but sturdy carriage was parked on the roadside. Mance Rayder’s family, with help from a few Westermen soldiers, were loading bags of belongings onto it—clearly preparing to move.

“Stop!” Cotter Pyke led his men straight toward the carriage, blocking the Westermen. “What do you think you’re doing? Who gave you permission to move the Wildling King’s family out of Hardin’s Tower?”

The Westermen glanced at each other, unsure how to respond.

As hostages under house arrest, Mance and his family had no say. And the Westermen left here were merely ordinary Rangers of the Night’s Watch. Facing a fortress Commander, they were clearly outmatched.

So, the man responsible for this act—Jaime Lannister—had to step forward.

With his usual air of arrogance, the Kingslayer strolled out from the tower’s base and stepped to the front. Flashing a bright smile, he replied, “We received word that someone with malicious intent may be plotting to harm Mance Rayder and his family, which would threaten the stability of the Gift. For the good of the realm, it was decided—after some discussion—that they should be relocated to ensure their safety.”

“Discussion? With whom? Who gave you the authority to handle such a critical hostage as the King-Beyond-the-Wall? You’re a Ranger captain!”

“It’s not my decision to make.” Jaime shrugged, flipping his golden hair. “But with all due respect, it’s not yours either, my Lord.”

Cotter Pyke was stunned for a moment—because Jaime was right. Accepting Mance’s surrender and keeping him as a hostage at Castle Black had been Jeor Mormont’s orders. According to Aegor’s argument, no changes could be made until a new Commander was chosen. That damned Aegor—was he going to keep using a dead man’s will to restrict them time and again?

Wait… Cotter quickly spotted the flaw. Mormont’s orders limited the conservatives, yes—but they also limited the radicals. Jaime had no right to move Mance’s family either!

“You’re right. It’s not your call. It’s not mine either. Only the new Commander can decide where the Wildling King’s family stays. So return them to the tower at once.”

“Sorry, but Commander Jeor Mormont appeared to me in a dream. He ordered me to move Mance Rayder’s family to Crown Town for their safety.”

“In a dream?!” Cotter’s eyes bulged. “You just said it was a discussion!”

“Correct. I dreamt Jeor Mormont gave me an order. After waking, I informed the Chief Logistics Officer. The two of us discussed it and decided to carry it out.”

Snickers and whispers rippled through the crowd. Of course no one believed such a ridiculous excuse. Even Jaime blushed slightly. Lying and deceit were not his strengths. He had resisted when Aegor suggested this excuse—but with Val and her family’s safety on the line, he eventually went through with it.

“You—” Cotter Pyke was not good at dealing with unreasonable people. He turned red with fury and couldn’t even speak. His hand shot to the axe on his back. “I don’t care about your dreams. No one is taking the Wildling King’s family out of Castle Black today!”

Perfect. Just as Aegor had predicted.

The awkwardness of lying faded, and a faint smile curved Jaime’s lips. Cotter Pyke’s favorite method was violence. So was his. When two men who lived by “strike first, talk later” faced off… let’s see who came out on top.

(To be continued.)

***

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