GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

"What's in the letter?" Tyrion asked curiously.

"It's nothing good," Aegor replied, his brow furrowed. "As of the time this letter was sent, Benjen and his patrols still haven't returned to Castle Black. Mormont has sent out several more search parties, but none of them found any trace of him. Now, he's preparing to organize a large-scale reconnaissance mission beyond the Wall. The letter not only urges Yoren to bring the new recruits back to the Wall as soon as possible, but also asks me to prepare a shipment of weapons, cold-weather gear, and portable rations to send north. They're afraid they'll have to face the White Walkers."

"White Walkers again?"

Tyrion frowned, baffled. He didn't believe in the old legends of gods and monsters, but he also couldn't imagine why Aegor would lie to him about something so seemingly irrelevant.

The fact that Aegor kept repeating such claims in a serious tone made Tyrion waver slightly. But shaking his head, he chose to dismiss the subject. "Something doesn't add up. Didn't we already send the first batch of supplies? According to our agreement, the next batch isn't due for another month or two. Why are they rushing us now?"

"The first shipment hasn't reached Eastwatch yet—it was shipped from King's Landing, after all," Aegor said solemnly. "I'll have to check on the progress of the dragonglass mining operation in the coming days. But that's my personal matter; let's drop it for now and get some food and rest."

---

All Aegor wanted was to start a business with Tyrion in King's Landing, live a good life, and focus on his own plans. But why did the ripples of the larger plot refuse to leave him in peace, constantly dragging him back into chaos?

Benjen's disappearance wasn't surprising. Aegor had expected it. At Castle Black, he had assumed the First Ranger's decision to go north was simply out of a sense of duty and stubbornness. But after learning more from Melisandre, his perspective had shifted.

Aegor couldn't shake the suspicion that Benjen's disappearance and transformation into "Coldhands" might have been orchestrated by the "Old Gods" or the Greenseers.

Perhaps the Old Gods needed a servant who "was not alive," someone who didn't require supplies and whose "cold body" wouldn't easily draw the attention of the wights. This servant could operate north of the Wall, ensuring that Bran Stark would still have someone to guide him after crossing into the far north to accept his destiny. The direwolves given to the Stark children might have been part of the same plan, a way to activate their latent abilities. Especially for Bran, having a companion like Summer, far more capable and perceptive than any human, would be invaluable on his journey.

---

Aegor pinched his thigh, snapping himself out of his spiraling thoughts. He reminded himself of a simple truth: "Not everything is a conspiracy."

Rather than overthinking the possible manipulations of the Greenseers, it was better to focus on the immediate situation: Mormont's planned large-scale reconnaissance mission beyond the Wall.

The Ranger Expedition, as it would later be known, wasn't a bad idea on paper. Leading a force of over 300 Night's Watchmen, half of them professional soldiers meant that, barring an overwhelming assault by tens of thousands of wildlings, they were practically untouchable. Yet, the expedition didn't encounter wildlings. Instead, it stumbled upon something far worse: an army of the dead.

That disastrous engagement at the Fist of the First Men nearly annihilated the Night's Watch's elite forces, including their leadership. Of those left at Castle Black, most were old, injured, or inexperienced. It was a crushing blow to morale. Had it been any other army, the organization might have been disbanded entirely. As it stood, the Night's Watch barely managed to repel the wildlings' first wave of tentative attacks.

Aegor's mind instinctively wondered: could the Greenseers have deliberately orchestrated this? Perhaps the goal was to weaken the Night's Watch, ensuring the wildlings could breach the Wall and escape into the south, thereby preventing them from bolstering the White Walkers' ranks.

But he quickly dismissed the idea. The Greenseers might be powerful, but they weren't omnipotent. If they wanted to ensure the wildlings crossed the Wall, wouldn't it be simpler to manipulate Mormont into letting them through rather than orchestrating such a convoluted chain of events?

Besides, judging from the original story, the gods' whispers and manipulations weren't as powerful as they seemed. The Greenseers were in a weakened state, and this expedition was far more likely to be Mormont's own decision.

---

What should a rational person be considering right now?

Does this plotline affect me? Do I need to intervene? If so, how should I do it?

The disastrous results of the Ranger Expedition had several implications. First, it led to the death of Jeor Mormont and the rise of Jon Snow. While Jon's promotion could benefit Aegor by creating a more flexible leader who owed him favors, the Night's Watch's decimation was a double-edged sword. If the wildlings broke through and the Wall fell, Aegor, sitting far to the south, would be caught in the ensuing chaos.

But then again, if the War of the Five Kings didn't happen, the northern lords would still have the strength to send reinforcements to the Wall. In that case, the wildlings' invasion could be halted, albeit with consequences for whoever took charge.

Wait. Aegor paused. If the northern lords intervened, they would inevitably impose their authority over the Night's Watch. And what role would Aegor play in all this as the "chief logistics officer" stationed in King's Landing?

---

After running through several mental scenarios, Aegor's head began to spin. There were too many variables, and predicting the future with any certainty was impossible. Even professionals with access to vast amounts of information often made mistakes.

I'm not a prophet, nor am I as adept as Littlefinger at thriving in chaos.

Perhaps the simplest and most practical option was to do nothing. He could fulfill Mormont's supply request, maintain his distance, and let events unfold as they would.

But then, a memory from the last season of the show he had watched before his time travel struck him like lightning.

In the original plot, after the War of the Five Kings had run its course, Jon Snow foolishly led a group beyond the Wall to capture a wight and bring it back to King's Landing. This ridiculous and belated stunt served only to give the Night King a dragon, ultimately enabling the Wall's destruction.

That had been the screenwriters' way of advancing the story and balancing the conflict between the living and the dead. But Aegor wasn't a screenwriter, he was a time traveler. He didn't care about making the story exciting. If it were up to him, he'd ensure the White Walkers were destroyed in their lairs before they could pose a threat, allowing him to live out his life in peace.

What if, Aegor thought, at this crucial turning point, the Night's Watch captured a wight and brought it south to King's Landing? What if they placed it before Robert Baratheon, who sat feasting in the Red Keep, oblivious to the gathering storm? What kind of explosive impact would that have?

If he was already changing the plot, why stop now? Why not go big?

***

If we reach 10 reviews I'll drop 3 bonus chps.

For every 100 PS = 1 extra chapter. Support me on patreon to read 20+ advanced chapters: patreon.com/Blownleaves.