Every soldier of the Night's Watch and every resident within its territory was working diligently to prepare for post war reconstruction and the coming expedition Beyond the Wall. But if one were to rank the busyness of the remaining thirty thousand living souls in the Gift, including the Wall, and excluding the small group of special individuals secretly plotting the conquest of the Seven Kingdoms within Crown Town's Inner Keep... at least on the surface, Cotter Pyke would claim second place, and no one would dare claim first.
The reason was simple. Eastwatch by the Sea was simply too special.
As one of the only three major fortresses remaining before the Night's Watch expanded, it still had a tunnel leading Beyond the Wall. Although it had been hastily filled with debris and seawater and sealed under orders from the highest command before the White Walkers attacked, not much time had passed, so reopening it was far easier than carving a new passage through the Ice Wall.
Therefore, unlike most outposts that only needed to prepare food and weapons and arrange drills for the next large scale military operation, Cotter Pyke also carried the additional burden of digging out the tunnel.
If that were the only difference, then Castle Black and the Shadow Tower would be in the same situation. Unfortunately, anyone thinking that had forgotten something important. Eastwatch by the Sea was the only fortress along the Wall that had endured a siege by the White Walkers and still held out after paying a heavy price in casualties.
Castle Black, located in the center, had been fortunate enough to avoid the tide of wights, and so could not be compared. Shadow Tower was overrun by White Walkers within an hour, and not only the wounded but even the dead were raised by ice magic and marched on Crown Town, leaving most of the aftermath work to the capital of the Gift. The filler immigrants digging tunnels there now only needed to focus on that single task, without a mountain of messy problems to manage.
Only Eastwatch by the Sea, the fortress that had narrowly held the eastern end of the Wall during the White Walkers' two pronged assault, had to burn the bodies of the fallen, tend to the wounded survivors of the great battle, and comfort the families of the dead. Even with large reinforcements arriving, the shortage of personnel was still far from resolved.
And besides all this, there was another problem that no other fortress could encounter.
On that terrifying night when the White Walkers attacked from both east and west, the swift ice storm blowing down from the Land of Always Winter had frozen the seawater in the Bay of Seals, which was already near freezing, into solid ice over a huge area. Although this was caused by supernatural forces, the ice itself was not supernatural. It was simply frozen seawater; slightly less dense, exceptionally hard. Although the White Walkers' invasion had been thwarted, the frozen sea stretching more than ten miles from Eastwatch's port would not melt before summer.
This created a very awkward and extremely dangerous situation. If the White Walkers who fled back Beyond the Wall gathered wights and returned, they could simply walk along the Wall toward the sea, then walk across the frozen bay and bypass the Wall entirely, crossing again without hindrance.
This was unacceptable to anyone.
Thus, although the war had shifted from defense to counterattack, the Seal Bay Ice Clearing Team, which had been almost wiped out, had to be rebuilt and even expanded.
And under these circumstances, Cotter Pyke still had to follow Aegor's orders and, ignoring the soldiers' doubts and pleas for mercy, carry out the execution of another member of the ice clearing team who had struck his superior and deserted on the night war began.
Although the deserter truly deserved death, doing such a thing at this moment was extremely unpleasant.
In the morning, Cotter Pyke inspected the burial of the ashes of the fallen. Afterwards he checked the preparations for the expedition Beyond the Wall. Before lunch, he symbolically participated in the tunnel excavation. In the afternoon, he listened to the glacially slow progress report from the ice clearing team, and then heard the soldiers' opinions within the fortress about hanging the deserter Qite. Just as he was physically drained and mentally exhausted, intending to sit and rest for a moment, a ship from White Harbor docked at the pier, or rather, on the solid ice outside the harbor. A small group disembarked. Their leader introduced himself as an envoy loyal to House Manderly, claiming to carry secret news from the North.
While ordering that the ship and crew from White Harbor be requisitioned to join the ice clearing effort, Cotter forced himself to meet the visitors. The meeting itself was nothing, but the content he heard shocked him awake immediately. Robb Stark, the Lord of the North, had decided to overthrow the current Lord Commander of the Night's Watch and end Aegor's plan to lead the Gift's forces in pledging allegiance to the Queen and supporting her claim to the Iron Throne. And Robb Stark wanted him, the Commander of Eastwatch by the Sea, to be the inside agent within the Night's Watch, contacting personnel, organizing actions, and preparing to support the North's forceful intervention at the Wall.
This earth shaking news jolted Cotter Pyke fully awake. He set aside the massive heap of matters before him and held a long conversation with the Northmen from White Harbor. Not until the sun had completely set did this conspiracy discussion end.
The envoy from House Manderly was arranged to rest in a guest room in the fortress, while the Commander of Eastwatch by the Sea sat in his office, eating dinner with his confidant, still feeling as though he were dreaming.
"My Lord, what is there to hesitate about? The Night's Watch has had nearly a thousand Lord Commanders, but since ancient times, when has anyone donned black and successfully led troops south to rebel? Conversely, whenever House Stark decided who should be Lord Commander, when has it ever failed?" Aen Emmett simply could not understand Cotter Pyke's hesitation. He had no appetite for the dinner placed before him. "Robb Stark chose to contact you, My Lord. If this succeeds, you will surely be the next Lord Commander."
"If that old fox Denys Mallister had not died in battle, and if Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck at Castle Black were not so useless, and if that bastard brother of the Young Wolf, Jon Snow, were not completely loyal to Aegor, would House Stark even look at a brute like me, an Ironborn?" Cotter Pyke was not polite. He pulled his plate closer, glared at Aen with displeasure, and began eating. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. If this succeeds, I become Lord Commander and you get promoted to Commander of Eastwatch by the Sea, right?"
Aen pursed his lips but said nothing.
Thanks to his feat of shooting down two White Walkers under the guidance and cooperation of the Red Priest, his status and prestige as First Ranger of Eastwatch had risen dramatically. From being one of the best, he had become a heroic figure above all others except the Commander. Combined with being Cotter's confidant, it was almost certain that barring accidents, he would eventually become the next Commander of Eastwatch by the Sea.
But Cotter Pyke was still in his prime, as strong as an ox. Waiting for him to die of old age could take decades. If one wanted a promotion but did not intend to kill his superior, there was only one path left. Hope that Cotter Pyke would be transferred upward.
This was indeed Aen's main motivation for urging Cotter to agree to House Stark's plan. But what was wrong with that? He had no intention of harming Cotter Pyke. He simply wanted Cotter to strive for Lord Commander and bring him along.
"Think before you act." Cotter shoved a piece of bacon into his mouth, then pointed his fork at his own head, scolding indistinctly with exasperation. "Lord Commander... that fellow Aegor, after going south to pursue and destroy the White Walkers, returned and ordered that no one in the fortresses along the Wall could leave their post without a transfer writ. Who do you think he is guarding against? He insists on this rule, ignoring what others think of him. Anyone meeting him is forbidden to carry weapons. Who is he guarding against? He even places guards when he sleeps, practically wanting to bring a dozen people with him when he goes to the privy. Who is he guarding against?"
"Guarding against us. Guarding against his Night's Watch brothers. He has long anticipated that House Stark might pull this move, and now it has indeed happened. This man predicted the enemy's intentions in advance, and he is up against a Young Wolf who has ruled for less than two years and is only now hastily preparing to overthrow him. Do you really think that if I nod and agree, House Stark will be able to put me on the Lord Commander's seat?"
Aen almost rolled his eyes. He was being lectured by Cotter Pyke, this famously brawny and simple minded commander, to think before doing things. It was the most bizarre thing he had experienced in his life, second only to the White Walkers' invasion.
But he dared not contradict his superior. "But if the North is determined to replace him as Lord Commander, how can he resist? With one command, House Stark can raise more soldiers than the entire population of the Gift."
"Shit, it has only been a few days since the war ended and you've already forgotten? The White Walkers brought hundreds of thousands of wights across the Wall. How many remain now? Their every move is calculated precisely. What use is having more men?" Cotter bit down on a mushroom as if devouring an enemy. "Would I refuse the Lord Commander's seat if it were handed to me? But this boy from Stark, what stupidity is he suggesting? He says the Mad Queen's dragons are something they will figure out on their own, and that all I need to do is gather whatever forces in the Night's Watch I can, launch a coup while Aegor is Beyond the Wall, seize control of the passages at the Wall, then refuse him entry when he returns, forcing him to resign and exile himself. All I need to do? Bah."
"That plan sounds quite feasible. Is there a problem?"
"A huge problem." Cotter chewed fiercely. "Setting aside that I have operated only at Eastwatch for so many years and have almost no influence elsewhere, which is something old fox Denys excelled at. Setting aside that out of more than a thousand able bodied men here, only two hundred are truly mine. And the news that White Harbor envoys came for me is likely already on its way to Crown Town. Let us talk about the simplest step. Keeping Aegor Beyond the Wall so he cannot return. I have already received orders to lead all Rangers of Eastwatch as the vanguard of the eastern expeditionary force once the expedition begins. At the exact time the Starks want me to launch a coup, I would be with you in the Haunted Forest, even farther from the Wall than Aegor. Tell me, how do I keep him out?"
"What?" Aen was dumbfounded. "We are going to be the vanguard of the eastern army? How did I not know this?"
"You must be dreaming if you think you'd know. This was a private and non public order from the Lord Commander, delivered to the Commander of Eastwatch the day before yesterday." Cotter picked up a potato, popped it into his mouth, then rummaged through a pile of documents with his free hand, pulled out a sheet, and tossed it to Aen. "Read it yourself. The man talks a smooth game, but he hides nothing. He is clearly telling you that he has guarded against every move you could possibly make, so do not even think about stirring trouble."
"Now, do you still think he would fail to guard against Northerners planning to kill the Mad King's daughter's dragons? Or fail to guard against a Stark conspiracy?" Wiping his mouth, Cotter sighed helplessly. "I cannot beat him. Bowen Marsh and Othell Yarwyck cannot beat him either. Even Denys Mallister would admit he is inferior. Who do you think you are? Eat, pretend you never heard any of this, and do your duty. The person who can deal with him... perhaps has been born, but it will certainly not be me, nor that boy from Stark who has barely grown his beard, and definitely not you."
An opportunity to overthrow a rival and take his seat lay before him, and it would be false to say he was not tempted. But Cotter Pyke was Ironborn, and the culture of the Iron Islands was different from that of the mainland.
There, there was no talk of oaths, honor, or noble birth. Only proving your strength earned respect and the right to lead.
On a ship, the most capable man was captain. On an island, the most capable was its lord. Even the Greyjoys, who now ruled the Iron Islands, were not always the natural rulers. They held that position only because a stronger man, Aegon the Conqueror, destroyed the original King of the Iron Islands and commanded the Ironborn to elect a leader and obey.
Strength was everything. The weak should submit to the strong. The defeated must concede and obey. Holding grudges, waiting for revenge, simmering in silence? Such ideas simply did not exist.
This worldview, embedded in him since childhood, could not be erased by years in the Night's Watch.
Cotter Pyke had sought the Lord Commander's seat at Castle Black because he believed he was stronger than the other candidates. But later, Aegor proved that he was more capable, could manage the Gift, could deal with the White Walkers. No matter how Cotter disliked him, he should remain the Commander of Eastwatch and cast aside ambition. It was only natural.
He had explained so much to Aen Emmett today because, beyond concluding that rebellion was unwise, there was a deeper reason he did not recognize. Subconsciously, he had already accepted that he could not defeat Aegor.
The fearless Cotter Pyke had been frightened into sense.
Finishing the Lord Commander's order, Aen slowly set down the letter and finally began to accept that this Commander he had never met, who could make the Cotter Pyke he knew lecture others to use their brains, must indeed be extraordinary.
Should he truly forget everything he heard from that fat northerner, pretend nothing had happened, and simply wait for Cotter Pyke to grow old, hoping for a future promotion ten or twenty years from now?
"Stop thinking, eat. The food is getting cold." While the First Ranger was lost in thought, Cotter had already finished his dinner and was now using a small knife to pick his teeth.
No, there had to be something he overlooked. Staring at the tooth picking knife and thinking, just as Cotter began to feel uneasy under his gaze, Aen finally grasped the fleeting idea that had flashed through him.
If he wanted a promotion, Cotter Pyke had to be promoted or fall. And for Cotter to be promoted, the Lord Commander would have to vacate his seat. He had thought the only way was to bring down Aegor because he subconsciously assumed that being Lord Commander was the highest position. That was true in most cases, but not for someone who had sworn allegiance to the Queen.
"My Lord, you are right. You must use your brain when doing things." The young First Ranger became excited. "Since you believe the Starks cannot defeat the Lord Commander, and therefore decide not to join their plot, then why not show your loyalty instead of pretending nothing happened? The Lord Commander has sworn to support the Queen's claim. If he succeeds in placing Her Grace on the Iron Throne, will he and his closest followers continue to languish in this cursed place, the Gift? Of course not. They will go to King's Landing as important ministers. And even if he does not step down as Lord Commander, he will need someone to act in his place. Would he choose someone at random, or would he choose the one who, at a crucial moment, chose to stand by him and expose the Stark conspiracy?"
Hmm?
Cotter Pyke leaned forward with interest. "What do you mean?"
"Capture that man from House Manderly and send him bound to the Lord Commander." Aen chopped his hand downward fiercely, then paused, reconsidered, and shook his head. "No, that is not quite right. If I were the Lord Commander, I would prefer you, My Lord, to pretend to agree to the Stark's plan while secretly reporting everything to him, allowing him to catch them completely off guard."
Cotter Pyke's eyes lit up. That was indeed the path with the greatest profit and the least risk.
Just as he suppressed his excitement and prepared to discuss whom to send with the report, a knock sounded at the door, followed by the harsh but familiar voice of an old Eastwatch soldier.
"Lord Pyke, several more large ships have docked on the ice outside the harbor, flying red dragon banners. A large group of eunuch soldiers have disembarked. A bald fat man and a skinny shifty looking fellow claim they are the Queen's Hand and Master of Whisperers. How should we handle this?"
(To be continued.)
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