Outside Winterfell, a small contingent of the Bolton Army and the Gift Army stood armed, forming a pincer shape that subtly confronted the Northern Army led by Robb, stationed a few miles away. The atmosphere was tense and murderous.
Within the castle walls, the situation was even more chaotic.
Immediately after the poisoning incident, the well-trained Unsullied arrived and took control of the scene, bringing back the bodies of the Prime Minister and the Master of Intelligence. However, the fate of the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch remained uncertain, as he was carried back to his camp by his guards. Shortly after, Gift soldiers sealed all the gates of Winterfell, controlling everyone inside and outside the kitchen who had access to food, drink, or even seasonings and raw ingredients. Meanwhile, the Queen's Guard began to count the Stark members and the envoys from the Iron Bank, taking everyone suspected, except for the Unsullied Soldier, out of their rooms and searching their residences and luggage.
While the investigation and search for the killer proceeded in an orderly fashion, another worrying situation subtly emerged: after the news of the Lord Commander's poisoning spread rapidly, the previously disciplined Gift Army began to show signs of losing control.
Most of the Gift soldiers were unruly Free Folk, and even after being brutally screened by the White Walkers and rigorously trained by the Night's Watch, they were still very difficult to manage. The officers usually relied on Aegor's reputation and deterrent power, using personal worship to maintain order. This didn't seem like a problem in normal times, but as soon as something happened to him, the weak point was immediately exposed. After only half a day without seeing the Lord Commander, the city was already rife with rumors of various versions—while there were naturally "those who heard everything," there were also "those who thought and said anything." Seeing that the situation was about to further deteriorate into "those who did anything," Daenerys made a decisive decision, ordering the Unsullied to intervene and assist the Night's Watch officers in maintaining order. Simultaneously, she controlled two dragons to ascend and fly around the castle overhead, relying on the two-pronged deterrence to barely prevent the situation from becoming irrepressible.
The Queen's Guard who had sailed North to rendezvous with Daenerys were the elite of the elite. They naturally didn't just have soldiers. Along with several important ministers, they also brought various indispensable professional personnel—such as maids, cooks, and military doctors. When faced with unexpected situations that swords and spears could not solve, these non-combat personnel came into use.
The royal chef took over the kitchen, personally preparing food separately for Daenerys and the Unsullied, while the medic, unable to save lives in time, took charge of the investigation into the poisoning.
...
As night deepened in Winterfell, which gradually quieted under the curfew order, and in the guest building guarded by the Unsullied, the Queen sat in her second-floor room, listening with a solemn expression to the investigation team leader's report.
"After screening and testing, it can be confirmed that the source of the poison was the wine the three Lords shared," the medic pointed to a pile of evidence on the table. "Poison was detected in the wine pot and all three cups."
After a slight pause to ensure the Queen was listening, the medic continued his report: "Then I examined and dissected the bodies of the Prime Minister and the Master of Intelligence. There were no signs of external injuries or violence. The cause of death was undoubtedly poisoning." Of course, the bodies that had been cut open couldn't be brought into the Queen's room, so he could only describe the autopsy results empty-handed: "The poison caused significant changes in the blood of the two Lords, which could be vaguely seen from the color of their skin. After drawing blood and comparing it, the speculation was confirmed. I have little knowledge of poisons and can only roughly deduce: this poison has an effect similar to seeing blood and sealing the throat, quickly causing the blood of the poisoned person to deteriorate after entering the body, preventing it from nourishing the body, thereby achieving the effect of 'killing invisibly.' The entire process is silent and painless; often, by the time the poisoned person detects something abnormal, they are already at the end of their life... This is also why the guards outside the door failed to quickly detect the abnormality and administer aid."
The Queen nodded indifferently. "What is this poison called? Does it have a history or origin?"
"This..." The medic shook his head with difficulty. "Initially, there were a few suspected substances, but their specific properties didn't entirely match, so they could only be ruled out. Please forgive my limited knowledge; I'm afraid this question will require the poisoned wine to be sent to the Citadel, where more professional Maesters can make a judgment and provide an answer."
"Then preserve the items properly, and we can discuss it again when there's an opportunity," the Queen didn't dwell on this matter. After all, what the poison was called wasn't the most urgent issue at hand. "What about the other matter I instructed?"
"Oh!" The medic came back to his senses and quickly replied: "Poison was also detected in the Lord Commander's vomit at the scene. As for why he alone was able to rush out of the room and vomit the poisoned wine... I speculate it might be because he is stronger due to years of physical training, and because the other two Lords were poisoned earlier, giving him a chance to quickly determine that he had been poisoned after noticing something amiss, and decisively take self-rescue measures. He was very clever and decisive, but it wasn't enough. Even if he vomited everything he could from his stomach, there would still be residual poison on the intestinal wall. He would also need a thorough stomach wash immediately to expel as much of the poisoned wine as possible... Unfortunately, for some reason, the Lord Commander trusted the witch more than medicine, and his guards also refused to let me perform the rescue, alas..."
The speaker shook his head and sighed regretfully.
Regrettable as it was, the defensive actions taken by the Night's Watch Soldier were actually understandable. Everyone in this castle, including himself, was under suspicion of poisoning at this moment. The rescue and treatment of the Lord Commander naturally had to be carried out by people they trusted.
Furthermore, anyone can talk big, but in reality—he was a military doctor, skilled in treating sword wounds, and barely competent in using poison to kill. But where did he have experience in detoxification? Frankly, other than inducing vomiting and stomach washing, what he could do next might not be more than what the witch could do.
After all, high-ranking priests of the Red God could indeed perform magic.
"Alright, you can go," Daenerys's face remained stiff, her brow tightly furrowed, and she waved her hand at the verbose medic, who seemed to want to say more nonsense. "Continue the investigation. Report any new findings immediately."
The medic bowed and respectfully exited the room.
As soon as the door closed, Daenerys immediately slumped back into the chair—completely dropping her strong facade.
Without losing a single soldier, her forces had suffered an unprecedented major blow. This was one of the most shocking, furious, and helpless moments Daenerys had experienced since she could remember, comparable only to the death of Drogo.
But when the Drogo died, at least the killer was clearly known, and she knew who to seek revenge against. This time... a jumble of chaotic thoughts crowded her mind, making it a tangled mess, leaving her not knowing where to even begin to sort out her thoughts.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?" Missandei walked to her side worriedly and asked softly.
"I'm fine—" Daenerys answered subconsciously, but immediately shook her head after only half a sentence, "—not really." In front of Missandei, who was nominally a servant but more like a sister, she didn't need to pretend. "My mind is a mess right now, I have no idea what to do, what should I do?"
Missandei walked behind her and gently massaged Daenerys's head as usual. "Your Majesty, I don't understand poisoning or detoxification, and I wouldn't dare to guess who the killer is. I only know that the most urgent matter at hand is—you must leave Winterfell as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Drogon and Rhaegal are the greatest guarantee of order in the city right now; they are most intimidating when flying overhead, but dragons cannot stay in the air forever," the little scribe analyzed with a serious expression. "And once they land, their deterrent power will greatly decrease. It's already dark tonight, so we've managed to hold out for the day, but if the Lord Commander still doesn't appear or is confirmed dead by tomorrow morning, those Wildlings soldiers will definitely cause a major disturbance! At that time, even if the Unsullied Guard can fight against ten times their number of rioters, what's the point of exchanging the lives of your elite for these barbarians?"
After taking a breath, the little maid continued hesitantly: "Furthermore, although the Night's Watch Soldier's refusal to let you send someone to participate in treating Lord Aegor is understandable, this matter is, after all, a precaution and disrespect towards you. So there is another possibility that must be guarded against. That is—Lord Aegor was not poisoned, and everything was just a play he directed himself. He wants to clear himself of suspicion of poisoning by being 'poisoned and in danger.' If this is the case, then you are even more in danger. A Gift Army led by someone is a hundred times more threatening than a mob of rioters, and since he dared to eliminate your left and right arms, the next step must be to find a way to control Your Majesty!"
He almost lost his life, how could he still be suspected of being the killer?
If it were anyone else, such a malicious speculation would be difficult to voice, but Missandei didn't have such worries—she was just Daenerys's personal maid, and like the Unsullied, she had no other ambition or future except loyalty to the Queen. As the saying goes, those without desire are strong; she had no political status and could not be anyone's ally or enemy, so she naturally had no motive to frame or attack anyone, and could therefore say whatever she thought. No one would suspect or could accuse her of having ill intentions!
After listening to the little scribe's words, Daenerys fell into a brief silence.
It wasn't because she was shocked by Missandei's words and enlightened, but because... she suddenly realized: deep down, she actually had this suspicion herself. What the girl did was just help her voice the suspicion in her heart through her own mouth.
Her Queen's Hand and Master of Intelligence were invited to the meeting in good health, but they walked in and were carried out... The organizer of the banquet was naturally the immediate and unquestionable primary suspect!
Although all the human and physical evidence so far indicates that Aegor was also poisoned and his life is in danger, seeing is believing, and when they cannot meet, the more conclusive the evidence appears and everything seems reasonable, the more she cannot help but make connections in her heart, even while she cannot openly suspect him!
Aegor being the only survivor is not a comfort, but rather the biggest reason her mind is in a mess right now: if he had also simply died, Daenerys, having lost three important ministers, would naturally be more heartbroken and angry than losing two, and would be more determined to find the mastermind and bring them to justice. She would act with a firm attitude and clear goal... But now, although she is actively maintaining order, organizing investigations, and pursuing the killer on the surface, a subtle voice deep in her mind is constantly muttering: all of this is useless, the real killer is actually the third person who survived!
Reason told Daenerys that with two arms already lost, the South Expedition campaign could only continue if Aegor survived; but subconsciously, she was secretly hoping that he had also not been spared—at least this way, the hero who once fought the White Walkers, whom she admired, the close comrade and only confidante she once relied on and trusted, could live forever in her heart, instead of suddenly becoming her mortal enemy and foe, or continuing that grand war of unification together with suspicion and resentment towards each other.
Two completely opposite thoughts swirled in her mind. For a moment, she didn't even know whether she hoped Aegor would die or survive, and she began to fear the next news that would come from the Gift Army.
...
"Why? Missandei, why?" Daenerys was confused and bewildered. "Did I do something wrong when I handled Miss Stark's matter yesterday? As his monarch, even after making concessions and showing goodwill, I still couldn't eliminate his anger? Petyr and he were clearly on the same side, why was he also affected?"
"Your Majesty, you handled that matter yesterday very well! Even if Lord Eddard Stark came back to life and was present, he wouldn't be able to harbor any more resentment towards your actions in comforting his daughter!" Seeing Daenerys's self-doubting appearance, Missandei became a little anxious, and even her tone of voice began to quicken. "The matter of 'the Lord Commander is the poisoner' is just a guess for now. Until his life and death are confirmed, thinking about this has no meaning. The most important thing right now is to quickly organize the Unsullied Guard and protect the Stark members as they leave Winterfell tonight! You can choose to ride the dragons back South Expedition directly, or you can choose to station yourself next to the Dreadfort army, relying on hostages and the conflict between factions within the North to balance the situation and find a way to escape the danger... Whatever you do is better than sitting here thinking wildly!"
Missandei rarely spoke in such a strong and urgent tone. This contrast actually made Daenerys snap back to her senses in time. She gathered her scattered thoughts, and her eyes became clear and firm again: "Alright, let's do that first. Go and give the order to the Guard. We'll quickly pack our luggage and immediately move outside the city."
The little scribe breathed a huge sigh of relief, nodded vigorously, and rushed out of the room with quick, short steps.
The cold wind outside the door was biting. Missandei braved the icy air that went straight into her lungs to relay the Queen's decision to the Unsullied Guards on duty, instructing them to prepare for the transfer... This used to be Lord Petyr's task, but now, the Queen could temporarily only rely on her. Even if she had to force herself, she had to bear this burden. However, before she had finished explaining a large number of detailed matters, a familiar visitor arrived outside the Queen's room, escorted by two Unsullied, interrupting what she was doing.
"Lady Melisandre!" Missandei promptly closed her mouth to prevent revealing secrets, and turned her head to look at the Red Priestess, who was a head taller than her, with vigilance. "Your Majesty is already resting. If you have something to see her about, please come back tomorrow."
"Don't try to deceive a high-ranking priestess, little girl," Melisandre's voice sounded a little tired, but her tone was still calm and unquestionable. "Now, you have two choices—either be a smart girl and go into the room to inform the Queen, telling her that I have something to see her about; or be a foolish girl who doesn't know what's good for her, try to stop me, and force me to 'find a way' to get in myself. I am short on time, you'd best make a decision immediately."
(To be continued.)