At the signal of the new lord of the city of Winterfell, the guards turned and left, closing the door and leaving only the two of them inside. This one-on-one situation slightly eased Aegon's tension—it seemed things were not against him.
Robb gestured for Aegon to sit down: "Friend, were you the one who found my brother after he fell that day?"
This address as 'friend' completely reassured Aegon. The Stark people were not good at, nor did they deign to, hide their likes and dislikes for others. He nodded: "I am ashamed. I might have been able to stop young Lord Bran's dangerous actions, but unfortunately, I failed."
"I, as his older brother, know Bran's temper better than you. Once he's on the wall, no one can persuade him down. It's also our fault; we pampered him too much," Robb said in a mature manner, letting out an old-fashioned sigh and shaking his head.
...
Indeed, he was too pampered. From chatting with the guards, Aegon learned that initially, the Stark Lords had tried various methods to help Bran break his habit of climbing, but after several attempts, the child still climbed. Eddard Stark eventually even tacitly allowed this situation.
Bran's fall was certainly related to Jaime's fright and his own interference, but were the parents completely blameless? From a modern perspective, wasn't this a failure to both educate and supervise? To put it bluntly, if you never fell in your life, it was your skill, but if you fell, you deserved it. For a naive child, when reasoning was unclear, they should be spanked!
Aegon had also been a child and had been spanked by his parents. He was spanked for playing in the river and catching fish alone, spanked for stealing money from home to buy snacks, spanked for skipping class to go to the arcade... Thinking back as an adult, he felt not resentment towards his parents, but a bit of gratitude. As long as it was kept in moderation and the reasoning was explained while spanking, the rod was not an unacceptable monster.
A flexible mind tends to think of many things when distracted... Of course, as a Night's Watch man, Aegon was not qualified to lecture the eldest son of Lord Stark with these thoughts. He waited quietly for Robb to continue.
"Let's not talk about what's past. It was the information you provided that allowed him to escape another disaster."
"The information I provided?" Aegon's expression became serious: "The assassin... made his move!?"
"One night, not long after you left last time, the library tower suddenly caught fire. Most people in Winterfell were fighting the fire, only the guards Father had stationed inside and outside Bran's room did not leave their posts without permission..."
"That person acted with guards present?"
"No, he just showed his head and left when he saw someone at the door," Robb explained. "The guards were afraid of being tricked and didn't pursue, but Winterfell is only so big, and everyone knows each other... After mobilizing everyone to search, we found him."
The assassin was caught. Aegon really didn't know what expression to make. During the two weeks he stayed in Winterfell, he racked his brain trying to change the plot, but his plans were foiled by both adults and children and became a joke. Instead, it was the few quiet words he finally hardened his heart to say to Benjen Stark under the cover of night that allowed him to achieve his goal and clear the threats on Tyrion's and his own path South.
All that effort was less effective than a lie. Was this a mockery of him, or was reality inherently so absurd?
...
"Was he interrogated?"
"He refused to comply and was killed during the resistance," Robb shook his head. "Actually, I gave the order not to leave him alive—since we know who sent him, he must die."
"That's true," Aegon nodded, feeling a bit relieved in his heart. What if the assassin had been caught and confessed to someone other than Joffrey? That would have been a huge misunderstanding.
"Uncle Benjen said you are a smart person, so you must understand that this assassin must disappear, and this matter cannot be publicized," Robb said solemnly. "Most people in Winterfell don't know what happened, but because the information came from you, I decided not to hide it from you out of respect, but I hope you can keep it a secret for us."
"I understand..."
Aegon nodded. In this world, there was no concept of "a Prince breaking the law being treated the same as a commoner." Even if the assassin was indeed sent by Joffrey, the Stark family would find it difficult to hold him accountable. Unless the two great families went to war, even if they made a fuss, the most they could achieve in the end was Robert scolding his son and being done with it.
In times of peace, they might have been able to make a fuss. Given Eddard's relationship with Robert, the Stark family would certainly not have suffered a loss. However, at this critical juncture, where Eddard had just received news of the Lannister family's involvement in the death of Jon Arryn, and the lord of the city had departed for King's Landing, the Stark family did not want to, and could not, fall out with their most important ally, House Baratheon.
The Stark family could only swallow this matter.
"Take this," Robb took out a leather pouch from behind the table and handed it to him.
Aegon took the pouch. It was heavy and made the crisp sound of metal colliding. It was easy to guess what was inside. He put on an uneasy expression: "This?"
"We found this where the assassin was hiding. It should be the reward his little employer paid," Robb showed an angry expression, "My brother, is only worth this much money."
"This might just be a deposit... there might be a final payment after the job is done, but give it to me?"
"You are going to King's Landing to do something for the Night's Watch. Your expenses will certainly be high. I added a golden dragon to this commission for the assassination of my brother. I hope you can use it."
Holding the not-light pouch of coins, Aegon almost instinctively refused, just as he would when receiving a red envelope before his transmigration. But he quickly realized that the customs of this world were completely different from modern China—this was a reward from a great noble, and he, indeed, needed money.
Aegon's departure from The Wall was not a mission actively assigned by the Night's Watch. Commander Mormont certainly would not allocate funds for a Ranger who should be fighting on the front lines to go South to avoid danger. And the days of being penniless, where even room and board had to be paid by Tyrion, were too difficult to endure.
"Thank you, Lord."
"Keep it safe," Robb nodded. "Thank you again for your help to my brother. Remember what I just told you. There is nothing else. See you at dinner."
***
"the North respects the Night's Watch."
Aegon had heard this sentence from the Black Brothers countless times, but it wasn't until he visited Winterfell again after Robert left that he realized it was not just a saying as he had previously thought.
The young lord of the city of Winterfell actually had dinner at the same table with the twelve Night's Watch men who visited this time.
From Yoren, Aegon learned that Robb's action was not a first or a special treatment given because he had "saved" Bran, but rather followed the rule set by his Father, Eddard Stark, by example: Before going to King's Landing to assume the role of Hand of the King, every time the Night's Watch arrived in Winterfell, Eddard would personally welcome them without exception—if they were deserters and oathbreakers, he would personally wield the sword at the guillotine; if they were Night's Watch Soldier with missions and tasks, he would not only provide good wine and food but also dine with them at the same table, asking about the recent situation at The Wall face-to-face.
...
Strictly speaking, the last time Aegon arrived in Winterfell with Benjen Stark was due to the King's visit—they were unusually "neglected."
But such treatment could only remain in the North. The ten-man Ranger escort team stayed for one day and then went the North back to The Wall, while Aegon, Yoren, and Tyrion's group leisurely and slowly embarked on the journey South.
—