"Good afternoon, two Night's Watch brothers, how can I help?"
Lord Stark, who had become Hand of the King, was still so polite. At least Aegon now knew this politeness was not a disguise, and this also made him more confident about what he was about to ask for: "Lord, a hundred thousand Wildlings Beyond the Wall are approaching The Wall, and small groups that have already crossed The Wall are severely disrupting the peace in the North. We were ordered by Jeor Mormont to come to King's Landing to seek aid from the Iron Throne."
Yoren coughed a few times and interrupted: "I'm here to find men to guard The Wall, Lord. I was supposed to wait until the King's next court session to explain our needs to him and see if the King and his Hand of the King had any scum they wanted to get rid of in their dungeons. But Aegon insisted on coming directly to you, so we came without stopping."
Yoren's use of his companion's name reminded Lord Stark. He turned his head and stared at the man, who was also newly appointed, for a while. Aegon's distinct Asian features made the Hand of the King recognize him.
"Coming to me is right. If you want to see the King during court, you might wait until Winter arrives and it will be of no help. So, Aegon... what are you here for?" Eddard asked with a double meaning. He no longer harbored ill feelings towards the Night's Watch Ranger before him, but this young man in black knew about Joffrey's plan to assassinate Bran and had now come to King's Landing. If he accidentally let it slip, it would cause a huge stir—harming not only others but also himself.
"I will be responsible for raising supplies and equipment, recruiting subsequent personnel, and mining dragonglass on Dragonstone, Lord." Aegon spoke with a steady speed and clear articulation, just like the last time they met. "Since these tasks require people who are literate, can calculate, and can make plans, I was sent here."
...
Eddard Stark, a man who valued rules and the legacy of law, would never tolerate such an absurd and dirty deal as "paying ransom to let the Night's Watch leave The Wall." The three highest-ranking members of the Night's Watch must have known this, so they would never inform the Warden of the North before him about the deal with Tyrion.
And this was precisely Aegon's biggest advantage at the moment—besides Jeor Mormont, Maester Aemon, and Benjen Stark, only Tyrion knew the full truth about being "sent" to King's Landing. Even the Chief Officer and the Artisan only knew that Tyrion was going to provide some funding to the army. So, despite being difficult and coerced by his own superiors, having left The Wall and come to the Seven Kingdoms, in the eyes of everyone else in Westeros... he was the person in charge of raising supplies in the South, sent by the Night's Watch, the official representative of Jeor Mormont and the Black Cloaks he commanded.
This identity would not earn Aegon the respect of the nobles of King's Landing, but it could at least ensure that he would not be wantonly slighted or ignored—even if it had declined terribly, the Night's Watch was still an independent force protected by the Iron Throne, legally on par with the Nine Lords of Westeros.
...
"Raising supplies and equipment, recruiting subsequent personnel, and mining dragonglass on Dragonstone?" The Hand of the King repeated Aegon's words hesitantly, and a smile couldn't help but appear on his usually stern face: "Ho, you certainly have a heavy burden, how many men did Jeor Mormont give you?"
"The Night's Watch is short on men, only the two of us came, and Yoren will soon have to return to The Wall with the new recruits. By then, I will be the only one left in King's Landing, but Commander Mormont allowed me to act expediently and decide how to carry out the work myself." Aegon placed the signed and sealed proof from Jeor Mormont on the table in front of Lord Stark, thanking Tyrion in his heart for his foresight in obtaining this document for him. Without it, his plan might not have been easy to unfold: "So, I thought of you, Lord. Now, only you in King's Landing can help the Night's Watch, which is in great crisis."
Eddard unfolded the parchment. He didn't read the content carefully, only glanced at Jeor Mormont's signature and the seal representing the Night's Watch before believing the other party's statement. Absolutely no Night's Watchman would dare to be a deserter and come to him to seek death. This clever Ranger before him must be telling the truth: "Hmm, how can I help you?"
Aegon took in the other party's eyes and expression, and smiled inwardly with satisfaction. Even if Eddard Stark read every single word on this parchment carefully, he wouldn't find any loopholes—the proof document was real, and what he said was also real. The only change was that he had quietly twisted the meaning of Jeor Mormont's words, "allowing him to act expediently and carry out the work himself."
Bear Old's real meaning was—the Night's Watch army would not provide him with any help; everything was up to him and Tyrion, who was sticking up for him, to figure out. But he used the method of taking things out of context and pre-conceived notions to interpret it as "he can fully represent the Night's Watch in King's Landing," and successfully used inertia of thought to lead the actual ruler of the North before him, the current King's Hand, into the trap.
Now, as long as he held onto this symbolic authority and managed to get another proof, he could act as he pleased with borrowed prestige in King's Landing, the Seven Kingdoms, and carry out his bold plan.
...
"I know that the Kingdom is currently in financial difficulties, so I don't expect the royal treasury to provide direct aid. But after investigation, I found that after more than ten years of peaceful development, King Robert's plan to enrich the people has proceeded quite smoothly. Since the treasury is tight, I'll think in reverse and raise funds from the private sector." Aegon said proactively: "But I alone cannot handle a task that requires a team to complete. I need one or two people who are literate and can calculate to help, and Yoren..."
"I'm sorry, I'm neither literate nor can I calculate." Yoren shrugged.
Enriching the people... Would Robert laugh heartily or blush when he heard this? Eddard Stark thought to himself, but on the surface, he still nodded. This request was not excessive: "Understood, I will pick two guards who meet the conditions and lend them to you."
"Thank you, Lord." Aegon showed a grateful expression. "Also, I may be staying in King's Landing for a while to coordinate supplies and recruit new soldiers. I need an office. It doesn't need to be large, but it's best if it's not too remote and faces the street, to facilitate my recruitment work."
(Setting up a storefront like a shop, putting up a sign, and being able to recruit volunteers for the Night's Watch?) Eddard knew the situation of the Night's Watch clearly and felt skeptical... But this was, after all, a simple matter for the King's Hand: "Hmm, I will have the King's Landing City Watch check if there are any vacant houses belonging to the Iron Throne."
"Thank you, Lord. There's one last thing." Aegon pulled Yoren in as cover and used two seemingly normal requests in a row to lower the guard of the great noble before him, essentially luring the enemy deeper to pave the way for this final point: "Commander Mormont asked me to oversee personnel recruitment and dragonglass mining. This requires money, but I cannot carry too much funds alone, so I can only get the personnel and tools in place on credit, start the mining and recruitment work first, and then have the creditors directly claim the money from the army... This plan itself has no problem, but I encountered an obstacle."
"On credit? Jeor Mormont must really be desperate." Eddard smiled bitterly again. The huge amount of royal debt had startled him. Now, after the Iron Throne, even the Night's Watch was going to start borrowing money: "What obstacle? Tell me."
"Merchants and nobles in the South might not recognize or accept the signature and seal of the Night's Watch Commander, and they might even see me as a swindling charlatan." Aegon carefully chose his words: "So, I would like to ask you, Lord, to issue a proof in the name of the Hand of the King, declaring that I am indeed a member of the Night's Watch and am truly raising food and supplies for the army."
"Hmm—" Eddard Stark rested his fist on his chin and pondered.
As King's Hand, Eddard not agreeing immediately was already considered cautious and responsible, but as a first-time Hand of the King, and unlike Aegon who had seen all sorts of strange scams before transmigrating, he was ultimately not sensitive enough to such things. He didn't find any problem with it and didn't even realize: no matter the content, a proof personally issued, signed, and sealed by the Hand of the King... what a huge role it could play in the hands of someone with intentions.
After a few seconds of hesitation, he pulled out a blank piece of parchment from the pile of items on the table, picked up a quill pen, dipped it in ink, and looked up at Aegon: "This is truly my first time issuing a proof for someone. Tell me, how should I write it?"
—
[T/N: If you've made it this far, then the story must be pretty compelling for you as it was for me. If you don't mind giving a few donations, you can do it via PayP@l to @margxsch. ([email protected]/margxsch) Thanks for reading!]