The other party's clear attitude made Aegor refocus. Fortunately, although it seemed and sounded aggressive, Young Stark's words actually revealed a key piece of information: Robb wasn't completely opposed to the Gift resettlement plan—there was still hope.
"First, I apologize for Commander Mormont and my unauthorized actions. It was indeed inconsiderate to allow the people Beyond the Wall through the Wall without consulting the Northern lords, especially the ruling House. But the fact is, at the time, the army of the dead was close behind the living as they fled south. There was no time to notify the Northern lords and consult them." When the Free Folk attacked the Wall, the Ironborn were also invading the North in great numbers. Under such circumstances, even if Jeor Mormont had made it public and sought their input, Aegor doubted the lords would have had the mind to care: "If we had delayed even a step, countless people Beyond the Wall would have been slaughtered and turned into wights, increasing the number of non-human enemies the Night's Watch and the North would face by tens of thousands in the foreseeable future." Aegor finally raised this point. "I remember Commander Mormont once put a wight in a carriage and toured the North with it. You must have seen that thing. It's not a fabrication."
"No one said it was fiction. That's a somewhat convincing reason. The Night's Watch is indeed facing threats beyond the imagination of ordinary people, which has already pushed the North's tolerance for you to its limit." Robb curled his lip. "But I don't believe that thing has the intelligence or ability to cross the Wall... As for the White Walkers with thought and magic that you mentioned in your report, no one has seen them. So they don't count."
"I've seen one. And I killed one. While I was in King's Landing on official business, the rangers killed another. If you don't believe me, you can summon your half-brother Jon Snow to ask. He's a loyal and trustworthy young man. You've known him longer than anyone and should understand what kind of person he is."
"I do understand him. In fact, I don't need Jon. I personally am very willing to believe you." Robb shrugged at Aegor. "But even if White Walkers really exist, so what? The Seven Kingdoms have tens of millions of people in total. You want me to believe that without these tens of thousands of Wildlings, we'd lose the war against the dead?"
"The Seven Kingdoms do have tens of millions of people. But what are they doing? Engaging in one internal struggle after another, throwing energy and resources into wars sparked by court politics and succession crises. When the Long Night is approaching, what we need is to gather our strength and prepare to face our true enemy." Aegor's tone sharpened slightly. "Ten thousand Grey Zone people prepared for battle are far more effective than ten million distracted citizens of the Seven Kingdoms. And I have faith that, under my leadership, the new residents of the Gift will become the former."
"Personal conviction means nothing. Allow me to speak plainly—you are just a foreigner from some unknown land. And Jon is my father's bastard son. On such a significant matter—allowing the Free Folk, who have been our enemies for thousands of years, to live in the Gift—your confidence and guarantees carry no weight with the Northern lords. What I mean is... they're meaningless."
It was a long sentence, but simply put: In this feudal system, neither Aegor nor anyone in the Night's Watch had the authority to give guarantees the Northern lords would accept. And Robb, having only recently taken his position, lacked the prestige to override opposition.
Though it was unpleasant to hear, it was the truth. Aegor frowned and suddenly realized where the real problem lay.
"Wait a minute. I think we need to reorganize our thinking. Otherwise, continuing this conversation is like talking to a chicken—completely missing the point."
Robb made a gesture of agreement, then leaned back in his chair, quietly waiting for Aegor to speak again.
---
The Night's Watch man calmed down and quickly forced himself into a focused, logical state of thinking.
From the moment he left the Wall and headed south, resolved the Ironborn invasion, and returned north, he had already considered how to persuade Robb Stark not to oppose the Gift resettlement plan outright, and to get him to return north to carry out the next steps of the plan together. But just now, after being entangled by Arya, then unexpectedly running into Catelyn upon entering the study, and then suddenly hearing Robb say he would personally lead people north—without any preparation...
Today's study conversation had not started the way Aegor expected, and one of the core objectives had already been fulfilled before he could act. The string of unexpected variables made the situation chaotic—like a bug in a game script. Having not truly used his skills since returning from King's Landing to the Wall, he was a bit rusty, and nearly forgot how to talk circles around those who held more power and status than himself.
But it didn't matter. Like riding a horse or wielding a sword, the ability to analyze pros and cons and choose the right strategy never truly fades once mastered. And with the relatively positive private relationship between Robb Stark and Aegor, the situation could still be salvaged. What he needed now was to recall his original plan, identify where it had gone wrong, and adjust it according to the current situation.
---
After a short pause, Aegor collected his thoughts.
"What is the duty of the Night's Watch?" he asked again. "Let me summarize it in my own words. It is—to serve as a buffer between the land Beyond the Wall and the South, to protect the Seven Kingdoms, especially the North."
Robb frowned and thought for a moment but found no issue. "That's right. That's how it is."
"But there's no written law or decree stating how the Night's Watch must fulfill this duty, just like there's no document proving the Wall was built to keep out the Wildlings..."
"Hold on. If what you mean is: 'As long as nothing happens in the North, it doesn't matter what the Night's Watch does,' then we're back to square one. I—or rather the Northmen—doubt whether the Wildlings can obey our laws and fear for our safety. And more importantly, we have both the ability and the will to intervene."
"I understand your point. And as you just said, you must be responsible to everyone. Let me restate your meaning in my own words: the responsibility you speak of is to safeguard the security of all people in the North. The Warden of the North's obligation and the Night's Watch's duty converge on one goal—ensuring the safety of the North." Aegor's mind grew clearer. "In other words, our previous discussion about 'whether allowing the people Beyond the Wall through the border was right' or 'whether it should be done' is entirely unnecessary and puts the cart before the horse. What we should be doing now is not debating right or wrong, but judging whether the people Beyond the Wall who were let in pose a threat to the North—and if so, figuring out how to solve it."
"That's right. That's exactly what I mean." Robb raised his brows. "This is what I meant when I said... you give me an explanation, and I give the Northmen a guarantee. Well summarized. So, how do you plan to give me that explanation?"
"I can't."
"What?"
"I can't just sit here and convince the Warden of the North with words that the tens of thousands of strangers the Night's Watch let through the Wall pose no threat to the North. That's impossible." Aegor shrugged. "And even if I could, I think it would be an extremely irresponsible act. We shouldn't be making decisions that affect the fate of tens of thousands of people based on talk alone."
"So?" This time it was Robb's turn to look a bit confused.
"I've always believed that seeing is believing. To determine whether the people Beyond the Wall pose a threat to the North, is there any better way than to walk among them... meet them face to face, understand their lives and mindsets?"
...
"I now, in my capacity as the Night's Watch Chief Logistics Officer, officially extend an invitation to the Warden of the North, hoping that Lord Stark will do us the honor of visiting the Gift to personally inspect the status and progress of the resettlement plan."
When Aegor set out from Crown Town heading south, his goal was very clear: to find a way to bring Robb Stark back north, and to trick him into inspecting the Gift, so that his presence would create the illusion of the Warden of the North supporting the Gift resettlement plan. After the other party proactively said he would head north and go to the Wall, the plan briefly became muddled—and the reason was Aegor himself. He had unconsciously shifted his goal, trying instead to persuade Robb here in Winterfell that allowing the Wildlings through the Wall was the right thing to do.
Shifting blame and trying to prove oneself right is human instinct, just as pushing for more is a natural urge. But this time, not only was the new goal hard to achieve, if a miracle happened and Robb truly believed the Wildlings posed no threat and thus canceled his northern journey, it would ruin all the steps that were supposed to follow.
One must seize the moment when the time is right, and retreat when necessary for the bigger picture.
...
Robb was a little stunned by the sudden change in direction. But since he had already decided to go north to see his brother, the answer wasn't hard.
"Hm... alright, I accept the invitation."
(To be continued.)