Mormont knew exactly what his words implied.
But he understood even more clearly what a dragon represented.
It wasn't just an army, or wealth. It was absolute power—a force capable of rewriting the rules of the world.
With a dragon, they would no longer need to fear the dead.
Lord Commander Mormont's declaration struck the courtyard of Castle Black like a boulder thrown into a still lake. It whipped up a storm of shock, followed immediately by a deathly silence.
Every brother of the Night's Watch stared at the scene before them, dumbfounded.
The Lord Commander had actually said those words in front of everyone!
"Your will is my will?"
"Your command is the highest law of Castle Black?"
This wasn't just delegating authority. This was tantamount to abdication!
Alliser Thorne began to tremble violently. His knees went weak, and he felt as though the ground beneath him was turning to mush.
He, too, understood what a dragon meant.
With a dragon, Lynn could easily gather immense power. He could even... covet the chair made of swords down south.
Thorne looked at Mormont, then at Lynn. The last shred of his arrogance was crushed, leaving only endless despair and madness.
It's over.
He knew he was finished.
Lynn, the man he had always seen as a thorn in his side, a disgrace to the Watch, had in this moment become an existence he could never hope to touch.
He had become the uncrowned King of Castle Black, and indeed, the entire Night's Watch.
"Lord Commander, you..."
Even Lynn hadn't expected the Old Bear to be so decisive, to say such things in public.
"You deserve it."
Mormont waved his hand, cutting off Lynn's polite refusal.
"I'm not senile yet. I know what I'm saying, and I know what a dragon means."
Mormont turned, his gaze sharp as lightning, sweeping over everyone present. His voice carried an unquestionable authority.
"From this day forth, Commander Lynn's rank is equal to mine."
"Anyone who disobeys, anyone who speaks against him, will be treated as a traitor!"
"Is that clear?"
After a brief silence, a roar like a tsunami answered him.
"Yes, Lord Commander!"
Aside from a few officers whose expressions flickered with uncertainty, the majority of the Watch—especially the lowborn soldiers and rangers—shouted their approval to the heavens.
Their faces were filled with fervor.
In the face of wights and White Walkers...
Rules? Traditions? Screw them all.
They needed a leader who could keep them alive.
And Lynn was undoubtedly that man.
He could foresee the future. He could slay White Walkers. He could even find a legendary dragon egg!
He was practically a savior sent by the Old Gods!
To follow him was to follow hope.
Watching this fanatical scene, Lynn felt a fire kindle in his own chest.
The Old Bear was gambling. He was betting everything that Lynn would fight for the North, for the realm of men, against the coming Long Night.
It was a gamble for high stakes.
"Ser Alliser."
Lynn's gaze suddenly landed on the man who looked as though his soul had left his body.
Thorne flinched violently, as if doused in ice water. He looked up, meeting Lynn's terribly calm eyes.
"You seemed to have quite an opinion about what I found earlier?"
Lynn's voice wasn't loud, but it instantly chilled the feverish atmosphere in the courtyard.
Everyone's eyes focused on Thorne, filled with scrutiny and hostility. No one was a fool; they all knew Thorne had been targeting Lynn, both openly and in the shadows.
Thorne's face turned as pale as fresh snow.
He recalled his earlier mockery, his biting sarcasm. He knew Lynn was preparing to make his move.
He had thought Lynn couldn't touch him.
But who could have predicted that Lynn would find a dragon egg?
Or that Lord Commander Mormont would react this way? Mormont was going all in on Lynn, practically grooming him as his successor!
"Fake! It must be fake!"
"He's a liar! You've all been duped!"
Those words now felt like slaps across his own face.
"I... I didn't..."
Thorne's voice trembled as he tried to defend himself.
"Didn't?"
Lynn smiled, but there was no warmth in it.
"You mean to say we all heard wrong?"
Thorne's lips quivered, but no words came out.
Lynn walked toward him, step by slow step.
Every footfall felt like it landed on Thorne's heart, heavy and suffocating.
"Ser Alliser, you seem to have found me disagreeable from the start."
"From the moment I returned to Castle Black."
"You insulted my birth, questioned my ability, called me a deserter and a traitor, and even..."
Lynn stopped directly in front of Thorne.
His voice dropped to a bone-chilling whisper.
"...sent men to assassinate me."
BOOM!
The courtyard exploded into chaos once again!
Assassination?
The danger Lynn faced before... was it Ser Alliser who ordered the hit on Lord Lynn?
"Lies!"
Thorne jumped as if his tail had been stepped on.
He shrieked, "You spit blood! When did I ever send anyone to kill you?"
"Is that so?"
Lynn waved his hand. Torrhen immediately pulled a dagger from his tunic.
It was a standard-issue Night's Watch dagger, still stained with dried, blackened blood.
"This blade was found on the assassin who tried to sneak into my quarters in the dead of night."
Lynn's gaze slowly swept toward a group of new recruits in the crowd.
They were the same recruits Jon Snow had thrashed earlier—Grenn, Pyp, and the others who had caused trouble.
Under Lynn's stare, their faces drained of color.
"...I believe they might recognize it."
Lynn had made his decision.
Thorne was a snake. Leaving him be would only invite a bite later.
Before, he lacked the power and the pretext to remove him.
But now, things were different.
The dragon egg, Mormont's full support, and the fanatical worship of the soldiers.
It gave Lynn the leverage to clear this obstacle once and for all.
He would kill the chicken to scare the monkeys.
He would use Thorne's blood to cement his unshakeable position at Castle Black.
He would let everyone know.
There was only one outcome for those who opposed Lynn.
Death.
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