After sorting the "eggs" into baskets, the Night's Watch began to prepare for the coming upheaval in the Seven Kingdoms. The chaos of day and night left Aegor physically and mentally exhausted. After issuing a slew of instructions and settling more than a dozen brothers of the Night's Watch who had arrived from afar, Aegor gathered Jaqen, Nina, and his "guard squad"—everyone who had accompanied him through the disaster—for a grand feast to celebrate their victory.
He returned home and fell asleep at once.
It was a deep, dreamless sleep, lasting until the early hours of the morning when a cough woke him.
Opening his eyes, he found the window still cloaked in darkness, but the room was lit by an oil lamp. Aegor's mind sharpened instantly—he never left the light on when sleeping. No matter how tired or lazy he was, he always turned it off before closing his eyes. Someone else must have lit it.
Aegor sat up straight in bed. On the stool by the table in front of him, facing the bed, sat a man.
"Who's there?" Aegor asked, quickly reaching under his pillow to grip the small dagger hidden there. But the next moment, he recognized the intruder. "Akun? What are you doing here?"
…
Anyone would feel a chill waking in the middle of the night to find a top assassin sitting by their bed… But Aegor quickly assessed the situation. If Jaqen had come to kill him, he'd already be dead. There was no way he would still be breathing.
"Someone apologizes for waking my lord," Jaqen said calmly.
…
…
"What do you want?" Aegor frowned. He noticed Jaqen wasn't wearing the standard black uniform of the Night's Watch today, but a plain, unfamiliar outfit.
His hand still on the dagger beneath the pillow, Aegor sat upright, staring into Jaqen's eyes. The scene was eerily tense.
"I came to bid you farewell, my lord," Jaqen said slowly. "Do you remember, when we first met, I promised I would let you know before I left?"
"I remember," Aegor said, recalling his earlier confusion about why Jaqen had remained in King's Landing. He had decided not to dwell on it, but now Jaqen was leaving at the most unexpected moment. "But... why couldn't you say goodbye during the day? Why wake me before dawn?"
"I beg your pardon once again. I must board the first ship leaving port today, and time is tight. I had no choice but to be so discourteous."
(Honest man. He could've just left a note instead of showing up in the middle of the night and scaring people half to death.)
Aegor grumbled inwardly, feeling a pang of regret. No matter what Jaqen's reasons were for staying at his side, having such a skilled man close by had made him feel much safer… It was a pity that such a powerful protector was leaving.
Loosening his grip on the dagger, Aegor rubbed his head and said, "If you're in a hurry, I won't stop you. If you'd told me earlier, I might've been able to do something for you. Anyway, thank you for saving my life the night before last."
"It was my duty. But before I leave, I have one final question, my lord." The Faceless Man remained seated, staring at him. "The wights the Night's Watch brought into King's Landing yesterday—are there really tens of thousands of them beyond the Wall? Are the White Walkers real, or just a tale made up by the Night's Watch to gain support? Can the Night's Watch truly withstand such enemies?"
Why is a Faceless Man so concerned about this kind of news? Aegor was puzzled. Thinking back, Jaqen had changed after seeing the wight yesterday. He had gone from a man of few words to a chatterbox, persistently inquiring about the threat beyond the Wall... And now, he had changed clothes and come to say goodbye in person. Clearly, he wanted confirmation of something before leaving. What connection was there between the threat beyond the Wall and a top agent from Braavos?
---
Aegor thought for a while and quickly grasped the crux of the matter: the situation beyond the Wall was indeed connected to Braavos… The Iron Throne was the largest debtor of the Iron Bank of Braavos. If the inhuman threat beyond the Wall breached the Wall and plunged Westeros into chaos, the Iron Bank would have no hope of recovering its loans.
In an era of low productivity, millions of gold dragons was an astronomical amount. Losing it would be disastrous for the Iron Bank's financial structure.
In short, if the prophecies of the Long Night and the White Walkers were true… then the Seven Kingdoms, separated from the threat only by a massive Wall, would become "high-risk customers" no bank would dare lend to. Not only would Braavos refuse to provide more loans to the Iron Throne or any Westerosi lord, but it might also push to recover existing debts immediately.
Could it be that, after seeing a living wight and learning of the prince's rumored identity, witnessing the Red Keep in turmoil, Jaqen concluded that the Iron Bank's investment in Westeros had exceeded its risk tolerance—and was now rushing back to Braavos to report it?
That was Aegor's theory as a businessman. The exact reason probably only Jaqen knew. Perhaps Braavos wanted to study the wights and create an army of the dead.
…
"I'm telling the truth. The situation beyond the Wall is far more serious than words can convey. The wights aren't just turned humans—there are many even more terrifying creatures than men... And the most troublesome part is the 100,000 wildlings beyond the Wall. They are the wights' potential reinforcements. With winter approaching, their numbers will grow from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands," Aegor said, still in his nightclothes, sitting in bed as if being interrogated. "The wights and White Walkers can't cross the Wall by themselves, but once the sea east of Eastwatch freezes over with winter, and the gorge west of the Shadow Tower is covered in ice... even though the Wall is a powerful fortification, the Night's Watch lacks the manpower, supplies, and fighting strength to fully utilize its defenses. Otherwise, do you think the Lord Commander would've broken tradition and sent people beyond the Wall to do business and train troops?"
Jaqen sat silently for a few seconds, then nodded and stood. "I understand. Then, my lord, I take my leave. If fate allows, we shall meet again."
Meet again? I doubt it. As Jaqen walked to the door, Aegor suddenly had a premonition: this would be the last time he ever saw Jaqen H'ghar. A thought stirred in his mind and he called out, "Wait. I answered your question. Let me ask one too. You don't have to answer."
It was a question that had nothing to do with interests or the Night's Watch—just pure curiosity. "You fled from Lorath and snuck into the royal library. What were you really doing there?"
"I once told you I was looking for books about dragons, and I didn't lie," Jaqen said, stopping at the door and turning around slowly. "But I also admitted I was hiding something. The one curious about dragons wasn't me, but a friend of mine... There's a well-known prophecy that the dragon in the stone would soon awaken. My friend happened to obtain a dragon egg around the time mentioned in the prophecy, and he firmly believed it could hatch. So, I came to Westeros to search for a method used by House Targaryen to hatch dragon eggs."
A friend? Even in this age, people know how to use the word "friend" as a shield. If I'm right, this so-called "friend" is actually the House of Black and White. So the theory that Euron Greyjoy hired the Faceless Men to assassinate Balon Greyjoy in exchange for a dragon egg… might just be true.
"But unfortunately," Jaqen continued, standing at the door, "the prophecy about the dragon in the stone came true in a Targaryen girl. Rather than continue searching for a hatching method in vain, someone decided it was more urgent to bring news of the wights' return to Braavos."
"I see… Safe travels to you."
"Thank you, my lord." Jaqen smiled for the first time since they met. "Your Excellency saved someone from a prisoner cart bound for the Wall. According to our agreement, someone must pay a ransom when he departs. I always keep my promises. I'll repay it within a few months."
"No need. You saved my life. The debt is paid."
"The debtor is Jaqen H'ghar, who was captured after sneaking into the Red Keep. The one who saved you is Jaqen H'ghar, employee of the Night's Watch. Two different men." The Faceless Man turned and opened the door. "It's nearly dawn. Someone must reach the port before the ship sails. No more words. Farewell."
Jaqen stepped out and disappeared into the gray morning light. Aegor sat in bed, dazed for a moment, and instinctively touched his body. Aside from the wound on his shoulder, he was unharmed. Thinking back, Jaqen had been with him for months, but the two had never spoken as much as they did tonight. Though he never confessed outright to being a Faceless Man from the House of Black and White, he had revealed a great deal—within the limits of what he was allowed.
Aegor couldn't help but wonder: if someone wanted to hire a Faceless Man to kill him, how much would the House of Black and White charge?
It was still early, but sleep would not come again. He got dressed, went outside to exercise in the yard, and welcomed the second day after the dramatic upheaval in King's Landing.
…
The one who invited him for "tea" arrived sooner than expected. He had just told Nina and the others about Jaqen's departure and hadn't even set off for the Night's Watch office when several gold cloaks came to his residence, stating that the Hand of the King wished to question him.
Prepared for this, Aegor calmly straightened his clothes, gave a few final instructions to those he was eating breakfast with, and followed the guards without panic. His calm and composed demeanor left the gold cloaks who had come to take him slightly baffled.
(To be continued.)
***
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