News arrived from west of the Wall that Mance Rayder had launched a full-scale offensive. The Free Folk intensified their efforts to cross the Great Canyon and resumed their assault on Westwatch-by-the-Bridge, attempting to seize and repair the Skull Bridge, which spans the canyon and had long been blocked by the Night's Watch. Ser Denys Mallister led the garrison of the Shadow Tower to repel several wildling attacks, but the defenders suffered heavy casualties. Lord Commander Mormont dispatched another hundred men from Castle Black to reinforce them.
But there was good news as well. When Ygritte publicly revealed Mance's battle plan to the Night's Watch that day, she likely believed that with numbers a hundred times greater than the crows', an open conspiracy could still win the day. She and Mance could never have expected that… among the Night's Watch, there was a freak who usually wasn't even seen on the Wall's parapets, yet returned to the front lines at the crucial moment and managed to break the stalemate by force.
By implementing several strategies simultaneously, the manpower shortage was temporarily eased: When Aegor first arrived in this world, there were between 7,000 and 8,000 common residents living in the Gifted Lands, scattered along the Wall and providing nearly half the supplies for the Night's Watch. But as the Free Folk crossed the Wall to raid, pillage, and slaughter, most of those residents either died or fled south, leaving just over 2,000 behind. Now, Commander Mormont had relocated all of them into garrisoned strongholds of the Night's Watch. These commoners were not fit to face Free Folk in battle, but hiding within the Wall and helping with repairs and construction posed no issue.
With their support, the Night's Watch could redeploy their own strength more freely.
…
Additionally, the clansmen proved more efficient than expected. By the time Aegor had completed his arrangements in Queenscrown and returned to the Wall with several prisoners from Winterfell's dungeons, the advance migration team from the Flint clan had already descended from the mountains and arrived at Castle Black.
Though House Wull was the largest clan in the North, half of its members had to remain in the fishing villages along Frost Bay. As a result, the Flints had the most people available to move into the Gifted Lands and support the Watch. According to prior arrangements, the first wave of settlers was placed in the Nightfort, located dozens of miles west of Castle Black.
The Nightfort had once been the traditional headquarters of the Night's Watch. At its peak, it could accommodate 10,000 men, though in reality it was never more than half full. It was a classic example of the ancestors' overreaction to the threat of the White Walkers. About two hundred years ago, as the Watch declined and could no longer maintain such a vast fortress, it was abandoned, and Castle Black at the end of the King's Road became the new headquarters.
The largest fortress along the Wall was the perfect fit for the clan with the greatest number of migrants.
The abandoned buildings required extensive repairs before becoming habitable. Fortunately, the Nightfort, once capable of housing 10,000, could be dismantled and rebuilt to accommodate 1,000, providing ample building materials. Mormont sent ten craftsmen to assist, and thus the first stronghold occupied by the reinforcements was re-established.
...
...
Aegor paid Old Flint fifty gold dragons as seed money to ensure a smooth settlement. In the North, where prices and living standards were low, this was a substantial amount. Castle Black stored a wide variety of supplies, enough to sustain 1,000 black brothers for a year. Mormont agreed to sell those supplies, provided Aegor guaranteed that the inventory would eventually be replenished. Clan members could use coin at Castle Black to purchase whatever they needed. Aegor had already discussed pricing with Mormont and the quartermaster to ensure the goods were neither too expensive nor cheap enough to invite reselling.
---
"Over at the Great Canyon, a hundred men may not be enough. I plan to recruit men from the clans and the landholders already stationed along the Wall. After basic training, they'll be sent to the Shadow Tower and Westwatch to secure the Skull Bridge," Aegor said. "Also, if what the wildling woman said is true, Mance will likely send people to dig under or climb over the Wall. We need to restore patrols and vigilance on the Wall's summit as soon as possible."
"To resume patrols, the road must first be cleared. We lack enough craftsmen to do that quickly," came the reply.
"The commander and I have already arranged for the migrating clans to be assigned to several key fortresses—like Shimmertarn, Long Barrow, Sable Hall, and the Beacon Tower—so that there will be people stationed every few dozen miles along the Wall," Aegor said. "Each of these fortresses and the adjacent sections of the Wall will be managed by their assigned clans. I'll recruit craftsman's assistants, sentries, and patrolmen from among them. The goal is to create seamless defense coverage along the Wall, ensuring every inch is watched and any wildling climbing or tunneling will be countered immediately."
"Do the clansmen have the discipline or awareness to carry out these tasks?" Jeremy questioned. "If you post them to guard duty, they may just find a corner and wrap themselves in blankets to sleep."
"Very possible. That's why we'll assign Night's Watch members to supervise every clan-manned fortress—one or two craftsmen and officers, along with several rangers rotating through... Each garrison needs only ten to twenty black brothers to manage hundreds of clansmen. Once the wall is rebuilt, the entire Wall will be like an iron barrier. Anyone who tries to bite it will break their teeth."
"But how do we ensure the wildlings obey the Night's Watch's management?"
"With coin. Clan members repairing the road atop the Wall, standing sentry, and patrolling will all be paid. I'm still calculating the rate, but money is undoubtedly the most effective tool. If anyone refuses orders... well, let them sit in the fortress and live off the basic stipend. There will always be someone willing to work. I've already agreed with the clan chiefs: no one will starve. But they'll soon realize that 'no one starves' means exactly that—and nothing more."
"Why must everything be about money?" the chief steward grumbled. "Isn't there another way?"
"Forgive my business mindset, Lord Bowen. If you have a better method, I'd love to hear it."
"If all the funds come from the logistics department, then we have no right to object," the steward muttered. Mormont, however, spoke next. "What concerns me... is that the brothers of the Watch already come from troubled origins. What happens if they move into fortresses with the clans, escape oversight, grow idle, or even start stealing..."
Over 30% of the current Watch brothers were former criminals. Most of the rest had joined to escape worse fates. In terms of discipline and background, there was likely no worse force in all of Westeros. Mormont's worry was well-founded.
"We can only try to choose volunteers of noble birth as commanders of the newly reactivated forts." Noble birth didn't guarantee virtue, but it was certainly better than relying on criminals. "Also, I'll assign a staff member from Night Watch Industry to each fortress. They'll manage payroll, supplies, and secretly monitor how seriously each post takes its duties."
The funds came from Aegor, so no one could object to him placing his own people in charge. He wasn't acting purely out of self-interest, either. Aside from the rank-and-file, the industrial staff who had followed him north had all received some education and could at least do accounting. Most importantly, they were paid well by the standards of the time. With salaries worth hundreds of silver stags, Aegor didn't believe his men would be tempted to embezzle copper pennies from the clansmen.
"Another issue: your management plan benefits the clansmen. But what about the original Gifted Lands residents?" asked the chief builder. "Many of them are helping me repair the Wall at Castle Black. What happens when they realize the clansmen are getting paid, while they only get meals and work for free?"
"Then pay them the same wages."
"Can the logistics department afford that?"
"No, but we can make up the difference by ending their meal rations. The clansmen are foreign aid, so we're feeding them. But the landholders are supposed to support the Night's Watch. If we're not making them farm, why shouldn't they help with some work?" Aegor shrugged. "If they want wages, fine. But they'll have to buy their meals from now on. This way, the Night's Watch won't face additional burden."
After a moment of silence in the commander's solar, the First Ranger spoke up. "Spending coin like this may be the most effective solution, but no matter how cheap the clans and settlers may be, when multiplied by their numbers and time, the cost adds up. It would be ideal if Lord Aegor could cover it. But I worry about another impact—if the clans and settlers are paid for patrols and guard duty, what will the sworn brothers think? The steward's desire to establish an economic system to manage and place foreign labor is admirable. But if our brothers see outsiders and even settlers buying what they want while they themselves get nothing, they may grow resentful. How will we handle that?"
"Then pay them too," Aegor said with a shrug. There were only a few hundred black brothers total. Paying them wouldn't add much to the burden. If it meant recruiting a few less clansmen, the math would work out.
"No. The Watch must not expect to be paid for fulfilling their vows." Mormont firmly rejected Aegor's suggestion for the first time. "The sworn brothers must remain separate. Otherwise, the Watch will no longer be the Watch. At most, if dissatisfaction grows, we can gradually introduce allowances—just some pocket money. That cost can be borne by Castle Black. Though we are poor, the Watch still has some savings."
With that, the brief meeting ended. The defense of the Wall had finally begun to show signs of hope. The blueprint for an iron wall had been drawn, though not yet realized. Only when every invited clan was in place, each fortress manned and fortified, and each section of the Wall guarded, could the situation be called stable.
Everyone was busy, but no one bore more pressure than Aegor. The stability of the Wall's defense came at the cost of thousands of people giving up their old lives. As foreign aid continued to arrive, the Night's Watch would have to feed more mouths. Castle Black had stores to feed a thousand men for nearly two years. But once that thousand became ten thousand... Even if those ten thousand had never seen the world and lived cheaply, it would still be an immense burden. All of it now fell on logistics.
This was the best chance to gain merit and help the Night's Watch through its darkest hour. Honor, influence, and authority would follow—but only if the one shouldering it all could survive the weight.
(To be continued.)
***
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