As soon as Tyrion appeared, the entire Night's Watch office seemed to exude a domineering atmosphere. Aegor felt the burden on his shoulders lighten, as if he now had a backbone. When it came to dealing with people, as someone ingrained with Earth's ideals, he had no advantage in terms of knowledge or social maneuvering. In the end, the little lion, who had been born into nobility and immersed in court politics since childhood, was more adept.
However, even though a solution was now within reach, Aegor still felt that something was off. He pulled out a blank bond form and began filling it out while thinking. After a while, he finally realized what was bothering him. "Wait, Robert is returning to King's Landing in the next couple of days. If you use your connections to appoint the commander of the King's Landing garrison at this time, won't it look like the Lannisters are trying to seize control of the military?"
"It's not like I'm going to fight him myself…" Tyrion replied, though he sounded a little hesitant. Military affairs were always a sensitive matter, no matter the realm, and Westeros was no exception. A combination of several ongoing problems made the situation all the more complex.
"Why is the door open?" Arya's voice floated into the office. The students in the sword class were always punctual. She pushed the door open and instantly spotted the dwarf. She laughed and said, "Tyrion! Long time no see. How come you're here earlier than me today?"
"Robert is going back to King's Landing?" Tyrion waved his hand to motion for Arya to be quiet, then asked anxiously, "Where did you hear that? Is the source reliable?"
"I heard it when his herald came yesterday and I chatted with him a bit. Should be accurate." Aegor frowned. "Are you sure you don't want to return to Casterly Rock and instead stay in King's Landing to deal with Slynt?"
"Are you talking about His Grace?" Arya wasn't the least bit annoyed that no one was paying attention to her. If you didn't count the time she spent sleeping, she had spent more hours in the Night's Watch office than in the Red Keep. It felt like a second home to her, and she showed no signs of shyness. She walked over to the table and sat down next to Tyrion, interrupting again without thinking. "He's back. When I got home last night, he was in the office talking to my father. Then we had dinner together in the Hand of the King's Tower."
The firsthand intel from this little informant always caught people off guard. Aegor gasped. "His Grace has returned? Don't joke around!"
"Why would I lie to you? The king and my father chatted in the office for a long time after dinner. It seemed like they were still talking when I went to bed."
…
…
---
Aegor and Tyrion exchanged glances. The atmosphere in the office instantly froze: the king had gone to suppress a rebellion and returned victorious, but instead of returning with fanfare, he quietly entered the city, going straight to the Hand's residence without seeing his wife or children. Not only had he shared a meal with Eddard, but they had secret discussions late into the night. What was he planning?
"This isn't a good sign, Tyrion. Why don't you return to Casterly Rock and let us handle things here?"
Arya asked, confused, "What's going on? Why are you going back to Casterly Rock?"
Tyrion also sensed something was off. "Arya, did anything unusual happen at the Red Keep this morning?"
"Nope. Why would something happen?"
Nina interjected and reminded, "If something had happened, Lord Eddard wouldn't have let Arya leave the Keep."
"Nina's right. If Robert truly intended to act against the Lannisters, the gold cloaks who came to the workshop this morning wouldn't have just caused trouble, they would've come to chop off my head." Tyrion let out a breath. "Since nothing has happened in the city yet, it means Robert doesn't fully believe the rumors…"
"But things could change at any moment!" Aegor said seriously. "Don't forget, you yourself said your brother and sister are indeed too close, and your sister has always been… questionable in judgment. What if something unexpected happens at the Red Keep?"
"If I leave now, can you and Nina manage the Night's Watch on your own?" Tyrion shook his head. "Just the little mess Slynt made this time already has me worried. Let's settle this matter first, then I'll leave."
"You're gambling with your life!"
"I'm not afraid—so why are you worrying about me? My mind's made up. Don't argue anymore." Tyrion shook his head firmly. "The Night's Watch is like my child. Now someone wants to kill my child, and as the father, I'm supposed to run home scared just because of some baseless speculation? Might as well kill me instead."
"What are you saying? Who wants to mess with your child?" Arya asked, puzzled and annoyed. "Someone, pay attention to me! Hey!"
"All right, all right, I'll pay attention to you." Aegor replied helplessly. "We're talking about how to get rid of that annoying Janos Slynt."
"Really? I support you!" Arya always liked a bit of chaos. "What does this have to do with going back to Casterly Rock?"
"We have to move fast. I'll head back to Casterly Rock as soon as we finish this. Are you ready? Hurry and stamp your fingerprint. I'll take this." Tyrion urged impatiently. He watched Aegor sign and press his fingerprint, then took the bond. "All right, I'm off to talk to that bastard. Wait for my news."
"Shouldn't I go with you?"
"No, that's not appropriate. I'll represent the Night's Watch this time. I'm going."
With that, the dwarf jumped off his chair, left the office, called for Morris, and walked toward the East Camp of the garrison across from the office with his short legs… The two opposing sides were so close to each other, it saved a lot of effort.
…
"You're definitely hiding something from me. How could a guy like Slynt force the little lion to run home?" Arya asked with wide eyes. Tyrion was her good friend, so of course she was concerned. "What's going on? Tell me!"
"Slynt has a gold cloak worth two thousand dragons. If he loses his temper, he can be dangerous." Aegor stood up and patted the girl's shoulder. "Let Tyrion handle Slynt. Come on, let's head to the backyard and train."
"You're changing the subject again!" Arya shook his hand off. "If you don't tell me clearly, I won't practice swordplay today!"
"If you don't want to train, then go home. This is the Night's Watch office, not a playground for little brats." Aegor stared at Arya, who was thin and small, weighing no more than 40 or 50 kilograms. How could she possibly win against a big man like him who had served in the army? He easily dragged the girl into the backyard, tossed her a training sword, and master and apprentice began yet another reluctant sword lesson.
---
The basic swordsmanship taught to the Night's Watch emphasized defending oneself and finding an opening to counterattack. Victory or defeat depended on how quickly one recovered after a clash and whether they could exploit any flaws exposed in the collision.
Generally speaking, the stronger and better-armed fighter had the advantage.
The Braavosi Water Dance, on the other hand, relied on suddenness and surprise. It discouraged direct confrontation, instead emphasizing stealth, feints, using the opponent's force, and adapting to situations.
In theory, that meant the Water Dance was a natural counter to defensive counterattacks. But such a conclusion couldn't be drawn without real practice. As a famous sword style, the Water Dance undoubtedly had great potential. However, the more complex the system, the less reliable it became, and the more advanced the technique, the harder it was to master—making it so that a beginner of the Water Dance might not be able to defeat someone who had thoroughly learned the basics.
Just like in a game, high proficiency in a basic skill wasn't necessarily worse than a newly acquired "ultimate move." Now, Aegor and Arya each represented these two situations.
As a unique sword style combining assassination and performance, the Water Dance lost its biggest advantage—"surprise"—in day-to-day sparring. Its movements and agility were also suppressed by Aegor, who used sheer brute strength and experience to figure out a counter.
Of course, "how to deal with someone stronger than you" would always be an important lesson for someone like Arya. Though she was temporarily overpowered by Aegor's strength, she wasn't walking away empty-handed.
…
Aegor had already mastered the standard forms, while the girl was beginning to piece together basic movements into new combinations and techniques. These early attempts were full of holes, but they were still practice, and Aegor always remained serious and patient in his role as sparring partner.
Effortlessly following a new sequence of attacks Arya had made up, Aegor began his usual probing: "Arya, did you hear what the king and your father talked about last night?"
"I'm not telling you. That's a state secret!" Arya waved her small wooden sword and snapped, "Unless you tell me why Tyrion wants to go back to Casterly Rock."
Heh… so the little girl actually knows it's a secret. Come to think of it, Arya had always been tight-lipped and very loyal to her friends. It wouldn't hurt to tell her the bare minimum. They were close enough that dancing around the truth all the time was just exhausting. "Have you heard the rumors about the queen and her brother?"
"You mean the one where she slept with her brother!?"
"Yeah. Do you believe it?"
"I don't know. It's none of my business."
None of your business? This concerns whether your sister's fiancé is the rightful king or a bastard. Aegor found it funny but didn't say more. "Whether you believe it or not doesn't matter. What matters is what the king thinks—and Tyrion is the queen's brother."
"Ohhh, now I get it!" Arya suddenly understood and shouted in excitement, then failed to dodge Aegor's swing and got hit on the arm with a sword. "Ouch—!"
"All right, then tell me what the king and your father talked about. It might affect the life of our friend Tyrion. Don't leave anything out and don't repeat a word of it when you go back. Got it?"
(To be continued.)
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