Before crossing over, Aegor had never been a boss or a ruler. He couldn't have imagined how terrifying the power of capital could be until he experienced it for himself. The Night's Watch, a business enterprise barely six months old, was compared by Tyrion to his own daughter. This half-year-old "infant" had just thrown its first punch, and the balance of victory nearly tipped in its favor.
By the end of the second day, even the most ill-informed shopkeepers and merchants were whispering over dinner to their families and friends, "Janos Slynt is about to be in big trouble."
Tyrion had declared that he would bring the man down in three days, and now, it seemed there was a real chance he would succeed.
…
In his communications with partners, Aegor learned that every faction in King's Landing with financial interests in the Night's Watch enterprise had already nodded in agreement with Tyrion's plan to replace the commander of the City Watch. Even those not yet aligned with the group had agreed to stay out of the matter after Tyrion sent word. The lords of the Crownlands had even begun preparations for a meeting of representatives to choose a new commander. Having learned their lesson, this time they wouldn't entrust such a key position to some irrelevant citizen of King's Landing.
All that remained was for the Hand of the King to make his move, and all of Aegor's preparations would come into play.
(This must be the trend of the times… or more bluntly, when the wall collapses, everyone pushes it down?)
Aegor walked out of the Steel Gate Garrison, pleased to have gathered yet more evidence of Slynt's misdeeds.
The enemy was finished. The final and only factor that would now determine whether Tyrion's last name would need to be written backwards was when Eddard Stark would officially dismiss and arrest Slynt for investigation.
Lannister, written backwards in Westeros, might sound like "Rhettsnell"? Amused by how Tyrion's name sounded in reverse, Aegor untied the horse at the entrance of the Iron Gate Watch Station, mounted up, and rode home in the fading twilight.
…
Half the list of City Watch officers had yet to be visited, but there was no need anymore. The evidence they had already gathered was enough to see the current commander executed ten times over. Sometimes, it turned out, swords were not needed to bring down an enemy.
"You've been running around these past two days. You're exhausted. Tomorrow, the whole office will take a day off. We'll head to the Night's Watch Industrial Park outside the city to avoid the spotlight. Who knows if that mad dog Slynt will get desperate and lash out? We'll return after he's under control."
The "Night's Watch Logistics Security Team" had now grown to over a hundred members, plus many employees. Even if Slynt rallied his loyalists, it would be far from enough.
"Yes," Jaqen replied, as curt as always.
"Let's go home and get some sleep."
---
Night had just fallen, and King's Landing was not yet asleep. Though few pedestrians walked the streets, sounds echoed from every direction—cats yowling and fighting in the alleys, dogs barking at doors, laughter spilling from taverns, and snatches of drunken singing drifting by.
Amid the noise of the Seven Kingdoms' largest city, two men rode beneath the last light in the west, heading down the bustling main street toward the residential district where they lived.
Turning onto a side road, they were just a few hundred meters from "home" when Jaqen suddenly said, "Stop."
"Hmm?" The power struggle was nearly over, but Aegor remained on edge. He reined in his horse immediately. "What is it?"
"A piece of rope."
With the help of the dim glow still lingering in the sky, Aegor soon saw the rope Jaqen had spotted. It lay slack on the ground, both ends stretched between houses on either side of the road. It looked unremarkable, but it was easy to imagine what would have happened had they ridden forward unaware. The rope would have gone taut as they passed, likely tripping their horses. If crushed beneath the animals, they would have been seriously injured if not killed.
They're after me. Aegor instantly understood. This swordless war had already tilted in his favor, and he was just waiting for the victory to ripen. But the enemy must have caught wind of this. While it wouldn't change the final outcome, he only had one life. If he died, no matter how triumphant the Night's Watch enterprise became, it would have nothing to do with him.
It was impossible to completely contain word of such a massive top-down mobilization and fusion of money and power. Still, Aegor hadn't expected the enemy to act so quickly. He didn't waste time wondering where the leak came from. His hand instinctively reached for his waist, and the cold hilt of his sword gave him a shred of comfort. He wasn't defenseless. This time, he had brought a weapon and a faceless man, nominally his subordinate. He was ready.
As soon as they stopped, the sounds around them grew sharper and more distinct. Aegor stood alert, weighing whether to retreat or push forward. But then Jaqen, still mounted beside him, raised his left leg without warning and kicked him hard.
Caught off guard, Aegor lost his balance and was thrown from the saddle.
The sudden attack, from someone he thought an ally, gave him no time to react. His ankle twisted as he hit the ground. Both legs slipped from the stirrups, but he barely avoided smashing his head or being dragged. He rolled, landed on his feet, and drew his sword with a clang.
Why had Jaqen attacked him? Aegor braced for a fight, dread settling in his gut. If this Faceless Man from the House of Black and White had turned against him, then he was in grave danger tonight.
"There's a crossbowman above. Into the alley!"
Instead of charging, Jaqen used the momentum from his kick to leap from the horse, crouching and slipping past Aegor as he spoke.
Everything had happened so fast. Aegor's mind finally caught up, realizing that the two sharp sounds he'd heard right before the kick had been arrows whizzing through the air. If Jaqen hadn't kicked him at that exact moment, he would've been hit.
Without wasting a second, Aegor ducked low. While the enemy reloaded, he followed Jaqen into the narrow gap between two buildings.
It was now completely dark. In the narrow space between buildings, even the ground was hard to make out. Footsteps rang out behind them, and pain flared in Aegor's right shoulder. He reached up, and his fingers came away wet. The arrow had grazed him.
Up ahead, four figures emerged from the shadows by the road. The gleam of short blades and daggers flashed in their hands as they suddenly blocked their path.
"Where do you think you're going, boy?"
"You messed with someone you shouldn't have. And now you think you can just walk around the city?"
Aegor didn't bother replying. After only a few seconds of sizing them up, he judged the four men's abilities. They were clearly untrained, thugs who had only just picked up weapons. In a real fight, they would be no better than wildlings beyond the Wall. Even though it was two against four, as long as Jaqen fought at full strength, they posed no threat.
But with more enemies pursuing from behind, the situation was dangerous. Aegor didn't want to get caught between two groups. Gritting through the pain in his shoulder, he raised his sword and swung it. The steel blade whistled as it cut through the air.
(To be continued.)
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