RoWE - Chapter 36
Chapter 36: Painting a Dream
"What?" Jon couldn't keep up with Aeg's rhythm.
"The existence of the Night's Watch is to deal with the wildlings' harassment and the threat of the White Walkers. Which do you think is better, struggling to keep the enemies at bay or eliminating them outright?"
Jon's eyes widened as he suddenly understood what the other meant.
"Imagine if someone could lead the Night's Watch to eliminate both the dead and the living enemies in one fell swoop, making the lands beyond the Wall safe forever. Would there still be a need for this ice wall and the army that guards it?" Aeg stared into the bastard's eyes, "After a member of the Night's Watch dies, the remaining brothers declare, 'His watch has ended.' This tradition has lasted for thousands of years. Why hasn't anyone stood up to eliminate the enemies once and for all and proudly declare, 'Our watch has ended'? At that time, disband the Night's Watch, return home with the greatest honor, and become a hero greater than Azor Ahai. How wonderful would that be?"
"This. how is that possible?" Jon's eyes widened, his pupils dilating, "How can it be done?"
"The White Walkers are the natural enemies of humanity. There's no need for mercy against them. Kill all that appear, and if possible, extend our control into the Lands of Always Winter to find their lair or source and eliminate them at the root." Aeg made a gesture of extermination. These ideas had been brewing in his mind for a long time. He might not need them himself, but today, he wanted to share them with Jon, the future commander of the Night's Watch: "As for the wildlings, as Tyrion would say, they are just residents north of the Wall. They value freedom, and I admire that romantic notion, but absolute freedom does not exist. Use means to make the wildlings understand this and then subdue them."
The ranger, who was about to leave the Wall, was excited and talked endlessly once he started. Not only was Jon listening intently, but even Tyrion, who was standing by, didn't interrupt. The dwarf discovered that his adventurer friend from "Caina" always had astonishing words whenever he spoke. It was worth the cost to get him out. Although it wasn't easy to achieve, just being able to think of and propose such ideas was already remarkable.
"The Night's Watch does not engage in production, yet it maintains a massive structure like the Wall, which is almost useless in peacetime. How much manpower and resources have been wasted to support the thousands of men in black who are exempt from labor?" Aeg continued to persuade, "Completely solving the problems of the White Walkers and the wildlings would not only free up hundreds or thousands of men affiliated with the Night's Watch but also add tens or even hundreds of thousands of residents to the sparsely populated North at once. What kind of change would this bring to the North's ranking in the Seven Kingdoms?"
Jon, who grew up in the ruling Stark family, was well aware of the North's awkward position in the Seven Kingdoms, neither at the top nor at the bottom. If Aeg's words became reality. his status in his father's eyes would undoubtedly improve. At that time, perhaps Lady Stark's attitude toward him would also improve slightly?
"But to achieve all this, it's absolutely impossible with the status of a mere soldier!" Aeg said sternly, suddenly raising his voice and pulling Jon back from his beautiful imaginings, "You need to find a way to climb to a position of sufficient influence within the Night's Watch, ideally the commander. The legion operates on an electoral system. If you continue to be the naive person who is proud of beating a few untrained wildlings and recruits, you will never have friends, brothers, or confidants, and you will never be able to establish yourself in the Night's Watch."
"I never thought about becoming the commander."
"Is that so." Aeg relaxed his tone, "A soldier who doesn't want to be commander isn't a good soldier. From a personal perspective, you are the son of the Warden of the North, Lord Stark, and you shouldn't be content with the status quo. From a broader perspective, only by standing at a high position and having enough resources can you change the world for the better. This isn't an excess of power lust; it's that power should be in the hands of those who are willing, have ideas, and are capable of making the world better. Only then can it play a positive role!"
Jon was silent for a long time. The last sentence sounded deafening in his ears, and Tyrion Lannister, as if remembering something, smiled to himself and also remained silent.
"If you're determined to leave before taking the oath, even if you're mocked as a bastard and a coward, we can leave together in a couple of days; or if you're willing to be a Night's Watch soldier for life, then pretend I never said anything. Otherwise, think about my words when you're lying in bed."
***
"You're quite good at painting dreams," Tyrion said with a smile as they walked side by side out of the armory, "I saw the way that kid's eyes lit up. He was obviously tempted. A hero greater than Azor Ahai! It's all thanks to you."
"I do hope he succeeds. Imagine, I'm working hard in King's Landing or somewhere else, gathering supplies for the legion, thinking this boring and tough life will last until the end of my days, but suddenly one day, pop" Aeg made a gesture of a bubble bursting, "The Night's Watch suddenly completes its mission and disbands, and I'm free. How wonderful and magical! Although it's a fantasy, dreams are still necessary."
"Haha." Tyrion liked being amused more than amusing others, especially enjoying the back-and-forth banter with someone. Friends should be able to amuse each other, right? Unfortunately, most people either feared his status and power or looked down on him with disgust. Very few could satisfy this craving of his, and he genuinely liked Aeg.
"What if I take you to my father and let you tell him all the benefits of choosing a dwarf as his heir, and see if you can persuade him to pass Casterly Rock on to me."
"That would be quite challenging, but based on my understanding of Westerosi customs and laws, you should indeed be the legitimate heir to Casterly Rock, right?"
"Forget it, he'd rather pass Casterly Rock to my sister than to me."
"If something that should be yours isn't given to you, why not take it yourself?"
"This isn't about the throne, where possession is victory." The topic suddenly became serious, and Tyrion made a face, "Such treasonous talk is fine among us, but make sure no one else hears it."
"Alright, let's not talk about this treasonous topic. Tell me about your negotiation process with the Lord Commander. Besides Benjen, that 'poor' noble from the North who gave you a hard time, did you encounter any other troubles?"
"Trouble? I'm the Queen's brother. Only that hothead Stark, your boss, would dare to give me a hard time." Tyrion wrapped his clothes tighter and hunched his shoulders, "As soon as I mentioned providing aid, your commander smiled brighter than the most hospitable prostitute in King's Landing. But when he heard I had other conditions, he quickly pulled a long face. He didn't dare refuse me outright, so he brought out Stark and your maester. Heh heh."
"What did these two say?"
"Maester Aemon, he's a reasonable man. It took some effort to convince him, but it wasn't too difficult." When mentioning the blind maester, Tyrion's tone carried a hint of respect, "But Benjen. He doesn't like me, or more accurately, maybe all Lannisters. But he has no grudges against you, who come from beyond the Sunset Sea, and certainly wouldn't object to a supply of materials that could greatly strengthen the Wall's defenses." Tyrion gestured with his mouth, "After a friendly 'discussion' about the amount of supplies to be provided, the deal was done. I always believe that everyone in the world can be seen as goods. Aeg, you should be glad that your price isn't too high."
Aeg looked sad, "Should I be happy that I'm not worth much?"
"It's a sweet dilemma, indeed." Tyrion smiled again, "Do you know my brother's most famous nickname?"
"Everyone knows it, 'Kingslayer'."
"You answered quickly, but I have to admit, at least the part about him killing the Mad King isn't a false accusation." Tyrion's smile faded, and he sighed, "After the War of the Usurper, Eddard Stark insisted that Jaime should wear the black. At that time, the Baratheons, Starks, Tullys, and Arryns formed an alliance, the Targaryens had been eliminated, and the strongest royalist force, House Tyrell of Highgarden, had been subdued. Because the Mountain, who served my father, killed Princess Elia, House Martell, which still had some strength, wished the Lannisters dead. Think about it, if our good king had agreed to send my brother to the Night's Watch, what could the Lannisters have done?"
"Your family wouldn't have been able to stand up to the other four houses, who had just achieved a great victory. Even the proud Lord Tywin would have had to bow his head and send his son to the Wall."
"Yes, fortunately, our good king didn't agree. If someone today wanted to take Ranger Jaime Lannister away, selling Casterly Rock might not even cover the ransom. Being too valuable isn't always a good thing, so I suggest you be happy about not being worth much for now." Tyrion showed a somewhat strange smile, "Why do I say 'for now'? Because. after you hear the next piece of news, you might not be so happy anymore."
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