GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 573 - 575: Beating

"Lord Aegor, seeing you safe and sound is truly a relief."

"Thank you for your concern, Lord Bolton." Good. Even if you hadn't come to me, I had planned to invite you under the pretense of a discussion in the next couple of days to properly lay down the law. Without blinking, Aegor seamlessly shifted from a melancholic commoner back into the cold-blooded power player. A sincere smile appeared on his face as he gestured with his arm. "Please, sit."

Roose Bolton stepped over the bench and sat directly across from Aegor.

House Bolton had men, food, coin, and land, and still held value for the Southern campaign. Aegor, on the other hand, was currently the last person at Daenerys's side who could speak to her at any time. Both sides were sensible. They hadn't yet turned on each other, so at this moment, it was as though the previous covert scheming and unpleasantness had never existed. They greeted each other with smiles like old friends.

After a few meaningless pleasantries and mutual compliments, one of them finally got to the point.

"Lord Aegor, as you know, a few days ago, some fools under my command caused trouble in Winter Town outside Winterfell. Not only did that result in the entire Dreadfort army being forbidden by Her Grace from leaving camp, but it also prevented me from freely entering and leaving Winterfell to see the Queen. Then, a poisoning case suddenly emerged. I haven't been able to meet Her Grace for days and am almost completely unaware of her intentions and next steps. My lord, since you are close to Her Grace, might you reveal a thing or two, and at least allow me... not to remain completely in the dark?"

This was a direct display of weakness and a plea for help. The old flayer was truly panicking this time.

First, his plot to pretend to inform and provoke Daenerys into burning the Stark family with dragonfire was foiled by Aegor. Then Petyr fabricated a rape case and pinned it on him, causing significant trouble. Before he could respond or resolve it, even Varys, who had brokered House Bolton's connection to Daenerys, suddenly died.

After this string of disasters, he was not only no longer seen as an ally of the Night's Watch but had also been marked by House Stark and was isolated by the entire North. His only hope was his backer, Daenerys. But without Varys as an intermediary, he had lost his normal channel of communication with her. Just as the gates of Winterfell reopened and he was invited in, hoping to bypass the middleman and speak directly with Daenerys, he was turned away with the excuse of "you can see her at the war council."

How could Bolton have known that the "war council" wasn't an excuse, or guessed that Daenerys had just been lectured like a child and was now irritated and unwilling to meet anyone? All he saw was that his last lifeline was now ignoring him.

What was intended as a dramatic betrayal to revive the glory of the "Red King" now seemed more like a foolish defection heading toward self-destruction. How could he remain idle?

After much thought, his only option was to humble himself and seek out Aegor, hoping that, based on past relations and continued usefulness, Aegor would give him a clear path forward, and that he could pay a price to secure his family's survival.

"Alas... Lord Bolton, forgive my frankness, but you are truly in unprecedented danger right now." Aegor sighed with feigned regret and slowly shook his head. "The Stark family is displeased that you were the first to pledge loyalty to Her Grace. But Her Grace, in turn, has a terrible impression of the Dreadfort men due to the actions of your subordinates. On top of that, the poisoning case that killed Lord Petyr and Lord Varys had some clues pointing toward House Bolton... Although later investigations confirmed it was a framing method used by the culprit, Her Grace still has a thorn in her heart. There may be no reason for that thorn to be there, but removing or dissolving it will not be easy."

"Ah?" Roose Bolton's hair stood on end. How could that poisoning have anything to do with him? For a moment, he didn't know whether Aegor was fabricating this to frighten him or if there was truly such inside information. But he dared not question it. He could only cooperate by showing a panicked and helpless expression, quickly protesting his innocence.

"Lord Commander, this is truly a misunderstanding. House Bolton is loyal to Her Grace. How could we possibly be involved in plotting against her Hand? I beg you to clarify this before Her Grace and also guide me—how can I escape this danger and regain Her Grace's trust?"

Speaking to clever men saves effort. They understand.

There was no need to push him too hard. He knew where to go on his own.

On the surface, Bolton was asking, "what should I do," but in truth, he was asking, "what do you want?"

If Aegor had been a greedy man trying to sell influence, all he had to do was complain about the Night's Watch's difficult finances, how the men were poorly clothed and fed, or drop similar hints about needing bribes. Old Flayer would, without hesitation, send a large sum of gold and silver disguised as sponsorship and donations, begging for protection.

But Aegor's ambition had already moved beyond that. No matter how much coin one had, it meant little without a stable and prosperous political and economic environment in which to use it. If the entire plan failed, no amount of gold could be carried into... no, not even into a coffin.

"My lord, there is no need to panic. Her Grace does not truly question House Bolton's loyalty. It's only that several events happened to coincide, upsetting her mood and clouding her judgment. That is why your standing has plummeted and her impression of you is so poor. Such dissatisfaction would cause endless trouble in peacetime, but now is a time of war, and everything is still possible." Aegor spoke slowly, clearly laying out the situation. "First of all, Dreadfort can muster two thousand elite men, accounting for one-third of the North's total troop contribution. Her Grace will not forget this. It is your greatest advantage. Soon, Her Grace will summon the lords to discuss and prepare the food, fodder, and supplies needed for the campaign south. As soon as the provisions are secured, the march will begin. You must quickly take stock of Dreadfort's remaining resources and prepare well. When Her Grace asks what each House can provide, be the first to speak and overshadow all the other Northern lords. That will certainly catch Her Grace's eye and earn her some goodwill."

This is asking me to empty my coffers... Bolton pretended to nod gratefully. At least this piece of intelligence was useful. The arrow had already been loosed. There was no turning back. Having become the first to pledge, he had no choice but to go all in. If he still hesitated and tried to keep some chips in hand, he might not even have the chance to be bled dry by others later.

"Thank you for the Lord Commander's guidance. I will begin the count immediately..."

"No rush. That's just the first step in breaking the stalemate. Next, Lord Bolton, you also need to guard against House Stark and the other Northern families." Aegor glanced in the direction of the lively Northern lords, where some men were clearly watching his conversation with the old flayer. "They misunderstood and hold resentment because you were the first to swear to Her Grace. And don't forget, House Stark is your de facto liege. If you do nothing, Her Grace may treat you as just another Northern lord and order your Dreadfort troops to merge into the Northern army and act under Robb's command. If that happens, with him as Lord Commander and you under his authority, whether they make things difficult for you or stab you in the back, you will have no way to resist. That would be the real trouble."

Daenerys wasn't that foolish, but Roose Bolton didn't know that. Though the old flayer was shrewd, he was not a man reborn. His information was limited, and he knew little of the Queen. When Varys was alive, he had deliberately prevented Bolton from gaining many chances to speak directly with her in order to better control him. What Aegor needed to do now was both to inherit the eunuch's tactics in controlling him and exploit the disconnect between Bolton and Daenerys, stirring fear so that Bolton, terrified of worst-case scenarios, would have no choice but to follow his instructions.

"That's true. What should I do?"

Bolton nodded repeatedly on the surface, but his heart was full of bitterness. He was not stupid. He could see that Aegor was probably trying to drive his price down in this negotiation and lower his standing. But Petyr's false charges and Varys's sudden death had left him in a completely disadvantaged position, unable to rely on anyone. He could neither flip the table nor risk hoping that the Queen would be rational. After all, Daenerys was the Mad King's daughter. What if she inherited his madness and carelessly threw him into the Northern army? Could he afford to disobey?

"Simple. When the time comes, just volunteer to serve as the vanguard. The crisis will be easily resolved. Two thousand men is the perfect number for the vanguard. Her Grace will not assign you any burdens or make things difficult. By leading the front of the army, you will naturally have the most chances to kill enemies and earn merit. A military victory can outweigh countless suspicions and misunderstandings. Even if there are some casualties, as long as I report to Her Grace that the Dreadfort men fought bravely, shedding blood and sacrificing for the great cause of unifying the realm, how could Her Grace not be moved by your loyalty and continue to bear a grudge over some small misunderstanding?"

(To be continued.)

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