RoWE - Chapter 68

Chapter 68: The Unlucky Jaqen

Tyrion's enthusiasm for the game was beyond imagination. When Aeg woke up from his slumber, dressed, and prepared to attend to business, he had already taken Moris to find the young papermaker outside the city.

Of course, the Night's Watchman did not feel ashamed for waking up late. He had been busy until the wee hours of the morning, and in terms of rest, he probably had two or three hours less than the dwarf.

During breakfast, he encountered Yoren, who had also woken up late. This raven colleague was truly enjoying the life of King's Landing without the constraints of superiors. Thinking about how busy he had been, Aeg couldn't help but envy him.

"Yoren, I have something to ask you," Aeg said, sitting in the inn's hall, munching on his breakfast. He suddenly remembered something important. "Didn't you go to the prison a while ago to confirm some new recruits?"

"Yes, what about it?" Yoren walked over and sat down across from his colleague, also ordering breakfast. "It's rare for those with no hope of release for serious crimes to choose the path of donning the black."

"Was there someone named Jaqen H'ghar among them?"

"I think there was such a person. How did you know?" Yoren was wearing the new black clothes Aeg had bought, and he no longer had that sour smell.

"I just heard about it. Do you know how he was caught and put in the black cells?"

"Well, I know. When recruiting new soldiers, how could I not ask about their backgrounds?" Yoren shrugged. "The two in the same cell as him were both mentally unstable killers, crazy and scary. Even I was afraid of them. But only Jaqen was interesting. He was caught stealing books from the royal library."

"Stealing books?" Aeg's interest was piqued. This was a plot he didn't know about. What kind of book would require a top spy and assassin from Braavos to steal? He had this doubt and asked further.

Aeg forgot about that and shook his head with a smile, but then he had other questions: "But stealing books shouldn't be enough to be locked up in the black cells with murderers, right?"

"Do you know where the royal library is? Between the White Sword Tower of the Kingsguard and the Tower of the Hand, inside the Red Keep! The reason that kid was put in the black cells wasn't 'stealing books', but 'trespassing in the king's residence with malicious intent'!" Yoren said with schadenfreude.

"The reason he was discovered is quite funny. originally, he hid in a corner of the Red Keep's kitchen during the day and sneaked into the library at night to look for something. No one knows how many days he spent in the Red Keep like this. But that month, no one else went to borrow books, and a thin layer of dust began to accumulate on the books and the floor, leaving his footprints and fingerprints. The custodian who cleaned up discovered that someone had come in and touched the books, so he reported it to the Kingsguard. That guy was also unlucky; Barristan took note of it, and that night, he and another Kingsguard went to investigate. Sure enough, they caught the only reader inside. The royal library has no windows. The poor guy could only surrender."

So that's how it was. Jaqen might indeed be one of the strongest assassins of the age, but there was no way he could confront two Kingsguard head-on. one of whom was recognized as the best swordsman in Westeros at the time. So, Jaqen wasn't caught on purpose, which meant he wasn't targeting the Night's Watch.

But what was he looking for in the royal library after spending days there?

Yoren's breakfast was brought up by a servant girl. The old raven pretended to slap the girl's butt, scaring her away with a scream, then grabbed a piece of bread and stuffed it into his mouth. As he chewed, he added: "And most importantly, how long has the former Hand of the King been dead? Although he died of illness, isn't this person who could infiltrate within a hundred feet of the Tower of the Hand suspicious? So, this unlucky guy was also sentenced to death."

"That's quite a coincidence."

"Quite a coincidence?" Yoren snorted and lowered his voice: "I think maybe Jon Arryn was killed by him or his companions. This person looks gentle and scholarly like a maester, but even the two crazy killers in the same cell as him were afraid of him. Why do you think that is?"

"He's good in a fight, I guess."

"It's probably more than just being good in a fight. Of course, it's all just speculation, and we're just chatting among ourselves. Anyway, even if he did kill the Hand, so what? In history, the Night's Watch has even accepted those who have killed kings."

Perhaps Jaqen had indeed killed many people, but this time he was truly wronged. Aeg found it amusing. Such a formidable Faceless Man, when unlucky, wasn't much different from ordinary people.

"Did you also take the other two crazies?"

"Yes, 'as long as they're willing to don the black, we don't discriminate against anyone,' the Lord Commander said."

"Those kinds of crazies, don't let them end up killing their own brothers in the Night's Watch when they have a moment of madness." Aeg said with a frown. such tragedies had occurred in the history of the Night's Watch, not just once, and didn't Jeor Mormont later die at the hands of such a person?

Yoren shrugged: "I only handle recruitment. The more people I recruit, the better I complete my task. As for how to train and discipline them, that's up to the Lord Commander and Alliser."

"Sigh." Aeg shook his head. This recruitment attitude, although forced, was hard for him to agree with.

"Don't sigh. Next time I come, I'm counting on getting reliable young men from you. Keep up the good work."

"I'll try my best."

***

After breakfast, with doubts about Jaqen's infiltration into the library lingering in his mind, Aeg made his way to the Night's Watch office as if going to work. So far, the establishment was still empty, naturally without any clients. As the Chief Logistics Officer, he was still a lone commander, and the drawbacks of this were beginning to show: He had to do everything himself. It was fine for one task, but once something unexpected happened, he couldn't easily step away.

He wanted someone like Bronn, with a special skill, or Podrick Payne, a loyal servant and follower. If they could be both loyal and capable, that would be ideal. But everything had just begun, and he couldn't rush it.

After posting two notices written by Tyrion on the office door, his young apprentice arrived early for her lesson.

A Stark guard he didn't recognize escorted Arya to the office. The girl had her hair tied back in a neat ponytail and was wearing a dress that was obviously custom-made in Winterfell. It wasn't stunning, but it was enough to bring a knowing smile to Aeg's troubled face.

This girl actually took his words seriously.

"Wait outside," Arya said to the guard who accompanied her, then looked at her master with eager eyes. "I did as you said. When can we start?"

"Please sit wherever you like. Does Lord Stark know that Lady Arya is here?" Aeg didn't answer the girl directly but politely asked the Winterfell guard. After receiving an affirmative reply, he turned to his young apprentice. "Alright, follow me."

The girl, holding a long, cloth-wrapped object in her arms, excitedly followed the Night's Watchman into the inner room.

The office had a small backyard of about a few dozen square meters, a luxurious setup for this location. Originally, Aeg planned to plant some flowers and make a toilet there, but now it seemed it could be used for other purposes.

Aeg picked up a training sword from the corner of the yard and turned to hand one to the girl, but when he looked back, he saw her holding the slender sword Jon had given her.

"A pretty little sword, like a sewing needle," Aeg commented.

"How do you know it's called Needle!" The girl's eyes lit up, feeling as if she had found a kindred spirit.

I also know who forged it and who gave it to you, Aeg thought to himself, smiling kindly. "Very good, it seems we have a resonance in aesthetics. Now, put your Needle away."

"Can't I practice with this one?"

"This is a real sword. Do you want to kill me or be killed by me?" The man shook his head. "Come on, you agreed to listen to your master."

"But I've already sneaked it out, and if I take it back, my father might find out."

He won't confiscate the sword, Aeg didn't say that out loud. He was busy, and the plan required him to quickly establish a close relationship with the girl. "You can leave it with me, and I'll keep it for you. When you're ready, maybe we can spar with real swords."

"Oh, I see." Arya hesitated for a moment. "That sounds good. This way, I won't have to worry about the septa snooping through my things anymore!"

"Then it's settled. Come on, take the sword."