GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond The Ice

Chapter 625 627: To Frighten

Bathed in bright and warm sunlight, Aegor rode his horse up a slightly raised earth slope, looking down at the energetic and magnificent army under his command. The soldiers moved and formed ranks even faster than usual. Never before had he felt so clearly what it meant to be walking on air.

His mood was excellent. Besides the clear weather, there were two reasons, one small and one large.

The small reason was that wearing the Dragonsteel armor not only provided an extraordinary sense of security, it was also unexpectedly comfortable.

Most of the armor was covered in dragonsteel scales, while joints such as the elbows and armpits were replaced with rings of dragonsteel. The scales and rings were connected with astonishing craftsmanship, achieving a perfect balance between protection and flexibility. Not only that, the lining beneath the scales and rings was also unusual. It was clearly made from the hide of some creature, possessing excellent softness and toughness. This itself was not surprising. What was remarkable was that even after four hundred years it remained completely intact, showing no sign of oxidation, decay, or deterioration.

A few days earlier, Aegor had felt some regret that the owner of the Dragonsteel armor had chosen a scale design, which consumed a large amount of material while offering only average defensive efficiency. After wearing it for several days, however, he gradually understood the brilliance of the design.

Chainmail was soft and flexible and barely restricted movement, but its defense was limited. Because it lacked structure, its weight rested mainly on the shoulders, which caused discomfort after long use.

Plate armor offered strong protection and used materials efficiently for the same area of coverage, but it was rigid and restricted movement. It could not be worn comfortably for long and required careful tailoring.

Scale armor stood between the two.

It had structure, distributing weight evenly across the shoulders and torso. It was also flexible and could be adjusted by tightening or loosening without greatly affecting movement. Its drawback was the greater material cost compared to plate armor.

But thinking about it now, that assumption was like imagining an emperor farming with a golden hoe.

The Matthew effect existed everywhere. Some people were parched to death, while others drowned.

He should not have judged the thoughts of the Dragonsteel armor's owner by ordinary standards. Anyone capable of forging a full suit of armor from such extraordinary material must have been a figure of immense wealth, high status, and terrifying power within the Valyrian Freehold. That person probably did not care about material costs at all. Since Valyrian steel was so light, what difference did a few extra pounds make. Using more only made the armor look more impressive.

This explanation seemed reasonable, but Melisandre overturned his theory of showing off wealth and revealed the real reason. The maker of the Dragonsteel armor likely chose scale armor rather than plate armor in order to increase the overall surface area, allowing more protective magic to be inscribed upon it. In the era before the Doom, when magic had not yet declined, Valyrian dragonlords rode winged beasts across the skies to wage war against other magical empires. The chance of encountering magical attacks far exceeded the chance of warriors leaping onto dragon backs for close combat.

In any case, no matter how rare and magical the Dragonsteel armor was, it remained only an external object. What truly made Aegor proud and satisfied was the shining hand-shaped badge worn over the armor on his chest.

Perhaps the successful capture of King's Landing had put Daenerys in a good mood, or perhaps Aegor's careful actions after she was cut by the throne had moved her. That day in the Throne Room, once she stepped down from the iron monstrosity, her attitude toward him immediately returned to its previous warmth.

She readily accepted his proposal to spare the lives of Stannis's wife and daughter and agreed to send them to the Wall. She did not press him hard about the investigation into the poisoning case, only asking that it be pursued. Then after they left the Throne Room and returned to the courtyard of the Red Keep, beneath the red glow of the setting sun, before two dragons, countless Unsullied, soldiers from the Gift, and numerous captives, she solemnly presented him with this newly forged badge and publicly announced his appointment as Hand of the Queen.

The badge was made of silver and forged by hand. It held no enchantment and was an entirely ordinary object. Its cost was probably less than half the value of a single scale from the Dragonsteel armor. Its worth lay in its meaning. Though Aegor had long been Daenerys's strongest supporter and had effectively taken on the responsibilities of Hand of the Queen after the deaths of Varys and Petyr, only when he received this badge was he officially recognized as the second most powerful figure in her faction.

The difference was like that between a lover and a husband. Both might share the same bed, but now he possessed a legitimate title.

From the moment he began wearing the badge of the Hand of the Queen, he truly represented House Targaryen. He could exercise judicial authority, receive lords, mobilize military forces, and even formulate national policy in Daenerys's name anywhere and at any time. As long as this authority remained, seeing him was the same as seeing Daenerys herself.

Petyr had been Daenerys's first Hand, just as Khal Drogo had been her first husband. That history could not be changed. But Aegor West had become the first Hand of the Second Targaryen Dynasty. Whether the Great King's Landing Plan would succeed or whether his ambition to extend their influence across the known world would be realized, the mark he had already left upon this world as a founder of a new era could never be erased.

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Spears stood like a forest and banners covered the sky as the two armies faced each other.

The Westerlands, with a smaller population but great wealth, had always pursued elite troops. Twenty thousand well-equipped Lannister soldiers faced fewer than ten thousand soldiers of the Queen's vanguard. On the surface it appeared to be a crushing advantage, yet the reality was the opposite. The Queen's army advanced aggressively.

Soldiers from the Gift and a small number of Dornish spearmen marched forward threateningly until they closed the distance to within arrow range. Only then did they halt and face the enemy.

After defeating the White Walkers, subduing the North, intimidating the Riverlands, defeating their enemies again, and destroying House Baratheon in a single battle, the soldiers of the Gift felt almost invincible. The brief rest and rewards following the capture of King's Landing had brought their morale to its peak. The magnificent Westerlands army now faced an opponent at the height of its strength. The killing intent of the black-clad soldiers made even Tywin's front ranks feel uneasy from more than a hundred paces away.

Artillery, the Unsullied, and Daenerys's dragons were still on their way. Even if ten Tywins stood here today, all ten would choose to yield. Yet even though battle was unlikely, Aegor prepared for the worst. His troops were deployed as if the enemy might charge at any moment.

Before he could even send an ultimatum, a small group of riders emerged from the Westerlands formation carrying a flag of negotiation and approached the Queen's vanguard.

Soon the leader of the envoys was brought before him.

"Lord Commander," the man in red and gold armor bowed respectfully to Aegor, who stood above him on the slope, "upon hearing that Daenerys marched upon King's Landing, Lord Tywin personally led troops to assist. Because the snow melted and the roads turned to mud, he was unfortunately delayed and missed the great victory Your Grace achieved over the rebels and the false king."

Judging by his insignia, the man was clearly a member of House Lannister. By now Aegor did not even care to learn his name.

"Is Lord Tywin trying to steal the title of Late Lord Frey?" Aegor interrupted coldly. "Daenerys clearly warned the Westerlands not to send troops. Tywin ignored that warning. Does he believe that one misunderstanding will be enough to excuse it?"

"Your words are too harsh, Lord Commander." Feeling the hostility and the hostile stares of the surrounding soldiers, the envoy became uneasy. "To avoid misunderstanding, Lord Tywin deliberately chose a route that did not pass through the Riverlands. Is this sincerity not enough to prove his intentions?"

Word games.

Aegor curled his lip in contempt.

Under the feudal system, the power of hereditary lords came not from their sovereign but from their lands, subjects, and armies. Loyalty was conditional. Fence sitting was normal. During Robert's Rebellion, Lord Walder Frey arrived late to the battlefield intentionally, yet Robert's faction could not punish him.

It was not that they did not wish to punish him, but that they could not. Many lords had remained neutral at the time. Punishing the Freys would have frightened other neutral houses and driven them toward the enemy.

Thus Walder Frey received only a mocking nickname, the Late Lord Frey.

But Tywin had chosen the wrong opponent.

Aegor was not an old noble. He intended to seize the brief window when only his side possessed firearms and use that advantage to break the rigid structure of the old order, overturn the wheel of history, and destroy as many entrenched interests as possible.

It sounded arrogant, but after winning over the North, Riverlands, and Dorne, positions within Daenerys's faction were nearly filled. Aegor no longer feared fence sitters joining the enemy. Instead, he feared they would remain neutral and deny him the chance to crush them.

If everyone survived to the end of the war, there would not be enough spoils to divide.

Tywin was the father of Jaime and Tyrion, and the grandfather of Myrcella. Killing him outright was undesirable.

But destroying the man's reputation was another matter.

Today Aegor intended to end the legend of the iron lion and send a clear message to the realm.

The Declaration of Conquest he sent from Queenscrown was not empty words. The age of fence sitters was over.

"Enough. I believe Lord Tywin's sincerity." Aegor waved dismissively. "I assume he has already put on black clothes and prepared to travel to the Wall?"

The envoy hesitated. "Lord Tywin believes Tyrion is not his most suitable heir and wishes to discuss the matter further with Your Grace."

This old man still had not understood the situation.

"I have been appointed Hand of the Queen," Aegor said coldly. "Tell Tywin that if he wishes to discuss anything, he may speak with me."

He turned to his guards.

"Bring the gift I prepared for Lord Tywin."

Soon the guards returned carrying a set of finely crafted black clothes.

"Take this gift back to him," Aegor said calmly.

He then looked toward the rear of his army. After a brief wait a small unit arrived carrying heavy equipment.

The artillery had arrived.

"Tell the old lion to put on his black clothes and come see me within half an hour," Aegor said. "If he does not come, I will go to him."

(To be continued.)

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