Out of caution and respect for his ally, Aegor met with Littlefinger before entering the main castle to see Robb and gave him a heads-up. He briefly summarized Myrcella's proposal, presenting it as his own idea. The bold suggestion of letting the wolf return to the mountain naturally startled the Queen's Hand, but the concept of "dividing the Northern Lords into three categories" gained Petyr's approval. However, while praising the simplified approach to analyzing the situation, he also shared his own opinion.
"Internally, we can classify the Northern Lords into three categories: easy to win over, difficult, and impossible. But in practice, you cannot simply abandon efforts with those deemed 'impossible' to win over. Otherwise, when the time comes to assign blame or rewards, they can claim they were never properly approached, and thus refuse to accept fault or consequences," Petyr said seriously. "Speaking of which, Lord Commander, you should have a fairly good understanding of the general state of the Northern Lords, right? I have been overseas for many years. Naturally, I cannot compare to you, who have been stationed in the Gift."
"Of course. The notable noble houses in the North are roughly as follows: House Karstark of Karhold, House Manderly of White Harbor, House Glover of Deepwood Motte, House Mormont of Bear Island, House Ryswell of the Rills, House Dustin of Barrowton, House Reed of Greywater Watch, House Tallhart of Torrhen's Square, House Hornwood of Hornwood, House Locke of Oldcastle... and the two branches of House Flint at Widow's Watch and Flint's Finger." Having previously sorted out the information, Aegor now spoke with familiarity. "Although the Queen's instruction was to 'win over all the Northern nobles,' I believe we only need to focus on these high lords who directly swear fealty to House Stark. The stance and loyalty of their vassals can be considered as represented through them. Otherwise, this task will never be completed."
"Indeed. On this point, even if Varys or Bolton raise objections, we should be able to easily persuade Her Grace to understand and accept it." Seeing that his new ally was so well-informed, Littlefinger relaxed a bit and his tone lightened. "Are these all the direct vassals of House Stark in the North? Why do I feel something's still missing?"
"What's missing is what I was about to add. In addition to the families I just mentioned, there's House Bolton of the Dreadfort, House Cerwyn of Seven City, a few mountain 'chieftain lords'... the Skagosi of Skagos, and House Umber of Last Hearth," Aegor replied with a nod. "Among them, House Bolton has already pledged loyalty to the Queen and can be excluded. Clay Cerwyn was captured during my surprise attack on Winterfell. If Lady Stark personally persuades him in the dungeons, he can likely be convinced. The mountain chieftains are nominally loyal to Stark, but in reality, they have long been brought under my control. From food to troops, they are reliant on the Gift. Having them recognize the Queen is simply a matter of giving the word. As for the Skagosi, they are a bunch of bloodthirsty savages. I doubt the Queen has even heard of them, nor do we need their allegiance. House Umber seems to have been wiped out by the White Walkers, but I happen to have a plan to revive the house... and make it swear loyalty to the Queen."
He then briefly shared the information Myrcella had provided, along with the idea of using a stand-in if a legitimate heir couldn't be found. In short, a method to restore House Umber and make it useful to him. Naturally, he left Myrcella's name out of it.
"A brilliant move, Lord Commander!" Petyr's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he sincerely praised him, then reached out his hand. "So... Karstark, Manderly, Glover…"
Watching someone like Petyr Baelish stand there counting on his fingers like a child was a strange sight. But considering the sheer number of complex Northern houses, if you didn't use some sort of aid, you really couldn't calculate it all at once.
After a few seconds, Littlefinger lowered his hand. "We only need to handle twelve more houses, and we can more or less declare that the North has been brought under control. We can then report to the Queen without guilt that 'all the nobles north of the Neck have pledged loyalty to her'?"
"That's right."
"Hm…"
Putting away his excited expression, Petyr frowned. The number didn't seem large, but each of these families held vast lands and ruled tens of thousands of subjects. Each bore a name with a long history and ancient pride. Before the war, any one of them would have required a carefully tailored diplomatic effort from him, like fighting a major battle. And now, twelve of them suddenly needed to be resolved all at once.
Neither of them could be in multiple places at once, and given the situation, it was unwise to leave Winterfell and allow Varys time alone with Daenerys—for either their own safety or the Queen's. In this case, how to settle these "only twelve" families would require serious thought.
"House Stark has publicly declared support for Her Grace. The North, at least on the surface, is on the Queen's side. This political correctness is our biggest advantage right now. If we use it well, we can offer benefits to those willing to negotiate. For those who refuse, we can label them as rebels who defy their liege lord. Getting these lords to change their stance may not be as difficult as it seems." After thinking it over, Littlefinger continued, uncertain whether he was speaking to Aegor or simply to himself. "My... House Baelish's land lies near the Bite. It's barren and doesn't grow grain. I've long depended on White Harbor's foreign trade subsidies to sustain my household. Before I went to Gulltown to serve as a tax official, I handled such matters for a time and dealt with House Manderly and House Locke. I consider them half-friends. I'll write to these two families personally and send trusted envoys to contact them. But as for the heads of the other ten houses, I may not even recognize them if they passed right in front of me. Dealing with them... I'm afraid it will fall to you, Lord Commander, unless we come up with another plan."
"Two years ago, I led forces to Deepwood Motte to drive out the Ironborn and saved the wife and children of Robett Glover. I did them a favor, so I'm confident I can win them over," Aegor said, beginning to count the families he could handle. "As for Bear Island, the former Lord Commander of the Night's Watch was a Mormont. Later, the North and the Gift jointly built the Westerlands Fleet and established long-term cooperation at Ice Canyon Port. There's some mutual goodwill. I'll send the man who delivered Jeor Mormont's ashes to visit again. Even if I can't win them over, they won't kill him."
"There are also the two branches of House Flint at Widow's Watch and Flint's Finger. They originated from the mountain clans and were granted land as a reward. They're still of the same bloodline as the original clan. I'll have the Mountain Flint chieftain send his kin to persuade them. I'm very confident they can be won over." As he counted, he realized he could handle more families than expected. "If I include those with minor connections, there's also House Reed of Greywater Watch. Lady Meera Reed and her brother Jojen once escorted Bran Stark beyond the Wall to receive the Greenseer's teachings. After returning, they stayed at the Night's Watch fortress for a time and received my hospitality and protection. We're barely acquainted, though I'm unsure how much influence she has with her father."
"I've heard of Howland Reed. Perhaps because he lives in the swamp and not the frozen North, he's not as rigid as most Northmen. He's more like the cunning folk of the Riverlands. As long as the price is right, he shouldn't be difficult to deal with. I just worry your people won't be able to find Greywater Watch. Legend says the castle moves through the swamps."
"It's not the castle that moves, just the terrain of the surrounding marshland," Aegor explained with a shrug. "If you try to find it again based on where a certain tree or mudhole was last time, of course it seems to move. The good news is, Winter has frozen the Neck solid. Greywater Watch hasn't moved in months, and during that time, I had someone visit there."
"Let's hope all goes well." Petyr sighed. "Assuming optimistically that you manage all the families you just named, what about Karstark, Ryswell, Dustin, Tallhart, and Hornwood? We have no way to deal with them?"
"We really have no connections." Aegor shrugged helplessly. Not only did he lack ties to them, but two were actively opposed to him. Karstark, in particular, had objected to his appointment as Lord Commander from the start. "But as it happens, according to current reports, at least four of those five families have already marched or are leading troops toward Seven City. With them all gathered there, traditional negotiation will be ineffective."
Littlefinger had been right earlier. Even if a house seems impossible to sway, you still had to try. But there were too few capable and eloquent envoys in the Gift Army, and even fewer who could be spared. Aegor didn't want to outright label a category as 'unwinnable' and give up on them, but the human resources just weren't available. In the end, he could only prioritize efforts based on probability and potential return.
Petyr stood in the cold wind, arms crossed and one hand under his chin, lost in deep thought.
Having worked alongside Daenerys for years, he understood her well. The Queen's sudden insistence on "conquering the North first" had been an impulsive reaction to Varys's mention of past events. After she cooled down, Petyr was confident he could persuade her to accept the reality that "not everyone in the North loves her," and thus lower her expectations. However, even among the eight houses they had deemed winnable, it was unlikely they would secure all of them.
There were fewer than twenty great houses in the North. At least twelve to fourteen needed to pledge fealty for a real majority. If more than five—including Karstark and Ryswell—refused to bend the knee, it would be impossible to justify. Even if Daenerys calmed down, she would not tolerate such numbers.
Neither Aegor nor Petyr could go themselves, and the number of capable envoys available was extremely limited, so...
After thinking it through, Petyr reluctantly realized: the seemingly reckless plan Aegor had proposed—one he'd dismissed at first—was, unexpectedly, the only move that might break the deadlock.
"So, the key lies with those families gathered at Seven City?"
"That's right."
"Damn it." Littlefinger struck his palm with his fist, his frustration and reluctance evident.
"It is indeed damnable, Hand of the Queen. What do you think?" Aegor asked with a wry smile. He, too, had hoped Petyr would conjure up a better solution. But it was clear from Petyr's silence that he was out of options. The bold plan of letting the wolf return to the mountain remained tempting, if risky.
"Since you've already made the appointment, let's not keep them waiting. Let's enter the castle and speak with the boy Robb. Even if we ultimately decide to release him, he won't be leaving tonight. Let's discuss things first. If someone offers a better solution before he departs, we can cancel the plan. If not, then we will take the necessary risk." Littlefinger smoothed out his expression, displaying the poise and responsibility expected of the Queen's Hand. "If it succeeds, you and I will share the glory. If it fails, we'll share the consequences. This is what it means to advance and retreat together, Lord Commander. What do you say?"
What an upright and strong political figure. Whether Littlefinger's personality had genuinely evolved with experience and power, or whether his acting skills had simply improved, Aegor couldn't say.
Either way, he had to respect him.
"Well then, Hand of the Queen... after you."
(To be continued.)