Battle Of Castle Black Aftermath

Ser Lewyn, Ser Oswell Whent, and Ser Mandon Moore Were The Three Kingsguard Slain, Alongside Numerous Highborn Lords, But The Critical Ones For Aegon's Future Plans Had Survived. Aegon Had Listend To Jaehaerys and Actually Burned The Bodies, Captured Mance, and everything in between. Minstrels Had already put his miraculous Surviving Of His Fall Into Song, Calling Him The "King Who Flew". Accurate But A Bit Much. Aegon Had Heard Far-Fetched Tales Of White Walkers and Wights. Aegon Would've Laughed, But Had He Not Heard The Truth From Jaehaerys, He Would Have Indeed Laughed. Aegon Had Mance Brought Before Him In Chains.

"Not Satisfied With The Beating Your Men Gave Me Your Grace?" Asks A Bloodied Mance. "Ser Stannis, Have The Men Responsible Hanged." Aegon Commands. "Right Away, Your Grace." Says Stannis As He Departs. "My Brother Wants Your Spared, But I Can't Let That Happen. You Swore An Oath, and You Then Broke It. You Know The Punishment As Well As I Do. Before I Do Lop Your Head Off, I Want You To Know, Your Men Fought Well, and I'm Willing To Compromise." Says Aegon. "Compromise How?" Asks Mance. "The Wall Is A More Of Nuisance In Maintaining Than A Whore Is In Getting Coin From A Poverty Stricken Nobleman. The Gift Was Given By House Stark To Prevent That, But Winter's Are Longer and Harder Here Than Any Where. We Need Men In Fields Farming, We Need Men Hunting Game. I Say, We Start A Little Bit Of Trade With Beyond The Wall." Says Aegon. "Your Grace, You Mean To Trade With Us Savages Beyond The Wall?" Asks Mance Surprised.

"Yes, Winter Is Coming, But It's Harder and Colder Than Any Before If The Maesters Are To Be Believed. Why Not Settle Our Differences? I Can't Allow An Army Of Wildlings To Pass Through, But Perhaps I Can Allow Wildling Traders. If You Settle The Gift, Promise To Honor Our Laws, Or At Least Respect Them, and Trade Peacefully, I Can Promise To Let Some Of You South, and Set Up A Village In The Gift." Says Aegon. "Will The Watch Agree?" Asks Mance. "They Won't Have Much Choice, They're Dependent On My Goodwill and Willingness To Keep Them Supplied and Maintained. But That Said, Don't Take My Compromise For Granted Mance, If Any Of Your Men Step Out Of Line, I'll Put Their Heads Next To Yours." Says Aegon As He Stands. "You Have Two Days To Discuss It With Your War Leaders, Until Then I Have To Visit My Children." Say's Aegon As He Leaves.

Having Asked For His and Both His Queen's Children Be Brought To Winterfell, Where Aegon Had Briefly Returned and Had Since Promptly Returned To Castle Black To Let Jaehaerys Meet His Nephews and Niece. Aegon Now Found Himself Deeply Amused By Jaehaerys Fussing Over His Nephews and Niece Like Aegon Himself Was When They Were Born. "The Younger One, We Named Him After You." Says Aegon, As He Watches Jon Fuss Over Jaehaerys The Younger. "I See You Named The Girl Rhaenyra. Rhaenys Must Be Pleased Beyond The Gods." Says Jon as He and His Brother Share A Laugh. "Jon, I Want You To Know, I've Offered To Let Mance Settle The Gift, If He Honors, Or At Least Accepts Our Laws and Helps Maintain The Wall and The North With Trade." Says Aegon. "I Know Egg, Uncle Ned Told Me. It's Risky, But Could Work If The Right Promises Are Made and Kept." Says Jaehaerys. "Should I Trust Mance? He Broke His Sworn Oath, In The Worst Possible Fashion, and Now I Have To Execute Him For Treason and Oathbreaking, But Also While Trying To Make Peace With His People?" Aegon Asks His Brother.

"Mance Has A Son, A Wife, and A Sister-In-Law, If We Marry His Sister-In-Law To One Of Our Own, We Should Be Able To Maintain The Peace." Says Jon. "Jon, I'm Married To Three People, and Have God's Knows How Many Paramours, What Am I Supposed To Do?" Asks Aegon. Jaehaerys The Elder Looks Conflicted, and Stares At His Brother For A Little While Before Speaking. "I......I Would Be Willing. You Could Provide Me With A Royal Edict Dismissing Me From The Night's Watch, It's Not Unprecedented, But Isn't Common." Says Jon. "Jae, You'd Give Up Your Dream Of Being A Sworn Brother?" Asks Aegon. "The Thing's I've Seen, Sensations I've Felt and Missed, I Can't Look Them In The Eye Anymore, I Want To Come Home." Says Jon. "I'll Have Quentyn Write It Up, and I'll Sign It. But Are You Absolutely Sure About This Jon? I Don't Want To Pressure You Into Something You Don't Want? I Can Always Have Someone Else In The Family Marry This In-Law Of Mance's?" Suggests Aegon. "No, It Must Be Me, The Free Folk Respect Me, They Won't Settle For Anything Less, and Me Marrying What The Lords Of Westeros See As A Wildling Princess, Will Cement This Compromise Of Ours." Says Jaehaerys. "Hmm, So Be It, For Now, I Must See What Mance Has To Say." Says Aegon As He Departs For Mance's Cell.

Aegon Had Entered Mance's Cell, and Found Him Warmed By A Fire. "Well? You've Had Time To Discuss It With Your War Band Leaders, So Do You Agree To My Terms?" Asks Aegon. "We Want South and We Know We Can't Fight What's Coming Without Help, So Aye We'll Help You." Says Mance. "I'll Arrange For You To Say Goodbye To Your Wife and Son, and Have Them Hidden From Your Execution, But, The Lord's Of Westeros Will Need A Reason To Let A Minority Of You South Of The Wall, They See Your Sister-In-Law As A Princess Amongst Wildlings, Jaehaerys Has Asked Me To Dismiss Him From The Watch In Order To Marry her and Keep More Protesting Lords At Bay. I Need You To Ask Your In-Law To Agree." Says Aegon. "She Won't Like It, But, She's As Dedicated As I Am In Securing A Future For The Free Folk, So It Shouldn't Take Much Convincing." Says Mance. "For What's It Worth, I Don't Blame You For Attacking, It's Hardly Your Fault If You Were Born and Raised On The Wrong Side Of The Wall." Says Aegon Just Before He Departs.

Exiting Aegon Looks Towards The Sky, Because Winter Snow Has Begun To Fall. As The Starks Always Say, Winter Is Coming, But For Now, It Is Really Here. Earlier Than Expected, and Colder Than Ever. Aegon's Plans To Secure A Winter Supply Of Food Seem Moot Now, But Aegon Wasn't Going To Let That Stop Him. Even Though Winter Had Arrived, They Were Far From Even Remotely Being Readily Prepared. Aegon Had Married Margaery To Gain The Reach Army, Tyrell Gold, and The Ability To More Easily Access The Reach's Granaries. With The Wildlings Beaten, Aegon Could Now Refocus His Attention In Ensuring His People Survived The Winter Culling. Aegon Would Retreat South Back Not To Kingslanding, But Back To Dragonstone. Aegon Loved Dragonstone, As He and Jon Would Explore and Traverse Their Ancestral Island Home Day After Day. He Missed The Smell Of Sulphur, Smell Of Sea's Not Tainted By Human Rot and Foolishness, and He Missed The Island Because Of The Dragonstone Mines.