GOT: Chapter 260: Persuader of Surrender

Asha Greyjoy, dragging her chains and shackles, stood at the tent entrance, glaring furiously at Aegor.

With fire in her eyes and a slight tremble in her limbs, she looked like she might lunge forward at any moment and strangle Aegor with the chain.

Two guards tightened their grip on their spears, and the air grew tense and cold.

After a standoff lasting dozens of seconds—perhaps over a minute—the Lady finally backed down under the Night’s Watchman’s calm but unrelenting gaze. This man, who had even made Wildlings shout “Long live Winterfell,” clearly had no bottom line or sense of honor.

Asha had no doubt: if she continued to resist, he would follow through on his threats.

Gritting her teeth, she turned back, walked into the center of the tent, and dropped heavily onto the stool she had earlier refused to sit on. Suppressing her fury, she asked, “You win. But the Ironborn in Caitlin Bay aren’t my crew. They don’t respect me. I’d like to know how you plan to deal with that.

Also, aren’t you worried I might not return after going there? That I’ll stay and join the defense of Caitlin Bay?”

...

“Not return?” Aegor repeated, relaxed now.

“You and I both know that’s impossible. Hundreds of men you’ve never met, surrounded and with no hope of victory, are sitting inside that little fortress waiting to die. Then, suddenly, a woman walks in.

Even if I told you not to come back, would you dare spend the night in Caitlin Bay?”

His expression softened into a mocking smile.

Compared to winning people over with reason, he found overpowering others and winning through psychological pressure far more satisfying. “I bet by the time you close your eyes, you’d have been had by every man in Caitlin Bay before sunrise.

What I want you to do is bring them an offer they can’t refuse and make them decide today. Either keep resisting and die, or surrender and take the black.”

Asha Greyjoy scowled impatiently. “Get to the point. Do I have to drag it out of you?”

“I want you to enter Caitlin Bay right now and tell them this: surrender before sunset today, and the Night’s Watch will guarantee their safety. Otherwise, the armies from both North and South will attack together, and not a single Ironborn in Caitlin Bay will see tomorrow’s sun.”

“Big words. Robb Stark brought twenty thousand and couldn’t take the place after ten days of attacks. And now you think your band of peasants can take it before dark, the same day you arrive?”

“Because of the wildfire that was still burning on the wet beach mud that day,” Aegor replied calmly. “Green fire is not something you see often. I doubt you’ve forgotten. The kind that burns anywhere and can’t be shaken off once it sticks—if I launch dozens, or hundreds, of jars into Caitlin Bay with catapults, what do you think will happen?

Caitlin Bay is no Deepwood Motte. It’s just a small fort blocking the causeway. If it burns, it burns. Rebuilding it will take a few days.”

“Whether I can take Caitlin Bay in a day is my problem. Convincing the Ironborn that resisting means death—that’s your problem.”

“So you want me to lie to them? Trick them into surrendering?”

“I never said that,” Aegor replied, still smiling faintly. “I just want you to convince the defenders to surrender. How you do it is up to you. Whether you tell them truthfully that I brought a band of farmers, or lie and say elite Northmen have come to surround them, I don’t care.

My way is simple: I care about the result, not the process.”

“I can see that. You’ll do anything for the result,” Asha said, nodding. “And precisely because I’ve experienced your ‘ruthlessness,’ I don’t believe you can guarantee their safety. If I can’t trust you, how do you expect me to convince them?”

...

“Before, we were at war,” Aegor said, patiently explaining. “I’m the Chief Logistics Officer responsible for the survival of The Gift’s people and the Night’s Watch. You were the Ironborn commander who invaded the North and cut off our food supply.

If I didn’t break the deadlock, The Gift would starve, turn into hell, and the Wall would be left undefended. Then the White Walkers would cross it and wipe out all of humanity.”

“In that situation, I believe doing whatever it takes to win is justified. No matter how you accuse or insult me, I will not apologize.”

He paused before continuing, “But now, here, I make you a promise. As a man, to a Lady: while the ultimate fate of the surrendered Ironborn is not mine to decide, I will do everything I can to persuade the Warden of the North, Robb Stark, to honor the terms I’ve offered.

What I say now is a promise, not a tactical ruse. Whether you believe it or not is your choice.”

“She’s just a prisoner. Why waste words on her? ‘Her choice’?” Ser Manderly snorted. “Her life is in our hands. What choice does she have?”


---

That fat bastard’s words were crude but not entirely wrong, Asha had to admit.

Since this damned Night’s Watchman had already used her fifty-three crew members as leverage, there was no need for him to say more. She hated what he had done, but at least his words sounded sincere.

Even if there was no sincerity, what could she do?

Fifty-three loyal crew were in his hands. She had no choice.

“I don’t care about the lives of the men in Caitlin Bay,” Asha Greyjoy said after a long silence, her tone hard. “But you have to guarantee the safety of my fifty-three crew.

If you break your word, I swear—so long as I live, you’ll never sleep easy again.

Now tell me what exactly you want me to do.”

No matter how displeased Asha was, Aegor was glad to deal with people who understood the stakes, even if they were captives.

“Later, I’ll have the cook prepare a proper lunch for you,” he said. “After you’ve eaten, you’ll take the banner and go to Caitlin Bay. I’ll give you a signed document proving that the Night’s Watch agrees to let the defenders take the black.

Your job is to convince them to surrender—whether you tell the truth or ‘adjust’ the story, that’s your call.

One hour after you enter Caitlin Bay, I’ll have a jar of wildfire launched into the center of the three towers there, to prove that we have the ability to burn the place to the ground. That should reinforce your point. Be ready to help put out the fire.

And finally, remember this: either have them raise the white flag before sunset, or find your way out.

The two armies on either side of Caitlin Bay will launch their final assault before nightfall.”

“Simple and easy, isn’t it?” Asha said sarcastically.

Both of them knew that the hardest part was convincing the Ironborn to surrender. Yet Aegor had told her to “figure it out” herself.

The worst part was that she had only one or two hours to come up with a convincing speech.

“I need a weapon to defend myself,” she added. “Some of my uncle’s crew are animals. And now that my uncle has abandoned them and taken the Iron Fleet south... they may act on their worst instincts.”

“I’ll order your weapon returned to you,” Aegor nodded firmly. “Of course, not now, but when your shackles are removed and the banner is given to you.”

“If you’re really leaving the speech to me... then I have no more questions.”

Coming up with a surrender speech was easy for Aegor.

But he was no longer the newcomer who had nothing but words when he first arrived in this world. Compared to tricking a few hundred desperate Ironborn, he preferred to focus his time and energy on more important matters and people.

“Very well. Then I wish Lady Greyjoy success in persuading them to surrender.”

(To be continued.)