The playful expression on the Queen's face vanished. Lord Petyr covered his forehead in distress, while an almost imperceptible smile appeared on Varys's lips.
The room fell silent once more. The Unsullied soldiers who didn't understand the Common Tongue looked around, waiting for their comrades to translate, while those who did all turned their eyes toward the Queen, having no intention of explaining anything to those beside them.
With a slight frown, Daenerys realized she had encountered a difficult situation.
From the information at hand, it was clear that the Unsullied had indeed mistakenly arrested Arya.
As a guest, Arya had been wronged. Logically, the person who made the mistake should bow their head and apologize.
But she could not agree to that request.
It had been the Queen's Guard who arrested Arya.
Their overreaction stemmed from their supreme concern for her safety.
If they were made to apologize publicly over a misunderstanding, then while Lady Stark's grievance might be addressed, how would her guards deal with their own sense of injustice?
Worse still, once this precedent was set, it would force the Unsullied to hesitate during future duties, always second-guessing themselves: "Can we arrest this person?" "Is that person too important to provoke?" Under such constraints, the efficiency of her security would collapse, and her own safety would be left unguarded.
Moreover, everyone knew the real reason behind House Stark's oath of fealty, but only refrained from exposing it out of consideration for Aegor.
They hadn't openly sided against her and were already being given leniency. They ought to feel grateful, not be unwilling to endure even a minor grievance.
Had the person making such a request been from House Stark, Daenerys would have turned hostile immediately, ordered the whole family arrested and thrown into the dungeon, and promptly awarded the title of Warden of the North to House Bolton...
But the one acting willfully was the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, the person she placed the most hope in, valued the most, and liked the most, the one who currently controlled Winterfell in reality.
If she agreed, the Unsullied would be aggrieved. If she refused, it would create tension with Aegor...
What was she to do?
Was this man simply unaware of how inappropriate his request was, or was his relationship with House Stark so close that he would even contradict her for their sake?
If it was the former, then perhaps he was not as clever as she had thought. If it was the latter, then his loyalty to her was not as unwavering as she had believed.
A faint sense of disappointment rose in Daenerys's heart, quickly turning into vague irritation and displeasure.
She tried to suppress the negative emotions. Her grand cause was still incomplete. She still needed this man, so she would tolerate this one offense.
After all, she was no longer the naïve fifteen-year-old princess who had first stepped out into the world.
Although her brief rule in Slaver's Bay couldn't be considered a glorious legacy, it had given Daenerys some experience in handling awkward situations.
After a brief moment of expressionless silence, she found a way to smooth things over.
...
Under everyone's gaze, the Queen stood up from her seat, descended the low step, and slowly, with grace, walked to the center of the room.
She gave Aegor a meaningful glance, then turned to Arya with a gentle smile.
"Lady Stark, I apologize for what happened today, but I hope you understand one thing. My guards were simply doing their duty. They made no mistake, so naturally, there is no question of anyone apologizing."
Daenerys was five years older than Arya, but only half a head taller.
She placed her right hand on the girl's shoulder and spoke softly, "But you were indeed treated rudely and inappropriately. That much is true.
After thinking it over, I cannot place the blame on others. This was my oversight when issuing orders. I failed to consider the disruption my presence has brought to your family's daily life...
So, I formally ask: will you forgive me this time, since it was an unintentional mistake?"
Pfft. No way!
Arya barely restrained herself from blurting it out.
She instinctively flinched her shoulder, trying to step back from Daenerys's attempt at closeness, but was blocked by Lord Petyr standing behind her.
She had no choice but to face the Dragon Queen.
One does not strike a smiling face.
Looking at the gentle smile up close, two strange thoughts rose in her mind.
The Mad King's daughter was even more beautiful up close than from afar... and she didn't seem very mad.
For some reason, Arya felt her face begin to heat.
She forced herself to suppress the sudden surge of goodwill and the jumble of feelings within. She knew this outcome was already better than she had expected.
Her mother, sister, and brother were still in the castle. She could not afford to provoke the other party deliberately.
"All right, I... I forgive you."
Though she said it, Arya's expression was still full of reluctance, holding on to her last bit of stubbornness.
"Thank you."
Daenerys looked genuinely pleased.
"Have you had breakfast? No? Come join me."
No way!
Arya was about to find an excuse to refuse, but suddenly thought of something else. "Wait, my sword!"
"I'll have Missandei return it to your room later.
Come, I'm starving."
Daenerys didn't wait for a reply.
She took Arya's arm, and without glancing at either Petyr or Aegor, she walked straight through the crowd, pulling the bewildered girl along with her as if they had been close sisters for years.
No one had expected this outcome.
Missandei, still holding Needle, hurried after them.
The Unsullied, realizing what was happening, quickly formed ranks and followed close behind.
Even Varys, after pausing for a moment in thoughtful silence, left the hall without a word.
The "Queen's Hall" in Winterfell, which moments ago had been thick with tension, emptied out significantly, leaving only Aegor and Petyr.
...
"What were you thinking!"
Littlefinger stood stunned for a moment, then snapped angrily, "If Her Grace hadn't responded so quickly and found a way to defuse the situation, how were you planning to end this?
Before you even entered, I had already explained everything to the Queen.
Her Grace no longer believed Arya was an assassin. The girl was never in danger today.
Varys was merely hoping we would panic and do something foolish, and you, well done, charged right into the trap before anyone could stop you, playing directly into his hands!"
"Lord Petyr, you are right. But I don't want to discuss this topic today. Please excuse me."
Aegor responded stiffly, face dark, and turned toward the door that had been shut by the wind.
(I, the dignified Hand of the Queen, speak to you in good faith, and this is how you repay me?)
Littlefinger was instantly furious. But the way the confrontation had ended was not only unexpected, it also made him reassess the Lord Commander of the Night's Watch. Despite Aegor's blatant defiance, Daenerys had not only refrained from punishing him, she had even taken the initiative to smooth things over and avoid escalating the conflict...
This seemingly clever but actually soft-handed solution was clearly not just for the sake of the army under his command in Winterfell.
There was only one explanation: Aegor's status and importance in the Queen's eyes were far greater than he or Varys had estimated. So much so that she was willing to back down to avoid offending him while he was angry.
If even the Queen herself was unwilling to fall out with Aegor, what right did he, the Hand, have to be more willful than her?
Gritting his teeth, Littlefinger swallowed his anger, followed after Aegor, and reorganized his thoughts before speaking again in a milder tone.
"Her Grace may have smiled just now, but she was extremely displeased deep down.
You made at least two mistakes.
First, from the moment you entered, your face shouted 'I'm here to protect Arya,' making Her Grace feel that your regard for House Stark exceeded your loyalty to her.
She is the Queen, yes, but she is also a woman.
And do you know what kind of creatures women are? Even without any romantic involvement, they cannot bear to see a man prioritize another woman over them. It triggers their instinctive jealousy and rejection."
"Your second mistake was demanding Black Shell apologize to Arya.
What were you thinking?
The Queen's Guard, without the privilege of unquestioned law enforcement, would no longer be the Queen's Guard.
Forget Arya, even you, or I, or Varys, or even Robb. If any of us were treated unfairly or suffered a setback at the hands of the Unsullied, we would have to accept it.
If it had been the Mad King, Aerys Targaryen, sitting on that throne today, your one sentence would've been enough to get you arrested, hanged, and burned on the spot!
You were courting the wrath of a true dragon...
If Her Grace had lost her temper in the moment, she might have cooled off afterward. But instead, she held back her anger, and that's worse.
Based on my understanding of her... hey, are you even listening?"
The two of them walked out of the guest hall one after the other, braving the cold wind, just in time to see Lady Catelyn hurrying over in search of Arya. Because Aegor had replaced all the guards and servants throughout Winterfell, the Stark family, though still the nominal lords, actually had no eyes or ears in the castle, and ended up learning of Arya's situation even later than Aegor and Petyr, both outsiders.
The scene that followed was rather interesting. The mother, anxious and rushing to rescue her daughter, met Daenerys and Arya walking arm in arm like "close" sisters.
After a few words, she relaxed and joined them.
It looked like she had also been invited to breakfast.
"I'm listening, Lord Hand."
Aegor calmed down slightly, suppressing his irritation as he replied.
After all, it wasn't yet time to fall out with an ally.
"You're right. I did lose my temper before Her Grace just now.
But allow me to ask, my lord, where is the vigilance and caution toward Varys you mentioned earlier?"
"I guessed he might pull a trick like this, but unfortunately, I couldn't come up with a good countermeasure. I certainly didn't expect Arya to be caught so quickly."
In this, Petyr was truly helpless. As a friend, he couldn't exactly order Arya not to roam around with her sword.
"But no matter what Varys does, as long as we hold out until Robb returns to Winterfell with the Northern lords, we win..."
"Temporarily win."
Aegor corrected him.
"There's a saying where I'm from: 'A thief can steal for a thousand days, but a man can't guard against a thief for a thousand days.'
Do you understand what that means, Lord?"
"The thief can watch the target every day, but the one guarding it cannot stay vigilant forever.
Defense is weaker than offense. The best defense is to make the enemy too busy to deal with you.
Isn't that why I've been focusing my efforts there?"
"I don't doubt that. But I've just realized something troubling. If your judgment is correct, then the opponent's weakness may simply be out of our reach."
Aegor said coldly, "As long as Aegon Targaryen lives, Varys hasn't truly lost. And what about us?
Even if Robb returns with the Northern lords, even if most of the envoys we've sent to the other regions bring back good news, that eunuch can still stir up trouble with families like the Karstarks who refuse to submit.
Then we'll be stuck again, discussing whether to fight or negotiate, and if anything else goes wrong during that time, the campaign to march south will be indefinitely delayed.
Have you ever considered solving the problem once and for all?"
(To be continued.)