Because Aegor had preemptively "persuaded" House Stark to pledge fealty to Daenerys, the Bolton army, which had been eager to overthrow the power looming over them, found their objective gone upon arrival. The Queen's vague aim of "ruling the North" temporarily deprived this formidable force of the opportunity to march south and vent their frustration on the remaining Six Kingdoms. Furthermore, Winterfell, having already accommodated the Unsullied and two dragons, could no longer house additional forces, forcing the Dreadfort elite to camp on abandoned farmland outside the city. The physical and psychological strain had long made them restless.
On the day of the incident, a small group of Dreadfort chief logistics officers, who had left camp to purchase wine and meat from the local residents in Winter Town to improve army rations, "coincidentally" encountered a few soldiers from the Gift Army. During casual conversation, they were told by the latter that there was a place in town offering "flesh trade," where they could have some fun. Thus, this group of restless men followed the directions and arrived at a tall house that looked completely ordinary from the outside, then knocked on the door.
From top to bottom, House Stark deserved the reputation of being "righteous," but issues like resource shortages and the need to meet the basic physical needs of the lower-class commoners were not things that could be solved or eliminated simply by the high moral standards of the ruling family. Where there are buyers and sellers, business will follow. Even when Eddard Stark was still alive and ruling Winterfell, there had been brothels operating openly outside the castle walls. All the more so in this long winter, when everything had withered, the land was barren, and the number of orphans and widows had surged after the war.
There were indeed places in Winter Town where one could pay for pleasure, both public and private, aboveboard and hidden, and there were quite a few. But the place the Dreadfort men were guided to that day, under the advice of a certain "veteran," was in fact a respectable household with a large family, ample winter provisions, and considerable local influence.
Several Dreadfort soldiers, wearing cloaks embroidered with the flayed man sigil, forced their way into this civilian home uninvited and began harassing the wife and daughter of the house, demanding their "services." When they were rejected, the conflict immediately escalated. At that moment, "coincidentally," another group of Gift soldiers happened to be passing by and courageously intervened. The commotion quickly attracted the attention of a nearby Unsullied patrol, and the outcome was unsurprising.
...
The unlucky men who realized they had walked straight into a trap cried out in protest, insisting on their innocence. However, the two groups of Gift soldiers—those who had deliberately misled them and those who had "bravely" intervened—had both disappeared after the trap was sprung. The Unsullied patrol that finally arrested them had indeed only been passing by. The victims and their neighbors were completely unaware of Petyr's plot. With eyewitnesses, physical evidence, and the victims present, the men caught in the trap were no different from having yellow mud on their pants—whether or not it was filth, it certainly looked like it.
Daenerys did indeed dislike House Stark, but that did not prevent her from viewing the residents of Winterfell as subjects of the realm, fully under her protection. As a woman and a monarch, her anger at such a heinous act committed under her very nose was understandable. Roose Bolton and Varys, summoned for questioning, could guess what had happened, but neither dared to protest. They could only stand below the throne, trembling and subdued, enduring the wrath of the True Dragon without offering a single word in defense of their men.
To commit such a crime while the royal court was stationed in Winterfell was the height of arrogance. Petyr promptly suggested that Daenerys impose the harshest punishment, hanging the perpetrators outside the city as a warning to others. Such a punishment would not have been excessive. However, the victim's family—father, brothers, and sons—had all taken up arms to fight back. Among the deceived soldiers from the Bolton army, some had hesitated and not acted, and the assault had ultimately not been carried out. Considering the crime had not been completed, and the Bolton army had been the first to pledge their loyalty, showing commendable allegiance, Daenerys, after some deliberation and pleas for leniency, settled on a more measured punishment: Roose Bolton would personally apologize to the invaded family and offer compensation, and he would then be responsible for strictly managing his forces. The offenders would be publicly whipped in the central square of Winter Town as a warning to all.
---
Justice was served. The offenders were dragged by a group of Unsullied to the outskirts of the city to receive their punishment. As the Queen's Hand and Lord Commander of the Night's Watch, Petyr and Aegor naturally would not lower themselves to watch the flogging. Having secured another victory in this subtle political struggle, pulling ahead 3:2 and surpassing Varys, they walked side by side through the castle, discussing matters with pride, though without arrogance.
"It's a shame the Unsullied patrol arrived a bit earlier than planned, and those fools were more cowardly than I expected. They surrendered the moment they saw the Queen's guards. Otherwise, if even one woman had been raped or blood had been spilled, they would be dead for sure," Petyr sighed with a hint of regret. "But this is already good enough. Our original goal wasn't to take the lives of those nobodies, but to deal a solid blow to Varys and remind Bolton of his place."
Using innocent civilians as pawns in a scheme against a rival—Aegor, truth be told, felt some disdain. But he understood that this was not even the dirtiest side of politics. He forced down his contempt and maintained a calm expression as he joined the conversation. "Her Grace ordered Bolton to keep his men under strict control and not allow them to leave camp without cause. That has effectively severed one of Varys's arms. But given how patient and vindictive the Spider is, I fear he won't let this matter go."
"I've already started digging the next pit. I won't give him time to rest," Petyr said confidently. Then, his tone shifted to seriousness. "News has come from Seven City. Robb has persuaded most of the Northern lords stationed there. Aside from the old Karstark who argued with him and then led his forces back to Karhold, the other four houses have agreed to accompany him to Winterfell to meet the new monarch. Speaking of which, have you made any progress locating the heir to House Umber?"
"I haven't found the real one yet, but I've prepared a stand-in in case we need to use one."
"Leave it be for now. Don't be hasty, and above all, don't let the news leak and give Varys an opening. With Robb bringing good news, we can take the initiative. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid taking risks that the enemy might exploit. Aside from a few distant families whose situation remains unclear, we can now publicly state that we've secured the support of half the North's nobility. Even if it's just verbal support for now, it's still a major step forward. But the more the balance tilts in our favor, and the closer we get to the finish line, the more careful we must be. A cornered enemy will resort to any trick."
"I've already issued orders for the Gift Army to be restrained to wartime standards. All private outings are forbidden. We absolutely cannot give the enemy a chance to retaliate."
"Good. But beyond the safety of the soldiers and ourselves, the Northern lords from Seven City will be arriving soon. You and I must also be on high alert for any of Varys's tricks," Littlefinger said with a nod, clearly pleased with Aegor's foresight and caution. "I don't have troops under me, so I'll have to rely on you to make the arrangements for reception, security, and everything else."
"Leave it to me."
...
That Varys would launch another wave of attacks was not something that needed to be said aloud. It was a certainty. Aegor and Petyr were already prepared, both mentally and physically. But what they did not expect was that the Spider's counterattack would bypass them and their forces, ignore the approaching Northern lords, and instead strike right beneath their noses, in a completely unexpected place.
(To be continued.)