wtfbengt
patreon
Chapter 83
🕑 Added 2025-01-28 21:15:17 +0000 UTCHaving sent the letter to the Wall, Aegor knew there was little he could do to influence the Night’s Watch from afar. He wasn’t their sole or even primary supplier yet, so the impact of his logistical support on the front lines would likely be limited. All he could do now was hope the raven reached its destination swiftly and safely, and that its contents would be taken seriously by the recipient.
Life in King’s Landing continued. After realizing Arya could serve as his ears within the power centers of the Red Keep, Aegor redoubled his efforts to keep her close. He took her with him almost everywhere—except for matters she absolutely couldn’t be involved in. While their “master-apprentice bond” deepened, the relationship also had its downsides: Arya’s boundless energy often wore him out. If not for the fact that dressing her up as a proper noble lady occasionally gave him a sense of satisfaction—both as a teacher and as a "mentor" in her development—he might have doubted whether the investment was worth the effort.
Sometimes, he missed the mandatory education system of his old world—children without homework were truly a menace.
----
While Arya was a manageable challenge, Jaqen H’ghar was a different story. Contrary to Aegor’s expectations, the assassin neither clicked with Arya instantly nor left quietly as Aegor had anticipated. Instead, he settled into the lodgings Aegor had provided, donning the black robes of the Night’s Watch, performing light tasks at the office, and even standing in as a caretaker when Aegor was away. Even after Aegor hired a local to help manage the front office, Jaqen made no mention of departing.
What good was a top-tier spy and assassin who neither gathered intelligence nor eliminated threats? Frustrated, Aegor decided to push the two together—either Jaqen would lighten his load, or Arya would annoy him enough to make him leave. "Jaqen," Aegor ordered one day, "I’m busy. Go train Arya with her sword practice today."
"What?" Arya’s face crumpled in displeasure. "No! I only want to train with you!"
"You’re not good enough yet. Training you every day is a waste of my time. Come back when you’ve mastered what I’ve taught you and can beat one of my subordinates."
"Someone doesn’t use swords, my lord," Jaqen commented dryly.
"You snuck into the King’s library. Surely, you can handle a little girl," Aegor retorted, narrowing his eyes. "I don’t ask your reasons for staying in King’s Landing or restrict your movements. At least have the decency not to treat everyone here like fools. If you’re not a swordsman, teach her something else. Just don’t let her beat you until I have time."
Jaqen hesitated before finally agreeing. "A man understands."
Arya pouted, but soon enough, her initial annoyance was replaced with excitement as she sparred with her new partner. Aegor breathed a sigh of relief. If Jaqen had refused to play along, Aegor wouldn’t have known what to do with him.
----
After missing one buyer’s visit while away, Aegor and Tyrion learned their lesson and established a strict schedule for bond sales. On designated days, Aegor would remain at the office from morning until night to greet clients brought in by Tyrion. Outside these days, the hired staff would keep the office open while Aegor tended to other matters, like supervising the papermaking experiments at the Neill siblings’ workshop, pushing forward obsidian mining, and sourcing supplies for the Night’s Watch.
----
King’s Landing’s summer days were as hot and odorous as ever. Without Catelyn Tully’s blunders and Petyr Baelish’s schemes, the capital seemed unnervingly calm compared to the original timeline. The king continued his debauchery, the queen her illicit affair with her brother, and the Hand of the King, Eddard Stark, was drowning in mysteries and rumors.
Beneath this uneasy calm, the first batch of Night’s Watch bonds quietly went on sale, and the papermaking project progressed steadily. As the first shipment of obsidian left Dragonstone alongside supplies for Aegor’s wight-capture plan, history was quietly made in a small workshop in King’s Landing: the first sheet of usable plant-fiber paper in Westeros—or possibly the entire world of ice and fire—was produced.
It was a pivotal moment for Aegor and the others who hoped to turn a profit from this innovation.
----
Standing in the workshop with Tyrion, Arya, and the Neill siblings, Aegor examined the newly created sheet. Despite its grayish-yellow color and slightly uneven edges, it bore a texture reminiscent of the cheapest books or even spirit money from his original world. He tested its flexibility by folding and rolling it, then tugged on it lightly—satisfied to see it bend without tearing. The final test would be its ability to hold ink without smudging.
"Bring me a pen," Aegor ordered.
Before anyone could respond, Arya snatched up the ink and quill. "I’ll write first!" she declared.
Aegor sighed indulgently. "Fine. Go ahead."
Beaming, Arya dipped the pen into the ink and wrote her name: Arya Stark. She then added a doodle beneath it—a cloud, a tree, and a little stick figure.
The room fell silent as the Neill siblings waited anxiously for Aegor and Tyrion’s verdict. Tyrion glanced at Aegor, raising an eyebrow.
"Well?" Tyrion asked.
"You’re the printing expert. Can this paper work for printing?"
Tyrion inspected the sheet and Arya’s handiwork thoughtfully. After a moment, he nodded. "I think it’s ready."
"Then it’s ready," Aegor declared decisively. "Neill, tell me—what’s the cost to produce one sheet of this paper?"
"Cost?" Nina, the younger sibling, blinked. "The raw materials are nearly negligible. Most of the expense comes from equipment, processing chemicals, dyes, and labor."
"Exclude equipment and space rental. Just give me a rough figure."
"Roughly ten copper pennies per sheet."
"Good. With mass production, even accounting for equipment and rent, the cost should keep dropping. And with further refinements, it’ll fall even lower." Aegor calculated silently before turning to Tyrion. "What’s the current cost of a sheet of parchment?"
"If you’d asked me two months ago, I wouldn’t have known," Tyrion admitted. "But now? A sheet this size would cost over a silver stag—more if it’s thicker or better quality."
"Then it’s clear. Even with its current imperfections, our paper is already a fraction of the cost of parchment." Aegor took a deep breath, his excitement mounting. "The show is about to begin. To commemorate this historic moment, let’s give this paper a name."
----
The first suggestion came from Nina. "Lord Aegor contributed the most ideas. Let’s call it 'Aegor Paper.'"
"Ha! I wouldn’t dare take that much credit," Aegor laughed. "But naming it 'Neill Paper' or 'Nina Paper' would be strange too. How about 'Lannister Paper'?"
"Call it 'Arya Paper'!" Arya chimed in eagerly. "I already wrote my name on it!"
Amid the laughter, Tyrion raised his hand. "Allow me to make the final decision. Let’s call it Night’s Watch Paper. It honors the backers of its development while doubling as free advertising for our bonds."
----
With that, the first sheet of plant-fiber paper in Westeros officially had a name.
