After all the courtly intrigues, the gossip, the rumors about who would become the next commander of the City Watch—that Ser Richard would be reinstated, or Prince Aegon was going to be chosen; that Ser Sarmion Baratheon had been interested in the office, or Lormon Buckler; that the king would invite Beslon the Bad to take up the position if he left Vaith in the hands of a garrison commander, or that his grace was looking to try a well-known justicar recently come from Braavos—it seems the king has made his choice, with the agreement of the small council. In the midst of deliberations, Ser Dagur Saltcliffe was invited to meet with them. Ten minutes later, he departed, and assistants to Lord Ryger went about the barracks where the Watch’s officers have their lodgings.

The precise cause for why the ironborn-knight was chosen are unclear, but the Iron Serpent’s growing fame in the field and the lists, his personal participation in the ending of the riot, and perhaps his youth—the Young Dragon appreciates youth when coupled with boldness, for it mirrors his own path to glory—doubtless played a part. It was later whispered that the new Commander would be making changes to the Watch, from commissioning new officers and sergeants from among his own band of fearsome sellswords and sworn swords, to beginning a policy of more active, and less gentle, vigilance on the city’s behalf.