The wind blew from the north, carrying an increasingly distinct chill as it swept past the Red Keep's soaring towers and the leaves beginning to yellow in its courtyards.
Aegon stood beneath the covered walkway outside Maegor's Holdfast and pulled the long black cloak tighter around his shoulders.
His gaze passed over the crowded rooftops of King's Landing toward the streak of leaden gray on the northern horizon.
If even King's Landing felt cold, the North must have been colder still.
What must it be like beyond the Wall?
He remembered that after Stannis's defeat, nearly a thousand of the defeated soldiers had chosen to take the black and head to the Wall.
With those fresh recruits, the Night's Watch should have been in a much better position than in the original story.
He withdrew his gaze and set those thoughts aside for now.
There were more important matters today.
Nearly a month had passed since he issued the order to recruit the Kingsguard.
The order had spread throughout the Stormlands and Crownlands under his rule, as well as the newly incorporated Riverlands.
A month was enough for knights across those lands to hear the news and gather in King's Landing.
After the initial screening and preliminary contests, the finest candidates now stood on the Red Keep's drill ground, awaiting his final inspection.
He wanted to see for himself just how good these men who might become his "White Knights" truly were.
With several attendants in tow, he left Maegor's Holdfast and passed through the gardens and covered walkways. From a distance, he heard the clash of weapons and the neighing of horses coming from the drill ground.
By the time he approached, the sounds had ceased, leaving everything hushed.
A line of fully armed figures stood quietly on the