Tyrion stepped into the eunuch's chambers, expecting to find half-packed chests strew about the space in utter chaos. But no… everything was in order, even his bed was neatly made, almost as the the spymaster had no intention of sleeping in it.
A quick sweep of the room revealed Vary standing by the fire, staring into the flames, his expression hard and almost angry. An unusual expression for a man so often impassive and unreadable.
"Are you bags already on the wagons?" Tyrion asked as he strode over and stood beside his old friend. The heat of the fire was as welcome as a woman's embrace, to that he'd been embraces in a long time.
"I'm not leaving with the women and children." Varys said.
Tyrion looked to his friend, one of the few people he could say he both genuinely liked and respected. "No?"
"I've been charged with a different duty."
"What does our queen have you doing now?" Tyrion asked, half annoyed that Daenerys hadn't ran her scheme by him first. What precisely was the point of a Hand if you didn't utilize their council.
"Not our queen." Varys said.
Tyrion frowned and looked up at the eunuch. His chest felt tight with unease. "Then who?"
"Someone wiser."
Tyrion considered this for a long moment, and then it clicked. Sansa. What was the damnably clever girl up to now? And why on earth was Varys going along with it? Their queen was not one to be trifled with and would not take kindly to anything she viewed as a betrayal. Varys knew better than most the danger of crossing an unstable monarch. Tyrion did not consider Daenerys unstable, but she was hot tempered and likely to act before thinking through all the ramifications and that was nearly as hazardous to anyone who might displease her.
"Why?" Tyrion asked.
"Because I underestimated her." Varys said, thoughtfully. "I always saw her as more of a pawn. An unimportant piece moved by the whims of others. It takes a rare individual to not only survive, but thrive when the odds are stacked against them."
"She's surprised all of us." Tyrion admitted.
"Even you?" Varys raised an eyebrow, looking mildly amused.
"I think, perhaps, especially me."
"Hmmm…" Varys grunted.
Tyrion looked at the bald man, he looked worn thin, as though whatever Sansa had asked of him had aged him a couple of decades.
"What did she asked you to do?" Tyrion asked, his insides twisting with growing unease.
"To stay in Winterfell." Varys said. "To manage the communications during the battle. To offer the birds eye view that is often lost by those in the thick of war. She believes I might be able to assist in keeping back the chaos."
"And you said yes?" Tyrion looked his friend up and down. The man was no fighter, hells, the only weapon Tyrion could imagine him wielding was poison. He was not a battle hardened figure. The honorary lord was not destined to become the stuff of heroic songs and legends.
"I said yes." Varys confirmed.
"What possible reason did you have for doing that?" Tyrion demanded. "She is in no position to command you."
"She didn't command me. She simply asked." Varys said and then an amused expression crossed his face. "You know, I do believe she's wielded more authority with a simple, unassuming request than I have ever witnessed in the roaring demands of any of the many rulers I've served."
Tyrion gave Varys a startled look. "Careful, your words sound dangerously close to treason."
Varys gave him a thin smile. "Hardly, simply an observation. After all, since when do pawns become queens?"
Tyrion squirmed at the question, because he knew the answer and it chilled him to the bone. A pawn could become a queen when that pawn held the heart of the true King. And whether Jon Snow wanted to admit it or not, he was the true king. And he would be a good king for that precise reason. He did not want it.
"So what plan does Lady Sansa have for you?" Tyrion asked.
"A good one." Varys said. "She's quite a clever girl. I see now why both you and Littlefinger found her so intriguing."
Tyrion waved him off, wanting him to get to the point.
"The Lady Sansa observed that we needed a way to communicate battle plans and changes thereof in the heat of battle. Especially with our queen and Jon Snow off on the backs of dragons instead of leading."
Tyrion nodded, remembering the chaos during the battle of the blackwater. "And I suppose that's where you come in?"
"That's where I come in." Varys smirked slightly. "I've spent my life developing ways to communicate information in impossible situations. It's almost as though I was born for this very purpose."
Tyrion studied his friend. "You're sounding a bit too much like one of those red priestesses for my liking."
Varys sighed. "I never did care for their ilk."
Tyrion nodded his agreement.
"You know, you don't have to do it?" Tyrion pointed out. "Lady Sansa might be clever, but she'd not the one you swore to serve."
Varys gave Tyrion a sad smile. "Perhaps not, but I think she may be the queen I would have chosen."
Tyrion's eyes widened. "Now that was treasonous."
"Do you intend to tell on me." Varys asked, not seeming overly concerned. "Don't trouble yourself too much, old friend. The dead are coming. More than likely my words won't matter in two days time, treasonous or otherwise."
Tyrion sighed and went to Varys's table to fetch himself a cup of wine.
"When did you get so heroic?" Tyrion asked, his words sounding snide to his own ears. If he was honest, he felt a bit of resentment. Even Varys would be in the midst of the battle while he fled with his tail between his legs because his queen demanded it.
"Oh, trust me, heroism is the furthest thing from my mind. I'm pragmatist. It does none of us any good if this castle falls. Helping in some small way to stop the dead… well, that's the greatest protection I could hope to offer the realm with my one, insignificant little life."
Tyrion took a long drink of wine before meeting his friend's gaze.
"You know, for a man with no balls…" Tyrion started, he saw Varys prepare to roll his eyes and he stopped himself. This might well be the last conversation they ever shared, and the thought made his throat go tight. "No… Joking aside."
Varys looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Rightfully so, with Tyrion, joking was never truly aside.
"You have more courage than any man I've ever known." Tyrion told him.
Varys looked stunned by this. He opened his mouth, but closed it and tried again after a moment to compose himself. "No eunuch jokes?"
"Not this time." Tyrion said with a small smile.
Varys returned the smile and gave a small nod that said everything that would take too long to express in words.
6 reviews in just a couple of hours? You guys are fantastic! And because you are fantastic, I thought I'd surprise you with an extra update! Do not fear! You'll still get the standard Thursday update. This is just a present from me to you, you beautiful humans (no offense intended to any wolves, lions, or dragons who may be reading, you're fantastic as well)! Another short one, I'm afraid, but we have some longer ones on the horizon.
Please review!