Notes: This chapter is quite long. Hope you enjoy.
Chapter 4
Tyrion and Varys
Daenerys
Daenerys wanted to clarify her suspicions about Tyrion. She has already decided not to trust Varys and just to use him until she gets what she wants. But Tyrion was her friend, and she wanted to make sure that what he did in the visions were just his mistakes and not a deliberate action to tear her down, that he did not betray her from the she summoned Tyrion after her allies had taken up residence in the were planning to meet in the evening to discuss the plans for King's Landing.
Daenerys was deep in thought and was looking out the window in the map room when Tyrion came looking for her.
"You wanted to see me, Your grace?" asked Tyrion slowly. She knew that he was feeling uneasy because of her latest actions.
"Yes, Lord Tyrion. I did call for you. I have an important matter that I need to talk to you about. "
"Are you talking about conquering Westeros, your grace?"
"Are you feeling upset that I did not talk to you about it? If so, then I can do nothing, Tyrion. You need to know that I think of you as my friend and as an advisor. You and I may not be as close as me and Missandei. But I still consider you my friend. You are to advise me, not order or request me to do things that you want. And not to throw tantrums like a child when I don't do things your way. Do you understand? " asked Daenerys, mustering both kindness and authority in her voice.
"Yes, Your Grace. May I ask you something? " His acceptance was slow.
"Go ahead."
"What caused these shifts in the plans, Your Grace?"
Daenerys smiled slightly at his question. She did not plan on telling anyone about her vision. They will only think she is mad. So Daenerys said, "I just had a thought that struck me yesterday. I am not the rightful heir, because Robert Baratheon claimed the throne through conquest, not through birthright, and nobody questioned his rule. After his death, you saw how many claimed to be the rightful heir to the throne. There will be many under my rule too if I claim to be the rightful heir and take the throne. Nobody will be able to say anything if I conquer Westeros just like Aegon did. "
"Yes, your grace. I see your point there. " Daenerys did not think he understood her point, but she let it go.
"But that is not why I called you here, Lord Tyrion."
"Then why, your grace?" Instead of watching her children hunt in the ocean through the windows, Daenrys turned to face him.
"I am going to ask you a question, and I need you to be honest with me. Completely honest. Will you? "
"Your grace, I don't want Cersei on the throne. I really don't, but I did not choose you, thinking that you would be useful to take Cersei off of the throne. I chose you because of your kindness and sense of justice. I follow you out of loyalty".
" I am glad to hear that. But that was not what I was going to ask. First promise me you will be completely honest with me. "
Tyrion promised her. But he remained skeptical of what she was going to ask. He might have thought that she was going to ask the same question that she asked Lady Olenna.
"You know that we are going against your sister. You know what will happen to your sister if we win. You saw what I promised this morning to our allies. Do you think you can still plan this war against your sister with a rational mind? Will you be able to make plans that you know will definitely get your sister killed?", Daenerys asked kindly.
Tyrion was perplexed by her questions and seemed speechless too. Daenerys thought that Tyrion did know how to shut up. Tyrion took sometime before answering and she was patient until then.
"I was only ever the dwarf of Casterly Rock, and everyone in my family hates me, except Jaime, of course. But Cersei was the most vicious in her hatred towards me. She hated me not because I was a dwarf, but because I killed my mother by merely existing, by merely coming into this world. She believed that if mother was alive, she would not have been sold to King Robert like that. And she blamed it all on me. I heard a story from Oberyn Martell when he fought the Mountain in my trial by combat, about how she made me cry when I was a baby. She thought I killed Joffrey and wanted vengeance, and I think even if she knew that I did not kill Joffrey, she would still want me dead. My father knew that I did not kill Joffrey, but he still sentenced me to die. I killed him. My family has only played with my feelings ever since I was born. They did not see me as human. Only Jaime loved me. Only he thought of me as his brother. Not Cersei. Never Cersei. I know all of this. I do".
Daenerys interrupts before he says what she thinks he is going to say. "I know. I understand it very well. Viserys was horrible to me. But I still thought of him as my brother and never wanted to harm him, not until he threatened my child. Then too, I did not want him dead. I just wanted him gone from my life, gone from my child's life, not the way he did. He was once a sweet brother. Without him, I would not have survived. I would not have been the Daenerys I am now. Viserys is a part of me, just like how Cersei is a part of you. I understand your hesitation in killing Cersei. "
Tyrion was looking at her with tears in his eyes. But Daenerys continued, "But you need to know that Cersei will always be a danger to me, to you even if you don't want to admit it, and to the people she considers her enemies." I promised our allies vengeance, and I plan on fulfilling that promise. I am not going to let you plan this war against Cersei. Please don't think I don't trust you. I just want you to not feel guilty later on. But I can offer you this. I can give Cersei her death as painlessly as possible. I will spare your brother's life if you convince him not to take up arms against me. That is all I can do for you, Tyrion. I hope you can understand. ", With that, she turned and left Tyrion alone with his thoughts.
She now knew that Tyrion did not betray her before she burnt the city to ashes. He just did not want his siblings dead. He wanted her on the throne and wanted his siblings alive, however contradictory that sounded. All the plans he made in the vision were mistakes, or he unknowingly helped his sister, or she just needed to admit that Cersei outplayed them all. Cersei is Tyrion's sister, after all. Of course she would be clever. They all underestimated Cersei. She will not now.
She blamed her downfall in the vision on others, but she made a lot of mistakes too. She did not consider anyone's feelings. She only thought of her destiny and how she deserved to rule. She did not ask Tyrion how he felt about his only family and about the part that he had to play in their deaths. She did not ask Jon whether he was okay after he knew the truth. She only thought of herself and her claim. She even blamed the innocents of King's Landing for her misfortune. She completely lost herself after reaching Westeros. She will not now. She will be stronger. She will question herself on every decision she makes. She will have faith in herself. She will not be blinded by the wretched throne. Then what makes her different from the other rulers who had the throne out of greed? Nothing. She will be a better ruler than anybody before her.
Before supper, Daenerys was resting in her chambers when she heard a knock on her door. She opened the door to find Tyrion standing there.
"What can I do for you, My Lord?" Daenerys asked kindly, realising how hard it must have been for him.
"I want to talk to you, your grace."
"Please come in."
Tyrion came into her chambers and stood there nervously. Daenrys offered him wine, seeing his discomfort. Tyrion jumped at the chance to drink. They both sat in front of the table with a glass of wine in their hand. After a lot of hesitation, Tyrion started talking.
"I wanted to thank you, Your grace, for understanding and for trying to help ease my guilt. I know that Cersei must die. I joined your conquest of Westeros knowing that. But I still hesitated and I wanted to say sorry for that. I will take your offer, your grace. I don't want to plan my sister's death. Killing my father was enough. But will you save my brother? I know Jaime killed your father. I know Jaime laid with my sister. But Jaime did all he did for his family and the people. Will you please spare my brother? I owe him everything. "
"I think you have forgotten who you are talking to, Lord Tyrion."
Tyrion looked afraid. Maybe he thought that she had changed her mind about Ser Jaime. Daenerys only smiled and said, "I mean that you are talking to a Targaryen about incest as a crime. I am a result of that incest, Lord Tyrion. I won't hold that against Ser Jaime. I told you I'd spare your brother if you could persuade him not to fight against me. Did I not? If you convince him, I will definitely keep my promise. And you don't need to worry about your position as my hand. You are still my hand even if you don't make military plans. " Daenerys smiled at him.
"Of course, your grace. I do want to be your hand.", Tyrion also smiled.
"Are you coming to supper? We are going to make plans for King's Landing. If you don't want to, I have no problem with that. ", said Daenerys.
"No, your grace. I am coming. But I just won't be talking or voicing my opinion. You can't be angry at me if your plans did not yield good results. You can't blame me for not saying anything. "
Daenerys only laughed and said that she wouldn't be doing such a thing. The two of them just sat there nursing the remaining wine and talking about the future. Daenerys felt good after a long time around Tyrion. She thought she should talk to Varys too. But Varys betrayed her even before she burned the city. Varys just wanted Jon on the throne. She decided she would not take revenge on anybody just because she happened to see them in the vision betraying her. She knew they hadn't done it yet in this life. She can't hold them accountable for the errors they made in the is willing to give Tyrion and even Jon a chance. Her feelings about the Starks are still complicated. But Varys, she does not want to give him a chance. If Varys gets a chance, he will jump to another king. She knew it for sure. But she still needed Varys for his spying abilities. She will use him thoroughly when needed. But he won't get a chance to dictate how she holds her court. Her relationship with Varys ends there.
In the evening, Daenerys met her allies and advisors in the map room after supper. Tyrion, as said, sat in a corner and just watched what was going on.
"Let me come straight to the point. I am planning on taking the capital tomorrow or the day after that. "
Gasps filled the room, and everyone started shouting. She silenced them all.
" I am not going to change this decision. I am not okay with laying siege to King's Landing. People will starve and they will not fight against Cersei. She blew the sept and inside was their queen they loved and their did not even revolt against her. The people in Westeros have gotten used to war and suffering to the extent that they think that is how life is. I am not starving them. I am not also burning them. I am going to burn the gates down and the walls around the city. The Unsullied will march into the city and protect the people from the Lannister army while I head to the keep in Drogon and take control of King's Landing. Grey Worm will travel with me in Drogon to protect me when I am on the ground. Any objections?"
Of course, Varys will have all the objections in the world if she does not heed him. Varys said, "Your Grace, if you use your dragon, people will definitely get hurt, and I think you are underestimating Cersei. Please rethink the strategy. I think we need to know the situation in King's Landing before we attack."
"Lord Varys, starving an already suffering city will not hurt people, but burning the gates down is going to hurt the people? I thought you at least possessed common sense. I am not underestimating Cersei, Lord Varys. I know everything there is to know about Cersei. I know she has a monstrous guard who killed my niece and nephew. I know she has an exiled Maester who helped her create the monstrosity. I know she possesses wildfire and I know she will be willing to burn everything, including the people in the streets, if there is a way for her to survive. I also know that you are not doing your best to get me this information as you are supposed to do. I know the situation in King's Landing right now. I know Cersei doesn't have any money, nor any soldiers who can stand against my army. I know that Cersei doesn't have any dragons at her disposal that could stand against mine. So why are you suggesting that I fight with my hands tied? Why do you want to give Cersei time to recuperate from her situation? Are you sure you are serving me? Oh wait! As you already said, you did not. You told me you only serve the realm. Did you not? Is giving Cersei her time to gather armies against me, serving the realm? Is that what you want, Lord Varys? "
Varys stood stunned for a moment there. But Daenerys had to applaud his resolve. He collected himself in such a short time.
"Your grace, I can see that you don't trust me. But as I said before, I chose you because I thought you were what the realm needed. I still stand by that. But I am just saying that you need to think before you attack. This is not Essos, your grace. Essos is all about strength, which you have a lot. But in Westeros, you need to be more than that. That is what I was trying to say. Don't get me wrong, your grace"
Lady Olenna started to say something, but Daenerys stopped her. She was livid now. She was right about this too. She should never trust Varys.
"You chose me. Lord Varys, do you think of yourself as God?"
Varys' face was pinched when he said no. But Daenerys did not plan on letting this go.
"Then who do you think you are to choose me? I wanted to break the wheel even before you found me. I wanted to break the wheel when you were actively trying to kill me and my brother. I am here now using my own power. You did not do one thing for me. You brought me allies. That is all you did. I am here because I want to be, not because you chose me. Do you get it? Don't go around pretending like you are after some noble cause. Don't lie about serving the realm. All you want is power, just like every other ruler you served. All you want is to stand behind the throne and whisper into their ears, making them do what you want. You don't want what is best for the people. That is just a weapon you use to jump from one king to another. ", Daenerys could feel the atmosphere in the room changing, but she didn't care. She will take care of Varys once and for all this time. He is unpredictable and dangerous.
She thought of using him for the information he could provide. But Varys can be replaced, and it is not like he provided any whispers that were useful anyway. Varys was standing there in front of her, looking gobsmacked. Daenerys saw Lady Olenna sitting there nodding appreciatively at Daenerys and Tyrion, looking speechless too. She knows Tyrion considers Varys his friend and that Varys saved Tyrion when he smuggled him out of King's Landing. But she did not care.
"Lord Varys, do you think I'm mad for not listening to you now? Do you think that I am becoming my father? Are you thinking that I am going to get angry and burn everybody here? Are you thinking that I am losing my mind? Because I did not listen to you? Answer me, Lord Varys. "
Daenerys waited patiently until he opened his mouth. Eventually, Varys started speaking.
"I don't think of myself as God, your grace. I am not after power also, your grace. I can see that you will not believe anything I say. I don't know what I can do to make you believe me. If you just give me a chance to prove myself, I will try my best to serve both you and the realm. Your grace"
Daenerys hesitated a little bit. She does not believe him when he says that he is not after power. But she can give him a chance to prove himself useful. Daenerys will always remain untrustworthy of Varys, but she can use him.
"Fine, Lord Varys. I will give you a chance. Tell me how Cersei blew the sept using wildfire. I want to know where the wildfire is in King's Landing. Who can activate the wildfire? I want to know everything about wildfire."
"Yes, your grace. Your father ordered the placement of wildfire all over the city underground and wanted to burn the city before his demise. It is still there, except for the city of Baelor, since Cersei used it. I am ashamed to inform you that my little birds have lessened in number and some of them don't answer me anymore. I heard that, like you said, the maester Cersei is having is also acting as the master of whisperers for her and my little birds work for him now."
So he knew. He knew that and he did not tell her. What else does he know? Varys is definitely making it difficult for her. Is he doing it deliberately? She could not figure him out at all. But she was enraged now.
"And you are telling me this now? Were you even planning to tell me? Do you even know that the little birds you say are on your side? What if they all work for him? What if they feed you wrong information? We could have lost the war because of your carelessness, Lord Varys. And you ask me to believe you? I don't care how you gather information, but I want information about that Maester and that wildfire by tomorrow morning. You will bring the correct information, might I add or you will leave my service tomorrow. I told you I would give you a chance. This is it. Use it well. You can leave now. " Daenerys had to do everything in her power to not scream at him. He was the reason she lost everything. If only he had said something about Euron Greyjoy, she would not have lost Rhaegal. She did not want to think about that anymore. She will focus on the matter now.
"Any objections to the plan that I just presented?"
"No, your grace." The answer was unanimous.
"Lady Olenna, Can you send men into King's Landing to look into that Maester and maybe take him prisoner in the process? I don't want to leave any holes in the plan."
"Yes, my dear." Daenerys noticed that Lady Olenna was calling her like that recently. Be a dragon, she said in her vision. She took the advice this time.
The time when she lost her allies in her vision is nearing. The army Jaime Lannister is leading will be on their way to Highgarden by now, and Euron Greyjoy will be coming towards Dragonstone in the hopes of capturing the Sands. She has to take care of that.
"Torgo Nudho, jikagon nykeā pyrys dovaogēdy naejot mīsagon Highgarden. Riñnykeā yara jāhor gūrogon zirȳ naejot Highgarden. Udrāzma se dovaogēdy naejot gūrogon lī qilōni jemagon se azantyr se maghagon zirȳ kesīr. Ivestragon zirȳ naejot gūrogon se dothrākī, lo jorrāelatan." Grey Worm, send a thousand Unsullied to protect Highgarden. Lady Yara will take them to Highgarden. Command the Unsullied to take those who lead the army and bring them here. Tell them to take the Dothraki, if needed.
"Lady Yara, I want you to take the Unsullied Grey Worm provides to Highgarden and back. Is there any news you got from the scout you sent? "
Yara, who was only watching all that happened, said, "I will take them, Your grace. The scout is scheduled to arrive any time now if he finds any news, Your grace."
"Good. Then you and Grey Worm can carry out what I said. Grey Worm will tell you what to do. I want you to leave now. "
"Yes, Your Grace." She saw them leave, conversing in hushed tones about what she said just now.
"If I may, your grace, It seemed to me you said something about Highgarden. Can I ask you what it is? " Lady Olenna asked Daenerys.
"I did not want to leave Highgarden defenseless, Lady Olenna. That's why I sent a thousand soldiers there to protect it. Do you mind? "
"Not at all, my dear."
"Then it is settled. Lady Olenna, send your men to deal with the maester. We are marching to King's Landing tomorrow. Prepare for the battle and rest early. ", With that said, she stood to leave. Tyrion was there, sitting in the corner. It seems that he came to realise the consequences of what would have happened if we went with the information that Varys provided and the plans that Tyrion suggested. She was glad to see that.
She went to her chambers to take a rest and prepare for the battle tomorrow. She now knows how to deal with the scorpions. After waking up from the vision, she felt her connection with Drogon getting stronger and stronger. She can avoid those scorpions with ease now.
She heard an urgent knock on the door. She found Tyrion and Missandei waiting outside her door with an anxious expression.
"Your Grace, Lady Yara's scout came back with the news that Euron Greyjoy's ships are coming towards Dragonstone. What should we do? " asked Missandei, trying to be calm.
Daenerys was prepared. She knew he would come. She will take care of him this time very early.
"Tell the Ironborn and Grey Worm to take ships and wait near the shores of every island in the vicinity. Tell them not to let anybody escape when I am done with Euron Greyjoy. "
"Yes, your grace," Missandei hurried off.
Daenerys looked at Tyrion and told him to prepare the prisons to hold the prisoners that are to arrive. She concentrated on the bond between her and Drogon on the way to the cliff. When she reached there, Drogon was ready to take her to war. She told Viserion and Rhaegal to stay here and look out for any danger that might arrive here.
She took off on Drogon and started flying towards the ships and Euron Greyjoy.
Notes: I don't like Varys and I think Varys is doing what he does always to gain power for himself and not to serve the realm as he claims. At least that is my opinion and this is my story, so there you go. And for the Valyrian that Daenerys speaks, I used a translator. I don't know whether it is correct or not. Sorry if there are any mistakes. Thank you for reading.