Author Note: Short chapter, hopefully alleviates some concerns being sent my way. It is not how I originally foresaw the conversation with Varys going, but as my prologue says..it will be expanded on in the future. For those of you stating you dislike Aegon's reveal to the greater Westerosi world, I thank you for your suggestions and thoughts and hope you stick around to see where it goes. If not, I truly appreciate you sticking with me this far. Cheers!

Varys stood against the open window; his posture relaxed yet keenly observant. As I stepped into the room, I could feel his gaze fixate upon me, probing, calculating. The door creaked closed behind me, enveloping us in an aura of intrigue.

"Aegon Blackfyre," Varys began his voice a velvet whisper in the shadowy room. "Your actions have resurrected your house from the depths of history. But I wonder... What are your true intentions?"

I met his inquisitive gaze with a measured resolve. "My intentions are simple, Lord Varys. Survival. Nothing more, nothing less."

A raised eyebrow revealed Varys's curiosity, a glint in his eyes like shards of shattered secrets. "And by bringing House Blackfyre to the forefront, how do you secure your survival? It seems it could lead to an early demise."

Leaning forward, I steadied my voice. "I had only two choices: let my house fade into obscurity or become a mere pawn, manipulated by those who would use my name for their ambitions. I chose neither. Instead, I forged a new path. I entrusted Lord Stark with my true name, and as you know, he brought in Lords Tully and Bracken. I felt it an honest chance...had Lord Robert desired to kill all with Targaryen blood..."

Varys's expression remained inscrutable as I continued, laying bare my strategy. "Houses such as Valaryon, Celtigar, and his own House Baratheon would no longer exist."

A calculating look from Varys prompted a sigh from me, frustration and determination etched on my face. "You truly have no desire for the Iron Throne?" Varys probed.

I shook my head. "No. Even if I had pressed my claim at an opportune time supported by those that would use me... Still no, a throne as a puppet is no throne at all. 7 kingdoms bent the knee to Aegon the Conqueror... great houses such as Stark that ruled for thousands of years bent the knee. Like those great dynasties, my house was defeated and I am now bound by my oaths to the king. Oaths I intend to keep."

Varys, the master of veiled meanings, contemplated my words. "If your intentions are only to live a peaceful life, why seek the Targaryen swords? Their acquisition might stir whispers of treason... even rebellion."

I exhaled with a mixture of exasperation and resolve. "Their Valaryian blades were forged with the blood of my house; they are part of our legacy. I swore fealty willingly, but my house still bears the lineage of the Dragonlords. I intend to reclaim them."

Varys's gaze intensified. "But even merely possessing one, let alone both, would cast a shadow on your intentions."

Acknowledging the shadows, I maintained my resolve. "There will always be shadows, but I am still just one knight. I have no great armies nor expansive vaults. How many houses, great and small, still hold such legacies? Ice, Dawn, Heartsbane among many others. I could easily die on the Stepstones or north of The Wall, and this will all be moot."

Varys regarded him thoughtfully. "True It is a precarious path you've chosen. The Targaryens in hiding, across the Narrow Sea—what of them? If they were to return, claiming their birthright, where would your allegiance lie?"

I nodded resolutely. "House Blackfyre was born of House Targaryen, a cadet house bound by blood. Should they seek aid, my house should provide what assistance we could, that is without raising arms or supporting rebellion. Short of dragons soaring the skies or the Others descending upon the Wall, my oaths to King Robert shall remain unbroken. But with the history between the Targaryens and my House...I doubt they would turn to me for aide."

Varys smiled, a subtle acknowledgment of the intricate web we navigated. "You have given me much to think on, Ser Aegon. I do hope that we will get to converse again should you return from the frozen wastes."

With that, Varys exited the room, leaving me surprised at how seemingly well this meeting with the Spider himself had unfolded.