Chapter 16: Varys

Standing before Illyrio was a stout man, dressed in hard leather under armor and a half-cape made of leather. Despite his heavy boots, his feet seemed to glide silently over the stone steps. Under his steel helmet was a scarred round face with a short beard. A dagger and a short sword were strapped to his waist.

Illyrio, his breathing more even now, waved a hand and chuckled, "I once thought a man of your abilities, almost akin to a sorcerer, could do anything. Yet, here you are with a lapse in the beggar king's intelligence."

"I am no sorcerer," the stout man's voice was rough and monotonous, stating it as a fact, "I am across the narrow sea from that king. I have reported all that the little birds brought me faithfully. It is all the truth. The information you have is the same as the Seven Kingdoms' king, perhaps even more."

It was hard to imagine that the man before Illyrio, based on his appearance and voice alone, was the most well-informed person in the Seven Kingdoms, the spymaster Spider, Varys the eunuch.

Though in disguise, Illyrio knew it was him.

Illyrio complained, "It's the first time I've known you to have a lapse."

"Everyone has lapses," Varys replied, "Old friend, surely you understand, I am not omnipotent."

Illyrio spread his hands, "What do we do now? Do we need to revise the plan?"

Varys asked, "I want to know first, are you sure of your suspicion, old friend?"

Illyrio, having rested enough, started climbing the spiraling stone steps with Varys. Despite their weight, both moved lightly, their steps making almost no sound on the stone.

"Who else could it be?" Illyrio countered, "Shouldn't your intelligence confirm my suspicion?"

Varys replied, "The fact is, I've reviewed all the movements of those two from the Free Cities. There are no records of them meeting with the Dornish in recent years. They shouldn't have had the opportunity to conspire together."

"Going further back, we trace to the time when Ser Willem Darry was alive. Oberyn Martell once traveled to Braavos and made a secret pact with Ser Darry under the witness of the Sealord of Braavos. Although I don't know what the pact was about, it must have been related to raising an army to reclaim the Iron Throne, which was already part of our plan.

But after Ser Willem Darry's death, seeing the new dynasty becoming more stable, the Dornish let it be, allowing the king and princess to wander across the Narrow Sea. And that king shouldn't know about this. Ser Willem himself said that the king was deliberately kept in the dark to prevent him from demanding Dorne's army prematurely, which might provoke the Iron Throne's displeasure towards Dorne. Ser Darry took this secret to his grave. However, now it's hard to say."

"The Beggar king might have reconnected with Dorne and devised a new plan!" Illyrio asked, "Is there no news from Dorne that could corroborate our suspicions?"

Varys sighed, "Dorne is full of dangerous creatures; the environment is harsh for the little birds."

In fact, outside of King's Landing and in many major noble territories, Varys's spies often couldn't reach the core. Despite this, Varys remained undeniably the best-informed person in the Seven Kingdoms.

They reached the top of the deep well, finding themselves in the middle section of a stone passage.

Illyrio, out of breath from the climb, remarked irritably, "It seems your little birds lose sight when they're too far away."

Varys pushed something, and a low rumbling sound echoed. A huge stone slab slowly slid out from the well's mouth, glowing red in the torchlight, making a loud noise in the enclosed space. Once the noise settled, the spot where the well opening had been was now a smooth, solid stone surface with no cracks.

Varys softly asked, "You had close contact with that king. Besides this suspicion, did you draw any other conclusions?"

Leading the way, Varys directed them down one end of the stone passage.

"That's why I came to you. I hoped to get an answer from you," Illyrio said. "To be honest, if they are indeed making a move, we might be able to seek cooperation. At the very least, we shouldn't hinder each other. I suspect that rejecting the Dothraki forces was a decision made by the beggar king himself after learning of Dorne's support. Otherwise, the Dornish would likely agree that the more troops, the better."

Illyrio had already taken his suspicions as fact. "In my opinion, they shouldn't have hurried to contact that king. They don't know what he might decide to do on his own."

It was quite ironic that, unbeknownst to Viserys, the beggar king himself, two separate factions had been planning his restoration to the throne.

One faction consisted of the entrusted guardian Willem Darry and Prince Oberyn Martell of Dorne. They had secretly arranged for Viserys to marry Arianne Martell, the Dornish princess, to muster Dorne's support in reclaiming the Iron Throne. However, as King Robert's rule became increasingly secure and Viserys made no progress on the eastern continent, the Dornish remained inactive for years.

The other faction involved Varys, Illyrio, and the former leader of the mercenary group, the Golden Company. They had agreed to support Viserys, planning to use Daenerys to secure the Dothraki forces and then launch a counter-attack on Westeros.

Viserys was at the forefront, with the Golden Company backing him.

However, this plan only began to be executed after the former leader of the Golden Company died.

Now led by Varys and Illyrio, its true purpose was not to help Viserys reclaim his throne but to support the hidden "Young Griff." (Viserys had once hosted the commanders of the Golden Company, hoping for their assistance in reclaiming his throne, but after enjoying the feast and hearing his plea, they mocked him. This indicates that only a few within the Golden Company knew of the true plan.)

These two factions each had their own schemes, and while they might have been somewhat aware of each other's existence, they did not collaborate or communicate. Instead, they incorporated the uncertainty of the other's plans into their own strategies.

The Dornish would be pleased to see Viserys leading an army to retake Westeros because they believed that after raising an army, they would face the other six kingdoms, and the more troops Viserys brought back, the better.

Varys and Illyrio were also happy to facilitate cooperation between Viserys and the Dornish because Viserys was just the spearhead, and his political legacy would ultimately fall to "Young Griff."

"Perhaps we should closely monitor the situation over there. Dorne is stirring up a sandstorm, and we haven't even heard a whisper," Varys neither agreed nor disagreed with Illyrio's proposal for cooperation with Dorne, saying only, "I need at least twenty birds."

They arrived at a spacious, high-ceilinged area, surrounded by numerous skeletons. These enormous skeletons, with bones as black as onyx, glistened menacingly in the firelight.

They were dragon bones, some as large as hills, others larger than a fishing boat. Each had a gaping, hungry maw with rows of teeth tall as mountain ridges, resembling spears or swords. Their hollow eye sockets gazed impassively at Varys and Illyrio as they passed by.

"That many? The kind you need are hard to find: young and literate," 

"If they were a bit older, wouldn't they be less likely to die?"

Varys declined, "No, younger ones are safer. Treat them well."

Illyrio bargained, "Keep their tongues?"

Varys replied softly, "You know what's right to do, old friend."

Illyrio suddenly suggested, "Perhaps we could make arrangements in advance, secretly proposing on behalf of Aegon. The Dornish only need a Targaryen king; it doesn't have to be that one. Especially since it's Aegon?"

Varys responded, "Unnecessary complications, a needless risk."

Illyrio lamented, "But what about the situation over there? Originally, trading an insignificant princess for tens of thousands of warriors was a good deal. Now, thanks to that beggar king, we have lost those troops. Are we underestimating the needed forces with just Dorne and the Golden Company?"

"Fewer troops don't necessarily mean weaker. Their plan, the 'Three Princes,'" Varys suddenly said, "shows that they are hoping for a 'Dance of the Dragons' in the new dynasty and are unwilling to be the first to act."

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