Varys
On the other hand, the Red Viper was a very useful ally—although Varys knew he had to be extremely careful with him, as if handling Wildfire.
They met several times, and at their third meeting, Martell revealed his plan and proposed decisive action: he intended to destroy Joffrey or Margaery—or both. For starters!
Varys was not overly squeamish, but the prospect of killing such young people did not please him. Even from a purely logical and pragmatic standpoint, it would have been far more sensible to remove Tywin from the board. It was a pity that the Red Viper proved so bloodthirsty and short-sighted. He wanted to destroy all the Lannisters, saving his true enemy for last, like the most exquisite dish.
However, Oberyn knew how to be eloquent and persuasive. And even more lay beneath his words, temporarily concealed behind hints and clever wordplay.
The Martells knew about Mopatis, about Daenerys, and about the fact that he, together with his old friend, was helping her with both people and gold. Not long ago, Illyrio had sent Barristan Selmy and Belwas the Strong to her—and Oberyn knew about it. That was cause for concern!
Varys even suspected that Oberyn knew about the Young Griff. And about his and Mopatis's dream—after all, the Targaryens often married close kin.
In short, he knew that he knew that he knew…
This was a game in which Varys, for objective reasons, simply could not refuse Oberyn. He had no choice but to go along with the poisoning.
The Red Viper suggested using a man who could be eliminated afterward. Varys was repulsed by the idea and chose to do everything himself.
There are those who sincerely believe that the executioner has a clear conscience, while the organizer has clear hands. Such people soothe themselves with ridiculous excuses.
Varys did not believe in such nonsense. Both the executioner and the organizer were equally complicit in all the shit they did. However, he would not agree to kill his own people. It went against both his principles and his logic—why discard valuable assistants when everything could be done differently?
So he himself, using a secret passage to the royal chambers, entered the room of Joffrey and Margaery. He found no jug of water anywhere. Therefore, he was forced to resort to the second, more dangerous option—to place what he had brought with him on the table.
Having finished his work, he paused for a moment and looked around the chamber. A Valyrian steel sword, a large bookcase, a harp, a cyvasse board, and several maps laid out on the windowsill—at that sight, sadness settled in his heart.
Much to his regret, Joffrey had never been the sort of man for whom his subjects would willingly give their lives. True, he had changed greatly over the past month. Varys had watched the young king closely and had to admit that he had finally begun to grow up, showing traits worthy of a monarch. What a pity that such useful changes for the king began had come so late! The die had already been cast.
"I'm sorry," Varys said aloud, bowing his head slightly, even though there was no one else in the room.
It was a shame that such a young man, standing on the threshold of such promising transformation, had to leave this world.
Varys slipped quietly from the royal chambers. And after that, everything spun off into the unknown.
Neither Joffrey nor Margaery died—but their cupbearer, Ser Spicer, did. Cersei seemed to have come completely undone. She was so predictable, her thoughts so easy to nudge in the desired direction. Everything unfolded exactly as Varys had planned, and as Oberyn had expected.
Had Cersei been alone, without the backing of her elder relatives, everything would have gone perfectly. But the investigation was taken over by the Hand—as was only to be expected. Why, why had Oberyn not wanted to poison him? Ah, it is mistakes like these that lead to a tragic end.
Then something happened that should never have happened—the Lannisters somehow learned of the secret passages and managed to uncover them.
Varys found himself in a very difficult position. He did not panic for a moment, nor did he lose his composure, but still he was forced to consider whether Oberyn had betrayed him and revealed the passages to the Hand of the King.
At first glance, this would not have benefited Martell. But Varys knew how deceitful, cunning, and devious he could be.
Events moved swiftly. The royal guards took him into custody. The Hand and the king asked him several questions… What could he tell them? Any words he spoke meant little at that moment. And so he found himself in this cell.
Grandfather and grandson—Tywin and Joffrey—quite reasonably concluded that the master of whispers could not have been ignorant of the secret passages. They imprisoned him for the duration of the investigation, granting him an honor guard. Now Varys was watched by two Gold Cloaks and Ser Boros Blount.
They eyed him warily and threatened to bring formal charges in the morning. For now, however, he remained formally innocent and still held the title of master of whispers.
They even provided a few comforts—a basket of food and a bottle of wine left for his supper.
Varys dragged a stool into the darkest, most secluded corner of his temporary lodging and thought deeply. He neither ate nor drank—it seemed to him that the Lannisters might not wish to wait until morning and could have mixed something into the provisions. He smelled nothing suspicious, but there was undeniably something wrong with the wine. And the sudden death of the master of whispers would be very convenient for many!
(End of Chapter)
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