Chapter 25 – The Situation in Westeros
After reading Drogon's reply, Varys returned indoors and began writing a response of his own.
It took three full sheets of parchment before he finished.
He placed them neatly back onto the stone table and went inside again—just as Drogon had instructed for easier correspondence.
The moment the door closed, Varys pressed his ear against the wood, listening intently.
For a heartbeat, he even had the impulse to yank the door open and catch the messenger in the act.
But the letter had been clear:
He must not attempt to learn the identity of the "mysterious one" — neither now nor in the future.
---
High on the tree, Drogon retrieved the response and began reading.
The letter contained a concise overview of the current political landscape of Westeros.
● King's Landing
After being dismissed from the position of Hand of the King, Tyrion Lannister had received a new appointment—
Master of Coin, responsible for financing King Joffrey's grand royal wedding.
Drogon almost burst out laughing.
Putting the man who only knows how to spend money in charge of raising money… that's cruel.
He could vividly imagine Tyrion clutching his head over numbers and debts.
---
● The North & The Riverlands
Rickard Karstark, having murdered two Lannister hostages to avenge his sons, was executed by Robb Stark in a moment of fury.
With one swing of the sword, Robb alienated House Karstark, a family that had supported the Starks loyally for a thousand years.
The Karstarks withdrew their forces, and a few other northern houses followed, costing Robb nearly half his army.
Robb was now attempting to mend this loss by securing an alliance with the Frey family of the Twins.
Drogon rubbed his head in frustration.
The Starks… too honorable for their own good.
If Robb went through with the Frey alliance, the Red Wedding—and total annihilation—would not be far away.
He wondered if he should interfere.
---
● Riverrun
Lord Hoster Tully, Catelyn's father, had passed away.
Her brother Edmure Tully inherited the title of Lord of Riverrun.
At the mention of Edmure, Drogon couldn't help but grin.
His memory flashed to the scene where Edmure failed three times to set fire to his father's funeral boat with a flaming arrow, until Brynden Blackfish snatched the bow and solved it in a single shot.
Edmure… the eternal comic relief.
---
● Winterfell & the Bolton Bastard
Winterfell was now under the control of Ramsay Snow, the Bastard of Bolton—
the most sadistic creature to ever breathe in the Seven Kingdoms.
Even Euron Greyjoy, who tore out sailors' tongues for amusement, couldn't compare to him.
Drogon grimaced as the letter described what happened to Theon Greyjoy:
Tortured, broken, castrated, renamed Reek, and forced to shave Ramsay with a razor—
all while being taunted about the Red Wedding and the death of Robb Stark.
Theon, trembling, crying, barely able to keep the blade steady, had still obeyed.
Drogon curled his tail in discomfort.
This world really is full of monsters.
Ramsay's methods were so extreme and cruel that even Roose Bolton—a man hardly known for compassion—could not help but admire the ruthlessness of his bastard son.
Roose entrusted him with greater authority, promising that once his work was complete, the name Bolton would be his, freeing him from the stain of bastardy.
And of course, there was Ramsay's twisted obsession with flaying the living—enough to show exactly how depraved he was.
---
Varys had also learned that Littlefinger, Petyr Baelish, planned to secretly spirit Sansa away from King's Landing.
And since Joffrey had broken the betrothal, several other lords were already plotting to claim her for themselves.
If Bran and Rickon were truly dead—as the world believed—and if Robb were to fall as well, then Sansa would become the rightful Warden of the North.
Whoever married Sansa would lay claim to the entire North.
Only Theon himself knew that Bran and Rickon were still alive.
Reading Varys' reasoning, Drogon couldn't help but admire how sharply Westerosi nobles smelled advantage.
They were already positioning for a future that had not yet arrived—
and indeed, as time later proved, Sansa did eventually become Queen in the North.
The remaining intelligence Varys provided overlapped with what Barristan had already told Daenerys.
Now Drogon finally had a clear picture of the timeline and political tempo of this world.
After agreeing on a permanent location for exchanging information, Drogon took Varys' letter of allegiance and flew toward Tyrion's residence.
As a devoted Tyrion fan, he could not come all the way to King's Landing without seeing him.
Tyrion lived in the southern quarter of the city, not far from the Red Keep.
But Varys had warned that Tyrion was rarely home lately—he was constantly going door-to-door among the nobles begging for coin to finance Joffrey's wedding.
Tywin really couldn't have given him a more miserable assignment.
Drogon waited near Tyrion's home for a while, but no one entered or left.
Rather than waste time, he abandoned the attempt and flew directly back to Dragonstone.
---
Dragonstone:
After coughing a mouthful of blood and collapsing, the Red Priestess finally awakened.
Stannis had stayed at her bedside the whole time.
The moment she opened her eyes, he urgently questioned her.
"You claim you saw a black dragon in the sky?"
Stannis' voice carried skepticism.
He had followed her out to the terrace himself and had seen only the shadow of a dark bird—nothing more.
Melisandre shook her head weakly.
"Perhaps it was not literally a dragon.
The black dragon was the vision I saw in the flames.
But whatever soared through the sky… it is connected to the black dragon."
"There have been no dragons for more than a century," Stannis protested.
"The Lord of Light does not cast visions without purpose.
And the blowback I suffered for peering into that fire… that should not be possible.
Something momentous is moving."
She paused to catch her breath.
"A girl of the Targaryen line still lives.
As long as that bloodline endures, dragons can return.
And if she truly possesses a dragon… she will be a greater obstacle to your claim than Tywin Lannister ever could be."
Melisandre's breathing turned shallow.
The backlash from her vision was not just a single cough of blood—it had wounded her deeply.
When she pushed back her hair, she froze.
Among her long, dark waves now gleamed several strands of silver.
Her hand flew instinctively to the ruby pendant at her throat.
It was still glowing—barely—but glowing nonetheless.
Relief washed over her.
Stannis' voice softened slightly.
"Will you still leave Dragonstone?"
"After I recover. A few days, no more.
Forgive the delay, Your Grace… it slows your conquest."
Stannis had feared she might abandon him.
He didn't want her to leave again—but he could only nod in resignation.
---
The Girl in the Tower
When Drogon arrived back on Dragonstone, he went straight to Shireen's room.
He landed on the windowsill, and Shireen noticed him instantly, rushing to open the window.
"I thought… I thought you weren't ever coming back."
The happiness in her eyes was colored with relief.
Drogon opened his pack and handed her the roasted nuts he had taken on his travels.
Shireen didn't even pretend to refuse this time—she ate them with pure, childlike joy.
Then Drogon handed her a sheet of parchment.
"Is this… for me?"
She took it, puzzled.
The handwriting was terrible.
That was her very first thought.
But as she read the content, her expression completely transformed.
"Someone… can cure greyscale?"
She looked up at Drogon with disbelief.
Drogon nodded.
Her eyes widened further.
"Did—did you write this?"
Drogon hesitated… then slowly nodded again.
Shireen clutched the parchment to her chest.
For the first time in her life, hope bloomed.