Varys's words echoed through the hall, and Viserys's exaggerated motions came to a sudden halt. He turned toward Varys and furrowed his brows in confusion.
"Not a traitor, you say?" He sneered, anger palpable on his face. "Then what are you? My supporter? My well-wisher? My supporter?"
He raised his hand and pointed a finger toward the eunuch.
"You have been serving that usurper for more than a dozen years," he continued. "You are still his Master of Whisperers. You have been his faithful servant for years. You have been enjoying a life of luxury and extravagance in the Red Keep while I have rotted on the streets and yet you dare to proclaim that you are not a traitor?"
"Varys," he snarled. "Do not think of me as a fool."
Varys sighed, realizing that he was dealing with a complete idiot, that he would have to spoon feed everything to Viserys.
Meanwhile, Daenerys had already picked up on what Varys's intentions were. She realized that Illyrio had granted them asylum at the behest of Varys, and that Varys had something to offer.
But was she willing to trust the bald man? No. Even now, she did not completely trust Illyrio, and neither would she trust Varys. All her instincts were warning her to remain wary of the eunuch.
But would she be willing to work with the man? Yes. Even if she did not trust him, she would pretend to.
Sadly, she did not have an iota of decision making power. In fact, she was not even allowed to speak unless her brother asked her to do so.
Everything depended on her brother. All the moves she made, all the thoughts she contemplated, all the success she hoped to gain, and the failure she expected to suffer and every bit of politics she played was for her mind only. It was not to be displayed publicly.
Varys is definitely laying it on thick here, playing the "unsung hero" to perfection. He knows exactly which buttons to press to make Viserys feel important while justifying his own past actions.
"Your Grace," Varys responded, his voice as calm as ever. "It is true that I have been at the side of Robert Baratheon for years. It is true that I am still his Master of Whisperers. That I have been on his Small Council and I have been enjoying a life of luxury. Every bit of this is true."
Viserys only sneered and did not say anything.
"But," Varys continued, pacing in the hall. "Have I been his faithful servant? No. Servant? Yes. But surely not faithful."
"Magister Illyrio here," Varys had approached the fat Magister in his pacing and had his hands placed on his shoulders. "He took both of you in because I asked him to do so. I used some of my precious favors to make Magister Illyrio agree to take you in."
"I have been at Robert's side," he said. "But I have not been working for him. Instead, I have been making preparations for your return."
"Is that so?" Viserys mocked. "Then why did you not ask Magister Illyrio to take us in immediately when we had no other place left for ourselves? Why did you let us rot on the streets where I had to struggle to even find a roof over our heads?"
"It was because I was being careful," he replied with a sigh. "I did not want the others to get wind that I was working for you."
"You want to know why I did not abandon my position as Master of Whisperers in your favor?" he asked. "Apart from all the reasons like I wanted to use that position to gain more influence and gather more support for you, the most important was that I was and I am holding the position to protect the both of you."
"Robert Baratheon has called for at least a dozen times to get you assassinated," he continued. "Every time, I sabotaged the position. I kept the money and did not issue any contracts. I explained that some Magister of some place was protecting the two of you very well."
"If someone else was given the duty of issuing the contracts and if he actually hired people to kill the both of you, I sabotaged those assassins using other means."
"With my constant failures to get you assassinated, I could not have also appeared to be working for you," he said. "That is the reason I was being more and more careful."
"Even now, when I am here, I have taken a huge risk to sneak here," he added. "Not now, but as you learn more and more truth, you will come to believe me."
Viserys remained silent for a few moments. No one knew what he was thinking. Daenerys, on the other hand, had picked up that whatever he was spewing, half of the truth was mixed with lies. And with this, her trust in him lowered even further. The eunuch was untrustworthy.
"Fine," Viserys said. "For a moment, let us assume that whatever you are saying is true and I believe you, then tell me, why are you here? What offer do you have for me? Why are you here all the way from Westeros, taking such a huge risk?"
"Have a seat first, Your Grace," Varys said, gesturing toward the luxurious and comfortable cushioned chairs. "We can talk while sitting. There is no need to tire ourselves out."
Viserys took a moment before he nodded and moved to occupy his seat. Illyrio and Varys sat directly opposite him, while Daenerys sat on the chair adjacent to her brother.
"Speak, Varys," Viserys commanded, gaining his usual arrogance.
"Your Grace," Varys responded. "To be honest, I would not have connected with you at least for another year and would have allowed you to remain at Illyrio's mansion, if not for certain unexpected circumstances."
"You are talking about Rhaenys and her dragons," Viserys remarked back.
"Yes," Varys nodded. "And Lord Aeos."
Viserys furrowed his brows. "What does it have to do with him?" he questioned.
"He has a lot to do with all these things," Varys replied.
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