It had been a day since Varys had arrived at Illyrio's mansion in Pentos, and since then, he had avoided encountering Viserys and Daenerys. He was staying in a separate section of the Illyrio's massive estate. Though the siblings knew a high profile and important guest had arrived at the manor, they remained unaware of his identity.
Varys knew that eting Viserys would be no simple feat. Though he would be hesitant to admit it, he was actually dreading the upcoming encounter. He was well aware that Viserys was an irrational, impractical, absurd and nonsensical man, almost bordering on a lunatic.
It was a grueling task to convince him of any idea that did not originate in his own mind. He thought himself to be a great thinker, intellectual and a born king.
However, Varys was a master of subtle manipulation. He knew how to plant a seed in a man's head and make him believe the resulting thought was entirely his own.
"Who is this special guest, Illyrio?" Viserys questioned, the usual mask of arrogance plastered on his face as the Magister led him toward Varys's quarters.
Daenerys was walking a few paces behind them, followed by a small retinue of servants.
After a day of patience, Varys had finally decided it was ti to et the two Targaryen exiles. Illyrio had not revealed the identity of the guest they were being led to et.
"You will know soon enough, Your Grace," Illyrio replied with a flattering smile. "And I promise, you will be surprised to see the man."
Viserys did not say anything but narrowed his eyes, wondering who this important guest could be.
For quite so ti, Illyrio had been stuck dealing with Viserys alone. And he had beco frustrated and irritated and tired of answering Visery's stupid questions.
Now, he was filled with a sense of intrigue and anticipation. He would never admit it, but he was curious to see how Varys, usually the portrait of calm and composure, would handle a man whose outrageous demands and delusions could make a person's blood boil and leave them frustrated from the inside out. And every ti he thought about it, a wicked smirk instinctively appeared on his face.
Varys was sitting and waiting for Illyrio and the siblings inside a massive hall in his section of Illyrio's mansion. The door of the hall was pushed open by the two guards present outside the hall, and the two n leading the entourage stepped inside the room. Illyrio and Viserys.
Illyrio had that anticipating and intriguing smirk on his face as he awaited Viserys' encounter with Varys. And it happened.
Viserys' eyes widened in shock as he spotted the man sitting on the chair in front of him.
It had been years since he had last seen the man, but he did not even need an instant to recognize him. Had it been soone else, he might have taken a couple of monts. But not Varys.
He looked just as Viserys had seen the man years ago, barring the extra weight he had put on. The sa smile, the sa expressionless face. The sa snake-like eyes. And the sa feeling of distrust that he induced by his re presence. Viserys rembered everything so clearly.
But most importantly, what made it possible for Viserys to recognize the Spider in that split mont was his characteristic bald head.
"Varys?" Viserys mumbled, pure shock and surprise mixed in his voice. "What are you doing here?"
He did not even wait for Varys to respond as he imdiately turned toward Illyrio.
"Illyrio," he snapped, his shock now overtaken by rage, and he was almost on the verge of trembling from anger.
"What is the aning of this?" he questioned, his loud voice echoing across the hall. "What is this traitor doing here? Did you bring here to et this traitor?"
"Are you trying to betray ?" he asked. "Have this eunuch arrested and placed in a cellar right now. I will have him executed."
"Do as I say!" he bood.
Illyrio remained quiet and expressionless, but inwardly he sighed in frustration and in helplessness.
This was the delusion of grandeur Viserys was harbouring. He did not have a single man under his command, did not have a single coin in his purse, and he himself was not even comparable to a squire of knight in combat and did not have a single person even willing to take him in and yet he believed that he could order a Magister of Pentos. Such was the delusion and false arrogance of Viserys.
Daenerys, behind her brother, was also observing everything with great quiet. She obviously did not recognize the man. She had never seen him.
But she knew the na. Varys. The Spider. The Master of Spies on Robert Baratheon's small council who had also served her father. Unlike her brother, she was under no grand delusions.
She, in those few short monts, had already analyzed all the possibilities, and there were only two she could see as of now.
The first possibility, and what felt more viable to Daenerys, was that Illyrio had most probably sold them to Robert Baratheon for a price.
That whatever Viserys had promised Illyrio in the future, Robert could grant in the present itself.
And the second possibility, which seed less likely, was that Varys was here to grant them so kind of deal.
No one moved at Viserys' command. He looked around himself in great confusion, wondering why none of the servants were moving at his order.
Varys remained quiet until he finally looked at Illyrio and nodded. Illyrio got the signal and finally nodded toward his servants. They scurried and imdiately walked away from the hall, leaving Viserys to look over his shoulder as the last of the servants departed. Only four people remained in the hall. Viserys, Daenerys, Illyrio, and Varys himself.
As brain-dead as he was, Viserys did not pick up on anything from the silent conversation between Illyrio and Varys. But Daenerys was not dumb.
She, in that mont, picked up that between the two, Varys was the one with more power and influence. And as the soldiers vanished from the room and the doors were shut behind their backs, Daenerys felt that the probability of the second possibility was turning higher.
"Illyrio," Viserys snapped. "What are you doing?"
"Why are you not arresting this traitor?" he growled.
Illyrio again did not reply, but this ti Varys moved. He stood up from his seat and approached Viserys.
"Your Grace," Varys said, "I am not a traitor."
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