The scent of the supper Sansa had brought, along with a faint, lingering trace of a maiden's perfume, still hung in the air of the tower bedroom.
Lynn closed the door and turned to face his uninvited guest.
Varys, the Master of Whisperers of King's Landing, known to all as "The Spider."
The smile on his face was gentle and harmless, like that of a prosperous merchant next door. Yet the eyes hidden beneath his heavy lids were like two bottomless ancient wells, reflecting no true emotion.
"Ser Lynn."
Varys's voice was as soft as silk, jarringly at odds with his stout frame.
"You must be very tired."
He walked to the table as if he owned the place, picked up the cup Lynn had just used, and poured himself some water.
"After all, saving a Prince in the blink of an eye is no ordinary 'secret technique'."
His words carried hidden meaning.
Every syllable was a fine needle, gently pricking Lynn, trying to gauge his reaction.
Lynn said nothing, simply watching Varys perform.
He knew, of course, that from the moment he set foot in King's Landing, his every move was likely under this spider's surveillance.
But there was no need to hide from Varys.
Deliberate concealment would only pique the Spider's curiosity further.
Varys gently swirled the water in the cup, watching the ripples, and continued speaking to himself.
"My little birds sang me a truly spectacular opera today."
"A lone Direwolf from the North breaks into King's Landing."
"A pup from the North should have been the first victim under the Golden Lion's claws."
"But who could have guessed that the web carefully woven by a spider in the shadows would be torn to shreds by this wolf in just a few moves?"
"Not only that, but this wolf also saved a little stag."
Varys looked up, his smiling eyes finally meeting Lynn's directly.
"I am very curious. How did the wolf do it?"
"I don't understand what you mean, Lord Varys." Lynn smiled.
"All I know is that I saved the Prince, an assassin failed to kill the King, and then implicated the Queen."
"That is all."
"Is that so?"
Varys let out a soft chuckle.
The laughter rolled in his fleshy throat, sounding somewhat strange.
He set down the cup and tucked his hands back into his sleeves.
"My little birds told me another thing."
"His Grace the King made you a promise in the throne room."
"As long as you bring back the head of that Targaryen boy from across the Narrow Sea, he will knight you and make you a true Lord."
Varys finally revealed his dagger.
He stared intently into Lynn's eyes, seemingly trying to find even the slightest ripple in that bottomless black.
"Apart from His Grace and Lord Stark, only I—who shouldn't know—am aware of this."
"So, Ser Lynn, do you understand why I am here now?"
The air in the room seemed to solidify.
Lynn finally understood the true purpose of the Master of Whisperers' late-night visit.
He wasn't here to probe how Lynn disrupted Littlefinger's plot; he was here to save the life of a Targaryen orphan.
"You are here to stop me?"
Lynn's tone carried just the right amount of coldness.
"Stop you?"
Varys shook his head, the smile on his face widening.
"No, no, how would I dare stop the King's champion?"
"I am merely here to make a deal with you."
"A deal beneficial to us both."
He leaned in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper.
"Are you not curious who wanted Prince Joffrey dead today?"
"You don't truly believe Queen Cersei is foolish enough to send someone to assassinate her own son, do you?"
Lynn remained silent. He knew Littlefinger's plot well, but feigned ignorance.
Varys was satisfied with Lynn's reaction.
It proved Lynn was interested in the topic.
And it implied this matter was unrelated to Lynn.
It seemed he truly had saved Joffrey by chance.
"It was a mutual friend of ours, Lord Petyr Baelish."
Varys spoke softly, but the name carried a bone-chilling coldness.
"He wanted Joffrey dead to drive a wedge between House Lannister and House Stark, plunging the realm into chaos."
"And you, having disrupted his plans twice, have earned Lord Baelish's hatred."
Lynn knew what the two instances were.
Once was saving Bran, preventing the clash between Lannister and Stark.
The second was saving Joffrey, shattering Littlefinger's scheme once more.
Two moves, both destroyed by the same person.
It was too coincidental.
Littlefinger would certainly not be naive enough to think it an accident.
Lynn had prepared himself for this long ago.
"He dislikes seeing you too close to Lord Stark. So, naturally, you are on his list to be purged."
Every word Varys spoke matched the facts Lynn had seen with his Greensight.
"Why should I trust you?"
Lynn finally spoke, pretending to be completely oblivious.
"You are the King's Master of Whisperers, yet you sit idly by while the Master of Coin plots, and even try to use this secret to make a deal with me."
"Your loyalty is cheap indeed, Lord Varys."
Varys had been sold to a sorcerer as a child.
Could anyone imagine the despair of a helpless boy, castrated without the ability to resist?
Therefore, Varys did not want any commoner to endure such fear.
His every motivation was for the people and the realm.
As long as the realm did not bleed, Varys would support whoever's rule benefited the people most to sit on the Iron Throne!
It was that simple. Nothing more.
Lynn's mockery did not anger Varys.
"Loyalty?"
For the first time, the smile vanished from Varys's face.
It was replaced by a complex expression, bordering on compassion.
"My loyalty belongs only to the Realm, Ser Lynn."
"To the smallfolk who are crushed like ants in the struggles for power."
"Petyr's chaos would see the entire kingdom burn."
"As for why I allowed his previous moves, you need not know."
"But you, Ser Lynn."
"Your appearance broke the balance."
Varys put his smile back on.
"You see, I have placed my fatal weakness before you. This should sufficiently demonstrate my sincerity."
"So, in exchange..."
"You need only spare that poor girl when you cross the Narrow Sea."
"You want a knighthood, a fiefdom... I can help you with these."
"I can even help you wipe that lurking Lord Baelish off the board completely, if you wish."
"And all you need to pay is the life of an inconsequential Targaryen remnant."
"A very profitable trade, is it not?"
Lynn looked at Varys, the glint of calculation in the eunuch's eyes.
He knew, of course, that Varys wasn't protecting Viserys.
Viserys was too mad.
Varys would never support such a king.
So, the one he truly placed his hopes on was the perhaps-yet-unhatched "true dragon."
Varys had been secretly helping the siblings all along.
He feared Lynn would go mad and wipe out Daenerys as well.
And all of this was within Lynn's plan.
Or rather, their starting points were actually the same.
Lynn needed an excuse to go across the Narrow Sea to gather an army.
And Varys wanted him to spare Daenerys.
Now, Varys had personally delivered the justification right to him.
"How do I explain it to the King?"
Lynn asked in a low voice, as if weighing the pros and cons.
"His Grace wants Targaryen heads to soothe the hatred in his heart."
Varys gave the answer immediately.
"But the head must be Viserys's."
"In the Disputed Lands between Pentos and Braavos, pirates are rampant."
"One pirate lord is a woman, who happens to have silver hair."
"I imagine His Grace will not be able to tell the difference with a head bleached white by seawater."
"If you present two heads to His Grace..."
"I believe His Grace will be very pleased."
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