Just a few days ago, Aegor's little plan had been to sit back and watch the gods fight, picking up a few tricks and methods for manipulating others along the way. But now, he suddenly realized that peacefully enjoying the show was a pipe dream, and the means and skills of being a troublemaker were not something he wanted to learn or master.
...
"Once and for all?" Petyr was caught off guard by Aegor's sudden bluntness, stunned for half a second before shaking his head with a bitter smile. "Yes, physically eliminating an opponent is the safest way to win. How could I not have thought of it? But Varys has no particular hobbies, no fixed habits, no exploitable routines or activities. If you strip away analysis and speculation, he's practically... no, he is a saint. A man without typical human weaknesses, who always acts without leaving a trace or flaw, is like a porcupine covered in quills. You can't even get a bite in, let alone do something 'once and for all.'"
"Even a porcupine has a soft belly. Flip it over, and its quills are useless," Aegor sneered, unimpressed. "He's just a man of flesh and blood. He doesn't have wings. If you truly set your mind to it, how could there not be a way to deal with him?"
Petyr opened his mouth, then immediately understood what Aegor was getting at.
For a player of the game, there are only two ways to eliminate an opponent: "forcing them to death through political means" or "sending assassins." But for someone with military power, there's a third path—one that can absolutely achieve the goal: using force.
The Gift Army held firm control over Winterfell, and Varys was just a man inside these castle walls. If Aegor was willing to risk everything and charge in, killing him would not be difficult.
But that was only a pleasant thought. Actually doing it would be madness.
"Don't do anything reckless!" Petyr's expression changed. He warned seriously, "The Spider is still the Spider. Whether you can kill him is one thing, but whether you can bear the consequences of killing him is another. No matter how we analyze it, or how sure we are that Varys is a traitor, in the Queen's eyes, he's still a shrewd and capable Master of Whisperers. Unless you can produce ironclad proof of his treachery, no matter how many troops you have, no matter your position or influence as Her Grace's trusted confidant, she absolutely won't tolerate that kind of insubordination. Killing him would be easy for you, but afterward, unless you also plan to kill the Queen's Unsullied and her two dragons, you'll be buried with that eunuch in short order. Wait, you..."
Petyr suddenly choked on his words, and the hair on his arms stood on end.
He realized, to his horror, that if Aegor was truly blinded by rage, then relying on the Gift Army, he really might be capable of killing Varys—and dealing with the consequences.
But that was not good news.
Once this man acted out of impulse and killed Varys, and then, for self-preservation, began to consider holding the Queen hostage and turning her into a puppet, then on the list of people to eliminate, after the dragons and the Unsullied, he, Petyr Baelish, would surely be next.
A puppet Queen has no need for a Hand of the Queen.
The situation had become absurd. Though he and the eunuch were mortal enemies, Petyr was still the Queen's Hand, not Aegor's. He now had to try and talk down his ally, to protect the life of his political enemy.
Swallowing hard, Petyr forced down his unease and continued as if nothing had happened. "That's right, you can bear the consequences of killing him, but don't forget, being able to bear the cost and whether it's worth the cost are two entirely different matters. Daenerys may appear gentle, but she has a fierce temper. In the South, she has tens of thousands of Unsullied and the full loyalty of a Free Company. Are you sure you can control her? With the Gift Army and the Meereenese army eyeing each other with distrust, how can the Seven Kingdoms ever be united?"
Pressed, Petyr even abandoned protocol, calling her by name instead of "the Queen" or "Your Grace." In that moment, he had secretly decided: if Aegor was truly going to act, he would immediately switch sides and pretend to join in the planning against Daenerys—first to save himself, then worry about the future.
...
Aegor sensed Littlefinger's shifting emotions and cursed himself inwardly.
Petyr was right.
If something looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it's a duck.
By the same logic—if something looks like rebellion, is done like rebellion, and ultimately brings about the results of rebellion, then it is rebellion.
In the adult world, "clearing out those around the monarch" is still rebellion. At best, it's a polite euphemism. Any subject with the power to remove those close to the monarch will eventually have the power to remove the monarch as well. Killing Varys and then telling Daenerys, "I did this for your sake," was something only a fool would believe would work.
In the heat of the moment, Aegor had indeed considered launching a coup, killing Varys, and then going on to deal with the Unsullied and the dragons, eventually sidelining Daenerys and holding her as a puppet—"seizing the Queen to command the realm." But now, the cold wind blew, and he realized it was foolish.
This Queen was far more intelligent and politically astute than he had imagined. In the South, she still had an army with numbers, quality, and loyalty on her side. Both physically and mentally, she was absolutely not someone who could be toyed with. Most crucially, she was still only at the starting line of her conquest, far from the finish line of becoming Empress. The idea of turning her into a puppet, when she hadn't yet secured recognition across Westeros, was only marginally better than declaring himself King outright—and even worse than propping up Joffrey.
He had wanted to change the status quo because he was sick of the infighting between Petyr and Varys, but if he acted out such a grand drama, he would only plunge himself into even deeper conflict.
After a quick weighing of pros and cons, Aegor abandoned the idea.
However, while the plan to flip the table was dismissed, the killing intent in his heart had not diminished. It was not just out of personal animosity and dislike, but also from a place of rational caution. As a former reader and viewer with a god's-eye view, Aegor knew Varys's true nature. The eunuch was not merely a powerless manipulator behind the scenes, but a ruthless and decisive player capable of cold-blooded action.
In the original story, after Cersei had been imprisoned, humiliated, and paraded through the streets, her uncle Kevan Lannister had stepped in as Regent. He cleaned up her mess, courted the Tyrells, and was just about to stabilize young Tommen's rule—when it was none other than that harmless-seeming eunuch, always speaking of the realm and the people, who crept into the Red Keep through a secret passage and shot him dead with a crossbow.
That single act not only shattered the fragile alliance between the Lannisters and Tyrells but also destroyed the last check on Cersei's madness, dooming House Lannister to collapse and clearing the path for Aegon's restoration.
Now, Tywin and his brother were still alive, safely holed up in Casterly Rock, and he stood in the way of Aegon's claim to the throne.
Aegor suddenly realized something he should have considered long ago. If even a second-tier player like himself was now seriously contemplating how to remove Varys, then that man—who was even more ruthless than him—had likely already written his name down as a target. Maybe even begun laying plans.
And even if he hadn't before, he certainly had now, after Aegor had publicly confronted him and torn off all pretense.
The thought made Aegor's heart pound.
There might not be secret passages under Winterfell, and his security arrangements were far tighter than anything Kevan Lannister ever had. But no defense was perfect. And none could ever fully erase the horror of being hunted by a spider.
There was only one way to get rid of that fear—strike first and eliminate the entire threat before it could be enacted.
The question now was, was there a way to eliminate Varys without turning Daenerys against him? Could he truly "clear the monarch's side" without being seen as a threat by the monarch herself?
...
"People aren't machines. Everyone makes mistakes. It's just a matter of catching one," Aegor said, his tone calm. "Lord Hand, rest assured. I won't act rashly while still in Winterfell. However... if I find an opportunity in the future, I will deal with that snake in my own way."
The fire of rage had been quenched by fear. While thinking rapidly, Aegor composed himself and spoke to ease Petyr's nerves. "Out of respect, I will inform you ahead of time. As for now... I haven't even finished my breakfast. Please excuse me."
Feigning lingering anger and annoyance from the lecture, Aegor offered a brief farewell and turned to head back to his quarters with his guards in tow. Once they were far enough away that they couldn't be overheard, he gave a quiet command without looking back. "Bring Maester Qyburn and Lady Melisandre to my room. No one else."
He had a vague but bold idea. All he needed was confirmation from the professionals. Once the details were finalized, the plan could be set in motion. The reason he didn't tell Petyr was simple. After simulating the outcomes, Aegor had drawn a conclusion.
He had partnered with Littlefinger because he needed a shield to absorb the enemy's fire. But once the eunuch was gone, the "anti-Varys alliance" would cease to exist. And at that point...
Aegor's brow twitched. His eyes narrowed sharply.
Just a second ago, he had been thinking he should begin guarding against Littlefinger as his next enemy.
But in a flash of inspiration, a thought surfaced that startled even him.
There was, in fact, a real "once and for all" solution in front of him.
(To be continued.)
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