You never told me why you set me free.
VarysYour brother asked me to.
Varys
Refuse the Kingslayer? A dangerous proposition.
Not as dangerous as releasing me. You risked your life, your position, everything. Why? You're not family, you owe me nothing.
Varys
I didn't do it for you. I did it for the Seven Kingdoms.
A drunken dwarf will never be the savior of the Seven Kingdoms.
Varys
I don't believe in saviors. I believe men of talent have a part to play in the wars to come.
You're going to have to find another soldier. I'm done with Westeros, and Westeros is done with me.
Varys
[rolls his eyes] You have many admirable qualities. Self-pity is not one of them. Any fool with a bit of luck can find himself born into power, but earning it for yourself? That takes work.
I'm not well-suited for work.
Varys
I think you are. You have your father's instincts for politics and you have compassion.
Compassion? Yes, I killed my lover with my bare hands, I shot my own father with a crossbow!
Varys
I never said you were perfect.
What is it you want, exactly?
Varys
Peace, prosperity. A land where the powerful do not prey on the powerless.
Where the castles are made of gingerbread and the moats are filled with blackberry wine? The powerful have always preyed on the powerless. That's how they became powerful in the first place.
Varys
Perhaps, and perhaps we've grown so accustomed to horror, we assume there's no other way. [Tyrion drinks] If you sat on the Iron Throne, would you spread misery throughout the land?
I will never sit on the Iron Throne.
Varys
No, you won't, but you could help another climb those steps, and take that seat. [pause] The Seven Kingdoms need someone stronger than Tommen, but gentler than Stannis. A monarch who can intimidate the high Lords, and inspire the people. A ruler loved by millions, with a powerful army and the right family name.
Varys
Who said anything about him? You have a choice, my friend. You can stay here at Illyrio's palace and drink yourself to death. Or you can ride with me to Meereen, meet Daenerys Targaryen, and decide if the world is worth fighting for.
Can I drink myself to death on the way to Meereen?
The last time a Tyrell came to Dorne, he was assassinated. A hundred red scorpions, was it?
You have nothing to fear from us, Lady Olenna.
You murder your own Prince, but you expect me to trust you?
We invited you to Dorne because we needed your help. You came to Dorne because you needed our help.
What is your name, again? Barbero?
Obara. You look like an angry little boy, don't presume to tell me what I need.
Forgive my sister. What she lacks in diplomacy, she makes––
Do shut up, dear. [Glances at Tyene] Anything from you? No? Good. Let the grown women speak.
The Lannisters have declared war on House Tyrell. They have declared war on Dorne. We must be allies now, if we wish to survive.
Cersei stole the future from me. She killed my son, she killed my grandson, she killed my granddaughter. Survival is not what I'm after, now.
You're absolutely right. I chose the wrong words. It is not survival I offer, it is your heart's desire.
And what is my "heart's desire?"
[Varys enters]
Varys
Fire and Blood.
You served my father, didn't you, Lord Varys?
Varys
I did.
And then you served the man who overthrew him?
Varys
I had a choice, Your Grace. Serve Robert Baratheon, or face the headsman's ax.
But you didn't serve him long. You turned against him.
Varys
Robert was an improvement on your father, to be sure. There have been few rulers in history as cruel as the Mad King. Robert was neither mad nor cruel; he simply had no interest in being King.
So, you took it upon yourself to find a better one?
Your Grace, when I was ready to drink myself into a small coffin, Lord Varys told me about a queen in the East...
Before I came to power, you favored my brother. All your spies, your little birds, did they tell you Viserys was cruel, stupid and weak? Would those qualities have made for a good King, in your learned opinion?
Varys
Until your marriage to Khal Drogo, Your Grace, I knew nothing about you, save your existence and that you were said to be beautiful.
So, you and your friends traded me, like a prize horse, to the Dothraki?
Varys
Which you turned to your advantage.
Who gave the order to kill me?
Varys
King Robert.
Who hired the assassins? Who sent word to Essos to murder Daenerys Targaryen?
Varys
Your Grace, I did what had to be done...
Lord Varys has proven himself a loyal servant.
"Proven himself loyal?" Quite the opposite. If he dislikes one monarch, he conspires to crown the next one. What kind of a servant is that?
Varys
The kind the Realm needs. Incompetence should not be rewarded with blind loyalty. As long as I have my eyes, I'll use them. I wasn't born into a Great House. I came from nothing. I was sold as a slave, and carved up as an offering. When I was a child I lived in alleys, gutters, abandoned houses. You wish to know where my loyalties lie? Not with any King or Queen, but with the people. The people who suffer under despots and prosper under just rule. The people whose hearts you aim to win! If you demand blind allegiance... I respect your wishes. Grey Worm can behead me, or your dragons can devour me. But if you let me live, I will serve you well; I will dedicate myself to seeing you on the Iron Throne, because I choose you. Because I know that the people have no better chance than you.
Swear this to me, Varys. If you ever think I'm failing the people, you won't conspire behind my back. You'll look me in the eye, as you have done today, and you'll tell me how I am failing them.
Varys
I swear it, my Queen.
And I swear this: if you ever betray me, I'll burn you alive.
Varys
[smiles] I would expect nothing less from the Mother of Dragons.
[Tyrion and Varys talk over the battle's aftermath at Dragonstone]
All rulers demand people bend the knee; it's why they're rulers. She gave Tarly a choice. A man who had taken up arms against her. What else could she do?
Varys
Not burn him alive alongside his son?
I am her Hand, not her head. I can't make her decisions for her.
Varys
That's what I used to tell myself about her father. I found the traitors, but I wasn't the one burning them alive. I was only a purveyor of information. It's what I told myself when I watched them beg for mercy. "I'm not the one doing it". And the pitch of their screams rose higher..."I'm not the one doing it". When their hair caught fire and the smell of their burning flesh filled the throne room, "I'm not the one doing it".
Daenerys is not her father.
Varys
And she never will be...with the right counsel. You need to find a way to make her listen.
I thought Arya was dead. I thought Bran was dead.
I'm happy for you. You don't look happy.
Bran saw the Night King and his army marching towards Eastwatch. If they make it past the Wall...
Varys
The Wall has kept them out for thousands of years, presumably.
You said you don't have enough men.
We'll fight with the men we have, unless you'll join us.
And give the country to Cersei? As soon as I march away, she marches in.
Perhaps not. Cersei thinks the army of the dead is nothing but a story, made up by wet nurses to frighten children. What if we prove her wrong?
I don't think she'll come see the dead at my invitation!
So bring the dead to her.
I thought that was what we were trying to avoid.
We don't have to bring the whole army; only one soldier.
The first wight I ever saw was brought back into Castle Black from beyond the Wall.
Bring one of these things down to King's Landing and show her the truth.
Varys
Anything you bring back will be useless unless Cersei grants us an audience and is somehow convinced not to murder us the moment we set foot in the capital!
The only person she listens to is Jaime. He might listen to me.
And how would you get into King's Landing? [everyone looks at Davos]
I can smuggle you in, but if the Gold Cloaks were to recognise you, I'm warning you, I'm not a fighter.
Well, it'll all be for nothing if we don't have one of these dead men.
Varys
Fair point. How do you propose to find one?
With the Queen's permission, I'll go north and take one. [Daenerys looks round at him] You asked me to find a cure so I could serve you. Allow me to serve you.
The Free Folk'll help us. They know the real north better than anyone.
They won't follow Ser Jorah.
You can't lead a raid beyond the Wall! You're not in the Night's Watch anymore; you're King in the North!
I'm the only one here who's fought them. I'm the only one here who knows them.
I haven't given you permission to leave.
With respect, Your Grace, I don't need your permission: I am a King! Now I came here, knowing that you could have your men behead me or your dragons burn me alive. I put my trust in you, a stranger, because I knew it was the best chance for my people—for all our people. Now I'm asking you to trust in a stranger, because it's our best chance.
[Tyrion, Varys and Davos observe more Northerners arriving at Winterfell]
Varys
The Karstarks.
One of the better sigils. Beats an onion, anyway.
Can't argue with that. [they walk away] Not so long ago, the Starks and the Karstarks were slaughtering each other on the battlefield. Jon Snow brought peace to their Houses-
And our Queen is grateful.
Her gratitude is lovely, but that's not my point. The Northmen are loyal to Jon Snow, not to her. They don't know her. The Free Folk don't know her. I've been up here a while, and I'm telling you, they're stubborn as goats. You want their loyalty? You have to earn it.
I sense that you're leading to a proposal.
A proposal is what I'm proposing. On the off-chance that we survive the Night King...what if the Seven Kingdoms, for once in their whole shit history, were ruled by a just woman, and an honorable man?
[Tyrion and Varys follow his gaze to Jon and Daenerys, who are talking together arm-in-arm.]
They do make a handsome couple.
Varys
You overestimate our influence. Jon and Daenerys don't want to listen to lonely old men.
I'm not that old. [glances at Davos] Well, I'm not as old as him. [Davos smirks] Our Queen respects the wisdom of age.
Varys
Of course she does. Respect is how the young keep us at a distance, so we don't remind them of an unpleasant truth.
Varys
... Nothing lasts.
Varys
At least we're already in a crypt.
If we were up there, we might see something everyone else is missing. Something that makes a difference. [Varys scoffs] What? Remember the Battle of the Blackwater? I brought us through the Mud-Gate.
Varys
And got your face cut in half-
And it made a difference. If I was out there, right now-
You'd die. [Tyrion turns toward her] There's nothing you can do.
You might be surprised at the lengths I'd go to avoid joining the Army of the Dead. I can think of no organization less suited to my talents.
Witty remarks won't make a difference. That's why we're down here; none of us can do anything. It's the truth. It's the most heroic thing we can do, now: look the truth in the face.
...Maybe we should've stayed married.
[smiles] You were the best of them.
What a ...terrifying thought!
[smiles briefly] It wouldn't work between us.
The Dragon Queen. Your divided loyalties would become a problem.
[sarcastically] Yes, without the Dragon Queen there'd be no problem at all. We'd all be dead already.
[on the Unsullied] Half are gone.
Varys
And the Golden Company has arrived in King's Landing, courtesy of the Greyjoy Fleet. The balance has become... distressingly even.
When the people find out what we have done for them, how we saved them-
Cersei will make sure they don't believe it. We will hit her hard. We will rip her out, root and stem.
The objective here is to remove Cersei, without destroying King's Landing.
Varys
Thankfully, she's losing allies by the day. Yara Greyjoy has retaken the Iron Islands in her Queen's name. The new Prince of Dorne pledges his support.
No matter how many Lords turn against her, as long as she sits on the Iron Throne, she can call herself Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. We need the capital.
I watched the people of King's Landing rebel against their King when they were hungry, and that was before winter began. Give them the opportunity, and they will cast Cersei aside.
We'll surround the city. If the Iron Fleet tries to ferry in more food, the dragons will destroy them. If the Lannisters and the Golden Company attack, we'll defeat them in the field.
Once the people see that Cersei is our only enemy, her reign is over.
The men we have left are exhausted. Many of them are wounded. They'll fight better if they have time to rest and recuperate.
I can't say for certain, not without talking to the officers.
I came north to fight alongside you, at great cost to my armies and myself. Now that the time has come to reciprocate, you want to postpone.
It's not just our people, it's yours! You want to throw them into a war they're not ready to fight?
The longer I leave my enemies alone, the stronger they become.
[firmly] The Northern forces will honor their promises, and their allegiance to the Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. What you command, we will obey.
So. If all are in agreement... Jon and Ser Davos will ride down the Kingsroad with the Northern troops and the bulk of the remaining Dothraki and Unsullied. A smaller group of us will ride to White Harbor, and sail from there to Dragonstone, with our Queen and her dragons accompanying us from above. Ser Jaime has chosen to remain here, as a quest of the Lady of Winterfell.
[locking eyes with Sansa] We have won the Great War. Now, we will win the last war. In all Seven Kingdoms, men will live without fear and cruelty... under their rightful Queen.
Think of the past twenty years. The war, the murder, the misery...all of it because Robert Baratheon loved someone who didn't love him back.
Varys
How many others know?
Varys
Then it's not a secret anymore. It's information. If a handful of people know now, hundreds will soon, and then what happens?
She loses the North. She loses the Vale, Sansa will make sure of that.
Varys
[nods] It's worse than that. He has the better claim to the throne.
He doesn't want the throne.
Varys
I'm not sure it matters what he wants The fact is people are drawn to him; wildlings, northmen. He's a war hero.
He loves our queen...and she loves him. If we marry them, they could rule together-
Varys
She's his aunt.
That never stopped a Targaryen before.
Varys
No, but Jon grew up in Winterfell. Is marrying your aunt common in the north? You know our queen better than I do. Do you think she wants to share the throne? She doesn't like to have her authority questioned-
Something she has in common with every monarch who ever lived.
Varys
I worry about her state of mind.
We're advisors to the queen. Worrying about her state of mind is our job. We still have to take King's Landing. Maybe Cersei will win and kills us all. That would solve all our problems.
Varys
I have served tyrants most of my life. They all talk about destiny.
She's a girl who walked into a fire with three stones and walked out with three dragons. How could she not believe in destiny?
Varys
Perhaps that's the problem. Her life has convinced her that she was sent here to save us all.
And how do you know she wasn't?
Varys
[shrugs] Then, there's the problem of Jon Snow. Perhaps, it's actually a solution. You know them both. Tell me, who do you think would make a better ruler?
He doesn't want the throne. That's why he bent the knee.
Varys
Have you considered the best ruler might be someone who doesn't want to rule?
We're discussing treason.
Varys
Don't pretend you haven't thought about it.
Of course I've thought about it; thoughts aren't treason!
Varys
He's temperate, and measured. He's a man. [Tyrion winces] Which makes him more appealing to the Lords of Westeros, whose support we are going to need.
Joffrey was a man. I don't think a cock is a true qualification, as I'm sure you'd agree.
Varys
And, he's the heir to the throne. Yes, because he's a man; cocks are important, I'm afraid.
What about my earlier proposal? They could rule together as King and Queen.
Varys
She's too strong for him. She'd bend him to her will, as she already has.
He could temper her worst impulses.
Varys
As you have? [pause] You're drinking quite a lot. A Targaryen father and a Stark mother. Jon's the one man alive who might actually be able to keep the North in the Seven Kingdoms.
How many Kings and Queens have you served? Five? Six? I've lost count.
Varys
You've always known my reasons.
At a certain point, you choose a person you believe in, and you fight for that person.
Varys
Even if you know it's a mistake?
I believe in our Queen. She'll make the right choice. With the help of her loyal advisors.
Varys
You know where my loyalty stands. You know I will never betray the Realm.
What is the "Realm?!" A vast continent, home to millions of people, most of whom don't care who sits on the Iron Throne!
Varys
Millions of people, many of whom will die if the wrong person sits on that throne! We don't know their names, but they're just as real as you and I. They deserve to live. They deserve food for their children. [pause] I will act in their interest, no matter the personal cost.
So what happens to her? [Varys stares at him grimly, Tyrion shakes his head] Please. Don't.
Varys
I've spoken as honestly as I can. Each of us has a choice to make. I pray we choose wisely.
Varys
The Northern Armies?
Just crossed the Trident. They'll be at the gates of King's Landing in two days. [pause] How is she?
Varys
She hasn't seen anyone since we returned. Hasn't left her chambers, hasn't accepted any food.
Varys
You're worried for her. I admire your empathy.
Aren't you worried for her?
Varys
I'm worried for all of us. They say "every time a Targaryen is born, the Gods flip a coin, and the world holds its' breath."
We're not much for riddles, where I'm from.
Varys
We both know what she's about to do.
That's her decision to make. She is our Queen.
Varys
Men decide where power resides, whether or not they know it.
Varys
All I've ever wanted. The right ruler on the Iron Throne. I still don't know how her coin has landed... but, I'm quite certain about yours.
I don't want it. I never have.
Varys
I have known more Kings and Queens than any man living. I've heard what they say to crowds, and seen what they do in shadows. I have furthered their designs, however horrible. But what I tell you now, is true: you will rule wisely and well, while she-
Game of Thrones · 356 quotes
