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S1 E15

Game of Thrones · Season 1, Episode 15

Tyrion Lannister and Varys in “Unfinished Business”

You never told me why you set me free.

Your brother asked me to.

You could've said no.

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.

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.

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.

[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.

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!

I never said you were perfect.

What is it you want, exactly?

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.

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.

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.

Good luck finding him.

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?

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