Chapter 99 – First Word of the Others
Daenerys nodded, not pressing further about the reason behind the sisters' quarrel. She trusted that Tyrion's judgment was sound.
"As for Highgarden and House Lannister…" Tyrion began, about to say that their marriage alliance was already set in stone and nearly impossible to shake.
Then he suddenly remembered that the Queen of Thorns, Olenna Tyrell, was one of the true masterminds behind King Joffrey's poisoning. Varys had already obtained this information from that mysterious benefactor—there was no reason to let it go to waste.
Seeing Tyrion stop halfway through his sentence, Daenerys looked at him in confusion. Just as she was about to ask, Tyrion abruptly said,
"Your Grace—do you know who truly orchestrated Joffrey's death?"
Daenerys had first learned of Joffrey's demise from Tyrion himself. At the time, he had only described the general events of the Purple Wedding and his own trial, never revealing who stood behind it.
When she shook her head slightly, looking puzzled, Tyrion thought to himself, Just as I suspected.
The mysterious figure hadn't told her this either.
At Tyrion's question, and seeing the look on his face, Drogon immediately realized Tyrion was once again speculating about that unseen hand. He promptly put on an innocent expression, pretending to know nothing.
Tyrion made no further attempt to read anything from a dragon's face and instead explained to Daenerys,
"It was Olenna Tyrell, the Queen of Thorns of Highgarden, working in concert with Petyr Baelish—Littlefinger, the Master of Coin—who poisoned Joffrey. Sansa Stark, daughter of the Lord of Winterfell, was also involved, though she likely had no idea what she was truly part of."
When Tyrion finished, Daenerys's violet eyes widened slightly. She hadn't expected Joffrey's death to be so intricately entangled.
Curious despite herself, she asked,
"Do you know how they carried out the poisoning?"
The moment the words left her mouth, she realized the awkwardness of the question. Tyrion had been the chief victim of the Purple Wedding's aftermath—and the murdered king had been his own nephew.
But the question was already asked. All she could do was wait, faintly embarrassed.
Tyrion noticed her discomfort but didn't mind in the least.
He felt no affection for that monstrous nephew of his, and the suffering he endured after the Purple Wedding was long behind him. Calmly, he gave Daenerys a concise account of the events leading up to the wedding, how the poison was administered, and how the blame was ultimately placed upon him.
Although Tyrion had never heard the exact details of the poisoning from Varys, he understood the general sequence of events well enough. Explaining it to Daenerys posed no difficulty at all.
When Tyrion finished, Daenerys raised another question.
"Why did they want Joffrey dead?"
Regicide was the gravest of crimes. Daenerys couldn't understand what could have driven Olenna Tyrell and Petyr Baelish to take such a risk—or what they hoped to gain from it.
"Olenna likely wanted to prevent her granddaughter from marrying Joffrey," Tyrion replied calmly. "Compared to him, Tommen is far kinder—and younger, which makes him far easier for the Little Rose, Margaery, to influence."
"As for Littlefinger… Petyr Baelish is a man whose motives are notoriously difficult to grasp. Even now, I can't say for certain what he hoped to gain from Joffrey's death."
Tyrion held nothing back, sharing the conclusions he and Varys had previously reached.
Littlefinger is nothing but a professional chaos-stirrer, Drogon thought to himself.
Daenerys wasn't surprised that Drogon knew of Petyr Baelish. In her eyes, the black dragon had long since become an all-knowing creature—one that seemed capable of seeing both past and future.
As Tyrion finished his analysis, a new thought crossed Daenerys's mind.
Such a secretive assassination—how had Tyrion learned the truth?
And it must have been after his trial by combat. Otherwise, he would have revealed the masterminds long ago to save himself.
After a moment's consideration, Daenerys swallowed the question. It clearly involved secrets Tyrion might not wish to share, and even as queen, she had no right to press him.
Then another idea surfaced.
If this information were quietly passed to Cersei…
She would never ally with those who murdered her son. Highgarden would be forced to seek a new partner—and that might be my opening.
Just as the thought formed, Daenerys realized something else.
If even she could think of this, Tyrion certainly had already considered it.
Seeing the shifting expressions on Daenerys's face, Tyrion guessed her thoughts precisely. Before she could speak, he said,
"These secrets were uncovered by Varys. He will decide how—or whether—to use them."
"If we rashly reveal the truth to my sister Cersei, she would execute the Queen of Thorns and the Little Rose without hesitation, then march on Highgarden. We would gain nothing—and only strengthen King's Landing."
"Threatening Highgarden with this information is no wiser. From Olenna's perspective, there is no ally stronger than the Iron Throne."
"And even if she wished to abandon the marriage alliance, Cersei would never allow Highgarden to humiliate the crown so openly—not with my uncle Kevan Lannister still alive. His authority alone ensures the alliance will not be discarded."
"As for alternative allies, Stannis was defeated at King's Landing and is barely clinging to survival. He would hardly impress the Queen of Thorns."
"So how to use that information… Varys has surely already decided."
Listening to Tyrion, Drogon felt his head begin to ache.
Thank the gods I handed all this to Varys, he thought. If I had to deal with this mess myself, I'd have been crushed under it.
Daenerys, too, sat with her lips slightly parted. Politics of this depth were far beyond her instincts, and she couldn't help but admire the minds of Tyrion and Varys alike.
At the same time, a trace of regret surfaced.
Bound to Slaver's Bay, she could only watch as a potentially powerful ally slipped through her fingers.
"What about the other houses?" Daenerys asked, pressing on.
"Stannis will never be our ally," Tyrion replied firmly. "He will not abandon his claim to the Iron Throne. He's left Dragonstone with his fleet, though no one knows where he's gone."
"The Iron Islands are now ruled by Euron Greyjoy, Balon's brother. I know little about him—only that he captained the Silence and cut out the tongues of every crewman so the ship would truly live up to its name."
"The Ironborn live by the words We Do Not Sow. He is not the sort of ally one can trust."
"If you set foot in Westeros," Tyrion continued, "you may also face two powerful—and unexpected—enemies."
"The wildlings… and the Others."
"The wildlings? The Others?" Daenerys echoed, startled. "I haven't even found an ally yet, and now you tell me I have two enemies I've never even heard of?"
"The wildlings are humans who live beyond the Wall," Tyrion explained. "As for the Others… I only heard of them during my time at the Wall. The Night's Watch claims they are the dead, risen again—and nearly impossible to kill."
Daenerys had never imagined that humans still lived beyond the Wall in the far north of Westeros.
And the idea of the dead returning to life was something she had never encountered before. It inevitably reminded her of the Undying Ones and their grotesque, swollen heart.
Could the Others be something similar, she wondered, another twisted, unnatural existence like warlocks or the Undying?