When Varys saw dead ravens floating in the sea, he knew at once the ship must halt.
The storms had not stopped, and it was with great difficulty that the ironborn managed to dock their ship on a nearby tiny island. Daenerys had ordered other ships continue their course while theirs waited behind. Viserion and Rhaegal appeared soon after, soaked and weary, while Drogon had presumably flown elsewhere. If so many people are trying to reach me in these conditions, the news can either be very good or very bad.
Within hours another raven arrived, struggling through the thunderstorm, flopping dead on the banks of the island. Before the waves could gobble it up, Varys picked up the bird, uncorked the drenched canister and read the news. He hardly registered Rhaegal crunching on the dead raven beside him, such was his attention diverted. Bad.
Varys whispered the news in his queen’s ears, unsure how she would see fit to react. The moment he was done, Daenerys spoke aloud, so that Ellaria Sand, Lady Missandei, Grey Worm and Qhono, Dany’s Dothraki lieutenant, could hear. “Lady Olenna Tyrell has been killed, and with it our alliance with Highgarden. I must apologize. Cersei Lannister has taken advantage of my lack of knowledge in war.”
Varys looked at the reactions of all. Missandei and Grey Worm were shocked, while he detected a hint of fear in Ellaria’s slits. Qhono, in an odd sort of manner, looked disappointed. However, the biggest reaction he hoped to see was from the messenger herself. Varys was uncertain where, at this revelation, the priorities of Daenerys lay, but when she spoke, her words were music. “Ellaria, I command you to sail to Dorne.”
Ellaria looked shocked. “Your Grace, I will die with my men…”
“I’m afraid you misunderstand me. Sail to Dorne with your men.”
Ellaria was about to reply, but Daenerys did not let her. “Enough. The Iron Throne is not a game. Not only have we lost an ally, but Westeros has lost innocent people. Blood must be shed only of those who deserve it, and the people of Sunspear certainly do not. In my first test of battle against a Westerosi king, I have forgotten what matters most. Not the margin of my victory, nor the size of my army, but the lives of the people I claim to protect.”
Dany’s impressive armada grew smaller as Dornish ships parted, but the opposite could be said of Varys’ respect for his queen. “Ellaria will not show it, but she is thankful,” he told her. “Placing the lives of people over this war was a very selfless act indeed.”
Whenever Varys presented Daenerys with compliments her face molded into stone, as if praise was immune to her. It was a brave face, even if Varys was certain on some level the praise had registered. However, this time Daenerys looked thoughtful and genuinely oblivious to his approval. “If it is,” she said, in response. “why I am sending good men to die in this battle?”
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