Chapter 30: News
Tyrion's Point of View
As we approached, I watched the Arbor come into view, its welcoming shores adorned with warships, trading galleys, and cogs nestled in the bay. The entire port sprang to life as we drew nearer.
The cacophony of loud shouts and people haggling grew more pronounced as we closed in. Daenerys didn't appreciate it, but we had to lower the sails. Just because Highgarden had declared for her didn't guarantee the rest of the Reach would follow suit.
Even now, Daenerys, Ser Jorah, and other recognizable faces remained concealed below deck. Aegon insisted he could disguise himself and join us, but that would be reckless; it only takes one spy to notice his resemblance.
The sole reason for my presence here is that I am the Hand—the strategist. I need to stay informed about current affairs. Besides, I had pulled my hood so low that my visibility was severely limited. I was eager to gauge the sentiments of other Reach cities regarding Highgarden's decision. By now, they must have heard that Queen Margaery was handed over to the Mountain, and anyone present in King's Landing witnessed the execution of Ser Loras. Their only crime was leaving the city.
Cersei must truly be mad if she killed them. They could have been valuable hostages, useful for securing allegiance, as she did with Lord Redwyne after Stannis's rebellion was crushed. Instead, she executed them. Was it out of rage or jealousy? Who knows what goes through her mind?
She never held any fondness for the Tyrells, never trusted them, perhaps because they initially sided with Renly and later with us, all in pursuit of making Mace's daughter a queen. But none of that seemed to matter once word of Daenerys spread.
I shook my head sadly as the ship finally reached port. The rest of the fleet lay just outside the bay, anchored and awaiting our return. Missandei stood to my right; she didn't engage in much conversation, at least not with me, but she was Daenerys's most trusted advisor.
Her golden-brown curls cascaded down her back, brushing against the soft blue Myrish lace dress she wore. Varys stood to my left, concealed in beggar's attire like me, albeit with a false beard.
I couldn't help but chuckle as we navigated the unsteady wooden decks, each step an uncertain venture, and the brown poles plunging deep into the bright blue water as we disembarked. The warm air gently kissed my face as we strolled through the port. I could only capture fragments of conversations, but one snippet caught my attention.
"Three dragons, silver, red, and blue—that's what the boy told the queen." I resisted the urge to snap my head up and inquire further. Instead, we pressed forward as a new wave of conversations reached our ears.
"I heard the queen sent Lord Redwyne to negotiate with him, but what are the chances he returns alive if the rumors are true?" I surged ahead of my shipmates, my head swirling as husky and rough voices enveloped me.
"King's Landing is starving, and it serves them right. What kind of fool executes the only two people who can provide food? I heard a riot broke out, and the queen is missing." A loud, hearty laugh reverberated through the air. The more whispers I heard, the more perplexed I became; they were all disjointed rumors.
I entered a tavern; the dimly lit room absorbed my field of vision as I took a seat in the far corner. Varys followed suit, and Missandei appeared to be placing drink orders on our behalf. Thank the gods for that girl.
"What have you heard?" I inquired of Varys, his voice assuming a raspy, secretive tone. I observed his eyes twinkle momentarily as if he possessed some juicy gossip he couldn't wait to share.
As we huddled around the table, a whispered conversation unfolded.
"I've heard some unsettling rumors," I began cautiously, "about starving cities, executed leverage, Lord Redwyne heading north, and, if these whispers are to be believed, a boy arrived in King's Landing raving about silver, blue, and red dragons."
I spoke the word "dragons" in a hushed tone, just as Missandei joined us at the table. Her liquid brown eyes scanned the room as she expressed her skepticism. "I thought only the dragonlords of old Valyrian blood could hatch and ride dragons."
I nodded in agreement. "That's true. Unless there's another Targaryen hidden among the people of Westeros. But with Aegon's resurrection, I can't rule anything out."
Varys chimed in with an excited, almost childlike tone. "I stopped and spoke to the shipmaster. He claims that Lord Redwyne was sent by Her Majesty the Queen to White Harbor. From there, he's supposed to persuade the northern lords to bend the knee. However, Lord Redwyne has yet to return. On the same day, the riot broke out, some say a boy rode to the capital on the back of a silver dragon, abducting someone while leaving smoldering corpses of the guards in his wake."
He continued, "It appears your sister was arrested by the Faith. Even as we speak, she's undergoing the walk of shame for the crime of adultery. In her absence, Lord Kevan has been ruling in the king's stead, and the food shortage has ended. Dragonstone was cleared out after Stannis departed for the North. They've imported food from the Westerlands and the Crownlands and sent convoys to Riverrun to gather whatever food they can spare."
I shot Varys a cold glare, not believing he could have gathered all that information from one source. He chuckled lightly but then lowered his voice as he continued, shifting his gaze from me to Missandei.
"I've also heard of this boy, the one who claims to have seen three dragons. He came from the North, his right side covered in burns that had festered until a maester tended to him. In his delirium, he spoke of three dragons attacking their army, resulting in over 2,000 northern men dead. Since then, the North has severed most connections to the South, seemingly preparing for war. However, it's unclear who they're preparing to fight, and the identity of the dragon's rider remains a mystery. It could have been nothing more than a fever dream, but the Boltons are known for their cruelty—just look at what they did to Theon Greyjoy."
The thought of suffering similar torture sent shivers down my spine. "I can't even bear to imagine," I muttered.
"Can you investigate further?" I asked, feeling a sense of unease. The story sounded familiar, as though I'd heard it before. But there were only two people with dragons in Westeros, and their dragons were not silver, blue, or red.
Varys replied, "I have been trying, but even before we left for Essos three years ago, my little birds in the North haven't been able to find a thing. It's like they aren't even trying or there is nothing to report."
Missandei, in a more even tone, added, "I heard news from a Summer Islander who was making his way back home from King's Landing. He claims that before the queen was taken, there was more meat in the city. It started just after the execution. He says that the queen was having the men and women she executed butchered and sold as meat in the city. She claimed that it came from her stores, but he insists they were nothing more than lies."
Disgust and bile filled my stomach as I resisted the urge to vomit. I gulped down a Dornish sour, feeling my head grow hazy and my stomach churn at the thought.
"There's no way she would truly do this," I muttered, "She may be mad, but this is revolting."
We all fell into silence, pondering the troubling revelations. Eventually, I broke the silence, asking, "How much of this should we tell the queen and Prince Aegon?"
Varys replied, "Rumors of dragons would only give them false hope if there are truly no more dragons out there. As for the rest, I see no harm in telling them. If we can find out what is going on in the North, we might be able to gain another kingdom to our side. At the moment, we have Dorne and Highgarden, but the Reach remains vulnerable. The North, even after its losses, still possesses a formidable fighting force. If we can make allies out of them, we will gain more power."
Missandei added, "In any case, we'll have to wait until we reach Dragonstone for more answers. For now, shall we get going? It's still a long journey to the islands."
The thought of my sister's actions weighed heavily on my mind as we departed. Dragons, a mad queen, cannibalism, and lost spies in the North—all signs of a realm in turmoil.