Watching Davos's wyvern disappear into the distance, Arianne tilted her head and asked skeptically, "Are you really planning to swear allegiance to Stannis?"
The dwarf glanced around, saw quite a few people nearby, and deliberately "lowered" his voice while actually making it louder: "Stannis has a two-headed dragon, and my dear sister has clearly split from me. Surrendering in exchange for a ducal title isn't a bad deal."
He seemed to be speaking in a hushed tone, yet his voice was so loud that everyone nearby heard it.
"Stop pretending!" Seeing his act, Arianne instead guessed something.
The dwarf pulled her back to the Spice Inn. "Have you noticed that in Westeros, not only are kings dying one after another, but even the great ducal houses are declining rapidly?"
Arianne froze for a moment, then nodded and sighed. "Indeed. First the Starks of the North, then the Tullys of the Riverlands, followed by the Arryns of the Vale, the Tyrells of the Reach, and the Baratheons of the Stormlands. Even the Lannisters have suffered heavy losses.
The Starks' sudden full recovery is a miracle. Other houses aren't so lucky.
If you think about it, among the Seven Kingdoms, only Dorne has remained intact. Now I finally understand my father's painstaking care and wisdom."
"Your father is cautious and seeks stability, a typical ruler who preserves what he has. In other times, he would surely regret missing so many opportunities.
But Westeros has been undergoing unprecedented upheaval in the past decade. Every 'opportunity' eventually turned into a 'crisis,' and hesitation instead became an advantage.
Do less, make fewer mistakes. Do nothing, make no mistakes. Fight less, lose less. Don't fight, lose nothing.
Dorne got incredibly lucky. It did nothing, yet managed to avoid most of the mess," Tyrion said with a sneer.
Arianne jabbed Tyrion in the shoulder and laughed. "Just a few days ago, at the Water Gardens, you were praising my father to his face, saying he was profoundly wise and deeply calculating."
In truth, she agreed with the dwarf's view.
Prince Doran had not hidden his thoughts from his eldest daughter, so Arianne understood that her father was not devoid of desire.
He had deep ambitions: revenge, and to seize a great deal of power in the game of thrones.
If he truly had no desire for power, he would not have signed the sacred marriage pact between "Arianne and Viserys" with Willem Darry over a decade ago; he would not have been restless when Renly raised his banners; he would not have deliberately sent his eldest son Quentyn to Slaver's Bay; nor would he have joined King Aegon's "True Dragon Alliance."
"Speaking appropriately to each person is my basic talent. Besides, I want something from my future father-in-law, so of course I have to flatter him sweetly until he's dizzy enough to agree to my request."
Tyrion pulled Arianne into his arms, stood on tiptoe, and leaned toward her cheek.
The Sand Snakes and the others following behind only exchanged knowing smiles. They stopped outside the private room and turned toward an empty table in the hall.
"Too bad your flattery wasn't sweet enough." Tyrion's handsome face at that moment made it impossible for Arianne to refuse. She leaned in and pressed her full, sensual lips to his.
After some intimacy, Tyrion tried to listen to the conversation outside the private room before explaining, "The decline of the ducal houses is our opportunity.
The Iron Throne is unique and extremely dangerous. But there are several duchies. Competing for a ducal title shows only 'limited' ambition, which actually makes us safer."
"Us? You and who?" Arianne pushed him away. The lingering warmth on her face turned into cold mockery. "She was originally your wife. Now her husband is dead, and you've become handsome and 'tall.' The two of you rekindle old feelings, and that dead Aegon watching from heaven probably won't say anything."
Tyrion instinctively glanced up at the ceiling, as if looking for King Aegon watching him from above.
"Since you've put it that way, how could I dare entertain improper thoughts?" he said with a bitter smile.
"Dare not?" Arianne sneered. "So you did think about it?"
Tyrion hesitated, then nodded with a sigh. "I mentioned it to Sansa. She refused."
"She refused you, and then you came to me? What do you take me for?" Arianne's face turned pale with anger.
"I only feel pity for Sansa. She and her child are alone and need someone to care for them, and I have a responsibility to do so. But when I proposed to you, it was out of genuine love.
If I didn't love you, why would I bare my heart and voluntarily confess secrets that should remain hidden?" Tyrion held her tightly despite her struggle and spoke tenderly into her ear.
Gradually, he felt her resistance stop.
Smiling inwardly, he let out a relieved sigh. "You have no idea how complicated I felt when Sansa rejected me. It was like a burden lifted, yet immediately followed by overwhelming guilt…
Until I met you. You comforted me, dispelled the long night in my heart. Your love is the hero's red sword. You are my savior!"
"Stop it, that's too cheesy!" Arianne laughed, her eyes brimming with warmth as she playfully pounded his chest.
But Tyrion did not stop. Instead, he intensified his efforts, bombarding her with even more exaggerated sweet talk.
After more closeness, Arianne suddenly pushed away the man who was getting handsy, steadied herself, and frowned. "What responsibility do you have toward that little bitch Sansa? Could the child in her belly be yours?"
"Don't talk nonsense. When would I have had the chance? I mean…" The dwarf sighed, pulled over a chair, and sat by the window, his expression complicated. "Back then, I saw Daenerys's attitude toward the Lannisters and Casterly Rock, so I encouraged Aegon to leave Slaver's Bay.
Later, I also helped Aegon devise the plan against Stannis."
"If you hadn't encouraged him, he wouldn't have left?" Arianne asked.
The dwarf shook his head. "He would have left sooner or later. In Slaver's Bay, he could never get what he wanted.
But if he had left after the Battle of Meereen ended, the outcome might have been different.
His march north to Winterfell and the later plan against Stannis had nothing to do with me. But I was his Hand of the King. Clearly, I failed in my duty."
"You really think you're Jon Connington," Arianne sneered.
As the Mad King's Hand, Jon Connington had done his best, yet he always felt guilty about the Battle of the Bells, believing he had failed the Mad King, the Targaryens, and especially his silver prince.
Tyrion shrugged. "I wouldn't spend over a decade raising a child unless she were a queen and made me regent.
But lending a hand costs me nothing. If Sansa succeeds, I'll gain quite a bit."
"What do you want?" Arianne narrowed her eyes.
Tyrion's eyes gleamed. "Maybe I can get a duchy. Like I said, Westeros is undergoing unprecedented upheaval. Many ducal houses are declining. If I can't sit on the Iron Throne, can't I at least get a duchy to play with?
Don't be fooled by how impressive my sister looks. The three cities of Slaver's Bay are smaller than the Reach."
"You've set your sights on the Reach?" Arianne was startled.
"It's not that I must have the Reach. It's just that while walking along the river, a few bleating sheep drifted down from upstream, and I casually grabbed the one closest to shore. Its name happens to be Highgarden of the Reach," Tyrion gestured.
"Why the Reach?" Arianne asked.
"My dear, it's the Long Night. It hasn't ended, and the harsh reality has only just begun." Tyrion stroked her curls and laughed softly. "The Westerlands, Dorne, and the Vale all have defensible terrain, but the Reach is an open plain.
I don't need to do anything. Those proud descendants of the 'Greenhand' are destined to vanish in the tide of the undead."
Arianne's eyes widened. "Do you know how large the population of the Reach is? If it falls, Westeros is finished."
"That's not up to us. The Reach, the Riverlands, and the Crownlands can't be held at all. But don't worry, I've made arrangements to preserve as many people as possible," Tyrion said with a bitter smile.
Arianne's heart stirred. "Is that your sister's judgment, or her decision?"
"What are you thinking? Do you really think she's some mastermind controlling everything?" Tyrion shook his head. "Only the cold gods can move her now. Only matters of divinity are worth her planning. Ending the Long Night and stopping the world from collapsing have always been her goals.
She doesn't care about the petty affairs of Westeros and won't involve herself.
Otherwise, why would I bother scheming with Stannis? I could just take Sansa to Dragonstone and hide. What could he do even with a two-headed dragon?"
"You're different now that you've acknowledged your sister. In the past, you'd have mocked her. Now you're practically praising her as some otherworldly deity," Arianne said sourly.
When they were alone before, the dwarf had often spoken ill of the Dragon Queen, calling her scheming, ruthless, sweet-faced but cold-hearted, and vengeful.
"I was short-sighted before. Recently, I became a transcendent being and gained a deeper understanding of the world's truths. Naturally, my perspective changed," Tyrion sighed.
"Even if you're plotting for the Reach, why pretend to serve Stannis?" Arianne asked.
"Before this, how would an outsider become the new ruler of the Seven Kingdoms?
First war, then marriage alliances.
Not to mention I don't have the power to wage war. Even if I did, with the Long Night ongoing, no one would fight a war of conquest. As for marriage… I don't even know if Margaery is still alive. Even if she is, Euron wouldn't spare her."
"Heh, heh, heh…" Tyrion suddenly laughed, a bit lewd.
"The honor of lords is like a woman's chastity. The first time is the most precious and hardest to lose, but once it's gone… Ouch!"
Before he could finish, Arianne slapped him across the face, making him cry out.
"The words are crude, but the logic holds. Once Stannis uses his dragon to force them to acknowledge Aysar, it will be much easier for me to replace Aysar.
The surviving lords of the Reach will surely hate it, but they'll direct their resentment toward Stannis, the one who forced them to give up their 'first time.'
Maybe I can even become a savior, freeing them from the oppression of the two-headed dragon."
At this, he clapped excitedly. "Let Stannis play the villain while we quietly reap the benefits.
Just like my clever sister used him to deal with the faction that surrendered by sacrificing to the Others.
He bears all the sins and hatred, while she remains a spotless, saintly savior."
"You're overthinking. The Reach is still in the hands of the Ironborn," Arianne mocked.
"No. The Ironborn only control Highgarden. Just like Euron, that so-called prince consort, is merely the king of King's Landing, not the king of the Seven Kingdoms."
(End of Chapter)
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