After spending half a month in the same castle as Varys and Petyr, Aegor deeply realized that living with and interacting with these two troublemakers, personally witnessing and even participating in their schemes and plots, felt completely different from observing their mischief from afar in books or on a screen before his transmigration.
As Varys, his enemy, began to notice his presence, and Littlefinger, his former ally, realized that his "little brother" was not as obedient as he appeared, although he still held considerable military power and nominally occupied Winterfell, he was actually unable to make effective use of that advantage. Aegor found himself in the most dangerous political environment, facing enemies from both the front and the back.
It was at this moment that Aegor finally understood why the road to power for those in authority, ancient and modern, in both East and West, inevitably involved eliminating dissent.
Because one could never know whether opponents were plotting against you, when they would act, or how they would deal with you if they succeeded. When positions were opposed and interests conflicted, this kind of suspicion could never be diluted by time or resolved through communication. It would only deepen and grow more severe.
If one did not want to bear the weight of this endless suspicion and struggle forward under it, then there was only one inevitable outcome.
In novels, plays, and historical records, Aegor had seen far too many people as intelligent as himself, or even more capable, who lost everything and were beheaded because of a single misstep or even half a step. It was precisely because he had learned so many painful lessons from others that he was more cautious than ordinary people.
It was this caution that drove Aegor, after a sleepless night, to hastily arrange an action that even he felt was rushed. To deal with extraordinary enemies, one had to use extraordinary methods. He intended to use this shocking preemptive strike to resolve everything in one move, eliminating all factors that hindered his influence and control over the Queen.
There were two reasons he also included Petyr, with whom he currently had no direct conflict. First, he had already revealed his intent to kill him, and if Varys met with an accident, Littlefinger would certainly know that he was responsible. The second reason was even simpler. Aegor did not want to become the dog that was cooked after the cunning rabbit was caught. Since he did not want to deal with a former ally who would lose all reason for unity after the eunuch was removed, the best solution was to eliminate them all at once.
Since he had already claimed it would be settled once and for all, he naturally had to carry it through.
---
This astonishing gamble required overcoming many obstacles to succeed completely, and the two most crucial and difficult points were clear.
The first was how to make Varys and Petyr drink the poisoned wine while they were on guard. He had already achieved this through a series of misleading and alarming actions, so there was no need to elaborate further.
The second was how to prevent Daenerys's trust and regard for him from being damaged because of this.
To accomplish this, he made a series of meticulous arrangements, which could be roughly divided into three steps.
The first step was to ensure that all evidence did not point to himself.
The many arrangements made in the tavern where the incident occurred created a convincing scene. The vomit on the ground after rushing out the door became irrefutable physical evidence. The Unsullied guards assigned to Varys and Petyr were also ideal witnesses. They could explain that they survived by taking emergency self rescue measures, and they could confirm that no one entered the scene afterward and that the vomit had not been tampered with.
These Unsullied, who failed to protect Varys and Petyr while they were alive, instead became tools and the greatest help to the murderer after their deaths, precisely because of their nature and the label of absolute loyalty to Daenerys.
With both human testimony and physical evidence, if this were brought before a court, Aegor would undoubtedly be considered one of the victims and cleared of suspicion. However, Daenerys was not a judge, but the monarch he served. As long as she retained even a trace of doubt or reservation, even if there was ultimately no evidence pointing to the Night's Watch, Aegor would never be able to sleep peacefully again.
To avoid this, he needed Daenerys to truly believe that he had been poisoned and had nearly died.
Thus, the second step naturally followed, to find a way to lure the Queen into personally visiting him or at least sending someone to check on him.
Melisandre, a priestess of the Lord of Light who should have remained neutral but had become subservient because of his status as a chosen one, and one of the greatest contributors to his survival, became the perfect candidate for this task.
The final third step became clear once the Red Priestess completed her role, to show no flaws during Daenerys's visit or the probing of her appointed representative, and to fully gain her sympathy.
As for how to feign death, Aegor had a detailed and thorough discussion with Maester Qyburn and Melisandre. In the end, he selected several suitable spells from the latter's lifetime of knowledge. First came a series of spells that could slow the body's metabolism and weaken vital signs. Their effect was to slow breathing and heartbeat, lower body temperature, and place the body into a state similar to hibernation, simulating the appearance of someone barely clinging to life. After that came a form of magic that could paralyze the senses and temporarily eliminate perception. Merely looking dead was not enough. He also had to endure various tests from investigators, such as tickling, pinching flesh, or even needle pricks and knife cuts. This point was especially critical. If a gravely ill person on the brink of death suddenly laughed or jumped out of bed when someone tickled their armpit or pinched their thigh, it would be absurd.
Everything had been arranged perfectly, but there was not even time for a single rehearsal. As a result, something went wrong just as the plan was about to be carried out. The half dragon scale bestowed by R'hllor unexpectedly possessed the effect of resisting magic, and its triggering condition was a mystery beyond the host's control.
Melisandre's hibernation spell could have made him appear extremely close to death. However, once the spell reached a certain level, the dragon scale would sense that the host was suffering from harmful magic, then release energy to counteract and neutralize it. In the end, Aegor could only agree to weaken the spell's strength to avoid crossing the scale's protective threshold. While this merely reduced the realism of feigning death and did not affect the overall plan, the other problem was far more troublesome. Whether it was forced unconsciousness or sensory suppression, both were directly judged as harmful magic by the scale of R'hllor and vanished without a trace the moment they were cast.
Time was running out, and Melisandre's magical reserves were already exhausted. She could not continue casting and testing spells on him one after another. If a solution could not be found quickly, Aegor would have to face Daenerys's possible inspection while fully conscious and aware. As long as the visitor conducted even the slightest probe, there was a chance of exposure.
After pacing anxiously for a long time, it was ultimately the backup plan prepared by Maester Qyburn that saved the situation. He produced a potion that could temporarily suppress the body's reaction speed and place a person into a pseudo paralyzed state for a short time. Whether because the dragon scale used different standards to judge potions and spells, or because detoxification required time, it actually worked.
Thus, in the end, Aegor drank a large bottle of the paralyzing potion at the moment the medic and maid sent by Daenerys entered the room to examine him. He then quickly lay down on the bed, hoping that everything would proceed according to plan.
…
The military medic sent by Daenerys not only lacked deep knowledge of poisons, but was also careless by nature. Even with such a crucial and potentially fatal task entrusted to him by the Queen, he merely felt around and glanced over Aegor hastily, believed the examination was complete, and rose without suspicion to chat with Qyburn.
Aegor laughed secretly to himself. Before he could feel any real relief, another person approached the bedside.
(To be continued.)