The Prince of Thorns

🏹Strategy🐉

DRAGONSTONE - BEACH

A storm rages. Rain falls on the beach and the castle, lightning flashes, and thunder crackles overhead. The Queen of Dragons, Tyrion, Alester, Missandei, and Varys are standing in the Chamber of the Painted Table, staring out at the storm.

TYRION: "On a night like this, you came into the world.'

VARYS: "I remember that storm. All the dogs in King's Landing howled through the night."

DAENERYS: "I wish I could remember it."

She turns away from the window and walks over to the table.

DAENERYS: "I always thought this would be a homecoming. It doesn't feel like home."

ALESTER: "I'm sure many Targaryen's saw this island as nothing but a stepping stone on the way to there true home of Kings Landing. The Iron Throne."

She ponders a moment before answering.

DAENERYS: "Possibly."

TYRION: "We won't stay on Dragonstone for long."

DAENERYS: "Good."

She looks at the figurines placed on the table

DAENERYS: "Not so many lions."

VARYS: "Cersei controls fewer than half the Seven Kingdoms. The lords of Westeros despise her. Even before your arrival, they plotted against her. Now..."

DAENERYS: "They cry out for their true queen? They drink secret toasts to my health?"

Daenerys walks closer to Varys

DAENERYS: "People used to tell my brother that sort of thing, and he was stupid enough to believe them."

The Tyrell intervenes.

ALESTER: "The truth is she's still incredibly dangerous. Cersei can manipulate many Lords. She's good with her words more then anything. There will be many who follow her not because she's a capable Queen and not because they want her but do to the simply fact that her ass his placed on that Throne."

The white haired girl picks up a dragon figurine from the table.

DAENERYS: "If Viserys had three dragons and an army at his back, he'd have invaded King's Landing already. He would have thrown her from that seat and burned her alive."

TYRION: "Conquering Westeros would be easy for you. But you're not here to be queen of the ashes."

DAENERYS: "No."

She puts down the dragon figurine.

TYRION: "We can take the Seven Kingdoms without turning it into a slaughterhouse. If the great houses support your claim against Cersei, the game is won. With the Tyrell army and the Dornish on our side, we have powerful allies in the south."

The Queen looks at Varys.

DAENERYS: "I never properly thanked you for that."

VARYS: "They joined our side, my queen, because they believe in you."

DAENERYS: "You served my father, didn't you, Lord Varys?"

VARYS: "I did."

DAENERYS: "And then you served the man who overthrew him?"

VARYS: "I had a choice, Your Grace--serve Robert Baratheon or face the headman's axe."

DAENERYS: "But you didn't serve him long. You turned against him."

VARYS: "Robert was an improvement on your father, to be sure. There have been few rulers in history as cruel as the Mad King. Robert was neither mad nor cruel. He simply had no interest in being king."

DAENERYS: "So you took it upon yourself to find a better one."

TYRION: "Your Grace, when I was ready to drink myself into a small coffin, Lord Varys told me about a queen in the east who--"

DAENERYS (to VARYS): "Before I came to power, you favored my brother. All your spies, your little birds, did they tell you Viserys was cruel, stupid, and weak? Would those qualities have made for a good king in your learned opinion?"

VARYS: "Until your marriage to Khal Drogo, Your Grace, I knew nothing about you, save your existence and that you were said to be beautiful."

DAENERYS: "So you and your friends traded me like a prized horse to the Dothraki."

VARYS: "Which you turned to your advantage."

DAENERYS: "Who gave the order to kill me?"

VARYS: "King Robert."

DAENERYS: "Who hired the assassins?"

She walks closer to Varys.