How was Varys and Illyrio going to explain the Young Griff to Dany?

[Hos the Hostage]

There are plenty of theories on who Aegon/YG really is, but whoever he is, how was Varys and Illyrio going to make Dany accept him? It seems a trivial question, but can you tell what their planned course of action was, given how smart this duo is at game of thrones?

Without Tyrion's intervention and Dany's not leaving Meereen, Griff and compnay would have met Dany with the Golden Company. What Aegon believes is that, when she sees Jon Connington and the best sellsword company in his service, she will happily marry him and use her dragons to win the throne for him.

I guess Jon Connington also thinks along the same line, about Dany. He believes Aegon is real. Therefore there is nothing wrong in expecting the support of his last living relatives for Aegon's fight for his birthright. These relatives being Dorne and its 50k(?) spears and Dany with her army of the unsullied, Stormcrows, Second Sons, and three dragons. Dany's rise in power was unexpected, and JC can say he never knew her or Viserys's wherabouts. Or that the plan was to marry her off to Drogo in return for 40k Dothraki men in support of Aegon instead of Viserys.

But what about Illyrio? He is a smart man, he should know Dany well. Apart from never really trusting Illyrio, what Dany knows is this:

Viserys was the only family left to her.

-He had to sell their mother's jewels to keep her fed.

-He visited the rulers of almost all the free cities, and go no help.

-He visited the golden company and was laughed upon.

-He was called the Beggar King

They were always running from hired killers of Robert

Illyrio arranged the marriage of Dany with Drogo.

Dany could have died in the Dothraki Sea

If Drogo died, Dany would have been forced to join the Dosh Khaleen

Illyrio started to give any significant help to Dany(like Barristan, or ships to Pentos) only after she got her dragons. Of course, he gave her the dragon eggs, but who could have predicted they would hatch, after several failed attempts by the Targaryens?

Did Illyrio expect Dany to take it lightly that all this time, the real contender he was supporting for the Iron Throne was Aegon and he made a fool of her brother? Viserys was an arrogant fool with no help from Illyrio, but he was Dany's only kin. And this marriage proposal to Aegon is brought in front of her only after she has gained everything required to conquer a kingdom(lets forget for a moment she does not have the insight or cunning for the same). Does Illyrio takes Dany for such a fool that she can't see he is using her? Or does he trust her to be such an honorable soul that she will step aside for the rightful prince? I think no to both. So what was their plan?

ETA: Posted before I completed.

[Beorn Snow]

I think the original plan was to just get rid of Dany and Viserys. Or use the Dothraki screamers to cause chaos in the 7 kingdom at the right time. So that the Golden Company, could play heroes perhaps and use their fighting expertise against the horselords. (Surely they must have fought them at some point as an Essosi sellsword company).

Dany´s survival forced them to use her in the plan. After her rise to power she could not be ignored.
They don´t know the new Dany that well, but surely Barristan would eagerly counsel her to take Aegon´s hand. (How is Illyrio to know that Dany would be so quick to settle in Mereen?)

[Hos the Hostage]

Beorn Snow:

Sending Barristan to Dany as someone Dany will respect and easy to trick does make sense. This will be in support of Aegon is not a random boy. If he looks nothing like a Targaryen, even Barristan will be suspicious. Barristan did really urge Dany to marry Quentyn.

They don't know the new Dany, but Illyrio tells Tyrion something like the girl he knew died in the Dothraki sea and was reborn as a dragon.

Do you think they were planning to kill Dany, make it look like an accident, steal the dragons with the help of Tyrion's dragonlore, and return to Westeros? Once he has at least one dragon, Aegon marrying Dany is not as helpful as him marrying a girl from some other house. Margaery's marriage is not consummated, and Varys has sent men looking for Sansa. If Varys is untroubled by others raising the question of Aegon's identity, like he seemed when he killed Kevan, Dany is no longer needed for their plan.

[JonCon's Red Beard]

As I see it, Varys and Illyrio don't have a "plan", unless we consider their plan "put Aegon on the throne", which is actually a goal rather than a plan. They simply work with that they have and adapt, which is also a good way to play the game. I suppose that Dany and Viserys surviving wasn't their main worry: if they died, sucks for them; if they survive, they could have found a way to use them to their convenience.

If one of them dies, then they still have the other one to legitimise Aegon's identity. Viserys is also helpful because he was a bit older when Aegon was born and could "recognise" him. I dunno how Viserys could react to a kid with a better claim, but let's remember that Viserys felt the throne was his because he was the last male of his family. The problem with Viserys is also that he is older and he could have asked more uncomfortable questions ("you know, this kid is blonde and have the eyes, but doesn't actually looks like my family...") but let's remember that Viserys is also -and even more- desperate and he can be easily fooled (JonCon probably is fooled about Aegon and he is definitely in a better state of sanity than Viserys).

At the end, I think both Targaryens simply wanted to go home, and Aegon was their better option. Viserys would have to understand that Aegon had a better claim and let Dany marry him instead. He still would return to Westeros and be a Prince and live a good life. Three Targaryens (and two of them male) are better than one kid. People in Westeros didn't know how bad Viserys was and they only remember Rhaegar had two siblings, so, mostly of them would be ok. with them.

As for your original question, let's remember that Dany has done her will and disobeyed Illyrio. He sent ships for her and she said no. He could always say "well, I try to reunite you with Aegon but you left". Also, putting the three of them together would put them all in danger. They protected Aegon because he's the one with the better claim. Knowing that Rhaegar's son was alive would cause a big impact in Westeros, and Robert wouldn't send one single assassin but an army to kill them all.

[Justin Amey]

Varys and illyrio had always planned to put aegon on the throne but they needed a strong enough army to do so the Original plan was to:

1st they marry Dany off Khal Drogo so he can gather up an army.

2nd once he's done with that they come back with Aegon and his Golden Company throwing his hat in with her.

3rd they cross the sea where Viserys would meet up with Arienne in dorne, they marry and now with 50k spear man, 50k dorakaki calvery, and 10k GC Mercenaries that would be the force of the century, and no one realm would stand a chance against.

However with Viserys death and Dany's rebirth switched all that around. Dispise the lost of Viserys and the army the could be salvage if cards were played right. So to revise the plans:

1st illyio sends Strong Belwis to her with a message to come back to Pentos (he could have explained some shit to her), she ignored it.

2nd She goes to Quarte get some gold and some ships, Goes to Astapor to get and army for pretty much free :cool4:

3rd smash right through Yunkai and Merreen without much trouble.

With the plan somewhat back on track Illyrio has assume she would sail back to Pentos by way of Volantis, where she would meet up with Aegon, JonCon and the GC,

With 8k Unsullied, 10k GC, 3 dragons, and 50k Spear man, that would still be a winning fighting force.

However Dany now fucked by deciding to stay in Merreen so far away from everybody nobody could contact her, that pisses of the GC, So they begin to conquer the realm they selves forcing Dany to leave Merreen to help Aegon.

[Hoid]

It seems a conundrum that Varys and Illyrio would hatch up different schemes for Dany and Aegon, but it could be as simple as not keeping all your eggs in the same basket (almost literally). If one were to fail, then there is always Plan B, and if both succeed, then a unification makes them all the mightier.

[CharlesW]

It's not going to be easy, may not even end well.

[Justin Amey]

It's not going to be easy, may not even end well.

Yeah unless Illyrio smooths out the situation beforehand