Why did Varys kill Grand Maester Pycelle?

[a black swan]

1 hour ago, Lord Varys said:

And unlike Arianne 1 + 2, Theon 1, and the chapters covering the Battle of Fire Mercy and Alayne 1 weren't essentially finished already for ADwD, being moved to TWoW only shortly before publication.

...

I'd not speculate on that with the flimsy evidence we have. Arianne 1-3 were originally supposed to take place before the Epilogue of ADwD. The decision to shuffle those chapters to TWoW changed the time line a lot. Mercy could easily enough take place before Arianne 2 or 3. Perhaps even before Cersei 1 or at least Cersei 2. It is Arya 1, and it is not all that likely that the first Arya chapter is going to come around page 200 or 300 of TWoW.

The Mercy chapter was finished. After George decided to scrap the 5-year gap, Mercy was going to be in AFFC. Then he wanted to use it in ADWD instead as a concluding chapter to her story in that book. But just before publishing Dance, he decided to save it for Winds as an opening Arya chapter.  

The chapters feels like such a great standalone piece, it's easy to slip it in without much timeline issue. Why would it come 200-300 pages in? 

[snow is the man]

It could be one of these or a mixture of reasons

 

1.aegon's identity can't be verified.

2.pycelle is a lannister man

3.he has some competency

4. killing both of them in such a way makes cersei even more paranoid and despite her being "defanged" I think she still has some power. Jaime likely told her about king aery's stash of wildfire under the city and she will likely use it to take out the tyrells or a big chunk of them. Remember she still has qyburn or whatever his name is. remember without jaime there she is the only powerful lannister in kings landing. And she has the kings ear. Remember tommen will essentially sign whatever is put in front of him and without kevan there to watch her she will likely stay with him day and night. I see tommen signing alot of things.

5. he just wanted to lure kevan there and pycelle was just there.

 

[Lord Varys]

8 hours ago, DutchArya said:

The Mercy chapter was finished. After George decided to scrap the 5-year gap, Mercy was going to be in AFFC. Then he wanted to use it in ADWD instead as a concluding chapter to her story in that book. But just before publishing Dance, he decided to save it for Winds as an opening Arya chapter.  

The chapters feels like such a great standalone piece, it's easy to slip it in without much timeline issue. Why would it come 200-300 pages in? 

The problem with this is that once George decided to reintroduce Raff as a character in AFfC he first had to get him and Harys Swyft to Braavos for the Mercy chapter to work.

When it was supposed to be Arya's first chapter after the gap this wasn't an issue but now it is.

And if it the Mercy chapter stood as we read it on George's page (mostly due to him beating the show on one of her kills, not necessarily because it is finished) in TWoW then it can't be in the beginning of TWoW because the book is first going to deal with the two battles which include a lot of material. If Cersei were the queen who sent Swyft to Braavos and if she is, for some strange reason, powerful enough to casually take Swyft's head in the mind of the guardsmen if he came back without money/good news then this has to be properly established by an entire series of Cersei chapters, say at least three, perhaps even more, before Swyft can even leave for Braavos. In addition, Arianne 1-3 and Connington 1 have to come before that one, since it is quite clear that the Tyrells still dominate the scene in KL in Arianne 2. When a Tyrell army is marching against Aegon it is clear that Mace Tyrell rules in KL, not Cersei. If Cersei were to rule in KL eventually again (which I doubt) this would have to happen later, possibly only after Mace's death in battle.

By the time of the Mercy chapter as we read it Harys Swyft is already in Braavos as envoy of the Iron Throne for some time. He has already hooked up with the Black Pearl. That means that even if the chapter is changed to reflect the Epilogue it is not going to take place on the first 100 pages, I think. Even if Cersei 1 mentions or depicts Swyft leaving KL for Braavos (by command of Mace/Tarly, not Cersei, as they already made clear in the Epilogue) it will take some time for him to get there, and other events would happen and be covered before Mercy takes place, even if the main focus of the beginning of the novel were not on the battles.

Not to mention that Mercy also gives the impression Arya spent some time with the mummers as Mercy. She didn't arrive there yesterday.

[Daemon Blackfyre IV]

Pycelle betrayed the Targaryens and was Tywins inside man this is why Varys killed him, he is very loyal to the Targaryens he may even be Egg in a glamour.

[Castellan]

I don't think its anything to do with identifying Aegon, unless its just that as a Lannister loyalist who is also brainy and knowledgable about intrigue he would be capable of raising a strong sceptical argument about Young Griff and maybe setting an investigation in train as to where he has actually come from, which could be traced back to Varys.

He is a Lannister loyalist and competent. Not as important as Kevan but worth eliminating on the same grounds as Kevan which is to remove a support from Cersei & Tommen and at the same time make her blame the Tyrells and go nuts.

It could be something personal in that Pycelle was the one persuading Aerys to trust Tywin and open the gates which lead to the end of the Targs including the children, if Varys really cares about that. We know that Varys was the one persuading otherwise, telling Aerys not to trust anyone or to negotiate. So he may see Pycelle as a long time rival.

[Frey Kings]

No one has mentioned how long Varys and Pycelle been secretly feuding all this time together?

[foxberlin]

I agree with everything said and only want to add a small detail which seemed odd to me in the epilogue:

Quote

Maester Pycelle was seated at his table, his head pillowed on the great leather- bound tome before him. Sleeping, Kevan thought ... until he blinked and saw the deep red gash in the old man’s spotted skull and the blood pooled beneath his head, staining the pages of his book.

Could it be this one?

Quote

 

“One thing,” Ned told him. “I should be curious to examine the book that you lent Jon the day before he fell ill.” “I fear you would find it of little interest,” Pycelle said. “It was a ponderous tome by Grand Maester Malleon on the lineages of the great houses.” “Still, I should like to see it.” The old man opened the door. “As you wish. I have it here somewhere. When I find it, I shall have it sent to your chambers straightaway...”

+

Her father was alone in the solar when Harwin and Fat Tom marched her in, an oil lamp glowing softly at his elbow. He was bent over the biggest book Arya had ever seen, a great thick tome with cracked yellow pages of crabbed script, bound between faded leather covers (...).

 

 

Did Varys put the book under Pycelle's head after he killed him? Was Pycelle working something out or was he placing a hint here in case of his death?

[giant snake]

Because he was a treacherous bastard and anyone in their right mind would kill him before assuming power.

More pragmatically, I think it was also because they want a Grand Maester that they can control.  I'm guessing that there are Maesters with contacts in the Targaryan camp.  Anything we say about Maesters and the Citadel is still speculation though.  They need to follow up with AFfC's introduction because it has been a cryptic and confusing mess for eleven years now.  

[Lord Freypie]

Pycelle spent his time trying to reduce Varys influence when they were in the council, he just finally made him pay for that imo. Most of Pycelle dialogs with the Hands included warnings and accusations about the eunuch.

If Varys had just killed Kevan, Pycelle was the most lilely to remember he could still be around and consider he was behind the murder, having been obsessed by the spider for years, while most others in KL likely just forgot Varys since he disappeared.

Another reason may be that Pycelle while a Lannister man was a strong supporter of Tyrell alliance, and limiting Qyburn influence (very probably it's Pycelle who obtained the removal of Qyburn from the post-Cersei council knowing the animosity between them). Varys interest is to allow Qyburn, someone who did his best to make Cersei paranoid and hostile to the Tyrells, to recover as much influence possible, and for that getting rid of his main rival while freeing a place for him in the council wasn't a bad idea.  

Imo the very first thing Cersei will do after winning her trial with his help, if the Tyrell-Lannister alliance doesn't immediately break, will be lobbying for Qyburn to recover a place in the council (as basically he's the only non incompetent politician she trust, and she will have a big debt to him). And knowing Qyburn all he will do is spreading more dissention between the two families.

ps : And there's also the fact that the Citadel wanted to name a Tyrell born maester as grandmaester remplacement (it's the reason Tywin reintegrated Pycelle in the council according to what is said to Tyrion in the beginning of ASOS). So getting rid of Pycelle may directly bring one more matter of disagreement between Tyrells and Lannisters if the Citadel designs this candidate again, Cersei or whoever become head of her family being unlikely to accept one more Tyrell in council.

First post-Kevan council debate is likely to be the Tyrells wanting that Citadel named new grandmaester getting Pycelle's seat in the council vs Lannisters wanting to give his seat to Qyburn (and eventually lobbying for the citadel to give him back his chain).

 

[DasallmaechtigeJ]

I personally consider Pycelle a character easily misred by fans. The vast majority of his apparences occur through the eyes of Cersei, who has an intense hatred for him. To most fans he appears as an harmless, incompetent, senile old pervert because that is how GRRM makes us see him through Cersei. Also, the TV series uses him largely for comic relief. In reality, while evidently a coward, he is not that stupid after all. He sits on the small counsil for well over 40 years, e.g. has an incredible amount of political experience and insight knowledge, and he is no stranger to intrigues, assassinations and the like. Pycelle, though his influence has reduced drastically under Cersei's rule, can become a powerful player under Kevan again and help restore order through his experienced voice of reason. So, much like Kevan, Pycelle poses a threat to Vary's plans, now that he's back in the saddle. Thus, Varys is doing good in ridding himself of him as well... 

[giant snake]

It's not just Cersei but from Tyrion and Ned too.  He seems like the epitome of the flatterer and fool or as someone who holds his position due more to his tractability than because of his talent.