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What reason(s) would Varys have to betray Rhaegar?


Lady Stonehearts Simp

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2 hours ago, Aebram said:

Excuse me if this has already been mentioned; but it occurs to me that, when Varys encouraged Aerys to attend the tourney, he was actually trying to help Rhaegar's cause. He wanted all the lords to have a chance to see what a mess Aerys was.  

I don't think we know that Varys advised him to attend, much less that he advised him not to get a haircut.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

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3 hours ago, Gilbert Green said:

I don't think we know that Varys advised him to attend, much less that he advised him not to get a haircut.  Correct me if I'm wrong.

Ser Barristan reminisces about this in ADWD 67:

Quote

The memory was still bitter. Old Lord Whent had announced the tourney shortly after a visit from his brother, Ser Oswell Whent of the Kingsguard. With Varys whispering in his ear, King Aerys became convinced that his son was conspiring to depose him, that Whent’s tourney was but a ploy to give Rhaegar a pretext for meeting with as many great lords as could be brought together. Aerys had not set foot outside the Red Keep since Duskendale, yet suddenly he announced that he would accompany Prince Rhaegar to Harrenhal, and everything had gone awry from there.

As a member of Aerys's kingsguard, Barristan was in a position to know what was going on with the king. But I don't think we have any evidence that everything went "awry" because Aerys interfered with the plans to dethrone him. From what we've read, it seems like it was Rhaegar's interaction with Lyanna that really started the trouble.

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8 minutes ago, Prince Rhaegar Targareyen said:

I still think he betrayed Rhaegar because of Rhaegar’s visions connecting him to magic.

but no one, save for his wife and uncle as far as we can conclude from the text,  seemed to know about Rhaegar's visions and dreams. it's not like he would shout the latest thing he was dreaming just to anyone, especially since he was a very introverted person. 

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4 minutes ago, EggBlue said:

but no one, save for his wife and uncle as far as we can conclude from the text,  seemed to know about Rhaegar's visions and dreams. it's not like he would shout the latest thing he was dreaming just to anyone, especially since he was a very introverted person. 

Fair enough. If anyone outside of his circle were to know of them, I think it’d be Varys

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2 minutes ago, Prince Rhaegar Targareyen said:

Fair enough. If anyone outside of his circle were to know of them, I think it’d be Varys

that's true. still, my headcanon says Rhaegar was wayyy more discreet about his most private secret. 

that said , while it'd be pretty difficult for Varys to know about Rhaegar's visions , dreams, or his willingness to use magic, he may well know about Rhaegar's belief about some magical danger to some extent. and yet, that doesn't necessarily make him oppose Rhaegar. when the Night's Watch's plea and news about Weight Walkers came, Varys was the one who counseled for aiding the Watch when everyone else found it a joke. and if I recall correctly, that was when he told Tyrion about his experience with magic, meaning he may be one of the few who A)knows magic exists B)doesn't like it C)would like to fight the magical creatures threatening the world.

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7 hours ago, Aebram said:

Ser Barristan reminisces about this in ADWD 67:

Right.  But again, Varys merely provides (possibly correct) information.  Doesn't tell him what to do about it.

7 hours ago, Aebram said:

As a member of Aerys's kingsguard, Barristan was in a position to know what was going on with the king. But I don't think we have any evidence that everything went "awry" because Aerys interfered with the plans to dethrone him. From what we've read, it seems like it was Rhaegar's interaction with Lyanna that really started the trouble.

Maybe Varys was wrong, and the purpose of the tournament was to find the right girl, so Rhaegar could make his third dragon head.

Or maybe Varys was lying, so Aerys would disinherit Rhaegar, and Viserys could marry some Blackfyre girl.

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