Assassinations of Pycelle and Kevan Lannister

Note: The title of this article is conjecture and may be subject to change.

Assassinations of Pycelle and Kevan Lannister/Assassinations in Pycelle's Chambers
Conflict	War of the Five Kings
Date	300 AC
Place	Pycelle's chambers, Red Keep, King's Landing
Result	Death of Grand Maester Pycelle Death of Ser Kevan Lannister
Orchestrator	Varys
Perpetrator	Varys Little birds
Target	Grand Maester Pycelle Ser Kevan Lannister
Victims	Grand Maester Pycelle Ser Kevan Lannister

As part of his plot to put Aegon on the Iron Throne, Varys murders Grand Maester Pycelle and Ser Kevan Lannister, Lord Regent and Protector of the Realm, to keep the Seven Kingdoms destabilized following the fall of Queen Regent Cersei Lannister from power.

Prelude

Varys is forced into hiding when Ser Jaime Lannister secretly compels him to save his brother Tyrion Lannister from being executed for the murder of King Joffrey I Baratheon. Furthermore, during the escape, Varys instigates Tyrion to enter the Tower of the Hand through a secret tunnel, where he conveniently finds Shae in the bed of his father, Lord Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King. Tyrion strangles Shae, and then grabs a crossbow conveniently within his reach to kill Tywin in the privy. Knowing he would be condemned for his complicity in Tyrion's flight and the two deaths, Varys does not come back to his chambers. A search of the Red Keep and King's Landing by the gold cloaks under Addam Marbrand fails to turn him up .

Meanwhile, in Essos, the fugitive Tyrion is briefly sheltered in Pentos by Varys's ally and close friend, Magister Illyrio Mopatis. Later, while traveling on the Shy Maid, he discovers that Varys and Illyrio had been plotting for years to install Aegon Targaryen (known as Young Griff) (the supposedly dead son of prince Rhaegar Targaryen and his wife princess Elia of Dorne) on the Iron Throne, with the vital assistance of the sellsword Griff (actually the believed dead stormlord Jon Connington).

Assassinations

Grand Maester Pycelle requests guards from Ser Kevan Lannister, the Lord Regent after the downfall of Queen Cersei Lannister, out of fear Lord Mace Tyrell, the new Hand, might kill him; the Conclave previously came close to replacing Pycelle with Mace's uncle, Maester Gormon, a Tyrell of Highgarden. Pycelle's fears prove justified because he is then killed in his chambers, not by Tyrell men but by Lord Varys.

While Kevan and Cersei are having supper, a young messenger informs Kevan that Pycelle is requesting his presence, so Kevan goes to Pycelle's chambers, where a skinny serving girl silently points him toward the steps. When he walks in, Kevan notices a white raven by the open window, a signal from the Citadel that winter has arrived. A hiding Varys suddenly shoots Kevan in the chest with a crossbow, and the wounded Kevan notices Pycelle's body seated at his table, his head bashed in.

Varys explains he bears Kevan no malice, but he cannot allow Kevan to undo Cersei's misrule. With his death by crossbow, Cersei will believe that Kevan was murdered by Tyrion or House Tyrell, and perhaps even Dornishmen. The Tyrells, in turn, will suspect Cersei herself, undermining the alliances shoring up Tommen I Baratheon's hold on the Iron Throne. This would open the way for Aegon VI Targaryen to take the throne. Varys then whistles, and his "little birds" advance to finish Kevan off with daggers.

Quotes

This pains me, my lord. You do not deserve to die alone on such a cold dark night. There are many like you, good men in service to bad causes ... but you were threatening to undo all the queen's good work, to reconcile Highgarden and Casterly Rock, to bind the Faith to your little king, unite the Seven Kingdoms under Tommen's rule.

—Varys to Kevan Lannister