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
Conflict	War of the Five Kings
Date	300 AC
Place	Grand Maester'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 realm destabilized following the fall of Queen Regent Cersei Lannister from power.

Prelude

Varys was forced into hiding when Ser Jaime Lannister secretly compelled him to save his brother Tyrion Lannister from being executed for the murder of King Joffrey Baratheon. Furthermore, during the escape, the Spider instigated Tyrion to enter the Tower of the Hand through a secret tunnel, where he conveniently finds Shae in his father's bed, so he strangles her, and then grabs a crossbow that was conveniently within his reach to kill his father Tywin Lannister, Hand of the King, in the privy. Knowing he would be condemned for his complicity in Tyrion's flight and the two assassinations, Varys wisely did not come back to his chambers, and a search of the castle and city by the gold cloaks under Addam Marbrand failed to turn him up .

Meanwhile, on Essos, the fugitive Halfman is briefly sheltered in Pentos by Varys' ally and close friend Illyrio Mopatis.

Assassinations

Pycelle requests guards from Ser Kevan Lannister out of fear Mace Tyrell might kill him to replace him with his cousin Gormon Tyrell. Pycelle's fears prove justified because he is then killed in his chambers, not by Tyrell men but by Lord Varys, who then has a servant inform Kevan that Pycelle is seeking him in the Grand Maester's chamber. There, Varys suddenly shoots Kevan in the chest with a crossbow, and the wounded Kevan notices that Pycelle has already been slain. 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 Lannister or House Tyrell, and perhaps even "Dornish on the walls". 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 Prince Aegon VI Targaryen to take the throne. Varys then commands his "little birds" to finish Kevan off.

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