With Daenerys gadding about with her pony men, Tyrion has been left in charge of Meereen. At first it looked like he was doing a great job, bringing his flair for compromise and deal-making to a number of Essos political disputes. Game of Thrones Season 6 episode 8 “No One” saw the ruination of Tyrion’s plans, as the slave-masters of Slaver’s Bay showed up to take back Meereen by force. But before the siege Tyrion and Varys parted on the docks, as Varys set off on a dangerous secret mission. So what do Tyrion and Varys have up their sleeves and could it turn the tide for Daenerys Targaryen, the First of Her Name, Queen of Meereen, Queen of the Andals and the Rhoynar and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, Protector of the Realm, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, called Daenerys Stormborn, the Unburnt, Mother of Dragons?
Late last year, Spanish newspaper La Voz de Almeria ran a picture of Varys actor Conleth Hill and Olenna Tyrell actor Diana Rigg together in the southern Spanish city of Almería. The Andalusian city is home to a famous alcazaba, or walled fortification. The Alcazaba of Almería was used as a Dorne shooting location for Game of Thrones Season 6, according to Winter Is Coming.
The most likely scenario is Varys travels to Dorne to hammer out an alliance between Daenerys, the Tyrells and Ellaria Sand (presumably in charge of Dorne after killing Doran Martell.
The combined might of the Tyrell and Dornish armies would give Daenerys a significant foothold in Westeros, allowing her to land her Dothraki soldiers in the south and sweep up on King’s Landing. If Varys succeeds, this could be the alliance that finally lays the groundwork for Daenerys to sit on the Iron Throne and kill all those pesky Lannisters.
With the next episode of Game of Thrones Season 6 taken up with the Battle of Winterfell, we probably won’t see whether Varys’ plan bears fruit until the Game of Thrones Season 6 finale, airing June 26.
