Varys Learns That Arya Stark Met the Shadow
Varys's little birds finally returned from the North.
slip of parchment was placed in his hand coded, subtle, but clear.
"The youngest Stark girl was saved in the Wolfswood
by a man with a metal arm.
She spent a night at his camp."
Varys froze.
Arya Stark wasn't just a highborn child.
She was Eddard Stark's daughter.
She was close to Jon Snow.
She was observant… reckless… curious.
A perfect weak point.
Varys whispered to his spider cage:
"Send the birds to watch the girl.
Do not touch her.
Do not frighten her.
Just listen."
Three spies—two servants and one page—were quietly assigned to follow Arya through the Red Keep.
They watched:
What she read
Where she wandered
Whom she spoke to
And whether she ever mentioned a man with a metal arm
They tracked every mention of "the Shadow" or "the man who saved me".
Because Varys now knew one terrifying truth:
Arya Stark might know Leo Pendragon's true face.
And that made her valuable—
but also dangerous to herself.
Jaime Confides in Tyrion… And Tyrion Becomes Obsessed
Jaime Lannister had spent days thinking about what Ned Stark said—and what Ned didn't say.
Finally, after too much wine and too much worry, he found Tyrion in a brothel, eating a bowl of stew and observing everyone with sharp, bored eyes.
Jaime sat down heavily.
"Tyrion… there's someone you need to know about."
Tyrion raised a brow.
"Gods, did you father another bastard? I can only handle one new sibling a year."
Jaime ignored him.
"There's a man.
In the North.
They call him the Shadow.
He healed the Stark boy after the fall.
No maester could do that."
Tyrion froze mid-bite.
"And you believe this story?"
Jaime lowered his voice.
"I saw the boy myself.
He should be crippled.
Yet he isn't.
Ned Stark is hiding something."
He leaned in.
"And I think this 'Shadow' is at the center of it."
Tyrion's eyes sharpened with interest.
"A healer stronger than maesters…
A sword stronger than Valyrian steel…
A metal arm that defies explanation…"
A grin spread slowly.
"Jaime, you've just given me the most fascinating mystery in the kingdom."
Jaime looked uneasy.
"Cersei wants him found.
Robert wants him questioned.
Varys wants him studied.
And the North protects him."
Tyrion's grin grew.
"Well then…
I simply must meet this Shadow."
The Lannisters Now Have Two Different Agendas
Varys
→ Watching Arya closely, trying to learn Leo's identity
→ Knows Arya once stayed in Leo's camp
→ Sees her as a potential key to understanding Leo's power
Jaime
→ Fears Leo might be tied to magic, prophecy, or rebellion
→ Wants to know if Leo is a threat to Cersei
Tyrion
→ Intrigued, not fearful
→ Wants the truth, not blood
→ May become the first Lannister ally for Leo… or his greatest danger
Jaime Pressures Ned Stark… Harder This Time
Jaime cornered Ned in the courtyard of the Red Keep.
No guards.
No courtiers.
Just two men carrying burdens invisible to the world.
"Lord Stark," Jaime began, voice dangerously calm, "I believe you know more about the… Shadow than you admit."
Ned stiffened.
"I know only rumors," he said. "As does everyone."
Jaime stepped closer.
"He healed your son."
Ned's jaw tightened. "Bran was lucky."
"Lucky?" Jaime barked a cold laugh.
"Your boy fell from a tower and lived. He walks. He talks. He breathes. Even the maesters admit it's unnatural."
Ned stayed silent.
Jaime's eyes narrowed.
"And this metal-armed man… the one who gave your bastard an unbreakable sword… the one who saved your daughter in the Wolfswood… he just vanished?"
Ned answered firmly:
"The North protects those who protect its children."
Jaime leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper only Ned could hear:
"It would be a shame… if your children suffered again because of secrets."
Ned froze.
He understood the threat perfectly.
But he also understood something even more important:
Leo Pendragon was the one person Ned Stark could not betray.
The boy who saved Arya.
The man who healed Bran.
The one warrior who might save Westeros itself.
Ned simply replied:
"You will find no answers here, Kingslayer."
Jaime left frustrated—
but more determined than ever.
E — Leo Sends Arya a Message Through the Shadows
Even across the sea,
even thousands of miles from Winterfell,
the Pendragon bloodline stirred.
Daenerys slept in the warm sands of Essos.
Leo meditated beside four dragon eggs that glowed faintly with life.
Then—
a pulse.
A warning.
The system whispered:
"One connected to you is in danger.
Arya Stark.
Do you wish to send a shadow-call?"
Leo answered without hesitation.
His shadow stretched unnaturally—
longer than light allowed,
darker than night,
alive.
Across oceans, through stone halls, into the girl's chamber in King's Landing…
Arya Stark awoke to the faint outline of a shadow on her wall—
a shadow shaped like a man with a metal arm.
She sat up, whispering:
"Leo?"
The shadow moved—
soundless, drifting like smoke—
and formed words on her wall:
"Be careful.
Do not trust the queen.
Do not go near the Lannisters alone.
Do not speak my name."
Arya swallowed hard, nodding.
The shadow continued:
"Tell no one.
You are being watched."
Then—
it dissolved, fading like mist.
Arya hugged her knees, trembling—but not with fear.
"With dragons or without… you still protect me," she whispered.
Meanwhile, in Westeros…
The great houses argued:
Some believe Leo is a Northern myth.
Some believe he is a demon.
Some believe he is a Stark weapon.
No one believes he is with Daenerys.
No one imagines dragons are hatching.
And that is exactly how Leo wants it.
Until the time comes to reveal the truth.