We need to talk about that sketchy cliffside conversation between Melisandre and Varys

A lot happened in the third episode of Season 7 of Game of Thrones and we need to talk about it. If you haven’t seen “The Queen’s Justice” yet, beware, because the post ahead is dark and full of spoilers.

Last night’s episode of GoT was so packed with drama that we can’t even believe it was only one episode. Gone are the days where a few dramatic monologues and a probably-too-long sex scene took up an entire episode.

During “The Queen’s Justice,” Daenerys Targaryen and Jon Snow finally met; Bran and Sansa reunited at Winterfell; Jorah’s greyscale was confirmed as cured; Cersei got sweet, sweet revenge against Ellaria Sand; Grey Worm took Casterly Rock; Jaime conquered Highgarden; and in her dying moments, Olenna Tyrell revealed to Jaime that she masterminded Joffrey’s murder.

But in the midst of these *very* dramatic events, there was a short but ominous exchange between Varys and Melisandre that left us with a lot of questions.

While Jon Snow and Ser Davos Seaworth were making their grand entrance to Dragonstone, Melisandre was very much out of the way, seeking refuge on a cliff. It seems the Red Woman didn’t exactly share her reason for leaving Jon with the group, and is smart enough to stay out of Davos’ way because he would for sure kill her if he knew she was close by.

Melisandre reveals that she is leaving Westeros for Volantis, something Varys — who is not a fan of mystics or sorcerers, remember — agrees is a good idea. But when he warns her against coming back, she says something especially interesting.

“I will return dear Spider, one last time. I have to die in this strange country, just like you.

Okay, so we know both Varys and Melisandre are known for speaking in riddles, but WHAT?

Varys, whose DGAF attitude is what’s gotten him this far in life, is visibly rattled and we have to know, is she really hinting that she knows how he dies or is she just using his fear of sorcery against him?

While most fan theories think it might be the latter, Varys is definitely rattled enough to shed his usually unbreakably calm demeanor. In any case, it seems the shiftiest character on GoT has finally met his match.

We also can’t help but wonder if the Spider is losing his all-knowing edge. The GoT graveyard is growing more and more crowded as we head toward our final handful of characters. Melisandre doesn’t seem optimistic that she and Varys will survive winter, but only time — and the remaining episodes of Game of Thrones will tell.