He paused, then continued, "Publicly, I will let House Frey take the lead in the Riverlands. Give Walder Frey an empty title and let him draw the attention of the other houses."
"Those houses already have grievances against the Freys. Once they see House Frey gaining power, they will turn their hostility toward them rather than focus all their attention on House Darry."
William nodded in agreement.
"In secret, House Darry will slowly put down roots. Besides, once that old weasel Walder Frey dies, House Frey's sons, grandsons, and bastards will likely fight over the succession, plunging the house into internal strife."
"By then, House Darry will have established itself firmly, and those Frey incompetents will be no match for you. You can use your marriage ties with House Frey to whittle away at their power."
"Besides, Walder Frey is already over ninety. His health worsens by the day, and he has only a few years left. Even if he does manage to cling to life, we can help him along a little sooner," Viserys said.
William's eyes lit up at that, and he quickly said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Though Varys had already given him a brief outline, there had not been enough time for him to gain anything like the clear understanding he had now.
"There is one more thing," Viserys continued. "Edmure Tully should be coming to King's Landing soon. I have already sent word to Riverrun, summoning him to swear fealty to me in person. Once he arrives, I will keep him in King's Landing as a member of the Small Council."
"Your Majesty, do you intend to hold him here as a hostage?" Duke William asked, somewhat puzzled.
"More or less, but officially, it will be so he can learn statecraft before returning to succeed