The aftermath of Lord Eddard Stark's arrest reveals that there exists a courtier who serves the realm as opposed to serving the monarch. This courtier, widely known as the Spider, held a seat as the Master of Whisperers on the late King, Robert Baratheon's Small Council. He visits Ned in Game of Thrones season 1, episode 8 "The Pointy End," down at the Black Cells, and informs him that his younger daughter, Arya escaped the castle, whereas the elder, Sansa is still engaged to Joffrey Baratheon. Their standoffish conversation shines a light on the very concept of the realm in Game of Thrones. While sometimes used synonymously with Seven Kingdoms, the realm has a wider connotation.
In the opening of Game of Thrones season 1, episode 9 "Baelor," Varys reattempts to start the conversation about the good of the realm with Ned. It becomes clear that this spymaster, "a eunuch," with no children does care about the realm more than anything or anyone else. He wants honorable people like Ned Stark to be around, and he wants him to act in the best interests of the realm, no matter the cost. Varys knows Robert's true heir is his brother, Stannis Baratheon, and not Cersei and Jaime's illegitimate son, Joffrey. He knows Cersei planned Robert's assassination, and he's aware Ned's heir, Robb Stark marches South with an army of Northmen in an attempt to rescue his father. Varys wants Ned to tell his son to lay down his sword because he wants peace in the realm. Since he speaks of the realm at the most abstract level, it's pertinent to delve into its concept.
The Realm And Its Protector
In Game of Thrones season 3, episode 6, "The Climb," Lord Varys engages Petyr Baelish in an argument about the realm as the latter gazes intently at the Iron Throne. "A thousand blades, taken from the hands of Aegon's fallen enemies. Forged in the fiery breath of Balerion the Dread," remarks Varys about the Iron Throne. As the men question each other's motives, the question of the good of the realm inevitably comes up. Lord Baelish cross-questions Lord Varys' idea of the realm by asking him if he knows what it stands for. Before Varys has a chance to answer, Baelish exclaims that the realm is "... the thousand blades of Aegon's enemies..." and "A story we agree to tell each other over and over till we forget that it's a lie."
Varys, in turn, retorts and says if every person were to abandon the idea of the realm and take it as a "lie," they would only meet a gaping pit of chaos waiting to swallow them all. His argument draws a clear distinction between the concept of the realm and the territories that make it. Up until North's secession, the Seven Kingdoms was a realm located on the continent of Westeros, ruled by a monarch who held the titles, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms and Protector of the Realm. The Seven warring Kingdoms were independent before Aegon the Conqueror invaded the united six of them. Dorne formally came into the realm's fold through the marriage between Princess Daenerys Targaryen and Prince Maron Martell that took place in 187 AC at King's Landing.
Lord Varys' Unwavering Loyalty To The Realm
The Seven Kingdoms as per Game of Thrones are the North, the Vale, the Iron Islands, the Westerlands, the Reach, the Stormlands, and lastly, Dorne. Despite its misleading nomenclature, the Seven Kingdoms are divided into nine administrative regions/ provinces, with the Riverlands and the Crownlands being two constituent regions. All of these are subjected to the paramountcy of the monarch on the Iron Throne. As depicted in the Game of Thrones finale, "The Iron Throne," King Bran the Broken granted North independence at the Great Council of 305 AC. He was hailed as the First of his Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Six Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm.
The realm, at its core, represents all the elements that make up the Seven Kingdoms. In Game of Thrones season 7, episode 2 "Stormborn," Queen Daenerys Targaryen questioned Varys on where his loyalties lay. He, in turn, stressed that monarchs' "incompetence should not be rewarded with blind loyalty." Since Varys had served the Mad King Aerys II, and Robert Baratheon, Daenerys raised a finger at his loyalties, as from time to time, he took it upon himself to conspire against any ruler he deemed unfit to rule. Varys said his true loyalties lay not with any king or queen but with people who suffer under the despots and prosper under good rule. For Varys, the realm was made by its peoples, aka the peasantry and the commoners, and not the high and mighty who played the game of thrones among themselves while the rest suffered. The realm is more important than territorial integrity, as it denotes the emotional, material, and moral facets of the Seven Kingdoms.