128 ACOK 55 Tyrion XII Caught Slap

War escalates itself. Posturing, even if only meant to be temporarily feigned for effect, is made real by the fact of having been postured. Accusations sting, even when false, making them provocations. Yet, unspoken accusations are felt as facts. Once begun, outright war—as that between Tyrion and Cersei—is a force of nature resistant to diplomacy. While setting up for Jaime’s release, the Purple Wedding, Tyrion’s trial and the attempt on Tyrion via Ser Mandon Moore at the upcoming Blackwater, the chapter weaves backstory to explain Tyrion’s murder of Tywin and does much to point to Varys as treacherous. Even setup for Tyrion's marriage to Sansa. Hostages and Stalemate

• Tyrion accuses Cersei of having been behind Bran & Rickon’s deaths, reminding Catelyn has Jaime. Cersei says she still has Sansa and can hurt her.

• Cersei has Alayaya as whipping boy to Joffrey’s safety, but Tyrion has Tommen as whipping boy to Alayaya’s.

• The Stokeworth’s bribe ham, given with request to return to their castle. Cersei tells Tyrion this as she slices the ham. Tyrion serves her, first, then himself, saying “I’d sooner she remain.” 774

• Cersei slaps Tyrion, but he catches her arm and threatens to break it.

Tyrion’s murder of Tywin setup Tyrion’s repressed feelings about what happened to Tysha emerge when Cersei seizes Alayaya.

• Shae wearing Hand’s chain in the Hand’s bed 780
  

  • Tyrion doesn’t wear it to dinner with Cersei because it irritates her to be reminded he’s Hand.
    

    • Reminds he’s Tywin’s proxy and brought Shae as a defiance because he didn’t trust Tywin.

    • Referencing Tyrion’s Trap Dinner with Slynt, Cersei feasts Tyrion, then reveals she has his whore.

• Setup for Symon Silvertongue’s song in Shae saying the chain’s little gold hands are cold. 780

• Tyrion wants to know what secret door she entered by 781

• Tyrion chooses to emulate Tywin’s coldness against Cersei, rather than Jaime’s recklessness. It’s why he threatens Tommen with whatever befalls Alayaya. References Tywin’s adage about only needing to route an army, not defeat it.

• Tyrion’s repressed feelings about Tysha: anger at the false accusation that he married a whore by reminder of Catelyn’s false accusation he sent the catspaw for Bran, guilt at Tysha’s undeserved punishment by Alayaya’s, memory of the feeling he should have known he made her vulnerable.

• It’s against rape, specifically, that Tyrion means to protect Alayaya when he says he’ll do to Tommen what’s done to her. His fears are related to Tysha.

• Tyrion’s guilt for risking Alayaya to protect Shae (her blood on his brow) triggers his repressed guilt for Tysha. Tyrion searches obsessively for the secret door Varys brought Shae through. Though Shae pressures him for sex, he can’t get it up, even with her aid. Tyrion recognizes Cersei has bested him and that he made himself stupidly vulnerable by agreeing to Varys’s plan to go through Alayaya to protect Shae. He has trusted Varys too much, something Cersei warned him he was doing at that very dinner. But what has Tyrion upset is his feeling of culpability in Alayaya’s circumstance. An innocent is again being brutalized because he couldn’t see. He can’t find the secret door into his own chambers. That Tyrion searches so obsessively for it suggests he knows Varys won’t tell him where it is. It’s left uncommented on whether Tyrion bears any grudge against Varys now. He seems to be beating himself up.

Don’t Trust Varys

• The chapter opens with Varys rushing the letter with news of the Stark boys’ deaths into Tyrion’s hands on his way to dinner with Cersei and ends with him having brought Shae to the Tower of the Hand by a secret route, unbidden, to reassure Tyrion of her safety. In the middle is the revelation Varys has betrayed Tyrion to Cersei: telling her of Tyrion’s plan to get the Hound away from Joffrey and his suspicion Tyrion means to kill Joffrey to rule through Tommen. Tyrion doesn’t notice any betrayal, since he had no such plan to kill Joffrey. Still, it seems Varys is overworking his service to Tyrion to compensate for the hit he knows will come at the dinner with Cersei, who he must know has Alayaya on the assumption she’s Shae.

• Cersei says Varys buddied up to her when she first arrived at court (as we saw him do with Ned and Tyrion) and had her convinced he was her truest friend at court, for years. Now she sees him playing the same game with Tyrion.

• Varys surprised Tyrion by bringing Shae to his chambers while he was at dinner with Cersei. Did Varys know Cersei had Alayaya and bring Shae to reassure Tyrion of her safety? If so, is that a threat or only the excellent service it pretends to be? Shae suggests she wanted to come, but it must have been Varys who came to her.

• Tyrion can’t see how dangerous it is to trust Varys even a little bit.
  

  • Setup for Varys to testify against Tyrion. Cersei reveals Varys has betrayed Tyrion’s plan to take the Hound (best protection) from Joffrey. Tyrion only meant to take Joffrey discreetly whoring, but Varys misunderstood and “revealed” Tyrion’s assassination plot to preserve Joffrey as figurehead. Varys must have known his betrayal of Tyrion would be revealed at that dinner, and so brought Shae to Tyrion unasked, as a sign of loyalty. Since Tyrion had no such assassination plan, he entirely misses that Varys betrayed him.

News of Bran & Rickon’s Deaths makes Tyrion anger against the real culprit, since he was scapegoated

• Varys tells Tyrion on his way to meet with Cersei. Tyrion takes the letter to inform Cersei, meaning to suss out her guilt in the matter by her reaction to the news. accuses Cersei of having been behind it, reminding Catelyn has Jaime. Cersei says she still has Sansa and can hurt her.

• Reminds of Catelyn’s catspaw’s blade accusation when she took Tyrion hostage.

Aerys Come Again/ Cersei’s Fears and Aggressive Defense

• Cersei against Joffrey fighting alongside his men. Thinks Tyrion means to kill Joffrey to rule through Tommen.

• Tyrion argues it will depict him to be Robert’s son as well as give confidence to the men. Promises Joffrey will be brought back in at the least sign of danger.

• Cersei paranoid, takes Tyrion’s personal threat seriously, also his threat against Tommen.
  

  • Cersei breaking like an army (780) reminds the gold cloaks and sellswords are expected to break easily when Stannis attacks. Cersei fears the city will fall and she’ll lose all she’s worked so hard for and barely has.

Purple Wedding setup

• Cersei accuses Tyrion of planning to kill Joffrey to rule through Tommen.
  

  • Varys has told Cersei Tyrion means to take the Hounds from Joffrey. Varys misunderstood, but will testify.

• Tyrion’s threat cited at his trial: “I have never liked you, Cersei, but you were my own sister, so I never did you harm. You’ve ended that. I will hurt you for this. I don’t know how yet, but give me time. A day will come when you think yourself safe and happy, and suddenly your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth, and you’ll know the debt is paid.” 779