Tyrion is in a cell being taunted and tormented by his gaoler, Mord. One end of his cell is open to the sky, and Mord says that he will jump to his death eventually. Tyrion thinks back to how he got into this predicament. It began during his audience with Lord Robert and Lady Lysa. Lysa accused him of murdering Jon, causing him to become very annoyed and very sarcastic. Robert almost had him killed before Catelyn reminded Lysa that Tyrion is her prisoner and not to be harmed. Ser Vardis took him to a cell instead, where he is routinely mistreated by Mord. He wonders whether Jaime and Cersei really did conspire to kill Jon, and wonders why the attack on Bran was so clumsy, finding that odd. He thinks that someone may be trying to start a feud between Stark and Lannister. He decides that he will die if confined in the cell much longer and decides he must get out. He calls for Mord and promises him gold in exchange for aid. Mord is reluctant at first and starts beating him, but finally consents to take Tyrion’s message to Lysa that Tyrion is ready to confess his crimes.
That night, Ser Vardis comes for Tyrion and brings him before the Lady Lysa. All the powerful houses of the Vale are represented in the High Hall. The attendees include Ser Brynden, Lord Nestor, Ser Albar Royce, Ser Lyn Corbray, LordEon Hunter, Lady Anya Waynwood and her sons. Others present bear sigils he does not recognize such as a broken lance, a green viper, a burning tower, and a winged chalice. Ser Rodrik, Ser Willis, Marillion, and Bronn are also there. As Tyrion enters, Bronn looks pointedly at him with hand on pommel. Tyrion steps forward and begins confessing his crimes, that he lays with whores, gambles, mocks, etc. Catelyn accuses him again of plotting to kill Bran, and he denies it. Lysa is about to send him back to his cell, but he demands a trial. Lysa says Lord Robert will hear his case, but Tyrion demands trial by combat. Lysa appoints Ser Vardis as her champion and Tyrion names Jaime, but Lysa will only allow him to choose someone who is present. Bronn stands up and volunteers.
by Mel
What an awesome concept! Sky Cells, you are free to go if you so wish, or if you go insane waiting and starving because Mord keeps throwing your food out of your sky cell! I actually have to say, if I had my choice between being be-headed, burnt alive or thrown out of the moon door, I would choose the moon door everytime. From what I hear you’ll probably already be dead by the time you hit the ground from a heart attack! Tyrion is not ready to die just yet and being the smart guy that he is, talks Mord into telling Lysa he’s ready to confess his crimes. He’s had plenty of time to think and has reasonably contemplated his brother and sister’s involvement in his imprisonment. Hmmm, could they have had Jon killed? Why would they botch up the attack on Bran, and plant HIS dagger on the killer? He realizes someone has set him up to take the fall, but who? Having read all the books, I know exactly who poisoned Jon and who sent the hit on Bran, setting up Tyrion. So in reading this again, I can read more into his doubts and thought process. By the time it has all been explained, they are much more pressing matters going on, and I was like, ‘Oh, that was why?’ and ‘They did that!’ It all makes sense now, but again, too late in the game for me to really care anymore. How was THAT for a teaser?
Tyrion has also had enough time to realize he has quite the big mouth for such a little body.
“He slew the Hand of the King!”
“Oh, did I kill him too?” Tyrion had said, like a fool.
“It would seem I’ve been a busy little fellow,” he said with bitter sarcasm. “I wonder when I found the time to do all this slaying and murdering.”
So Tyrion is ready to confess his crimes and is front of Lysa, Cat and the child that is just not quite right!
“Where to begin? I am a vile little man, I confess it. My crimes and sins are beyond counting, my lords and ladies. I have lain with whores, not once but hundreds of times. I have wished my own lord father dead, and my sister, our gracious queen, as well.” Behind him, someone chuckled. “I have not always treated my servants with kindness. I have gambled. I have even cheated, I blush to admit. I have said many cruel and malicious things about the noble lords and ladies of the court.” That drew outright laughter. “Once I—”
Catelyn Stark took a step forward. “You are accused of sending a hired knife to slay my son Bran in his bed, and of conspiring to murder Lord Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King.”
Tyrion gave a helpless shrug. “Those crimes I cannot confess, I fear. I know nothing of any murders.”
Lysa is pissed, Robert is screaming for her to make him fly! Tyrion losses his temper!
“Is this how justice is done in the Vale?” Tyrion roared, so loudly that Ser Vardis froze for an instant. “Does honor stop at the Bloody Gate? You accuse me of crimes, I deny them, so you throw me into an open cell to freeze and starve.” He lifted his head, to give them all a good look at the bruises Mord had left on his face. “Where is the king’s justice? Is the Eyrie not part of the Seven Kingdoms? I stand accused, you say. Very well. I demand a trial! Let me speak, and let my truth or falsehood be judged openly, in the sight of gods and men.”
“You want a trial, my lord of Lannister. Very well, a trial you shall have. My son will listen to whatever you care to say, and you shall hear his judgment. Then you may leave … by one door or the other.”
“I thank you, my good lady, but I see no need to trouble Lord Robert,” Tyrion said politely. “The gods know the truth of my innocence. I will have their verdict, not the judgment of men. I demand trial by combat.”
Luckily for Tyrion, Ser Vardis doesn’t feel good about fighting the Imp, not being honorable and all but unfortunately they can not wait for Jaime to arrive. Do we have any volunteers to fight for the Imp?
“I’ll stand for the dwarf,” Bronn called out.
I KNEW Bronn was awesome! I just can’t wait to see what happens! Oh, I already know! One thing that kind of stuck out to me at the end of this chapter is what he says to Marillion, the singer.
“Singer,” Tyrion said, turning to Marillion, “when you make a ballad of this, be certain you tell them how Lady Arryn denied the dwarf the right to a champion, and sent him forth lame and bruised and hobbling to face her finest knight.”
I realize, in Westeros, that news is carried by either a raven or is made into a ballad by a singer. How else would anyone know of the stories of love and war in the days gone by. So that made me wonder. What if there were reporters and newspapers in Westeros? Would it look something like this…
Books to HBO
A terrific, well-written scene, using the opening and closing of this chapter as a basis. The middle section, flashing back to Tyrion’s introduction to Lysa and Robert Arryn (named Robin for the show), was used in the previous episode. Mord is more brutal and frightening in the book, kicking Tyrion with a steel-toed boot on occasion rather than with his leather truncheon. Most notably, Tyrion does not use the “magic” of writing to convince Mord—in the novel, some illiterate smallfolk see writing almost as magical, and Tyrion’s written promise to pay what gold he had to Mord secured his help because of it. As to the “confession”, it goes on rather longer than in the novel, and into quite a bit more detail—much of it very funny, though we admit the multiple slang terms for masturbation got a bit tired!—but it’s quite funny all in all. The only other really notable change is that knights representing the Lynderly knight who speaks up first, and an older gentleman who more-or-less has Lord Hunter’s role, are present, but the character representing Lyn Corbray is not indicated. It’s also noteworthy that there’s not much hint of the fact that some of the people at court are would-be suitors of Lysa’s. The other detail we may note is the very different conception of the Moon Door, which is now a gate set directly in the floor that can be opened (hydraulically? the sound effect for it, at least in the screener, is stangely steampunk)
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