Sure, I have no problem believing Pycelle was just doing his job and not scheming. But if she doesn’t have any need for the moon tea, why ask for it at all, knowing that you’re about to provoke a trial? I assume the Tyrells’ preferred outcome would be Cersei guilty of treason and adultery, and Margaery innocent of all charges, legally and in the public opinion. I’m just not sure how the fairly glaring indicator of actual guilt that is the young queen’s use of abortifacients would be a part of that plan.
The accusation/confession of whichever Kettleblack and the church’s subsequent inspection of the goods should have served to set the stage for a trial, I would think. It’s not like they needed more than the accusation against Cersei to lock her up. That would be a perfect their word against ours scenario, and then Loras beats the hell out of the other Kettleblack. Basically a perfect plan, since it’d be clear at that point that all the evidence was fabricated by Cersei. How is it a better plan to go to Pycelle and ask for moon tea?
It seems to me like maybe the point is that she actually needed it.
So they killed an almost-innocent boy just to get somebody inside? Why do that? Why not just send somebody (good at picking locks) to be a student there?
Because Pate was already an inside student of the magic Maesters. From what I gathered, that particular branch of the Citadel wasn’t in very good standing with the rest of the place, and not a lot of students got assigned or, once assigned, trusted with the deeper stuff.
And this is Westeros…killing an almost-innocent is pretty much run-of-the-mill.
It’s certainly possible. Of course, it’s also possible that while Cersei screams “BURN THE WHORE!” she’s just digging her own grave deeper - when a Maester checks and sees that she’s an undespoiled virgin. That should finish the Lannisters off as a power in King’s Landing - not that they’re not nearly there already thanks to Cersei and her inability to think ahead regarding anything.
Speaking of which, is the Admiral that reported back about Loras and his skin problem the same Admiral that stole her navy?
Because that’s not how an organization of assassins works? Because that student might not be allowed to go to places Pate goes?
Waters returned from Dragonstone and gave a first-person report to Cersei that Loras had lost so much blood that the maesters were afraid to leech him, and then gave her the details off camera. Cersei later told Margaery that Loras had wounds from arrows, a mace, and boiling oil, but we have no way of knowing whether she was telling Margaery what Waters told her.
I finished it over the weekend. I liked it enough, but I’m not one of the unfortunate souls who actually waited 5 years for this.
So, John gets a letter from Ramsay Bolton that includes a lot of good details. My first thought was that the letter was a fake from Melisandre to keep Jon from going up to Hardhome. Could that possibly fit? The question is how she came to know of “Reek.” It doesn’t seem to fit that the Boltons killed Stannis and company but never found Asha, Theon and Fake Arya.
Why the letter ruffled Jon’s feathers so much, I’m not quite sure. Why get involved in this, of all things? To what end?
Throughout the series I’ve been much more interested in the goings-on of Westeros than with Dany and her dragons in what I refer to as the Middle East. This book made me care even less about Dany. She is obviously uninterested in Westeros, to the point of marrying some harpy clown in Meereen, so why do we keep following her?
I agree, it makes no sense. He already went through this crisis of conscience when he wanted to join Rob, and now he’s supposedly more mature.
Well, I followed her, boring as the throne-room minutia was, because I wanted to see if she would ride a dragon.
And she did!!! And amazingly, it was only slightly less boring than the rest of her chapters. And then, just to grind our nose in it, GRRM has her end up back where she was at the very beginning of the series, trying to enlist the Dothraki.
Yeah, I’ll read the next book (if I live that long), but I’ll get it from the library. GRRM has seen the last copper I’ll ever give him.
I’m assuming that the central event in the last 2 books will be the attack by the Others. In which case, he will be sent forth mid-way through his training.
Isn’t the Hound dead and buried? It’s Lem wearing his helm.
So am I the only one who thinks that a massive attack by the Others and the wights isn’t going to happen? That this whole story is going to wrap up without the Wall coming down, without Dany making it to Westeros, without Azor Ahai being reborn, without any Starks in Winterfell, and without any stability in the Seven Kingdoms? “Winter is coming” has been so hyped up, I can’t imagine GRRM being able to do it justice. Maybe he’ll decide just not to do it and end the series right before the Others attack. Or maybe the whole thing will turn out to be a dud and just fizzle away. A false winter, perhaps?
No attack by the Others would be a bizarre twist. For them to appear after 8000 years in hibernation and decide to stick to this side of the Wall would be anti-climatic to say the least.
Well if they’ve waited 8000 years, surely they can wait a few more decades, or hell, centuries, before they attack. We know they exist, yet we don’t know their numbers. They could be too weak to take on even a shattered and broken Westeros. It just seems to me, especially after reading the last two books, that the Others just aren’t going to play a major role. It’s the threat of the Others that’s been important to the story so far, not the Others themselves. I can totally see the story wrapping up without them: Jaime and Theon’s redemption, Bran excepting his fate as a greenseer, Arya regaining her identity, the Seven Kingdoms united (or not), the Night’s Watch guarding the Wall, eternally vigilant, etc. Resolution for the characters, but not for the overall situation. “Winter is coming” could be the last words of the series.
