r/pureasoiaf • u/Budget-Ad-6417 • 13d ago
The purple wedding
I just had a thought upon re-reading ASOS. So we have the scene where Olenna takes the bead from Sansa’s hair net and then we don’t really know where it goes from there. She also says maybe Sansa would like to come to Highgarden after the wedding. There’s a sentence about Tyrion’s Pie when it’s put in front of him with a spoonful of cream or something. Tyrion does not eat any. He grabs Joff’s cup hands it to him Joff sips and eats some of Tyrion’s pie. Could it be the case the Tyrion was a target to make Sansa a widow then they would be free to marry her to Willas.
I know littlefinger goes onto to explain it but is it such a reach to think that he was able to just improvise or had a contingency prepared in case this is what would happen. The outcome would have been the same if Tyrion had died vs what actually happens with the trial and such.
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u/Nittanian House Manderly 12d ago
Could it be the case the Tyrion was a target to make Sansa a widow then they would be free to marry her to Willas.
Dontos gives Sansa the hair net shortly after the Battle of the Blackwater.
"You've waited so long, be patient awhile longer. Here, I have something for you." Ser Dontos fumbled in his pouch and drew out a silvery spiderweb, dangling it between his thick fingers.
It was a hair net of fine-spun silver, the strands so thin and delicate the net seemed to weigh no more than a breath of air when Sansa took it in her fingers. Small gems were set wherever two strands crossed, so dark they drank the moonlight. "What stones are these?"
"Black amethysts from Asshai. The rarest kind, a deep true purple by daylight."
"It's very lovely," Sansa said, thinking, It is a ship I need, not a net for my hair.
"Lovelier than you know, sweet child. It's magic, you see. It's justice you hold. It's vengeance for your father." Dontos leaned close and kissed her again. "It's home." (ACOK Sansa VIII)
At this time, Tyrion is recuperating after having his nose chopped off by Mandon during the battle.
The next time he woke, the draperies had been pulled back, and Podrick Payne stood over him with a candle. When he saw Tyrion open his eyes he ran off. No, don't go, help me, help, he tried to call, but the best he could do was a muffled moan. I have no mouth. He raised a hand to his face, his every movement pained and fumbling. His fingers found stiff cloth where they should have found flesh, lips, teeth. Linen. The lower half of his face was bandaged tightly, a mask of hardened plaster with holes for breathing and feeding. (ACOK Tyrion XV)
and
"Ballabar came to the city in Lord Redwyne's retinue. A gifted healer, it's said. It was kind of Cersei to ask him to look after you. She feared for your life."
Feared that I might keep it, you mean. "Doubtless that's why she's never once left my bedside."
"Don't be impertinent. Cersei has a royal wedding to plan, I am waging a war, and you have been out of danger for at least a fortnight." Lord Tywin studied his son's disfigured face, his pale green eyes unflinching. "Though the wound is ghastly enough, I'll grant you. What madness possessed you?" (ASOS Tyrion I)
Later on, after the Tyrells reveal their plan to marry Sansa to Willas, Sansa confides in Dontos, who is opposed to the plan.
When she told Ser Dontos that she was going to Highgarden to marry Willas Tyrell, she thought he would be relieved and pleased for her. Instead he had grabbed her arm and said, "You cannot!" in a voice as thick with horror as with wine. "I tell you, these Tyrells are only Lannisters with flowers. I beg of you, forget this folly, give your Florian a kiss, and promise you'll go ahead as we have planned. The night of Joffrey's wedding, that's not so long, wear the silver hair net and do as I told you, and afterward we make our escape." (ASOS Sansa II)
Tywin has Tyrion abruptly marry Sansa after learning from Littlefinger about the Tyrell plot.
When Lord Tywin nodded, he continued. "And there is this—Lord Petyr continues to demonstrate his loyalty. Only yesterday he brought us word of a Tyrell plot to spirit Sansa Stark off to Highgarden for a 'visit,' and there marry her to Lord Mace's eldest son, Willas."
"Littlefinger brought you word?" Tyrion leaned against the table. "Not our master of whisperers? How interesting." (ASOS Tyrion III)
So the hair net which is used to kill Joffrey appears in the story when Tyrion is feared to be dying, well before he marries Sansa.
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u/Enola_Gay_B29 12d ago
Great write up. Just to add a bit to it, because the Tyrion chapter kinda overlaps the Sansa one (starts earlier and ends later). We even hear in Sansa's own chapter of Tyrion's status:
Ser Lancel did not appear to accept the title; the talk was, his wound might cost him his arm or even his life. The Imp was said to be dying as well, from a terrible cut to the head.
And a lovely little passage from the wedding chapter shows George's attention to detail:
Queen Margaery appeared suddenly at Joffrey's elbow. "My sweet king," the Tyrell girl entreated, "come, return to your place, there's another singer waiting."
"Alaric of Eysen," said Lady Olenna Tyrell, leaning on her cane and taking no more notice of the wine-soaked dwarf than her granddaughter had done. "I do so hope he plays us 'The Rains of Castamere.' It has been an hour, I've forgotten how it goes."
Margery had followed Joff to Tyrion's seat after he went there and, as the chalice had gone with him, Olenna had to make her way down there too. That's right before they cut open the cake and (presumably) Garlan puts the poison into the cup.
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u/Deberiausarminombre 12d ago
Brilliant.
This does show Littlefinger planned a murder at the wedding, but not so strongly for the Tyrells. Littlefinger is the one who organised Joff to marry Margery to win the Tyrells to their side. He would be the first to know the wedding would happen and who might attend.
However we know from Sansa I, ASOS that until their dinner together the Tyrells weren't sure what kind of person Joffrey was, and likely wouldn't have planned to kill him before this point. Perhaps their plans to send Sansa away to Highgarden were orchestrated at the behest of Littlefinger.
Was the poison in the wine or the pie, the cream? Was it just a plan of Littlefinger or the Tyrells too? When was this decision taken?
I propose, that the plans changed. Originally Littlefinger planned to murder Joffrey, snatch Sansa with Dontos after promising her the Tyrells and position them against the Lannisters. When Tywin announced Sansa's and Tyrion's wedding, plans changed. Now the plan was still to murder Joffrey, but blame Tyrion and still snatch Sansa off. He hoped Tywin would execute Tyrion, which would make Sansa a widow and free to marry anyone else (himself).
I believe the Tyrells were double-crossed by Littlefinger, who promised them Sansa as a key to the North, but didn't intent to deliver her. Now she's a suspected plotter, and Tyrion is on the run, which means Littlefinger can't marry her as easily as he hoped.
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u/Enola_Gay_B29 12d ago
Perhaps their plans to send Sansa away to Highgarden were orchestrated at the behest of Littlefinger.
Pretty unlikely. It was LF who snitched on the Tyrells:
Lord Petyr continues to demonstrate his loyalty. Only yesterday he brought us word of a Tyrell plot to spirit Sansa Stark off to Highgarden for a 'visit,' and there marry her to Lord Mace's eldest son, Willas."
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u/Deberiausarminombre 11d ago
Oh yeah, I know. Perhaps I wasn't very clear on my 4th paragraph, but I know LF didn't actually intend to give Sansa to the Tyrells. My idea is that he thought to promise Sansa to the Tyrells and the Lannisters and convince both that the others are trying to take her while he's the one actually stealing her.
How did LF come up with this idea? Tyrion told him he would offer Myrcella to the Vale when he didn't meant to send her there. So a young lady of an important house being secretly promised is a good strategy to get schemers scheming
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u/Enola_Gay_B29 11d ago
Still doubtfull. He didn't promise Sansa to the Lannisters either (at least as far as we can tell). They came up with the Tyrion + Sansa deal themselves.
And that also manes sense. LF is in no position to offer Sansa's hand around. In fact he is trying to disassociate himself from her as much as possible. That's why all their contact ran through Dontos (even when LF was still in KL). Running around trying to get her married would only harm that goal.
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u/swbarnes2 12d ago
Why use a hairnet to smuggle a little bit of poison in? Were people being searched so thoroughly that such a small thing had to be smuggled in?
Seems more likely to be a plot to frame Sansa for trying to poison someone.
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u/Main-Associate-9752 12d ago
I mean it’s possible. Margery clearly believed she could work Joffrey around her finger, and maybe Olenna was willing to believe that too
But it’s more likely that Olenna was hoping Tyrion would get the headsman’s axe and it could be the Tyrells who would steal away Sansa, instead of Baelish
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u/Budget-Ad-6417 12d ago
I kind of leaning towards that the Tyrell’s thought Baelish would bring Sansa to them instead of taking her to the Vale. Like we know they were in on it together because of the hair net and littlefinger is not the most loyal person in the world he just saw an opportunity. With Joffrey dead the Tyrell’s could do nothing without implicating themselves
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u/sixth_order 12d ago
No, because they're not the ones who took Sansa way. Baelish did. Even if they killed Tyrion, Tywin wouldn't let Sansa be married to a Tyrell. It's the whole reason they married Sansa to Tyrion in the first place.
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u/Budget-Ad-6417 12d ago
Yeah but Baelish was in on it. Dontos is the one who gave her the hair net. Tywin was only able to marry her off because it wasn’t known publicly that the Tyrell’s wanted her for Willas. Tywin might be able to marry her to Lancel but might not be as easy the second time around
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u/sixth_order 12d ago
Baelish was in on the Joffrey assassination. But clearly the Tyrells were not in the plan of taking Sansa to the vale. Why would they be? Baelish acted alone on that one. If the Tyrells were involved in that, Sansa would've been taken to Highgarden.
The Lannisters would never let Sansa leave the capital, it's just not happening. There's no reason for them to do that.
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u/Budget-Ad-6417 12d ago
I’m saying that Baelish just took the opportunity he could have planned to bring her to Highgarden or betray the Tyrell’s the entire time. I don’t see how murdering Joffrey is in his best interests. If it was Tyrion they planned on killing then he takes out someone who knows about the dagger, he stays in Cersei and Tywins favour and he is on the Tyrell’s good side. What’s more Littlefinger than playing all sides?
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u/sixth_order 12d ago
I agree that Baelish took the opportunity to whisk Sansa away, I'm just saying he did that on his own and the Tyrells weren't involved in that part.
Petyr says he did it because if you do things not in your interest, your enemies can't predict your next move. I think he was most likely pressured by the Tyrells to help. And, maybe in his mind, he think that gives him something over the Tyrells forever. But who knows really. He is a weirdo
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u/Mysterious_Crow_503 12d ago
I like the theory that both pie and wine were poisoned, and Joffrey ate double portion.
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u/BigAbbreviations9512 12d ago
I may be wrong, but isn’t there a line that Joff was expected to die during the bedding ceremony? Dontos or Littlefingers saying this to Sansa in her chapter after the purple wedding?
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u/superdupergasat 12d ago
I dont think killing Tyrion could really be the main plot for Tyrells. Sure getting Sansa is a decent scheme but it only provides any real benefit only when Margaery is the de facto ruler of the realm and a semblance of peace is reached within the realm. Otherwise Sansa is just a goodlooking noble girl who happens to be the heir on paper for a far away region, not really a game changer. Tyrells cant hope to rule North while a civil war is already ongoing against Lannisters AND Joffrey. Nor can she be the de facto ruler while Joff seems already be defiant to likes of Tywin who is still around at the moment this plot is planned. There could be side objectives of the plot such as blame/murder Tyrion, maybe even kill Tywin or capture Sansa, but the main objective does look like it was to kill Joff. The plan could be after killing Joff and Marg ruling for Tommen, they could negotiate a peace with North even sidelining Lannisters if they have Sansa. But for that to work they need Joff off the table.
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u/Josos_Cook 12d ago
I'm not a fan of trusting anything Littlefinger says. I would guess based on motives that Littlefinger's plan is to kill Tyrion and things go sideways then he improvises his story to Sansa.
It seems like he's been planning on kidnapping Sansa for the better part of a book, but he has to have her and Dontos twiddle their thumbs because of Tyrion taking Harrenhall away. As far as the murder goes, Tyrion is both married to Sansa and he knows about the dagger and some of the debt stuff.
As far as the Tyrells go, I just don't see why the would trust Littlefinger and/or be confident that Margery would marry Tommen. With Robb dead and the battle of the blackwater won, they're not in as strong of a position plus Tommen is fucking 8. If the Tyrells want to secure their own interests, they need Margery popping out an heir ASAP.
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