[House Tyrell — Houses]
In the aftermath of the battle, Tyrion examines the damage on the battlefield and is present when Daenerys offers the surviving Lannister and Tarly men a choice: kneel or die. When Randyll Tarly refuses, Tyrion is quick to point out Randyll's newfound loyalty to Cersei, despite her role in annihilating House Tyrell. Randyll, in turn, denounces Tyrion and his loyalty to Daenerys, viewing her as a foreign invader. Despite Tyrion's insistence that Randyll and Dickon Tarly be imprisoned or sent to the Wall, Daenerys ignores his advice, explaining that they already made their choice, and orders Drogon to burn them alive.
Tyrion does not appear in the fourth book, A Feast for Crows , and his whereabouts are not revealed, though he is mentioned several times, particularly due to Cersei having placed a bounty on his head, and also Cersei's increasing paranoia that Tyrion is still hiding somewhere in the Red Keep, waiting for the right moment to strike and kill her. Tyrion's escape also fuels Cersei's paranoia of House Tyrell: a Tyrell coin is found in the cell of an undergaoler named Rugen (who is actually Varys in disguise), leading Cersei to believe that the Tyrells, particularly Margaery, might have conspired with Tyrion to murder Joffrey and helped him escape by bribing the guards, maybe even conspired to kill Tywin too.
They later meet with Euron Greyjoy to discuss a possible alliance. Though Cersei declines his offer of marriage, Euron graciously departs, promising to return with a gift that will win her heart. Later, Cersei gives a speech urging several nobles from the Reach , including Lord Randyll Tarly , to reaffirm their allegiance to the Iron Throne and not follow House Tyrell in supporting Daenerys. Cersei warns that the Targaryen's Dothraki and Unsullied hordes would pillage their lands and homes, and rape their women. When Lord Tarly points out that Daenerys has three dragons, Qyburn replies that he is "at work on a solution."
Feeling cheated of yet another vengeance, Cersei can barely contain her fury as she laments listening to Jaime, saying Olenna ought to have died screaming. Jaime then points out that such vengence is pointless, with House Tyrell now being extinct, as well as their isolation from anybody else of significance. Cersei then surmises to say that she will fight to the bitter end rather than surrender.
Cersei's behavior is very mercurial, capable of switching between seemingly true affection for someone to extreme loathing over trifles. She is very petty about even small slights, both real and imagined, which ended up being her undoing, for she tried to use the Faith Militant to undermine House Tyrell due to her dislike of Margaery and the fact she replaced her as Queen, only to lose House Tyrell as an ally and find a powerful enemy in the Faith Militant . As Tyrion noted, Cersei often uses her honest feelings to dishonestly manipulate other people. For example, her fear for the safety of her children is actually genuine, but she will shamelessly use this to play on the sympathy of other people, to sway them into supporting her.
Cersei despises the restraints placed on her because she is a woman and is jealous of the freedoms that men have in her society. Several of the noble Houses in the Seven Kingdoms have more liberal attitudes when it comes to involving female members of their family in politics. The women of House Tyrell , for example, are expected to be involved in politics and have thus been trained from a young age in the skills of ruling. Unfortunately, Cersei's father Tywin is a staunch conservative, and never envisioned Cersei playing an active role in politics. Instead, her duty was to cement a marriage alliance and raise royal children, nothing more. It is also possible that instead of her gender being the object, Tywin believes she is simply too impatient and rash. Either way, the practical result is that, right or wrong, Tywin didn't raise Cersei to be skilled in ruling or in political intrigue. While confronted with these shortfalls, Cersei often blames her father or society in general for not giving her the years of training needed to rule, but complaining about it doesn't change the fact that she simply doesn't possess these skills. Although Cersei hates being a woman in Westerosi society, she shows no sympathy towards other women in similar circumstances, scorning them for what she perceives as their weakness: Cersei isn't so much angry at men for mistreating women, as angry that she isn't a man. When she was drunk during the Battle of the Blackwater she even openly said she wished she was born a man.
Instead of having Loras arrested by the Faith on charges of homosexuality, Cersei sends him to capture Dragonstone , hoping he will die in the attempt due to his rashness; he is fatally injured, but somehow clings to life by the point the books reached. Cersei also orders her lover Osney Kettleblack to seduce Margaery, in a scheme to bring about Margaery's downfall. When he fails to do so, Cersei compiles a long, dubious, list of individuals Margaery has supposedly slept with; she tortures the Blue Bard, a young singer in service with House Tyrell, into "confessing", and has Kettleblack sent to the High Septon to confess. Margaery is arrested, but the plot backfires when the High Septon grows suspicious of Kettleblack's confession and has him tortured. Kettleblack then admits the truth: that he never touched Margaery but he has been sleeping with Cersei, and that he killed the previous High Septon on her orders.
Jaime is next seen leading the combined Lannister-Tarly army, along with Bronn, Randyll Tarly and Dickon in the final assault against Highgarden. In the aftermath of the assault and the massacre of the castle's Tyrell garrison, passing through his own soldiers counting up the spoils of victory, Jaime confronts Olenna in her study. Jaime notes that the Tyrell forces fought bravely, whereupon Olenna acknowledges warfare was not House Tyrell 's strong point. Olenna observes that Tyrion and Daenerys thought the bulk of the Lannister forces would be defending Casterly Rock against the Unsullied attack. Jaime, while pouring two glasses of wine, reveals it was a ruse, explaining that his ancestral home is now practically worthless, aside from childhood sentiment; a token garrison was left behind and the Rock's food stores were emptied before they fled. He also states Euron's Iron Fleet will have destroyed the attacking fleet, leaving the Unsullied trapped deep in Westeros at the mercy of Lannister forces. Meanwhile, the main Lannister army would be far away from the main attack, a strategic move Jaime learnt from Robb in the Battle of Whispering Wood . Olenna wonders why Tywin didn't just take Highgarden when Casterly Rock's mines first ran out of gold. Knowing her end is near, she remarks that she may ask Tywin himself soon enough.
After Jaime captures Highgarden from House Tyrell , he informs Olenna that he learned from his past mistakes and utilized the same tactic that Robb used against him years ago during the Battle of Whispering Wood, in which he and his father had been tricked by Robb into thinking the entire northern army was moving against Tywin's encampment but rather it was a ploy and the real bulk of the army surprised Jaime's forces and successfully captured him during the fighting.
Tyrion is wounded during the fighting but the battle is won by the arrival of a host of House Lannister and House Tyrell soldiers under the command of Lord Tywin Lannister . Joffrey rewards Tywin by naming him Savior of the City . He also grants a favor to House Tyrell for their aid and Ser Loras asks Joffrey to unite their houses in marriage. Joffrey balks at setting aside his betrothal to Sansa, but is easily convinced in a sham dialogue with his mother and courtiers and agrees to marry Margaery Tyrell . Sansa herself feigns sorrow, but can barely conceal her delight when out of sight.
During the rebellion, Stannis held the ancestral Baratheon castle of Storm's End against a siege by House Tyrell for over a year, which included the whole power of the Reach and the Redwyne fleet. By the end of the siege, the castle defenders were living on rats and boot leathers and facing starvation, when they were saved by the smuggler Davos , who snuck in his cargo of onions and salted fish past the Redwyne blockade. It was meager food, but enough to sustain the defenders till Eddard Stark broke the siege. While the siege lacked a major battle to enshrine it in song and legend, it was essential to tie down the armies of House Tyrell and prevent them marching to Prince Rhaegar Targaryen 's aid at the Trident.
Littlefinger travels to Harrenhal to propose an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell to Lord Tywin Lannister . When arrives at camp, his cupbearer, Arya Stark, who Cersei tasked Petyr with tries to hide her face to prevent Littlefinger from identifying her. Baelish discusses the assassination of Renly, and the subsequent rallying of the noble Houses from the Stormlands under the banner of Stannis Baratheon . However, House Tyrell of the Reach has retreated its large army back to their capital at Highgarden, and has not joined Stannis. Baelish discusses with Tywin the possibility of forming an alliance between House Lannister and House Tyrell.
However, she does secure an alliance between Renly and Robb. This alliance is short lived, however, as Renly is assassinated by a shadow just after he has agreed to an alliance with Robb. This is witnessed by Catelyn and his kingsguard Brienne is mistakenly blamed for the death and she flees the camp with Catelyn. Brienne later swears fealty to Catelyn. Renly's army splinters with the forces of House Tyrell fleeing to Highgarden and the rest of his bannermen joining Stannis.
Margaery is the only daughter of Lady Alerie Tyrell and Lord Mace Tyrell , the Lord Paramount of the Reach . The Reach is one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Tyrell is one of the Great Houses of the realm. Margaery was raised in privilege in the family seat and regional capital of Highgarden . She is close to her brother, Ser Loras Tyrell , the Knight of Flowers. She is said to be as beautiful as she is clever.
Later, Loras invites Margaery and Sansa to watch him sparring with his squire in the castle gardens. During that time, Sansa praises Loras's swordsmanship and expressed her interest in marrying Loras, something the Tyrells have been plotting to keep her from being used by Baelish or the Lannisters, and to bring the North under the control of House Tyrell, instead of their opponents. Margaery replies that she would "plant the seed" of the idea after she and Joffrey marry. While Sansa is skeptical that Joffrey would let her go, Margaery is confident that he would do it to please his betrothed. Unknown to Margaery and Sansa, Ser Loras later engages in a sexual encounter with his squire Olyvar .
During this meeting, Loras briefly mentions that he is to be married to Sansa. Unknown to Loras, Olyvar is a spy working for Littlefinger, who in turn reports to Cersei. In response, Tywin arranges for Cersei and Tyrion to marry Loras and Sansa, respectively, in order to curb the ambitions of House Tyrell and to bolster the marriage alliance between the Lannisters of Casterly Rock and the Tyrells of Highgarden.
Margaery repeats her plea, this time with a marked sense of urgency, secretly slipping a piece of paper into her grandmother's hand. Understanding the silent message, Olenna relents. She tells Margaery that she will see her soon, and the two share a hug. During the hug, Margaery's mask slips for a split second because of the emotion. After Olenna leaves, Margaery cheerfully asks Septa Unella if she would like to pray. Outside the room, Olenna unfolds the note to find a rose—House Tyrell's sigil—drawn on it. This reassures her that Margaery's true loyalty remains with her family.
At Cersei and Loras's trial, Margaery stands with her father in the Great Sept of Baelor, and watches from the sidelines as Loras renounces his allegiance to House Tyrell, confesses to his crimes and agrees to join the Sparrows. Presumably, Margaery becomes heir to Highgarden for the final moments of her life after her brother's disinheritance. She comforts her father and restrains him from intervening when the Faith Militant begin carving the seven-pointed star into Loras's forehead. When Margaery realizes Cersei is not present, the High Sparrow sends Lancel to bring her to the sept by force. When Lancel himself does not return after a prolonged period of time, Margaery suggests to the High Sparrow that Cersei's absence and that of Tommen indicates that she is plotting to harm them.
An interesting result of showing Margaery's POV actions is the effect it will have on portraying the sparring between Margaery and Cersei Lannister. Most of the clashes between Margaery and Cersei are shown from Cersei's POV, but Cersei is an "unreliable narrator." Cersei is vindictive and paranoid, and starts suspecting that anything that goes wrong in the capital, both large and small matters, must be Margaery plotting against her, or at least the Tyrell family in general. Intriguingly, at least some of these attempts to outmaneuver Cersei were objectively true, i.e. the Tyrells do try to marry Sansa to their eldest son ( Willas in the books, Loras in the TV series) but how much of these plots were actually masterminded by Margaery, or simply Margaery following orders from her father Mace and grandmother Olenna, weren't entirely clear. The inner mechanics of House Tyrell's political schemes in the capital are not directly portrayed in the narrative of the books. Margaery could conceivably have masterminded some of these, while others may have been the actions of House Tyrell as a whole, though Cersei increasingly fixates on Margaery and blames her for everything the Tyrells are planning, because she fears that Margaery is the new young queen who has come to supplant her. Even so, as Cersei's paranoia increases, she starts blaming Margaery for plots which other parts of the books objectively establish that other people were responsible for (i.e. Littlefinger, Varys, the other scheming courtiers, etc.). Due to these events occurring in Cersei's skewed POV narration the books were never entirely clear about which of these were plots Margaery herself directly orchestrated (at least some actually were), and which of these plots Cersei irrationally blamed on Margaery even though she actually had no hand in them (at least some events were revealed to not involve Margaery at all). Thus the TV series may end up definitively establishing which events Margaery was or was not responsible for, when this was left deliberately vague in the novels.
Lady Olenna Tyrell , née Redwyne , was the elderly matriarch of House Tyrell and the last known head of that house. Lady Olenna had been a mistress of court politics, plotting and intrigue par excellence throughout her life. She was also known for her wit and sarcasm. As a result, Lady Olenna was popularly nicknamed the Queen of Thorns , in reference to the Tyrell sigil - a rose - and her cutting, barbed comments. In many ways she was the de facto head of House Tyrell at the time of the War of the Five Kings and appeared to hold a great deal of influence over the Reach .
Olenna Tyrell was the widow of Lord Luthor Tyrell and the mother of Mace Tyrell , the former Lord of Highgarden , Warden of the South , Lord Paramount of the Reach , and head of House Tyrell . She was the grandmother of his children, Loras and Margaery . She was born into House Redwyne , one of the most prominent and powerful vassals of House Tyrell.
Tywin says that neither he nor Olenna care what other people think of them (an assertion she refutes). He proceeds to call her bluff by threatening to name Loras to the Kingsguard , thereby exchanging the uncertainty of Cersei's childbearing status for the certainty of House Tyrell's extinction. Olenna snaps Tywin's quill in half and graciously concedes defeat, noting with approval that Tywin really does live up to his ruthless reputation.
Olenna goes to the Sept of Baelor and finds the High Sparrow washing the floors. She first tries to bribe him to release her grandchildren before repeating her previous threat to Cersei that House Tyrell will stop feeding the capital if she doesn't get Margaery and Loras back. The High Sparrow is not impressed and asks her if anyone in her House has ever harvested any of the food they own. When Olenna fails to answer, he tells her that he speaks for the many and they are learning to stop fearing the few, signalling the downfall of the Westerosi nobility and the rise of the common people.
After she leaves the Sept, a messenger gives her a message from Littlefinger. She goes to Baelish's ravaged brothel, where they trade barbs before Olenna accuses him of helping Cersei bring down Loras. Although Baelish denies it, she warns him that, should House Tyrell fall, she will no longer have anything to lose and she will reveal their joint involvement in Joffrey's murder. She also warns him that, should she meet with an unfortunate accident, her agents will ensure Baelish's body is never found.
As soon as she is alone, she unfolds the note. It contains a drawing of a rose, the House Tyrell sigil, which leads Olenna to smile: Margaery is still a Tyrell at heart, and has wrapped the Sparrows around her finger.
Later, Olenna is visited by Cersei, who urges her to fight against the Faith Militant, but Olenna says that she is leaving for Highgarden , before "that shoeless zealot" gets the idea to throw her in a cell as well. Trying to convince Olenna, Cersei tells her they have a common enemy , and that they should unite and defeat him. Olenna, however, reminds Cersei that the rise of the Faith Militant, the imprisonment of her grandchildren and the compromised future of both the Lannisters and the Tyrells are all due to Cersei's stupidity. Cersei tries to win Olenna over by comparing her love for Tommen with Olenna's love for her grandchildren, to which Olenna reminds her of the smug look she gave her when Loras and Margaery were dragged away by the Faith Militant, pondering that Cersei is possibly the worst person she has ever met. Olenna bluntly tells Cersei the truth of the matter: Cersei has no friends and is surrounded by enemies with absolutely no support. She then adds that her only joy comes from the fact that Cersei has truly lost.
Olenna returns to Highgarden which is soon attacked by the Lannister army lead by Jaime and Randyll Tarly , the former bannerman of House Tyrell. After Highgarden is swiftly taken by the Lannister forces, Jaime meets with Olenna in her private chambers. The two discuss the attack on Casterly Rock : Olenna notes that Daenerys and Tyrion were sure the Lannisters would defend it, but Jaime notes that with its gold mines dry, the Rock is no more value than a symbol. However, it provided a useful distraction to lure Daenerys's army away, while the bulk of the Lannister army marched on Highgarden, a lesson he learned from Robb in the Battle of Whispering Wood .
Olenna wonders why Tywin, a man vocal about the importance of gold, had not taken Highgarden long ago when the Lannisters' own mines ran dry, but muses she can soon ask him - realizing her death is imminent, Olenna asks Jaime how he plans to kill her, pointing out that he is wielding Joffrey’s sword, not that Joffrey ever used it. She asks after the name he gave it; Jaime tells her: Widow's Wail . She sighs that Joffrey "really was a c***, wasn't he?"; Jaime's expression showing no disagreement with her assessment of his son. Olenna explains to Jaime that any unspeakable wrong she has played a part in was always for the good of House Tyrell, remarking that her true failure was underestimating Cersei's monstrous imagination, and her inability to foresee or even imagine just how far Cersei was willing to go remain in power and obtain her personal vengeance against those who wronged her, with her referring to the destructive destruction of the Sept of Baelor via Wildfire caused by Cersei. Jaime concedes that while Cersei may currently appear to be a monster to others, they will be grateful once she has restored peace to the Seven Kingdoms. Understanding the love Jaime holds for his sister, Olenna pities and tells him she will be his end. She calls Cersei a disease and a monster and further stated that she regrets her role in spreading it and Jaime will too.
After graciously accepting her death and drinking the poison, Olenna touches on Joffrey, who had also been killed using poisoned wine at the Purple Wedding . She remarks that she would hate to die in the same way, describing in great detail what Joffrey looked like as she witnessed him choke to death. She states that it was not her intention to cause such pain as she had never seen the poison in action. Realizing Olenna was the true mastermind behind Joffrey's assassination, Jaime stares at her in disbelief. Wanting to torment Cersei even further, Olenna urges Jaime to tell Cersei that she was responsible for their son’s death, a last spiteful gift from House Tyrell.
With Lady Olenna's death, House Tyrell becomes officially extinct. Highgarden's gold stores, crops, and livestock are ruthlessly plundered by the Lannister army and shipped to King's Landing for Cersei to ensure an alliance with the Iron Bank. The Reach is given to Randyll Tarly of House Tarly as a reward for betraying House Tyrell. After the gold is confirmed to have arrived at King's Landing, Dickon Tarly broods to Jaime and Bronn over the guilt he holds for betraying House Tyrell. Jaime notes that had House Tyrell not betrayed the crown to support Daenerys's invasion, they would not have been on opposite sides, ignoring the fact that Cersei murdered the Tyrell heirs and seized the throne for which the Tyrells would obviously have wanted revenge. After word of Highgarden's sacking and Olenna's death reaches Dragonstone, Daenerys takes Olenna's final piece of advice and ambushes the Lannister forces with the Dothraki and Drogon .
Olenna's most prominent traits are her sharp wit, high cunning and intelligence. A politically astute woman, Olenna has been a master of court politics and intrigue her entire life. Olenna's strength and competence in politics has made her the de facto head of House Tyrell and, by extension, the Reach itself. An outspoken woman with little patience for inconvenience, she is unafraid of using her power as head of House Tyrell to threaten her enemies. Olenna never shies from stating her opinion (unless it is more advantageous to mask it) and truly hates Cersei for her cruelty, incompetence, and deep selfishness. She also admits that she finds Sansa rather dull and is interested in her political potential and not her personality. Olenna stated that she did not trust Tywin Lannister, nor did she especially like him as a person, but she did respect him for his steadfast diligence, ambition and intellect - she almost praised him for the fact that he actually lived up to his reputation. Tywin apparently felt the same way about Olenna, as she was one of the few people he ever treated as an equal – notably, when dealing with her, Tywin actually gave her his full attention and even poured her a drink, rather than continuing with his paperwork as he did when almost everyone else – including his own children – came to speak with him. She also appeared to show a decent amount of respect towards Ned Stark, blaming Varys for his death and mentioning that many admired him, possibly including herself.
She appears to have a very dark sense of humor and likes to mock those around her, including her own family. Despite this, Olenna clearly loves her family dearly, especially her grandchildren. Furthermore, she reveals to her granddaughter that even though she considered her husband Lord Luthor Tyrell an oaf, she genuinely loved him and struggled to accept his death. Olenna clearly is a staunch supporter of House Tyrell, despite being born and raised a Redwyne (but the Redwynes are also known as strong supporters and loyal bannermen to House Tyrell). In this regard, she is very similar to Tywin Lannister, who also places the power and prestige of his House above all else. Olenna, however, is wise to not be as ruthless or as cold as he was. She strikes a much healthier balance between loyalty to her House and affection for her family than Tywin ever did: whereas all three of his children grew to bitterly resent him, Olenna's grandchildren dote on her, and even her exasperation for Mace's oafishness is affectionate. When she shoots down Mace's attempt to speak to her and Tywin, he doesn't show offense but smiles indulgently, showing that he too dotes on her and is quite content to be under her.
Following the death of her family, Olenna's tongue grew even sharper. Instead of showcasing her cunning wit, her jagged barbs now stem from anger and pain. Olenna has not grown reckless or despondent, however: she is ready and willing to seek revenge, and remains strategic and pragmatic about doing so. She also makes it clear that since her entire future has been robbed from her, she doesn't care about survival; she is perfectly willing to die, and exhaust the considerable resources at her disposal, if it means she can bring Cersei to justice. In her final moments, Olenna blackly banters with Jaime despite him representing her hated enemy; she admonished Joffrey for being 'a c***', Jaime for being a deluded fool and Cersei for being a diseased monster. Furthermore, when facing death she is perfectly calm and willingly drinks the offered poison after ensuring it won't be painful; before she goes, however, she reveals her part in Joffrey's death and requests that Cersei be told, a last bit of vengeance for and from House Tyrell.
Olenna is cunning with a wicked wit and a sharp tongue. She is known as the "Queen of Thorns" for her sarcasm and the rose thorns in the sigil of House Tyrell. In many ways, the cunning Olenna is the true leader of House Tyrell, masterminding political intrigues which her son Mace, then follows. Despite this she has a loving relationship with her family, including her grandchildren. Olenna is particularly close with her granddaughter Margaery, whom she has mentored in the skills of court intrigue. Olenna is usually accompanied by her twin bodyguards, whom she cannot tell apart, so she simply refers to them as "Left" and "Right."
Olenna is still alive by the point the books reached. If the destruction of the Great Sept plays out in the same way, however, Olenna is not necessarily going to have to take control of House Tyrell herself, as she has two additional grandsons, Willas and Garlan . Even if Garlan is killed with Mace and Margaery, Willas rarely leaves Highgarden and would likely work with his grandmother to resist Cersei.
During the Battle of the Blackwater , just as the battle seems to be turning against the city's defenders, Cersei goes to the throne room to sit on the Iron Throne herself, while holding Tommen sitting on her lap. Together they await what she fears will be their end, and gets ready to give essence of nightshade to Tommen and herself to painlessly kill them both - as if Stannis is victorious he will have them both tortured to death. In the nick of time, however, her father Tywin enters the throne room along with Loras : the main Lannister army along with reinforcements from House Tyrell arrived at the last moment and repulsed Stannis's assault, winning the battle.