Tyrion Lannister
Tyrion Lannister, the disgraced dwarf son of Lord Tywin Lannister, flees Westeros after murdering his father and his lover Shae, embarking on a journey across the Narrow Sea that transforms him from a vengeful kinslayer into a cynical sellsword and political player in the game for the Iron Throne. His arc in A Dance with Dragons is one of descent, disguise, and reluctant re-engagement with the world, as he is shuttled from Pentos to the Rhoyne to Slaver's Bay, each stop stripping away another layer of his former identity while sharpening his wit and his will to survive.
Flight and the Burden of Kinslaying
Tyrion's journey begins in the aftermath of his greatest crime. Having shot his father, Lord Tywin, with a crossbow bolt while the Lord of Casterly Rock sat on a privy, and having strangled his former lover Shae with a golden chain, Tyrion is smuggled out of King's Landing by Varys. He is packed into a wine cask and shipped across the Narrow Sea to Pentos, where he is delivered to the magister Illyrio Mopatis. The memory of his father's last words—"Wherever whores go"—becomes an obsessive refrain, a riddle that haunts him throughout his exile. He drinks heavily, wallows in self-loathing, and contemplates suicide, but his survival instinct and his sharp tongue keep him alive. In Illyrio's manse, he is given clean clothes, a bath, and a bed, but he remains a prisoner in all but name, guarded by eunuchs and watched by the fat magister's servants.
The Cheesemonger's Game and the Dragon Queen
Illyrio reveals that he is part of a larger conspiracy to restore a Targaryen to the Iron Throne. He tells Tyrion of Daenerys Targaryen, the "dragon queen" across the sea, and of a plan to marry her to a young prince named Aegon, who has been raised in secret. Tyrion, seeing an opportunity to escape his sister Cersei's reach and to find a new purpose, agrees to join the cause. He is given the alias "Hugor Hill" and travels east with Illyrio's agents, a sellsword named Griff and his son, Young Griff. The journey takes them down the Rhoyne River, through the haunted ruins of the Sorrows, where they are attacked by stone men. Tyrion saves Young Griff from a stone man, earning a grudging measure of respect from the boy's father, though he remains a prisoner in all but name.
The Shy Maid and the Prince's Education
Aboard the poleboat Shy Maid, Tyrion becomes a tutor and a jester. He teaches Young Griff the game of cyvasse, offering him cynical advice on politics and war. He tells the boy to trust no one, to keep his dragon close, and to strike for Westeros without waiting for Daenerys. This counsel, born of Tyrion's own bitter experience, plants a seed of ambition in the young prince. Tyrion also engages in a battle of wits with the Halfmaester Haldon, playing cyvasse for secrets, and he observes the other members of the company: the pious Septa Lemore, the loyal knight Ser Rolly Duckfield, and the stern, watchful Griff, whom Tyrion deduces is actually Jon Connington, the exiled Lord of Griffin's Roost and former Hand of the King. Tyrion's sharp mind pieces together the truth of Young Griff's identity: he is Aegon Targaryen, the son of Rhaegar, thought to have been murdered as a babe.
Captivity and the Second Sons
Tyrion's journey takes a dark turn when he is separated from the company in Volantis. He is captured by Ser Jorah Mormont, the exiled knight who once served Daenerys, who intends to deliver him to the dragon queen as a gift to win back her favor. They are taken by slavers and sold at auction in Yunkai, where they become the property of the grotesquely fat Yunkish lord Yezzan zo Qaggaz. Tyrion is forced to perform as a jousting dwarf alongside another dwarf named Penny, whose brother was killed by men who mistook him for Tyrion. He endures the humiliation of slavery, the stench of the siege camp, and the threat of the pale mare, a deadly plague sweeping through the Yunkish army. When Yezzan dies of the flux, Tyrion seizes the chance to escape, leading Penny and Jorah to the camp of the Second Sons, a sellsword company. He signs their book in blood, becoming a member of the company, and begins to plot his next move.
A Sellsword's Destiny
As a Second Son, Tyrion finds a new, precarious foothold in the world. He signs promissory notes for vast sums, buying the loyalty of the company's officers with promises of future gold from Casterly Rock. He observes the siege of Meereen, the political machinations of the Yunkish lords, and the looming threat of the Volantene fleet. He learns that Daenerys has married Hizdahr zo Loraq and that her dragons have been chained. When the Second Sons betray Daenerys and join the Yunkish forces, Tyrion is once again on the losing side, but he remains confident in his ability to turn his cloak again. He tells Jorah Mormont, "The Second Sons are on the losing side. They need to turn their cloaks again and do it now. Leave that to me." His journey, marked by murder, exile, slavery, and cynical alliance, has forged him into a player in the great game once more, a dwarf with a big shadow, snarling in the midst of all.
