Penny

Penny is a dwarf girl and mummer, the sister of Oppo, who performed together as a comic jousting act riding a pig and a dog. After the Red Wedding, she and her brother fled King's Landing, but in Volantis, drunken sailors mistook Oppo for Tyrion Lannister and beheaded him. Penny, left alone and terrified, attempted to kill Tyrion in revenge before being subdued by Ser Jorah Mormont. She was subsequently sold into slavery alongside Tyrion, becoming part of the grotesquerie of the Yunkish lord Yezzan zo Qaggaz.

Life as a Slave and the Grotesquerie

As Yezzan's property, Penny was forced to wear a gilded iron collar and perform her jousting act for the amusement of her master and his guests. She shared quarters with other "treasures": a boy with goat legs, a two-headed girl, a bearded woman, and a hermaphrodite called Sweets. Penny clung to the hope that their master was kind, insisting that Yezzan was not cruel like Nurse, the overseer. She tried to maintain a semblance of normalcy by caring for her pig, Pretty, and her dog, Crunch, and by dreaming of a future where she could perform for Queen Daenerys and be rewarded with gold.

Relationship with Tyrion Lannister

Tyrion, initially irritated by Penny's naivete and her attempt on his life, gradually became her protector and reluctant friend. He taught her to be more cynical, slapping her when she spoke of dreaming of her brother and telling her bluntly that the mummer show was over. He also lied to her to spare her feelings, claiming that Sweets and the other grotesques had died of the pale mare when they had likely been abandoned. When they escaped slavery by joining the Second Sons, Tyrion insisted Penny arm herself, telling her, "Fight or hide or shit yourself, as you like, but whatever you decide to do, you'll do it clad in steel."

Escape and Joining the Second Sons

After Yezzan fell ill with the bloody flux, Tyrion orchestrated their escape from the Yunkish camp, leading Penny and Jorah Mormont to the camp of the Second Sons. Penny was initially reluctant, fearing the punishment for runaway slaves, but followed Tyrion. Once among the sellswords, she was given a place, though she remained a target for the rough men of the company. Tyrion secured her a place and armor, telling her she would need to survive what was coming.

Thematic Significance

Penny's story serves as a counterpoint to the grand political and military narratives of the book. She is a victim of the war and the cruelty of the powerful, a person whose life is defined by the whims of others. Her relationship with Tyrion highlights his own moral ambiguity; he is both her tormentor (by association with her brother's death) and her savior. Her persistent, almost childlike hope in the face of horror underscores the tragedy of the common folk in a world of dragons and kings.