Contents
TYRION — Chapter 9
Overview
Tyrion parts from Illyrio and is delivered to the riverboat Shy Maid by Haldon and Ser Duck. At Ghoyan Drohe he meets Griff, Young Griff, and their companions.
Griff probes Tyrion’s motives, burns Illyrio’s letter, and conditionally accepts him for the voyage down the Rhoyne toward Volantis and Daenerys, amid looming Dothraki and river perils.
Summary
Tyrion wakes in Illyrio’s halted litter to find two riders, Haldon and Ser Rolly Duckfield, collecting chests. They discuss Dothraki movements and the need to hurry down the Rhoyne. Illyrio offers regrets and a gift for a boy, then parts, looking uncharacteristically small as Tyrion rides off with the men.
On the road, Haldon sizes up Tyrion with pointed questions, while Duck boasts of his past and how Griff knighted him. They speak of river pirates and the Shrouded Lord, underscoring the hazards of the Rhoyne. The chests, Tyrion learns, hold armor, court clothes, and gifts intended for a queen.
They ride through the night over the Valyrian dragon road, stirring Tyrion’s memories of Longstrider and his father’s constraints. By day they reach ruined Ghoyan Drohe on the Little Rhoyne, where a blue-haired youth, Young Griff, hails them to the shabby poleboat Shy Maid. A stern leader, Griff, immediately distrusts Tyrion.
In the cabin, Griff reads and then burns Illyrio’s letter. Tyrion bluntly confesses killing Tywin and claims hatred of his Lannister kin, offering his knowledge and wit to aid Daenerys. Griff warns him that lives and honor are at stake, not games, but conditionally agrees to carry Tyrion as far as Volantis if he proves obedient and useful.
As the crew—Young Griff, a septa, and Rhoynish boatfolk including Ysilla—prepare, Tyrion accepts a lowly berth. The company’s urgency, the gifts for a queen, and talk of Dothraki and river threats set the course: down the Rhoyne toward Volantis and, beyond, Daenerys.
Who Appears
- Tyrion Lannister (alias Hugor Hill/Yollo)Protagonist; leaves Illyrio, joins Haldon and Ser Duck, meets Griff’s group, offers service to Daenerys, and is grudgingly accepted.
- GriffAuthoritative leader on the Shy Maid; distrusts Tyrion, burns Illyrio’s letter, but conditionally allows him to travel to Volantis.
- Haldon (Halfmaester)Educated healer; vets Tyrion with pointed questions, organizes the handoff, urges haste down the Rhoyne.
- Ser Rolly Duckfield (Duck)Brawny knight; ferries chests, carries Tyrion to the boat, recounts his past, trains Young Griff.
- Young GriffBlue-haired youth on the Shy Maid; greets arrivals and is noted as Griff’s son and a capable trainee.
- Illyrio MopatisPentoshi magister; arranges Tyrion’s transfer, provides chests of clothes and gifts, and parts wistfully.
- Septa (Lemore)Handsome septa aboard the Shy Maid; part of Griff’s company, implicitly enforcing discipline and piety.
- YsillaRhoynish boatwoman on the Shy Maid; tasked with finding Tyrion bedding.