PETYR BAELISH - the modern man (pt. 1)

I hope I'll post a few stories of our yellow friend made of rubber, meantime, I had this in mind, couldn't stop writing it so I decided to throw it here. My Laptop is full of crap that may eventually end up here! I know you're probably opened the wrong page but, anyways, thanks for passing by.....enjoy.

If you’d ever stumble on archetypes, you’d know that there is something deep and true in stereotypes. The human brain needs to make sense of things, to somehow categorize them. 

illustration by singeroficeandfire - DEVIANTART

We have, inside of our heads, many little “figures” wildly representing concepts. Writers too. So, when they write a story, they are opening up their little world and even though every character can be easily linked to a specific stereotype, it has a uniqueness that comes from both the author’s inner self and the deep cultural substrate of the archetype used. 

Books’ authors cannot spend the same amount of words on all the characters (novels would become impossible to read) so major characters are often rendered better than minor ones. 

Some writers are better than others due to their ability to make even the small characters believable (and not too stereotyped) by merely outlining them “between the lines”.
The trick is to blatantly or impliedly suggest their desires or to show the way they behave towards the other characters. It's all about shades.

HBO - Game of Thrones

Petyr - Littlefinger – Balish is one of those lucky cases. I mean, surely he fits a stereotype, he is a vicious snake and everything so no one – not even most of the readers – likes him, but he has a well-structured personality that follows a cliché and at the same time diverges from it thus making "him" a “person” of his own.  

HBO - Game of Thrones

Let’s recapitulate the little (pun intended) we know about Lord Baelish. 

Petyr is a boy of modest means sent to Riverrun as a ward. There he grews up together with Lord Tully's daughters and son: Catelyn, Lysa and Edmur. 

Riverrun  by Martina Cecilia

He soon falls in love with Cat who is betrothed to Brandan Stark, heir to Winterfell and future Warden of the North. Petyr confronts Brandan over his love for Cat but Brandan defeats him easily and only Cat pledge to spare him saves his life. 

Little Catelyn and little Petyr by WaveSheep on DEVIANTART

Broken and humiliated he eventually seduces Lysa, Cat’s younger sister, who's a very troubled girl and has romantic and delusional feelings towards him.

   

Catelyn Tully by Elia Fernandez            Lysa Tully by Elia Fernandez

In due time, Petyr ascends to Master of Coin and gains a seat in the Small Council of King Robert Baratheon. We suppose he is the one who discovers that the crown prince is a bastard born from incest and probably shares this notion with a few members of the Small Council. 

HBO - Game of Thrones 

(King Robert Baratheon's Small Council)

Shortly after that, Littlefinger convinces Lysa Tully (who is still desperately in love with him) to poison her husband, Lord Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, whom he had previously led to investigate on the true parentage of King Robert's children . 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Jon Arryn)

Lysa appears to be an instable woman easy to maneuver, in the beginning at least.
As Petyr easily predicts, once Lord Arryn is dead, the King intends to find a highborn family to foster little Robert (Robin in the HBO series), Lysa's only son.  Although it is a common practice in Westeros for the children of noble birth to be sent away to another highborn House until they become of age (King Robert and Eddard Stark grew up in the Vale fostered by Jon Arryn), Lysa has a very sick attachment to her only son and doesn't want him to leave her side.

HBO - Game of Thrones 

(Rickon and young Eddard Stark)

It is very likely that Petyr used her sick affection towards her son to convince her to leave King's Landing (in the dead of the night and against the King’s will) tobring little Robert/Robin in the Vale, his dead husband’s lands. 

Considered that - in a letter she sent to her sister - she claims that the Lannisters killed her husband, it is a very odd move to seek refuge in the Vale instead of in Riverrun where her family would fiercely protect her and his young son or in Winterfell where her brother in law is no less than the Warden of the North.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Lysa and Robin)

In his time as the Master of coin Lord Baelish  has indebted the realm with the Iron Bank of Bravos for an outrageous amount of money and has also (this is still a speculation though) helped influent families all over the seven reigns to pay the same bank their debts by lending them money.
Lord Baelish may not be - to our current knowledge - one of the heroes of the A song of Ice and Fire saga but he certainly is the puppeteers behind the curtains. Throughout the books (series) we discover that he is the one who put in motion the chain of events iand he is still moving the pawn on the chess board. Baelish is indeed a cunning man but he is also a dangerous opponent thanks to the great number of secret he is apart as a owner of many brothels and a large network of spies.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Petyr Baelish and Lysa Tully)

As Petyr easily foresaw, in the aftermath of Jon Arrys's death, King Robert goes North to visit Lord Eddard (Ned) Stark – his beloved and trustworthy friend -  in order to personally ask him to become the next Hand of the King. 

Ned Stark is Brandon Stark's younger brother and became the heir of Winterfell after his father’s and brother’s early departure. He also had to step in for Brandon and marry the woman betrothed to his brother, Catelyn Tully.

Catelyn being Catelyn, she thinks it is a big honor to be the Hand of the King and tries to convince her husband, who’d rather not leave the North, to take the offer. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Ned Stark and Catelyn Tully)

Littlefinger is always a step ahead and manages to push Cat's hand just in the nick of time. 
To make sure Ned will accept the King's request, Petyr makes Lysa write a letter to her sister in which she openly accuses the Lannisters, the Queen’s family, of murdering her husband. It is a very well-played hand.  Thanks to Lysa's letter, Catelyn in the end is able to convince Ned to accept the King's request. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Lysa Tully)

Ned reaches Kings Landing with his two daughters (the oldest, Sansa, is betrothed to the crown prince) and starts to investigate Jon Arryn’s death. As his predecessor before him, Ned stumbles in the truth about the Queen’s children being bastards born from her incestuous relationship with her twin brother and also traces down a few bastard sons of the King's.
Ned, always the honorable man, asks the Queen to leave court with her bastards before the King comes back from the hunting party but unfortunately for him, a boar inflicts a mortal  wound to the King.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Cersei and Jaime Lannister)

We don’t know why Littlefinger plays two time, with two different hands, the same move  but it is clearly a pattern that repeat itself. Petyr tries to make Ned, as Hand of the King, rise as Lord regent but, since Ned is adamant in his will to crown the rightful heir (Stannis Baratheon, the king’s brother), Petyr betrays him and eventually causes his death.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Ned and Petyr)

The only thing Petyr cannot foresee are his feelings towards Sansa, Cat's eldest daughter. His stance on Sansa, will eventually shift from paternal to romantic (let's stick with romantic pls). Confines are indeed blurry with this man when it comes to this younger and more beautiful version of the love of his life.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Petyr and Sansa)

What we know for sure is that after Ned is beheaded, Petyr promises Sansa to take her away from King's Landing, where the young King Joffrey Baratheon - whom she is still betrothed - finds amusement in (more or less subtly) torture her. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark)

Littlefinger also arranges for to convince the noble house Tyrell to betroth Lady Margaery to the young King and thus sparing Sansa from marring man she despises and fears. Eventually she is forced to marry to the imp, the King’s uncle - a dwarf - but he treats her very respectfully. 

HBO - Game of Thrones 

(Tyrion Lannister and Sansa Stark wedding)

On the day of the king’s wedding, by subterfuge, Petyr makes  Sansa wear a net with purple gems full of venom. 

Sansa Stark examining the silver hairnet

art by Natascha Roosli on Fantasy Flight Games

He knows that in this way: 

1) she will be implicated in the death of the King and will have to follow him 

2) she will soon be a widow since he (Littlefinger of course) makes arrangement for her rescue but leaves her husband behind at the Queen's mercy (knowing all too well Queen Cersei despises him and will see to have his head on a spike).

The imp eventually escape from the prison but, by the time they caught him, Sansa is nowhere to be found. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Petyr and Sansa leaving Kings Landing)

In the books and in the HBO series too, Littlefinger asks, in specific moments, and he's granted three things:

1) the Castle of Harrenal,

2) Lysa Tully in marriage

3) to be named warden of the North.

Why does he want/need this 3 things?  

I think this are 3 necessary steps towards what he wants, can't guess what though (but I'm starting to think he wants all that was Brandon's - meaning Sansa, the youngest version of Catelyn, and reign over the whole north or may be more....). Let's go step by step. Harrenal is a vast and rich land that will make him rise enough to ask for Lady Lysa’s hand. 
Why Lysa? 
Because she is the widow of the former Lord of the Vale so her young son is the actual Lord of the Vale. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (The knights of the Vale)

The Vale has a great Army and since Lord Robert/Robin Arryn is "in" the Vale and not far away in the south fostered by some noble family chosen by the King (Petyr is - supposedly - the one who convinced Lysa to escape in the night and repair in the Vale and not at her father's castle) and the little Lord is not of age, once Lysa will be dead (needless to say, he'll make sure she will be soon enough), Petyr as her husband will be Robert/Robin’s legal guardian and the protector of the Vale: the Knights of the Vale will respond to him for the time being.

"The Knights of the Vale are some of the best fighters in Westeros trained to battle in the ice and the snow"

Petyr Baelish   

Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

But why does he need an army?
Since he asked Queen Cersei for a royal decree (that nobody else seems to know about) that names him warden of the North, he probably needs an Army to retake the North. Why does he want the North we cannot say (not yet) but it's probably the the real question at this point. Is it his goal? I doubt that. It's probably just  another step towards his real goal. 
Anyhow, Petyr is a smart man and he knows that the real key to the North is not an Army: and here it comes Sansa, the last true Stark (as far as he knows).

HBO - Game of Thrones (Petyr Baelish)

Petyr (allegedly?!?) needs Sansa safe and sound so, once he rescue her from King's Landing, he takes her with him to the Eyrie pretending she is his bastard daughter Alayne Stone. Sansa plays her part to perfection: only Petyr, Lysa and Robert/Robin know the truth about her identity. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Petyr kisses Sansa)

Problems start when Lysa's jealousy towards her niece risks to destroy Petyr’s plan. She hates  Sansa because she thinks (and she is probably right) she reminds him of Catelyn and she fears her husband may be interested in her. In the HBO tv-show she actually sees Petyr kiss her and mad with rage tries to kill her. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Lysa Tully tries to kill Sansa Stark)

Petyr soothes Lysa only to kill her immediately after she finds comfort in his embrace. We knew she had it coming, even so, it was a bit disturbing with how much easiness he kills her. 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Petyr comforts Lysa before he kills her)

In the books they are still in the Vale, in the HBO tv-show they changed a few bits and Petyr makes Sansa marry the unbelievably sadistic Lord Ramsey Bolton (formerly Snow, he was born a bastard of the North) whom took Winterfell, her home, and butchered her little brothers. We do not know for sure Petyr was aware of what kind of monster Ramsey Bolton was but (even though it would seem uncharacteristic of him not to know such an important thing) I don't think he knew; his mismay when he faces Sansa in Mole's town seemed genuine to me. 
Anyways, he pushed Sansa into marring a man who repeatedly abused and raped her and she won't forget it. How could she? He's the first person she trusted in years and she ended up locked in a tower waiting for the nights to come and her monstrous husband with them.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark and Theon Greyjoy)

In HBO's Game of thrones (season 5), while Stannis Baratheon's and Roose Bolton's Armies fight for Winterfell, Petyr has a bizzare conversation with Queen Cersei (I hope not oddly foreshadowing) that makes me wonder about his true intentions, even towards Sansa.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Petyr Baelish ans Queen Cersei)

The Queen thinks she is smart but he has her wrapped around his little finger (never pun was so intended) and plays her like a violin.

"I've found Sansa Stark, alive, well and at home, living in Winterfell

Really? after all his efforts to (seemingly) protect her? He simply tells Cersei where to find Sansa? Knowing the Queen still blames her and the imp for the King's murder? Seriously, what is he up to?

"They tell me Roose Bolton plans to marry her to his son Ramsey.  Marrying his son to the last of the Starks gives him more legitimacy in the North than any alliance with a hated southern house.

I do recall Petyr being the one who made the deal. And - this man is unbelievable - he also offers to send the Knights of the Vale to Winterfell on the Throne's behalf (although suggesting to wait for the  enemies to engage in battle and therefore let them decimate themselves before finally strike the survivors down).

"I would counsel patience Your Grace. .... Let Stannis and Roose battle, let the enemies of the throne slaughter each other and when they are done, seize Winterfell from whichever thief survive.

Since in Westeros history really loves to repeat itself, five days to the battle of the bastards (6x09 is to be released this Sunday) I fear for Jon's and Sansa's fate. There will be no winning side with the Army of the Veil lurking in the background on Baelish's command and Sansa seemingly taking a few pages from Petyr's handbook.

"That is why is critical to strike soon while the victor still licks his wounds.

Petyr Baelish
Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken

Anyways, while Littlefinger is in King's Landing, Sansa escapes Winterfell and eventually reaches the far North where she finds protection in Jon Snow's arms. Jon is her bastard brother, the Lord Commander of the Night Watch but, above all, he is the boy she was always awful to and now the only family she may have left and the only person she trusts.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark reunite with Jon Snow)

Sansa plans to retake the North and convinces her half-brother (she even calls him brother for the first time in their lives)  to join her cause. Did Petyr predict all of this too? Was also Jon part of his plan?

This would really be a stretch but could easily be a plan B or whatsoever.

HBO - Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark and Jon Snow at Castle Black)

When the last Starks (as far as they know, we know better) are ready to march on their ancestral home, Winterfell, Petyr secretly meets with Sansa and offers her the help of the Army of the Vale. Sansa refuses because she is mad at him for the hell Lord Bolton put her through but, at the eve of the battle against his devious husband, we see her secretly send a letter that we presume is addressed to him. Although we can imagine what she asks for, we cannot imagine why she didn’t tell Jon about Petyr and his Army. She has trust issue but, as she says (to Brianne), Jon is Jon....

HBO - Game of Thrones (Sansa Stark and Petyr Baelish in Mole's town)

I’m still wondering what could be Petyr's master plan. I can hardly picture him as one of the good guys so I don't think it's something we should hope to see through. Many hope a prophecy about Sansa may refer to him, and that she'll eventually be his demise. I'd like to see it.

"... and later I dreamt that girl again, slaying a savage giant in a castle build of snow

The Crone

A storm of swords

Petyr is originally from Bravos and his house sigil is the head of  Giant. I don't know if this prophecy is really about him, Petyr doesn't strike me as a savage anything. Only time (and George R.R. Martin) can tell.
Long story short, literarily I like this character but humanly I hope he dies a terrible death and that it will come to be by Sansa's hand. It is Game of Thrones after all, we all know that Valar morghulis (all man must die) and both the books' author and the tv-show's executive producers are men of their word and kill people at every turn. 
Kings and Knights, Lords and commoners, they all die, no one is safe in Westeros.
Given that, I just hope some will suffer more than others and (I'm a horrible person, I know) I think that if we cannot have justice in the real world, we should at least have it in books and I want the evil characters to suffer and die in the most horrible ways the writers can come up with.

HBO - Game of Thrones (King Joffrey Baratheon assassination)

In George R. R. Martin's books the narrator changes from chapter to chapter. We follow the story from many angles (POVs, points of view) and it is amazing how the writer shows us that nobody perceive himself as the villain of the story, not fromhis/hers specific point of view anyways. 
We get to decide some characters are evil and some others are good because we judge them from their actions but if we were to judge them from their perspective, would we agree that sometimes the ends justify the means? 
Still, some of them are vicious and deserve to die horribly. Joffrey is dead (seriously, Tommen is making me regret this bastard) but Ramsey is going too, anytime soon I hope (I'll miss this sick bastard  -another intended pun). 

HBO - Game of Thrones - Valar Morgulis Promo posters

In the end Petyr Belish  is one of the most modern and farsighted figure of the all saga. He is the true revolutionary even though he probably doesn’t even know he is. Ultimately, the turmoil he triggers will not only serve his selfish purposes; it can become the catalyst of the westerosi middle-class revolution. 

He is the a man who doesn’t accept the rules and is willing to overthrow an empire to make sure he will have his chance to get what he wants. He needs to put the world upside down to get his revenge. 

Let’s make it simple. 

Peter is a little boy in love with an highborn bitch - sorry Lady – who befriends him but doesn't really see the man behind the title (or the absence of it in his case). 

HBO - Game of Thrones (Lysa Tully and Petyr Baelish)

He will never be more than a friend to her. And it is not because he is not a nice looking guy or a good person: it's due to the simple fact that his social status doesn’t fit her standards. 
Catelyn thinks he is beneath her and this is – probably -  the only reason why she is not interested. Bulling, wild, womanizer Brandon Stark may be a despicable young man but has the right blood so, no matter how awful he is, she shows towards him the kind of interest she won't show Petyr. Ever. 
Brandon is no better than Petyr (although with a sword he most certainly is) but she likes him better because he was born a Stark. If Brandon would have been a Snow (so are called the bastards from the North in Martin’s novellas) instead, she wouldn’t have bothered looking at him twice. 

Brandon Stark art by Magali Villeneuve

If you think about Sansa and the way she treated Jon when they were children, it also makes sense. Sansa worshipped her mother, she looked upon her as a model and so she perceived her half-brother (Catherine openly hated him, called him bastard to his face and made his childhood a living hell) Jon Snow through her eyes.  

The harsh experiences Sansa endures from the moment she leaves Winterfell, make her finally get off the proverbial horse and see the world anew.  

Forced to hide her identity, she takes on the mask of Alayne Stone (so are named the bastards from the Vale), Littlefinger's daughter, a bastard. Once she steps into Jon's shoes she is able to see him as an actual person and dare admit, for the first time, that she cares for him and misses him.

"She had not thought of Jon in ages. He was only her half brother but still...with Robb, and Bran and Rickon dead, Jon Snow was the only brother that remained her. I am a bastard too now, just like him, it would be sweet to see him once again.

Alayne Stone

A feast for crows 

HBO - Game of Thrones Sansa Stark as Alayne Stone

and Jon Snow at Castle Black

In Martin’s narrative highborn people have a way of addressing lesser people that supposedly resembles  the medieval aristocrats' behavior and Catelyn Tully is one of its best examples.

Epiphanies like Sansa's never happened to Cat. She married a high Lord, had many healthy children and looked down at people, with benevolent eyes - maybe - nonetheless she always saw them as lesser human beings.

Sasdly so, in this medieval class system, there was never a chance for Petyr to be loved in return by Catelyn but we will explore it in the next post.