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Littlefinger's brothel is an upscale brothel located in King's Landing, expensively furnished and with high quality prostitutes, whose target clientele are wealthy merchants and members of the upper nobility.
It is one of several brothels owned by Petyr "Littlefinger" Baelish, which he bought at some point during his career in the city as Master of Coin. The brothel therefore displays Littlefinger's personal mockingbird sigil at the front entrance. Baelish has been known to use the brothel and its employees to spy on the secrets of powerful and influential customers in their intimate moments.
Because it is only one of several business ventures that Baelish owns in the city itself, he often delegates the day to day running of the brothel to a trusted employee (usually the lead prostitute). When Littlefinger isn't in the city, and particularly after he returned to the Vale, this madam/majordomo/procurer steps up to actively run all aspects of the brothel (and sends a portion of the profits to Baelish as the legal owner).
The brothel itself strives to be a "refined" establishment. It is richly furnished with fine tapestries, curtains, and artwork. Harpers serenade the common rooms with background music, and fine food and wine is also provided. Littlefinger has his brothel cater to every taste, staffing both male and female prostitutes, either of which will provide pleasure to men or women, if the customer is so inclined.
According to Varys, it rumored that on rare occasion, Littlefinger has been known to discretely accommodate more unusual "inclinations" as a private favor to powerful clients who can pay a very high price (ranging from providing amputees, to providing little boys or little girls). Even if the rumors are true, this apparently didn't involve the main brothel itself, where there were too many prying eyes, but was a side business that Littlefinger would pursue on a case by case basis. For example, Littlefinger gave Ros to King Joffrey Baratheon as a punishment, so Joffrey could thrill-kill her using his crossbow, but he sent her to Joffrey's private castle quarters instead of letting him kill her in the actual brothel.
Employees
Several high quality and expensive prostitutes work at Littlefinger's brothel:
- {Ros} - rose to be the majordomo overseeing the brothel for Littlefinger in Seasons 2 and 3. Originally from a brothel in the town outside of Winterfell castle, moved to King's Landing at the beginning of the War of the Five Kings. Littlefinger ultimately discovered that she had been spying for his rival Varys, and revealed Baelish's plans for Sansa Stark, so as punishment he sold Ros to King Joffrey Baratheon, who then shot her full of crossbow bolts simply for the thrill of killing her.
- Olyvar - a homosexual male prostitute, who replaced Ros as the majordomo running the brothel for Littlefinger in Season 4. Apparently this was a reward for his trusted and valuable services: as Littlefinger had him spy on Ser Loras Tyrell, which indirectly led Baelish to discover that Ros had leaked his plans for Sansa - conveniently allowing Olyvar to replace Ros after Baelish had her killed.
- Armeca - pretends not to understand the Common Tongue and to be an exotic foreigner, when in truth she is from the slum district of Flea Bottom in King's Landing itself.
- Daisy - from Haystack Hall.
- Mhaegen- a former favorite of King Robert Baratheon, who gave birth to the king's bastard daughter Barra.
- Mirelle
- Genna
- Kayla, a contortionist who can perform a Meereenese Knot.
- Marei
Clients
- King Robert Baratheon
- Ser Bronn of the Blackwater - celebrated his new knighthood by purchasing the services of Mirelle
- Prince Oberyn Martell and his paramour, Ellaria Sand - settled in at the brothel when Oberyn arrived as an envoy from Dorne in Season 4. They arranged orgies involving multiple male and female prostitutes, including Olyvar and Marei.
History
Background
Littlefinger's brothel was one of the favorites frequented by King Robert Baratheon. He inadvertently fathered a bastard daughter with the prostitute Mhaegen, whom she named Barra. Soon before his death, Hand of the King Jon Arryn visited the brothel to interview Mhaegen and inspect her baby. This led him to confirm the truth about Robert's children.[1]
Season 1
While Catelyn Stark hoped to enter King's Landing in secret, she is discovered by the spies of Baelish or Varys, and the City Watch escort her to Littlefinger's brothel. There she encounters both Littlefinger and Varys, and asks them about the Valyrian steel dagger used in the attempt on her son Bran's life. Littlefinger later informs Eddard Stark that his wife is in the city and says he will take him to her. When they arrive, Eddard is angered that Baelish brought him to a brothel, thinking this is some kind of cross joke. He throws Baelish up against the wall and begins to choke him, until Catelyn pops her head out from a window. They go inside, and explain to Eddard that Catelyn was hiding out at the brothel because no one would think to look for her there. She speaks with Eddard, then departs the city.[2]
When Varys verbally spars with Littlefinger before a Small Council meeting, her remarks on Littlefinger's brothel - including rumors he has heard that in private, he occasionally provides for very rich patrons with unusual tastes, ranging for those who desire amputees, to those who desire little boys, and even one rumor that one of his patrons favored fresh cadavers. Baelish waves this aside, saying that all desires can be fulfilled for the right price, though assuredly providing fresh cadavers would be against the king's laws.[3]
On his quest to determine why the previous Hand of the King, Jon Arryn, was killed, Eddard Stark later visits Littlefinger's brothel again, on hearing that Lord Arryn went there recently. Again Eddard discovers that Jon Arryn was investigating another of King Robert's bastard children: this one is a baby girl named Barra, born to a prostitute named Mhaegen. Eddard asks Littlefinger why Jon Arryn was searching for Robert's bastards but he says he doesn't know, offering the half-hearted guess that maybe Robert suddenly took paternal interest in them. Eddard and Jory Cassel then leave, but as soon as they step outside, they are confronted by Ser Jaime Lannister and a large contingent of House Lannister guards. In the ensuing confrontation, Jory and the other Stark guards are killed, while Eddard is speared through the leg, before the Lannisters depart.[4]
Ros arrives in King's Landing and his hired by the brothel. She came to the south from a local brothel in the town outside of Winterfell, because she correctly anticipated that war was coming, and that work where she was would dry up if all of the men went south. She arrived in the city by a ship she took from White Harbor. Some time later, Littlefinger is supervising a mock sexual display between Ros and another girl named Armeca. He interrupts and insists that Ros's acting is terrible, filled with unrealistic shouting and fake cries of pleasure. He proceeds to give a long speech explaining that seduction must be slow and gradual - a metaphor for how he has "seduced" Eddard Stark into trusting him.[5]
Season 2
In a short time, Ros has performed so well that she has risen to a position of authority within Littlefinger's brothel. A new prostitute (Marei) practices her sexual performance with a male prostitute, but Ros interrupts and criticizes how fake and unrealistic her shouting sounds - repeating the advice that Littlefinger previously gave to her. She tells them to get ready for more work tonight, then leads another new prostitute (Daisy) on a tour of the brothel. She insists that their high-end establishment caters to wealthy and refined clients, who have fancy tastes and expect quality. They are interrupted by the arrival of Janos Slynt and his Gold Cloaks, who promptly start kicking in doors searching. Ros asks him if he realizes the Master of Coin owns this establishment, but he says he has orders from someone who doesn't care what Littlefinger thinks. The Gold Cloaks haul Mhaegen out into the main room and take her baby Barra from her. The watchman holding the baby doesn't have the heart to kill it himself, and Slynt becomes annoyed at his hesitation, so he pulls out his own dagger and quickly kills the baby in front of everyone, as Mhaegegn collapses screaming.[6]
The North Remembers - Ros in charge, Barra killed Dark Wings - fallout from killing baby
Valar Morghulis - Varys drops by to recruit Ros
Season 3
Valar Dohaeris - Bronn celebrates with Mirelle Walk of Punishment - Tyrion drops by the brothel to pick up financial records, rewards Podrick with three prostitutes And Now His Watch is Ended - Ros reports to Varys Kissed by Fire -...were Olyvar and Loras in the brothel itself? Did Loras know Olyvar was a prostitute? -- either way he reported to Littlefinger at the brothel.
Season 4
Two Swords - Olyvar, a homosexual male prostitute (previously used to spy on Loras), has been left in charge now that Ros is dead and Littlefinger is leaving for the Vale. Oberyn Martell and his paramour Ellaria Sand start setting up an orgy at the brothel by selecting some prostitutes, but are interrupted when Oberyn hears Lannister bannermen.
Breaker of Chains - While the rest of King's Landing is supposed to be mourning Joffrey's death, Oberyn and Ellaria go ahead with their orgy. Afterwards Tywin arrives with his guards, saying he needs to speak with Oberyn. They discuss relations between Dorne and the Iron Throne.
Oberyn later explains to Varys that he and Ellaria are actually staying at the brothel (possibly because he didn't want to stay in the Red Keep, given that it is where his sister was murdered). Oberyn invites him to join them but he declines, saying he has no such physical desires. The Laws of Gods and Men
Gallery
In the books
In the A Song of Ice and Fire novels, the upscale brothel where Barra's mother works is actually owned and run by a Chataya, a tall and elegant black-skinned woman from the Summer Islands. Summer Islanders feel no shame about sexuality, but see it as a gift that the gods gave humanity, and even many upper-class nobles in the Summer Islands engage in ritual prostitution. Therefore Chataya's own daughter Alayaya voluntarily works as a prostitute in the brothel, who is noted as being very beautiful and good-natured.
Littlefinger is stated to own multiple brothels in King's Landing (along with his many other business ventures throughout the Seven Kingdoms), but he does not own Chataya's. When Catelyn Stark arrives in King's Landing, Littlefinger does hid her in one of the other brothels which he does own - but it is a common, modest brothel. It does not appear again in the narrative afterwards.
Littlefinger does visit Chataya's, when he accompanies Eddard Stark there to investigate King Robert's bastards. While there he does mention that he owns several other brothels, and that he is considering making an offer to buy Chataya's. He gives the explanation he made in the TV series that "Brothels are a much sounder investment than ships, I've found. Whores seldom sink..." though in the book he goes on to add: "...and when they are boarded by pirates, why, the pirates pay good coin like everyone else."
The TV series condensed the two together, omitting Chataya and Alayaya, and simply having Littlefinger himself own the upscale and very expensive brothel visited by King Robert. It then moved the one instance of Catelyn hiding in Littlefinger's common brothel, to hiding her in the same upper-class brothel that Robert's bastard daughter was in.
Several other scenes which happened at "Littlefinger's broth" in the TV series actually happened at "Chataya's brothel" in the books - reinforcing the conception that the TV version is the same brothel (geographically), but ownership in the TV-version was simply changed to Littlefinger:
- King Robert's bastard daughter Barra was born at Chataya's brothel, as Eddard Stark discovers. Her mother appeared in the book but wasn't given a name, but the TV series named her "Mhaegen". Barra was also later killed there; in the book her mother was killed in the book when she tried to defend her baby, but the TV series left Mhaegen's fate ambiguous.
- Bronn celebrated his new knighthood (which he gained after the Battle of the Blackwater) and increased pay by visiting Chataya's brothel, where he had sex with Alayaya and Marei simultaneously. The TV series similarly had Bronn celebrate his new knighthood by going to Littlefinger's brothel, but he was with the prostitute Mirelle.
- Oberyn Martell mentions to Tyrion when he arrives at King's Landing that he and Ellaria are interested in finding a good brothel (and this scene includes the detail that both of them are bisexual, and that Oberyn is looking for a woman to share with Ellaria). Tyrion recommends Chataya's as a good establishment: Oberyn and Ellaria apparently do visit it, but it happens "off screen". The TV version slightly modified this to actually show Oberyn and Ellaria at Littlefinger's brothel. In the book, Oberyn arrived with the rest of the Dornish embassy, and on seeing him Tyrion is shocked because he was expecting Oberyn's older and calmer brother Doran. The TV series built up the tension a little bit by having Oberyn ride into the city ahead of the rest of his followers, to explain why the viewpoint character Tyrion has to go find him in Littlefinger's brothel.
Chataya's brothel is located on the Street of Silk, a major red light district in King's Landing. The road is located on the northwest side of Rhaenys's Hill - the completely opposite side of the hill from Flea Bottom, and fairly far away from the Red Keep, which is in the eastern corner of the city. In contrast, Littlefinger's modest brothel where he hid Catelyn was located on the exact opposite side of the city, on the southeast side bordering the Blackwater river, on the lower slopes of Aegon's High Hill where the Red Keep is located. Given that in all other scenes all other indications seem to present that Littlefinger's brothel in the TV version is Chataya's brothel from the books, it is reasonable to conclude that "Littlefinger's brothel" in the TV version is also located on the Street of Silk, northwest of Rhaenys's Hill.
See also
References
Template:The Crownlands