Game of Thrones season 6: Why Loras Tyrell's confession may have doomed King's Landing

Has he set the Lannisters on the war path?

** Spoilers for Game of Thrones episode four ahead **

Before 'The Book of the Stranger’ aired, speculators were widely discussing what the episode’s title meant. Most believed it would have something to do with The Faith Militant, something that proved true as The High Sparrow retold a passage from the religious The Book of the Stranger to Margaery.

It’s interesting the title would focus on such a minor part in the show - one small segment recited by an old man - but it highlights the meeting between the High Sparrow and the Queen. There’s something more than just confession going on here for sure.

Notably, after the meeting, Margaery is finally allowed to visit her brother, Loras, after months of being kept apart. The Tyrell boy is visibly broken, having been beaten and saying he no longer cares about his family. Most viewers guessed Margaery was being sent into the room for dubious reasons, something that quickly became apparent: the Queen was being allowed to see her broken brother not to help him, but to break her.

Whether Margery will confess to anything is doubtful - she’s one of the strongest characters in the series, the complete opposite of her brother. That leads us nicely onto the question: Loras seemingly admitted he had confessed something, but what?

Some fans believe Loras may have admitted his family’s part in the death of Joffrey, the Tyrell family having poisoned the young and ruthless king of Westeros. If true, it makes sense when considered with another scene in the same episode.

As noted by TIME, earlier on in the show King Tommen confided in his mother, Cersei, that he had consulted the High Sparrow about something visibly upsetting. The pair discuss Margaery, with Tommen pointing out that Cersei doesn’t like his wife - and perhaps for good reason. With tears in his eyes, the King tells his mother something, but just as he tells her we cut to Cersei and Jaime storming into the Small Council meeting.

At the meeting, Cersei hatches a plan which would see the Tyrell army storm King’s Landing, attack the faith militant, and likely cause a civil war among the people of the city. However, it would also give the Tyrells the perfect opportunity to take King’s Landing for themselves. So why would Cersei allow her enemy through the gates so easily?

Having just heard about the treacherous Tyrell family and wanting to exact revenge, Cersei’s plan may be to allow the Tyrell army to enter and for the Lannister men to stand down.

By doing so, civil unrest will be squarely aimed at the Tyrells: something that would likely lead the people of King’s Landing and Margaery’s family going to battle, killing off each other.

This would, therefore, do damage to two of Cersei’s rivals: the people of King’s Landing who laughed during her atonement and the Tyrells who killed her son.

Notably, just before Cersei and Jaime burst into the small council meeting, during Tommen’s confession, Joffrey’s ring is seen front and centre: a subtle reminder of the King who died at his own wedding.

In the first episode this season, Cersei also mentioned the prophecy once given to her, one that tells of her three children dying and a beautiful woman taking them away from her. If Loras did admit the Tyrells part in killing Joffrey, this could be seen as Margaery - the woman - taking away her son, playing into the prophecy and leading to Cersei being overly protective of her son.

However, if her three children are meant to die before her, surely ushering in a civil war is more likely to put Tommen’s life at risk? You can read more about the prophecy here, including how it may actually reveal who Cersei’s eventual murderer will be.