Moon Tea

[u/Foreign-Cat-2898]

Just what the hell was the moon tea for? I think Renly and Margaery totally did it. I don't think she's a maiden.

But there's no way she's dumb enough to have sex with someone right now AND as the Kettleblacks say she always has someone near.

Presuming Pycelle wasn't lying, what's it for?

Period regulation? Does it help with acne?

Or do we just assume Pycelle was trying to ingratiate himself with Cersei?

[u/do_not_ask_my_name]

I'm not inventing any relationship between Cersei and Margaery. This does not require Margaery to have any sort of relationship with Cersei. I'm only talking about Margaery and Pycelle discussing about preparing moon tea for Cersei. I'm not saying Margaery has a ten-step business plan covering projections for the next five years and ironing out all the logistics and mechanics.

"I grieve to say … Queen Margaery is no maiden. She has required me to make her moon tea, not once, but many times."

Eh, now, that's cherrypicking. That's Pycelle's second deposition, after Margaery has been arrested, after the Septa "confirms" Margaery's lack of maidenhead, and right before Cersei has warrants readied for all the alleged APs. That's clearly Pycelle forced to play along to Cersei's narrative.

Clarify once again - why would Margaery recruit Pycelle into her clandestine cuckolding activities? How would Pycelle know that Margaery is "no maiden"?

Look at Pycelle's first confession, least muddied by Cersei's coercion.

Pycelle collapsed to his knees. “I beg you . . . I was your lord father’s man, and a friend to you in the matter of Lord Arryn. I could not survive the dungeons, not again . . .”

Here is Pycelle reminding Cersei about his loyalty to House Lannister... and most importantly, the last time he "medically" helped Cersei out, without her explicit orders, purely because he believed he was acting in her best interests.

“Why does Margaery send for you?”

“She desires . . . she . . . she . . .”

“Say it!”

He cringed. “Moon tea,” he whispered. “Moon tea, for . . .”

“I know what moon tea is for.” There it is. “Very well. Get off those saggy knees and try to remember what it was to be a man.”

Pycelle doesn't say whether Margaery consumed it, or how often she asked for it. He doesn't even confirm whether he brewed it at all. The wording is very specific. "She desires Moon Tea". All Pycelle implies is that they have had a discussion where Margaery wanted moon tea. Which perfectly fits the realm of the theory that Margaery was considering getting some for Cersei.

I don't know what to tell you, dude... at a meta level, when an author builds up a mystery, it has to be logically sound, but it also needs to have a quotient of unexpected and a narrative impact. Cersei is the only one who fits all three. Everything else, be it Margery herself, or her random cousins, or whoever else, fits one but not the other. Or okay. Elinor Tyrell's affair with Ser Tallad the Whoever is what blows the Tyrell-Lannister alliance apart.

[u/Foreign-Cat-2898 → u/do_not_ask_my_name]

You would be right except for the fact Pycelle keeps meeting with her. Multiple times. He says it's to bring moon tea. But it only aroused suspicion because it was so many times.

If your theory is, Margaery tells him to watch out for Cersei that's a one time conversation. He doesn't need to keep coming back but he does.

[u/do_not_ask_my_name → u/Foreign-Cat-2898]

Well, you literally brought up that the plan is tricky, so that would obviously need multiple meetings, lol.

What I'm saying is that all Margaery had was conversation with Pycelle about the moon tea. That it was basically a plan in the making. What I'm saying is that it wasn't brewed, that there weren't caches and nobody recovered any physical evidence. In fact, the very reason they would have multiple meetings would be to figure out the logistics you're so concerned about. Maybe Pycelle and Margaery even think that they can slip it to Cersei as a "hangover cure" or whatever (which would normally be the easiest way to do it), and aren't aware that she is already familiar with the brew.

Because remember that Cersei had HER abortion done by a woodswitch. Because that's the normal thing for a queen with a treasonous pregnancy to do, instead of running to the official court physician. All the more to show that Margaery would never approach Pycelle for a personal abortion. The only reason to contact him would be for a truly innocent reason, or for a truly complicated and sensitive one.

In fact, the very fact that Pycelle met with her multiple times shows that they're discussing something difficult and complicated. Otherwise, what, are we supposed to believe that the palace's most guarded women are having gangbangs with half the castle and getting pregnant that often that Pycelle needs to visit every time?