Selyse Westerling

Selyse Westerling is the half-sister of the former Lord of the Crag, Martyn Westerling, and its current Lady-Regent. She is also a court diplomat for King Orys I Baratheon.

## Early Life

Selyse Westerling was born in 341, the second child of Lord Rupert Westerling, yet his first trueborn one. As a small child, she was treated with a great deal of love by her mother and father. She felt like she could do anything, and that she would be a respected and admired lady, despite her house’s lower position compared to others in the Westerlands. She did all she could to practice proper manners, and studied the politics of the realm so she could learn better how to climb the social ladder. Her mother thought that politicking should be left to whoever she married, and that it was merely her goal to marry someone important and of high standing. Her father, on the other hand, encouraged her interest in politics and gave her many books for her on the history and laws of the realm.

The education in diplomacy and court politics grew more important as it took years for another child to be born to the family. Viola was feared to be the last child her mother Ella would have, and so it seemed that the Crag would pass on to Selyse. She did have a brother, though he was a bastard at the time. Martyn Hill was older than her by four years, and would occasionally visit the Crag. Her mother scorned Martyn, and her father was ashamed of him, but Selyse grew to like her half-brother. The two shared a similar mind for intrigue, and they both had ambitions of rising above their station. Their goals may have seemed contradictory, but they made it work. Selyse and Martyn pushed each other to be more capable and more knowledgeable. Whenever they saw each other, they made sure to boast about their accomplishments, no matter how unimportant they were, a habit that would evolve into a friendly competition between the two.

## Adulthood

When Selyse reached the age of six-and-ten, her father was starting to grow old and the Lord of the Crag realized he needed to resolve the situation of who would inherit after him. He planned to try and get Martyn legitimized, but there was no way of knowing if it work. So, for the next few years he prepared Selyse to be his heir. She continued to learn about the Realm’s history, and also got exposed to mercantilism. Lord Rupert even went so far as to have her marry her third cousin, Tybalt. This was done as it was troublesome trying to arrange a marriage with another house that would still let Selyse’s children be Westerlings. Eventually though, Martyn would become Martyn Westerling, and her father would pass away soon after. She didn’t harbor any resentment towards her brother, and wished him the best of luck at succeeding in his position, but deep down Selyse always wished it could’ve been here that was Lady of the Crag. There were some good things about Martyn becoming Lord. As he was a spymaster, he helped teach his sister about espionage and the ways to use spies to learn important information.

In 364, Martyn Westerling became the new Master of Whisperers, and knowing how much his sister loved politics, he invited her to come see King’s Landing with him for the first time. While Martyn was less than impressed by the city, Selyse loved it. She had never seen such a large city, and was dazzled by all the things that came in to the ports. This sparked an interest in her, making her want to travel the world and see new things. She sent for her husband, Tybalt, to join her King’s Landing, then the two sailed across the Narrow Sea to see new wonders. They spent two years visiting all the Free Cities, from Braavos to Volantis, before finally returning to the Westerlands. While in the Free Cities, she talked with many merchants and became an expert in mercantilism. The travels remain one of her fondest memories, and made her feel closer to her husband, though they never really felt in love due to the circumstances of the marriage.

## Present Day

In early 375, Selyse arrived at King’s Landing following a summon from her brother. He had said that Aubrey Lannister had maimed his other arm, but the true extent of the damage done to Martyn had remained unclear to her. With the death of her brother, she decided to stay in King's Landing anyways to figure out what exactly happened, make alliances to protect her family, and possibly find a way to avenge her brother’s demise. They might not have seen each other in a decade, but the effect Martyn had on her life was immense. When she was told about Martyn's death, she broke down in tears in the Red Keep's throne room.

Lord Regent Jaime Banefort would later talk to Selyse about Martyn's death, as well as the death of Morgon Banefort. He and Kevan Banefort were able to convince her that a conspiracy had taken place between Lord Aubrey Lannister and King Orys to kill both of them in order to gain the support of the West, without any factions wanting to overthrow the Lannisters. Jaime and Selyse agreed to betray their liege and seek vengeance.

Additionally while in King's Landing, Selyse became close to the Hand of the King, Jocelyn Baratheon. One night while Jocelyn was dealing with the aftermath of Princess Alysanne's assault, she revealed to Selyse that she was attracted to women rather than men. Selyse and Jocelyn since have secretly been in a relationship with each other. Also while in King's Landing, King Orys became impressed by Selyse's conversational skills and appointed her as a court diplomat.

One evening, conflicted about whether to continue with plots of rebellion, Selyse went to Princess Jocelyn and asked her opinion. Though the Hand of the King, now married to Lord Aubrey, wanted Selyse to join the civil war, Selyse held firm that she could not support her liege's rule. Wanting Selyse to at least stay safe, Jocelyn persuaded her to maintain the appearance of neutrality at the very least. Agreeing to this, the Lady Regent decided to covertly fund the Banefort army.

As the Royal Army decided to leave King's Landing and march down to the Stormlands to put out the rebellion, King Orys had Selyse join them. Her job was the persuade rebel lords in the Stormlands to surrender. Though initially reluctant about the idea, after witnessing the massacre at the Battle of Haystack Hill she resolved to do whatever she could to help peace come sooner. The thought of helping Banefort with his own rebellion was at odds with that ideal, though the two goals would have to reconciled later.

## Timeline

341 - Born to Lord Rupert Westerling and Ella Lannister

359 - Marries her third cousin, Tybalt Westerling

360 - Martyn Westerling is legitimized, making her no longer the heir

364 - Begins her travels across the Free Cities with her husband

366 - Returns to the Crag

375 - Arrives in King’s Landing and finds herself as the Lady Regent of the Crag

275 - Becomes a court diplomat and joins the Royal Army in the Dance of the Stags