Jaenys Frey

The Twins, Riverlands

## Family

* **Walder Frey**† (Father)

Jaenys Frey is the head of House Frey and Lord of the Crossing. Originally, he fell greatly outside of the line of succession, being the fourth born son of the late Walder Frey. A tragic accident occurred some months before he came into adulthood, in which all his family but himself perished in a fire that erupted in the main hall of the western castle. Years later, following further events in his life that led him to becoming the Lord of the Crossing, Jaenys began to rebuild his family with a wife, and plenty of children. His rule over the Twins and its surrounding dominion over the years has been as strict as he himself is prickly. His money is well-spent, however, as he invests directly into his lands and castle to help the Riverlands flourish. Even if he has a hostile relation with his liege lord, who praises a false god to the masses …

## History

It is said that Jaenys was first named, loosely, after King Jaehaerys the old. In a similar fashion towards his elder brothers. Jaenys' early life was perhaps better than most deserve, even if most appeal only to the smallfolk. Still, the early years of his life haunt him like a bad dream, coming in flashes when it inconveniences him the most. His eldest brother Stevron was courteous enough, but there was a cold relation between the two. Emmon never wanted anything to do with Jaenys as a boy, finding often that their little adventures out into the orchard of the Twins and beyond a thing to often get them into trouble. The youngest of his three elder brothers, Aenys, was the one that Jaenys himself avoided. A cruel, and spiteful little child who would wrong Jaenys at every turn if it meant to bringing himself further up within his father's standing.

His father Walder, the previous Lord of the Crossing, was another matter entirely. While certainly serving as the father he required, he wasn't always the one Jaenys wanted. His father's affection never felt true, not because he played favorites, it only seemed that he lacked the true meaning behind the words of his which didn't come out as hostile or chiding. But once he required the use of such things, the gauntlets were off. Walder would curse and discipline each boy and girl up and down the yard, until at last they yielded before his understandings. The most frequent of which were the "importance of family". Something which never dwelled long on Jaenys as a youth.

As he grew, he trained in the arts of the sword but always found himself better understanding the science behind it rather than the action necessary. Built as he was, he could never build the strength or bravado necessary to fight as a knight. Something that changed all too soon one night, while he and some select others training under Ser Willem of House Haigh. Jaenys was with a childhood friend of his, and together they were stealing some time away from training but eventually found that they were lost within the woods. They were the first to see the fires coming from the Twins, and the first to arrive at the scene, but it was already too late. The western tower was a blazing inferno, and those that screamed in the pain of its presence had long since perished. Jaenys never felt particularly close to his elder family, but he remembered all of his younger brothers and sisters. They were gone too, burned away with half of his home.

The following weeks were strange, as it fell upon Jaenys to coordinate the efforts to reclaim the western tower and bury his own family. They were prolonged by his ineptitude as a lord, something he saw in himself at a young age to much of his own ire. It wasn't until the intervention of King Aerius I that things began to balance out, he personally rode to the Twins with a small guard and helped reestablish order before offering Jaenys temporary wardship at the Red Keep under his direct tutelage. Jaenys meekly accepted, riding out to King's Landing while Ser Willem overtook the duty of the Twin's castellan.

Jaenys fondly remembers his time in the Red Keep, while it was a time of mourning there was much to learn and gain from his time there. While he didn't make many friends to keep, there were many times of merriment to be had amidst the grief of it all. Is was there that he met the lady who would become his future wife, Pernel Celtigar. He courted her for a time while learning everything he needed to be a proper lord. Several months passed before his name day came, and while his training was not necessarily complete, he had still learned enough of the rudimentary necessities due of a lord. Of his own volition, he set back to the Twins with lady Pernel where they would be wed. In tow there was also Grand Maester Anselle, who would temporarily serve the Frey's as their maester until he saw fit to return to King's Landing.

Life passed by quickly then, Jaenys has special days to remember as his sons and daughters were born. Where his father failed, he tried his best to bring about the true meaning of family. Loving when necessary, but just as strict and stringent as his father was when it was also needed. He often reflects on those early years of parenthood being some of the most nerve-wracking years of his life, only ever wanting the best of his progeny.

Jaenys furthered the standing of House Frey by introducing scaling taxes on trades, tolls, and so on based upon the standing of those paying for them. The only exceptions to this being would be House Targaryen and Tully. This earned an appropriate amount of wroth from his contemporaries, especially those of his homeland and the North, but he continued shamelessly. In return of his trades, he helped build up and maintain surrounding villages and hamlets that were within his domain encouraging many to migrate to his lands in search of better opportunities. To this day, while many lords may spite him with his name, he is still well-regarded by those that live within his lands including the vassals of the Frey's.

## Personality

To the peering eye of the public, Jaenys is nothing more than a greedy, seething opportunist with a prickly aptitude. While this may not be far from the truth, he is quite different in the presence of his family. Still stern and as serious as a blade, but with a kinder and softer side that borders on a kind empathy. Even perhaps someone who is willing to spare his accumulated knowledge in the pursuit of a greater future for not only himself, but those around him. These two intermesh with one another during the situation. His prickly demeanor, while not being a front to his character, is still a barrier that conceals the true intentions behind his actions.

Before anything else, Jaenys is an opportunist. He believes in the importance of family, as well as its necessity to form a long-lasting dynasty. Providing this, he does what he can to elevate his family's standing and their presence within Westeros. Even if that end result may come at the expense of others, Jaenys will not fret too much, so long as he has an intimate understanding of the consequences that come with it or who he is targeting.

Some may call it seething, and others a type of infernal ire, but a better-encompassing term for Jaenys' attitude would most certainly be prickly. Trying to even put your hands on him would be akin to wrapping one's hands around a fresh rose. He is sharp and shrewd, more than willing to lash out against the people who disrupt his activities or that he finds disagreeable. His information comes from across the lands, while certainly not as vast or powerful as the Master of Whisperers, all it takes is for rumors to spread from across the lands. Judging it against official information, and carrying out what he can learn from both things to make a truth of the matter. Doing this for years has given him a mean streak for calling others out for their failures, or the damnable actions of their forebears.

Every action has its meaning though, behind Jaenys' thought process. He is not without his kindness, especially for those dear to him. He could be described as a type of cynical optimist, and although there might not necessarily be wisdom behind his each and every action, there always seems to be a prudent lesson he's trying to give to those he believes he can change.

## Attributes

 Investigation
 Medicine
 Animal Handling
 Perception
 Nature
 Religion