Ellyn Reyne

The coat of arms of Lady Ellyn of Castamere, a red lion rampant regardant with a forked tail, with silver tongue and claws, on a white field.

## Reputation

### Artifacts

Nightfall, ancestral sword of House Harlaw, taken from Lord Paramount Dagon Greyjoy.

## Occupation

### Title

Lady Paramount of the Westerlands, Lady of Castamere

### Military Position

Commander of the Westerlands (205 A.C. - 223 A.C.)Warden of the West (224 A.C. - Present)

### Council Position

Chief General of the Westerlands (215 A.C. - 223 A.C.)Regent of the Westerlands (215 A.C. - 223 A.C.)

Chief General of the Seven Kingdoms (223 A.C. - Present)

Designated Regent of the Seven Kingdoms (224 A.C. - Present)

## Biography

### House

House Reyne, by birth.House Targaryen, by marriage.

### Born

13rd of the Twelth Moon, 189 A.C, Castamere, the Westerlands

### Spouse

Brynden 'Rivers' Targaryen, Lord Paramount of the Westerlands and Lord of Castamere (m. 201 A.C. - Present)

### Issue

Eleyna Targaryen, Queen and Dowager Queen of the Seven Kingdoms (201 A.C. - Present)Baela Hightower, Lady of Oldtown (207 A.C. - Present)

Ser Rhaegar Reyne (208 A.C. - Present)

Alys Marbrand, Lady of Ashemark (209 A.C. - Present)

Ser Robert Reyne, Knight of the Kingsguard (210 A.C. - Present)

Celyria Crakehall (211 A.C. - Present)

Ser Lucion Reyne (211 A.C. - Present)

### Father

Berthram Reyne, Lord of Castamere (163 A.C. - 195 A.C.)

### Mother

Jeyne 'Waters' née Velaryon, Dowager Lady of Castamere and Highgarden, Princess of Dorne (175 A.C. - 216 A.C.)

### Siblings

Paternal half-siblings:Edrina Hightower née Reyne, Lady of Castamere and Oldtown (177 A.C. - 195 A.C.)

Aleyne Reyne, Lady of Castamere (188 A.C. - 195 A.C.)

Robert Reyne, Lord of Castamere (189 A.C. - 195 A.C.)

Maternal half siblings:

Malyssa Tyrell, Lady of the Reach (200 A.C. - Present)

Jeyne Tyrell, Lady of the Reach (202 A.C. - Present)

Leonette Martell, Princess of Dorne (206 A.C. - Present)

### Religion

Faith of the Seven

Ellyn Targaryen, née Reyne's official signature

**Ellyn Targaryen, née Reyne** *(13rd of the Twelth Moon, 189 A.C. - Present)* Lady Paramount of the Westerlands, Lady of Castamere, Warden of the West and wife of Brynden 'Waters', Hand of the King to five kings, youngest bastard son of Aegon IV 'the Unworthy' and Melissa Vance née Blackwood, Lady of Wayfarer's Rest. Through her close relationship with the houses of Marbrand, Crakehall and Lannister along with her involvement in the Blackfyre Rebellions allowed her family to become among Westeros's most influential.

Her ties to the various southern and western houses made way for the triumvirate that ruled over most of the reigns of the Kings Valarr, Matarys and Maerys with great success. House Reyne would reach the start of its rise to power with her and her husband Brynden 'Rivers', better known as Bloodraven. Stepdaughter of both the rulers of the Reach and Dorne and mother-in-law to two kings, Ellyn's strength lay in her connections to the realms families and the prestige she gained during the various she partake in, in particular the Blackfyre Rebellion in which she was a fervent supporter of the Targaryens.

## Early Life

#### Childhood

The succession of the title and the vast family fortune the Reynes held was not put into question for some time, as the ruling lord, Berthram Reyne had three children from his first marriage to Elyne Reyne. Those children were Edrina Reyne, later Lady of Oldtown by her marriage to Jon II Hightower, Lord of Oldtown with whom she had no children, then another daughter, significantly younger named Aleyne, and finally a son named Robert, to which the Lady of Castamere gave her life in childbirth for. With the urge to remarry, various brides were available, and the Westerman finally settled on Jeyne 'Waters', bastard daughter of Princess Elaena Targaryen and Alyn 'the Oakfist', Lord of Driftmark, two people of Valyrian descent. In an attempt to bring himself closer to the ruling dynasty, the pair were swiftly wed in a ceremony in King's Landing, and not soon after Jeyne was with child. And so, on the 13th of the Twelfth Moon of 189 years after Aegon's Conquest, a daughter was born, much to the disappointment of her father.

Only three days after the birth, Berthram would die under suspicious circumstances, being found dead in his bed by one of the servants. Succeeded by his only son, Robert who would die later on that very same day after coughing up blood, the blame was placed on Lady Edrina Hightower, the young lord's eldest sister, who came to Castamere for a family visit during the time in which the murders took place. Although she spent little time as the ruling lady, passing away following a coughing fit similar to her siblings, and this time the title would pass to the youngest of the children from Berthram Reyne's first marriage, Aleyne who would meet the same fate as her other two full siblings, dead within the day. With only one child left, that being Ellyn Reyne, her father's Castellan, Brynden 'Waters' who was his close friend was named as regent, while also being betrothed to her, fulfilling the promise he made to his cousin Jeyne, now Dowager Lady of Castamere, with the condition that their children take the name and coat of arms of House Reyne, which was followed.

#### Regency

Only six years old when she inherited from her half-sister, most of the governing of both the mines and the people was left to her fiancée, Brynden 'Rivers' and her mother for at least the first five years. During this time the expansions of the keep in which they resided would begin, which upon their completion would make the home of House Reyne rival that of their liege's, the Lannisters of Casterly Rock. Construction on the city of Hidden Borrow would not be neglected either under the care of the bastard regent, and several ports would be built to accomodate trade and travellers, with the same practice being applied to the city of Pickhill a bit further south.

Five years after the death of her husband, Jeyne 'Waters' would receive a rather unusual proposal from the Reach, in particular its ruling Lord, Willas Tyrell who recently succeeded his father whom was slain during the First Blackfyre Rebellion. At the urging of the council of Castamere, the offer was accepted and the Dowager Lady of Castamere remarried without much spectacle in Crakehall, where Ellyn would first come to meet Ser Clarent Crakehall, later Lord of Crakehall and a good friend and ally of their faction at the tournament which was hosted in honour of the newly wed couple. Another person present at the wedding was Ser Addam Marbrand, and the three would become rather close, exchanging letters for the entire duration of the war and much after it. This friendship bore fruit in marriages as well, with Clarent's daughter Edella being wed to a nephew of Addam Marbrand's by the name of Raynald, and with three of Ellyn's own children being wed to the offspring of two of her oldest allies. Lady Jeyne 'Waters' would remarry once more following her second husband's death at the hands of Lord Rodrik Glover during the first Northern war of independence, that being from Olyvar Martell, Prince of Dorne which was accepted after mucg consideration.

## Adolescence

#### Marriage

There were many a threat to Ellyn's position as Lady of Castamere, one of which being her uncle, Ser Robb Reyne, a formidable commander and part of the Blackfyre faction, who according to several accounts of his servants was promised the keep and its lands if Daemon Blackfyre took the throne. In order to perserve the young lady's hold on the land's, the betrothal between her and the bastard prince and Hand of the King, Brynden 'Rivers', better known as Bloodraven was completed as the pair were wed in 200 A.C. in King's Landing, which much of the royal court in attendance. Shortly after Castamere declared for the King in opposition to the Blackfyres.

The couple's marriage was a rather happy one, as well as a historically significant one. Their children, in particular their eldest son Rhaegar would sometimes be referred to in official documents as Ser Rhaegar Reyne-Targaryen, or alternatively Rhaegar Targaryen of Castamere. The ancient out of arms would sometimes see some change as well, with a dragon sometimes being displayed on their banners unofficially, as was the case for Ser Robert Reyne. While they first married out of convenience, Brynden and Ellyn grew closer during the various wars, due to the fact that they were dependant on each other. The Lady of Castamere usually represented them at the court of King's Landing, while the Lord took on the task of defeating the various rebels, ranging from the Blackfyre's to the notoriously disobedient Starks. Eventually he was rewarded the style of 'Prince of Castamere', similar to the title of Prince of Dragonstone that the line of Prince Maekar carried, although it was rarely used. Instead in 223 A.C. with the consent of King Maerys Lord Paramount Tybolt was overthrown in a coup, furthering the ambitions King Valarr expressed for the Reyne, with the suspicion that Ellyn Reyne had been the one to plant the idea into his mind.

#### Blackfyre Rebellions

The Lady of Castamere was not at all sympathetic to the Blackfyre cause, with her familial ties to the Targaryen dynasty and her husband's place at the court of its kings as their second-in-command it was the most logical decision to support the then reigning king Baelor II, who had succeeded his father mere months prior. The army, headed by Lord Adrian of Tarbeck Hall took Kayce and not much later Feastfires, both in support of the rebels before marching east. The massive fortress of Harrenhall was taken next after a long siege, resulting in the death of Danelle Lothsron, Lady of Harrenhal as well as her daughter, Mesella Ambrose, leading the title to pass to her grandaunt Wynafrei Whent, née Lothston. Daemon Blackfyre was later captured by Lord Brynden 'Rivers', causing the rest of the rebellion to scatter, with Bittersteel and much of the other Blackfyres to flee to Essos, in which they were succesful.

During the wars the head of House Reyne became acquinted with Ulrick Dayne 'the Sword of the Morning' and his daughter, Denyse Dayne, later Lady of the Torrentine as well as becoming closer to those she had met at the tourney of Crakehall however most notably she became a confidante and close friend of King Valarr Targaryen, who would later marry her eldest daughter, Eleyna as well as her liege lord, Tybolt Lannister. Too young to command any soldiers during the first war against the Blackfyre's, Ellyn was notable in her support of the throne however her position in the war would change in the later conflicts.

In 204 A.C. the conflict finally concluded, however this would shortly be followed by a brief war with Aegon Blackfyre, eldest son of the executed Daemon Blackfyre. He was swiftly captured by Ellyn and the two would become close friends later on in life. Ellyn pleaded for mercy to King Valarr, who obliged and so both Aegon and his Lyseni wife Minysha would become residents of the keep. Six years later the Lady of Castamere would be the one to reunite the Blackfyre 'prince' with his sister and surprisingly lover, the recently widowed Calla Bittersteel, née Blackfyre, and the pair would be wed by Septon Amory in the Sept of Castamere. They however would be the only of the former rebels to enjoy the noblewoman's hospitality however, with their brother Aemon being denied support in his bid for the Iron Throne much to his anger.

#### Factionalism

A prominent figure at the court of King Valarr, who was betrothed to her daughter at the start of his reign to ensure the support of the affluent Reyne's, her place even further solidified by her husband, Ellyn pursued a match between her eldest son Rhaegar and a cousin of the king, Princess Aelinor Targaryen as well as a marriage between her daughter Alys Reyne and Ser Daeron Targaryen, both which were rejected much to her annoyment. The princely couple was incredibly insulted, and made such clear to King Valarr, mentioning his own betrothal to Lady Eleyna Reyne stating that they had rejected his future goodfamily. Prince Maekar tried arguing back, however failed and eventually retired to Dragonstone after an extensive argument with Prince Brynden 'Waters' in which he argued to break the betrothal between the King and the Reyne, claiming that she was of too low birth, the child and grandchild of bastards however he was promptly dismissed by the nineteen year old Valarr.

When the North tried to gain its independance for the second time in 213 A.C. the sovereign would meet his end at the hands of Lord Wendel Manderly of White Harbor, appropriately nicknamed 'the Kingslayer'. The death of the popular king was widely mourned, notably by his mistress Dianessa Mormont, née Mandrake whose son died a year prior under mysterious circumstances. King Matarys succeeded his brother, who had a much more strained relationship with the Westerman house, believing them to be much too ambitious and arrogant, and so Brynden was removed after a short term as Hand of the King in an attempt to weaken their influence and the King wed Lady Arwyn Chester, nicknamed 'the Queen of Dragonflies', the niece of the Lord of Greenshield, a minor noble in the Reach. Eleyna Reyne who was proposed as one of the candidates to become the new queen was immediately rejected by the new Hand of the King, Ser Morgan Chester, and to spite the widow's family he wed the Hand's daughter to even further insult them. In response to this the Lady of Castamere started supporting Prince Maerys, the youngest brother out of the three, she stated the following:

> *"Matarys is unreasonable, marrying the relatively unknown niece of a Reachman Lord? Love, do not fool me, he simply mad. King Valarr should have followed through with his threat to disinherit his brother following word of the marriage to a girl who is essentially a commoner, alas. He will bring insanity to the Seven Kingdoms, I swear it. Fortunately the crown will not fall to Maekar, I will not allow it, Maerys is still here, thank the Seven. Bright, just and most importantly compassionate, we may have a second Conciliator in our midst"* - Ellyn Reyne, 24th of the Ninth Moon, 213 A.C. after hearing of Matarys's ascencion to the Iron Throne.
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Shortly after this, Maerys was betrothed to the Dowager Queen Eleyna Reyne, and the two seemed to get along extremely well, making several appearances in the public providing alms to the population of King's Landing. The nobles changed to two sides, the West mostly supporting Prince Maerys due to his support from House Reyne, who had connections to the Houses of Hightower, Crakehall, Lannister, Marbrand and Martell with many suspecting that civil war may be tormenting Westeros soon. In return, King Matarys was allied with Prince Maekar, who like always opposed the Reynes. However this would not be the case much to the relief of regions like the Riverlands, the North and the Stormlands, as Matarys would die of poisoning on the 1st of the new year of 214 A.C. with his poisoning being blamed on one of the many King's Landing prostitues he slept with, this one being named Jelia who was publicly executed in front of the Sept of Baelor. After this Maerys succeeded to the throne, being much more popular than his predeseccor, his reign seems promising so far, although the Lord of Rosby would express his concern in a letter to the Grand Maester:

> *"I find myself questioning our late King's death more and more, while the girl seemed obsessed with him I doubt she would go as far as to actually kill him. By the Seven, I bet my eye it was the Bloodraven. Him and his wicked wife, we all know how badly they took the rejection of their marriage offers by Prince Maekar and how badly he suffered from it. Matarys did something similar, and marrying the Chester girl? The finally straw for them I wager. I worry for the influence they hold over the young Maerys however, whatever they have planned for his it cannot be good. The Dowager Queen will have to remarry, and I believe they have chosen their groom. Although we avoided civil war, I do wonder if this is much worse."* - Qarlton Rosby, 7th of the Second Moon, 214 A.C. in a letter to Grand Maester Urrigon.
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Ellyn Reyne's ambitions for her children did not end here, and besides the failed marriages with Prince Daeron and Princess Aelinor, she would see success elsewhere, with her second daughter Baela becoming the wife of Lord Bertrand Hightower of Oldtown, arguably the most powerful house in the Reach. As an alternative to the Dragonstone princess, Myrcella Marbrand was chosen as the bride for Rhaegar Reyne. Incredibly charming and intelligent, the Lady of Castamere took an immediate liking to her, and not soon spoke to the girl's grandfather regarding a betrothal. Another match with House Marbrand was agreed on, between Alys Reyne and Addam Marbrand, the Lord of Ashemark's only grandson and the announcement of both betrothals was made during a great feast in Castamere. The youngest daughter, Celyria Reyne would find herself being married off to Ser Tommen Crakehall, one of the finest knights of the era, like the others the Reyne's were engaged to. Tommen was heir to an old friend of both Brynden and Ellyn, Lord Clarent Crakehall. These marriages would solidify the Reyne's power in the Rock, establishing a triumvirate with the Reyne's at the center.

After decades of rule under the Lannisters, Ellyn succeeded in being named as the designated regent for Lord Paramount Tybolt Lannister, a position which she used to place her closest allies, Lord Crakehall and Lord Marbrand on his council. Several months of scheming and the lord's apparent insanity caused the Lady of Castamere to declare him incapable of ruling, and so he was confined to his rooms, leaving House Reyne in full control of the realm. Tybolt would later be found dead in his rooms, with the blame being placed on his ambitious brother, Gerold. Now regent for his eight year old son instead, the princess spent her time fabricating a claim on the Westerlands, which she succeeded in quite quickly. The young Lord Paramount was deposed in a bloodless coup and the renowned Ellyn Reyne took his place. To try and centralize her power, she appointed Marbrands and Crakehalls in powerful positions, in agreement with their alliance.

Her scheming would not stop here however, as she later replaced Lord Addam Darklyn of Duskendale as Chief General of the Seven Kingdoms which led to a longstanding rant of which the King was at the receiving end of and Lord Addam at the delivering. One of her greatest political rivals, the aging Qarlton Rosby, Lord of Rosby had secured the position of Designated Regent for years, however with the support of notably her half sister, Princess Leonette of Dorne Ellyn replaced him in the blink of an eye. Now at the center of Westerosi politics, the Westerman noblewoman took to perserving her family's influence. Besides her actions in Westeros, Ellyn took to travelling to various of Essosi cities under a disguise, accompanied by Ser Fashbinder, a hedgeknight who would later become her half-sister, Malyssa's lover. This lead to a Valyrian Sword being recovered, named Lion's Heir after their ascension to the role of Warden of the West, with the red lions of Castamere replacing the golden ones of Casterly Rock.

The Lady Paramount's death was rather sudden, peacefully dying in her sleep at the age of thirty eight in the summer of 228 A.C. Her eldest son, Rhaegar succeeded her, and her husband, Brynden 'Rivers' made the decision to join the Night's Watch out of grief, leaving for the Wall after the funeral, being elected as Lord Commander of the Night's Watch after the death of Lord Commander Lucas Noyan. The cause of her death was unknown, with many suspects being interrogated by the grieving bastard.

## Issue

With her husband, Brynden 'Rivers' Targaryen, Hand of the King to King Daeron II 'the Good', King Baelor II 'Breakspear', King Valarr, King Matarys and finally King Maerys, she would have seven children, three sons and four daughters respectively, who would form an alliance between some of the most powerful western houses of the era:

* **Eleyna Targaryen, née Reyne** *(2nd of the Seventh Moon, 201 A.C. - Present)* Queen of the Seven Kingdoms, widow of King Valarr Targaryen and wife of his brother, King Maerys Targaryen. With him she had:
	+ **Rhaena Targaryen**, *(11th of the Sixth Moon, 219 A.C. - Present)* Princess of the Seven Kingdoms.
	+ **Jaehaera Targaryen**, *(11th of the Third Moon, 221 A.C. - Present)* Princess of the Seven Kingdoms.
	+ **Laena Targaryen**, *(6th of the Third Moon, 222 A.C. - Present)* Princess of the Seven Kingdoms.
	+ **Aegon Targaryen**, *(5th of the Second Moon, 223 A.C. - Present)* Prince of the Seven Kingdoms and Lord of Winterfell.
	+ **Viserys Targaryen**, *(11th of the Twelfth Moon, 225 A.C. - Present)* Prince of the Seven Kingdoms.

* **Baela Hightower, née Reyne** *(11th of the Fourth Moon, 207 A.C. - Present)* Lady of Oldtown as the wife of Bertrand Hightower, Lord of Oldtown. With him she had:
	+ **Mesella Hightower** *(18th of the First Moon, 222 A.C. - Present)*
* **Ser Rhaegar Reyne** *(21st of the First Moon, 208 A.C. - Present)* husband to Myrcella Marbrand, third granddaughter of Lord Addam Marbrand of Ashemark. With her he had:
	+ **Reyna Reyne** *(22nd of the Third Moon, 226 A.C. - Present)*
	+ **Aleyne Reyne** *(22nd of the Second Moon, 228 A.C. - Present)*
* **Alys Marbrand, née Reyne** *(23rd of the Eight Moon, 209 A.C. - Present)* Lady of Ashemark, as wife of Lord Addam II Marbrand, only grandson of the late Lord Addam Marbrand of Ashemark. With him she had:
	+ **Harwyn Marbrand** *(6th of the Ninth Moon, 224 A.C. - 6th of the Ninth Moon, 224 A.C.)*
* **Ser Robert Reyne**, *(26nd of the Fifth Moon, 210 A.C. - Present)* Lord Commander of the Kingsguard as part of the Kingsguard of his brother-in-law, King Maerys Targaryen of the Seven Kingdoms.
* **Celyria Crakehall, née Reyne** *(26nd of the Second Moon, 211 A.C. - Present)* wife of Ser Tommen Crakehall, eldest son and heir to Lord Clarent II of Crakehall.
* **Ser Lucion Reyne,** *(2nd of the Twelth Moon, 211 A.C. - Present)* Knight of the Kingsguard like his elder brother Robert, also a member of King Maerys' Kingsguard.