Bethany Beesbury

## Personality

### Personality Description

While  Bethany is coy and playful - often flirtatious and with a witty tongue, she is no thoughtless,  idle maiden.

She has a deep interest for history, and is especially fascinated by the tales of Garth Greenhand, Rose of Red Lake and above all, Uthor Hightower, as well as studying philosophy and the seven arts. She is clever, dramatic and perhaps a little too feisty for her own good. Ever a hot-blooded lady of the Reach, she is a woman of passion, ambition and above all,a  hedonistic soul of selfish desire.

She is known to push boundaries- perhaps beyond a sensible degree and seeks thrill, excitement and prestige. She adores being in the spotlight, captivating every room she steps into and , while scandalizing most of her peers, enrapturing them in the same breath.

She may be a  sultry temptress, she only does so out of necessity. The world she lives in is a man’s world. To take charge of her own life is to, in a way, allow the men around her to believe they have full control over her

### Goals and Motivation

* Very aggressively further her own position, possibly at the expense of her House.
* Supplant House Tyrell as the Lord Paramounts of the Reach.
* Remarry - gods be good nothing terrible befalls this one!

### Reputation

Bethany, as a young maiden, had a reputation for being the most radiant beauty along the honeywine. With a sensual body and beautiful features, she had turned the heads of many young lords and knights in passing.

However, in part due to her being thrice-widowed at such a young age, and the past crisis at the honeyholt, however, somewhat tarnished her reputation as a somewhat deadly seductress.

Of course, people claim she disposed of all three of her husbands, worked witchcraft and so on, but she also does not care enough to deny those rumors. Now, with her return to the Reach, she is headed for Oldtown, the seat of the House Beesbury is sworn to, to seek out their support and protection for her cousin and his lady wife.

Her hunger for power is well known

## Backstory

House Beesburry is amongst the most ancient Houses of the Reach, claiming descent from Garth Greenhand during the age of heroes. In recent years, however, tragedy after tragedy struck House Beesburry of Honeyholt. While Lady Zhoanna Beesburry had wed Gwayne Redwyne and their children would inherit the Beesburry name on account of her being the eldest, living Beesburry after her elder brother’s death. They had three strong sons, each of them brave, clever and good at heart ; the eldest of them Amen Beesburry who wed the young Lady Cyra Crane. All agreed they made for a handsome couple and they were deeply in love - however, within 5 years, all 4 children of Lady Zhoanna would perish.

Her grandchildren were all who remained, and the young Lady Bethany was the eldest among them. With her parents deceased, Bethany was raised by her lady Grandmother and a Septa kept a watchful eye on the children. In those years, the Honeyholt was filled with the buzzing of 4 little bees. Bethany and her younger 3 cousins, the triplets Bryane, Bryena and Bryona along with their youngest cousin and the only male descendant of the House and heir: Braxton Beesburry.

Even as a young girl, Bethany, or “Bessy” for her friends, was a cause of chaos in the honeyholt. Often up to mischief and trickery. She would often tease and trick the young squires at the court of her family - until her Grandfather, Gwayne Redwyne had her sent her to fostered by house Costayne, a fellow bannerman of House Hightower, while a child of house Costayne, Coughffree Costayne, would be fostered at Honeyholt. An exchange to bring the two houses closer once more.

Her life at Three Towers was admittedly different from that in her home of Honeyholt.

It was her stay under the wing of Lady Costayne that she grew into a young lady. She learned to dance and sing, to paint and compose poetry. However, as she grew from a girl to a  woman, Bethany was alerted to the existence of boys.

Specifically, young Lancel Lydden, a squire for a knight sworn to house Costayne, caught her attention. Her affections were mutual it seemed, and the two frequently spent time together- perhaps more than what was appropriate for two unmarried nobles of their time.

However, the two were young and silly, and one evening, they were caught abed together with a servant, their clothes scattered on the ground.

Needless to say, Lady Costayne was furious with both of them, but in order to preserve both their reputation, as well as protecting Bethany from being shunned from society by bearing an illegitimate child, the pair was forcibly wed within a fortnight in the Sept of the Three Towers. Needless to say, the endeavor has extinguished any love the young pair had held for one another.

Within a year, the two had grown to resent one another, only scornful glances and disdain between them. Tragically, Lancel died during a cold winter’s night. The cause of his death had been an overdose of the Nightshade he had used for some time to allow for a restful sleep.

Lady Bethany did attend her husband’s funeral, however, she did not shed a tear for Lord Lancel and was noted to have said “Lancel, gods, what a stupid name” before returning to Honeyholt.

Bethany returned to Honeyholt at age 18, her childhood had long passed and she returned as a widow to her home. While she wore black and mourned for 1 month, she did not weep for her husband’s passing, instead, she seemed relieved at her regained freedom. She took back her maiden name of “Beesburry” and, instead, focused on a  different pursuit. With her grandmother, the acting Lady of House Beesburry, growing older each day, her younger cousin, Braxton, was set to inherit the title of Lord upon their grandmother’s passing. Bethany, however, had quite a strong opinion on the matter. As the only descendant of House Beesburry’s heir, she laid claim to House Beesburry.

In the following weeks, the Honeyholt would become divided amongst Bethany and Braxton.

After all, a honeyhive too was led by a Queen, and Ellyn-ever-Sweet had been a Lady too.

The “Queen Bee”, as Bethany dubbed herself and those supporting her claim, and Braxton, called “The Honeybee” for his sweet, albeit, simple mind, vied for Lady  Zhoanna affections and support, however, the old Lady refused to take part in the dispute. Instead she insisted her grandchildren should just hug it out.

They did not hug it out.

Amongst Bethany’s supporters was Coughffree Costayne, the young son of House Costayne who had once come to Honeyholt as a foster , but chose to stay for the fine honey mead of House Beesburry.In their scheming, the two found much common ground between one another. With the (delirious) approval of Lady Zhoanna, the pair wed in an intimate ceremony in Honeyholt’s Sept among their family and a handful of friends.

Coughffree stood by her side fiercely, and with Braxton’s 16th name day approaching swiftly, the pair plotted to seize power. They planned to force Braxton to relinquish his claim under the threat of death and for him to take the black. The both of them had allies, young Braxton was only 15 and had been squiring for his uncle at King’s Grave. However, on the eve of the Celebration, when  Braxton returned to Honeyholt, to everyone’s shock, presented the court with his young bride (and cousin) Nymeria Manwoody. With that, Bethany’s and Coughffree’s scheme had failed before it had begun.

Without seeking his Lady wife’s approval, Coughffree  invited his cousin-by-marriage, Braxton, to join him on a hunting trip in the rich woods beyond the castle, full with deer and rabbits during this time of year. However, during their hunt, Coughffree jumped Braxton in an attempt to take his life, however, instead he missed, tripped and impaled himself on his own sword (but not before monologuing his entire plan to Braxton like a true villain).

In this, Braxton saw an opportunity to rid himself of his scheming, and painfully popular,elder cousin. By advice of his wife, Nymeria Manwoody, he had her wed to an old friend of House Manwoody, the young Lord Muller of House Uller to get her out of his hair and away from Honeyholt.

Bethany had not even properly mourned Coughffree when Lord Muller laid the bride’s cloak of House Uller around her shoulders. She even wore a gown of black to her wedding, with Black roses in her hair in remembrance of her late husband.

While their wedding night had been cold and only consummated of duty, the pair grew close rather quickly.

They shared the same, fiery temper and passions connecting them quickly.

Soon enough, they spent much time together, riding out in the sandy dunes, spending long evenings together, mingling with their passions.

However, the line between passion and madness is a thin one, especially for a man of house Uller. Muller, for one, switched between the two like one would between pairs of boots.

While the couple had been together for the better part of a decade, he would descend further and further into insanity. Multiple times, he would ramble like a madman, until one night he spoke of his urge to take a human life - he brought this up while in bed with his wife and Bethany begun to fear for her life.

A fortnight later, as the family broke their fast, Lord Muller Uller suddenly coughed and wheezed until the life faded from him and he fell face-first into his porridge.

Bethany, once more, was widowed.

For the last time she had relinquished her fate into the hands of others, a grave mistake she does not intend to commit again.