Arthur Penrose

Arthur Penrose has been anointed a Knight of
the Queensguard at the age of hardly 18, in the Second Month of 408 AC. Having
squired under Gwayne Baratheon, he is known to be an outstanding fighter at
such young an age already. As a Queensguard, if anything so far, he is known
for being good at playing his new demanding role and living up to a position in
life that some yearn for and others despise.

Arthur is considered quite
suitable for the order because of his level-headed character. He has always
been known to be humble and never fond of lavishness or luxury. Though fancy
armours and great horses, of course, have always been on a different list for a
young noble man. Arthur can display both a tight-lipped demure and diligent
demeanour, especially when performing his challenging duties. He can, if known
more closely, however, also be of a serene, relaxed temper. He is the youngest
Queensguard these days, and still being introduced into the range of tasks. A
broader range than Arthur expected at first. He’s known as efficient, devoted, diligent
and aspiring.

Beyond all of that, Arthur is not yet known for
anything else than being a son of Lord Penrose, the former squire of Lord
Gwayne Baratheon (and his cousin as well), and an excellent fighter at any
choice of weapon. Though he prefers longsword, mace and lance.

## Physical appearance

Arthur is 5’8 feet tall, and still
of a youthful appearance. If it were not for his sober splendour of Queensguard
clothes and armour, he could be easily mistaken to be younger, to be some
squire of some not even particularly high-ranking knight. If not met wearing
the imposing suit of harness, Arthur gives a rather gaunt impression.
Underneath, however, he is of a sinewy muscular frame. His hair is of a dark
ashen brown, reaching to his chin, often worn in the style of a short ponytail
when fighting. His eyes are the colour of a rainy sky, though with a tint of
blue in them when in a bright mood. Of a pale complexion and, if not much else
when it comes to fashion, always properly shaved, Arthur can be found with cuts
from shaving more often than not, for he is still suffering from acne.

He dresses suitable for his status –
otherwise his choice of clothes would be considered too humble and conservative
for a young noble of his age, rank and qualities.

## Childhood

Arthur was born as a son to Lord
Penrose and his wife. Having been a sickly child, it was not before the age of
10 that Arthur grew stronger and, with his growing physical abilities, strength
and reach, he started to love nature, horses and spending a lot of time in the
fields and forests. On rainy days, if forced by his mother, to stay in the
castle, the boy, however, also loved reading, playing games, listening to
stories of whoever was willing to tell him yet another one, and was fond of
animals. Hardly anything about these things has changed till the present day.

## Youth

Having gathered enough strength and
swiftness, and whatever more was needed to make him fit for the training yard –
though still lacking in self-confidence, for sure – Arthur was taken to the
sparring yards. And he has virtually hardly ever left them since then. His
talent amazed all those that were assigned to teach him. People state he keeps getting
better year by year.

Lord Gwayne Baratheon accepted
Arthur as his squire at the age of 12, for the lad was still too shy to leave
his family and familiar environment before that age. After that, his
self-confidence started growing, very much assisted by the kind words and
wide-ranging training Arthur received from Gwayne Baratheon and other residents
of Storm’s End.

Over the years, Arthur became a
level-headed, composed youth, with a tendency to seclusion and avoiding all
people he did not really know well. With mixed feelings, those around him also
witnessed his so far complete lack of interest when it came to girls.

It was also manly thanks to the Lord
of Storm’s End that Arthur received a thorough military training, both
practical and theoretical. It proved the seeds sown fell on fertile ground:
Arthur quickly showed a by far above average talent in the fields of warfare,
and has kept studying the subject ever since with great interest and passion.

## Queensguard

When a position in the Queensguard
became vacant in late 417, it was following the initiative of Gwayne Baratheon
most of all, that Arthur became interested and was even suggested for the elite
position. To his great astonishment, he was accepted, and anointed some months
later as a Knight of the Queensguard. For somebody as humble and conservative
as Arthur, it truly was a dream come true.

18 years of age, he is the youngest
Queensguard these days, and still being introduced into the range of tasks. A
broader range than Arthur expected at first. He’s known as efficient, devoted, diligent
and aspiring.