Aldus Ermo

**Aldus Ermo** is a character in Book 1 and 2. He is a member of the city guard, although he is generally seen as the weakest guardsman in the entire city. Morbidly obese and with a weak will, Aldus is unable to fight and feels stressed even with the easiest tasks.

## Background

Aldus was born as the son of Thomas Ermo, back then already an accomplished hero of the city guard, one of the men closest to the former commander. After Hackor Nathamer took over the guard, Thomas became one of his closest captains and one of the most respected men in the entire city.

Growing up in his father's shadow, it was Thomas who pushed Aldus to accomplish similarly great things. His style of parenting was strict and eventually, Aldus came to do little without his father forcing him to do so.

Things changed heavily when Thomas Ermo died in duty. The shock of losing his father at a young age left Aldus depressed, unable to do much and he began to eat excessively, to the point where he gained morbid amounts of weight. His mother fell into a similar depression, though unlike him, she began to wither away slowly.

With his mother becoming sicker and sicker with every day, Aldus began to feel the need to help her somehow. Despite his lacking fitness, he began to beg his father's commander to give him a job. Feeling indebted to Thomas for his long service, Hackor agreed and allowed Aldus a spot in the city guard, where he kept him relatively save despite the young man's abysmal working attitude and lack of responsibility.

## Book 1

### Valar Morghulis

Aldus is introduced alongside Valarr Roux, a fellow member of the city guard, when the two accompanied Arthur Nathamer to greet the merchant, Helenys Bellward, who just arrived in the city. The trio chats a bit and it becomes clear that Valarr is mercilessly mocking Aldus for his shortcomings. The only one that seems to hold even a bit of respect for him during the scene is Helenys, who favourably comments on his imposing size.

He is seen again towards the end of the chapter, when he, Valarr and Arthur are present during the supposed execution of Wolfius Woodbark. There, Aldus is once again teased by Valarr for his weight, something that depresses him clearly. When Wolfius manages to escape during the chaos following the Ironborn arrival, Aldus freezes in terror.

### What Is Dead May Never Die

When the raid begins, Hackor orders Aldus to remain behind, to organize the smallfolk during their evacuation and to check up on those that fled up the path to the castle. Even with this comparably simple task, Aldus feels stressed and almost panicked, relying on Arthur's calming presence to help. Unfortunately for him, his companion decides to leave him behind when Mathea arrives, requiring help to get to her house. Still, far away from the battle, Aldus remains one of the few guardsmen to survive the night without encountering a single fight.

## Appearance

Aldus is a young man of average height, yet in proportion to this height, he is morbidly obese. Having almost a third chin due to his fat, he is barely able to perform average tasks due to his lack of fitness. His face is round and fleshy, looking almost swollen due to the fat and he has a patchy beard on his chin. After the death of his father, he stopped cutting his hair and as a result, it grows way down to his back. Wearing the clothes of a guardsman, his barely fit and he generally is seen as looking rather pathetic.

## Personality

Shy and with a severe lack of confidence, Aldus often keeps to himself. He is usually in a sullen mood, rather retreating than confronting those who torment him. With neither confidence, nor a backbone, he is seen as a weak pushover. On top of that, he is lazy, which also contributed to his obesity, only becoming active when forced to. Even then, his lack of confidence usually causes him to underperform and fail at rather basic tasks.

## Relationships

### Arthur Nathamer

Among the city guard, Arthur is one of the few people that treat Aldus with something resembling kindness. Considering the respect Hackor had for Aldus' father, Arthur fees obliged to be friendly to the young man, though even he tends to be annoyed at Aldus' lack of enthusiasm and his uselessness. In the end, he sticks by his side if possible, but never goes out of his way to help him and yet this still makes him one of Aldus' best friends.

### Valarr Roux

Aldus and Valarr have a very antagonistic relationship. Sensing the youn man's awkwardness, Valarr likes to pick on him, treating him very badly and among the guardsmen, he is one of the driving forces behind them mocking him. It has gotten to the point where Aldus is afraid of Valarr, barely daring to even say something back, lest he'd suffer more verbal abuse.

## Appearances

 Butterfly
 **Valar Morghulis** | **What Is Dead May Never Die** | Valar Dohaeris

 River Crossing