Benjen Stark

**Benjen Stark**, also known as **Ben Stark**, is the younger brother of Lord Eddard Stark and First Ranger of The Night's Watch.

He is the youngest child of Lord Rickard Stark and Lady Lyarra Stark, he has two older brothers, Brandon and Eddard and one older sister, Lyanna.

## **Appearance and Character:**

Benjen has sharp features and blue eyes, in which a hint of laughter is often present. He has long legs and is very thin

Benjen dresses in black, as befits a man from The Night's Watch, he also wears a silver buckle and a heavy silver chain.

Benjen is a quite serious man when it comes to matters involving The Night's Watch and when before he joined when they involved House Stark or The North. With the stories of the King beyond The Wall and even worse rumours than that Benjen has been spending a lot of time beyond The Wall, as First Ranger and he takes the role very seriously.

One of the few times that Benjen allows himself to relax and have a bit fun like he used to do before he joined The Night's Watch, is when he is able to travel on one of his very rare journeys to Winterfell to see his brother, Eddard and his family. He misses his family quite dearly, so when he does he get to travel there he does spend as much time with his brother, or his niece and nephews, he spends plenty of time teasing his brother just as much as his niece and nephews.

The one thing Benjen does miss, is his sister Lyanna, the two were extremely close as children and since she has become Queen, the two have only been able to communicate through ravens and with Benjen being the First Ranger and spending a lot of time beyond The Wall, the communication between the two is very sporadic. But meeting her son Prince Jaehaerys Targaryen, or 'Jon' as everyone in Winterfell called him, made Benjen happier than he realised and made him realise how much he missed his sister.

## **History:**

Benjen was the youngest child of Lord Rickard Stark and Lady Lyarra Stark. He attended the tourney at Harrenhal with his siblings, Brandon, Eddard, and Lyanna. At the tournament Lyanna rescued their father's vassal, Howland Reed, from an attack by three squires. Benjen offered Howland a horse and some armor so he could challenge his attackers.

During the feast held to celebrate the start of the tournament, he teased Lyanna when she cried for a sad and beautiful song by the noted musician, Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Lyanna poured wine over his head for teasing him. When a black brother from The Night's Watch spoke up during the feast, attempting to convince the gathered people to join the black brothers, Benjen took the plea to heart.

Benjen was the Stark in Winterfell during Robert's Rebellion. Benjen joined The Night's Watch within a few months of Eddard's return north. His reasons for doing so are unknown. Benjen took his vows in front of a heart tree located half a league from Castle Black, north of The Wall. Benjen's skills served him well as a ranger, and he quickly rose to the position of First Ranger.

Benjen visited Winterfell on several occasions over the years. Once, Bran Stark recited all of the names of the castles build at The Wall for Benjen. Benjen and Eddard had discussed repopulating The Gift by raising new lords, so they could function as a shield against The Wildlings. Benjen was convinced that Lord Commander Jeor Mormont could be convinced to part with the land, on the condition that taxes would be paid to Castle Black instead of Winterfell. Benjen also wrote Eddard, keeping him updated on e.g., the military strength of The Night's Watch.