Bethany Bracken

House Tully

Alyssa Bracken

Violet Bracken

Bennet Bracken

Larra Bracken

Bethany Bracken is the Lady of Stone Hedge and head of House Bracken. She is married to Jared Mallister, with whom she has four children. Bethany became Lady of Stone Hedge after her father and brothers died in the Cobbler's Rebellion.

## Appearance and Character

Bethany stands tall at a height of 5'10 and has a slender build. She walks with grace and a head held high fit for a queen. Her raven black voluminous hair has a natural shine to it that contrasts with her fair and smooth complexion. She wears her wavy hair loose and long. Her intimidating deep azure eyes accompany a defined face set with high cheekbones and full lips.

Bethany wears the most elegant dresses with the greatest intricate designs more often than not in colors of black, red, and yellow. She loves to adorn herself and does not shy from the most expensive jewels, coming in all shapes and sizes.

Her personality can only be described as cold, disciplined, and distant to those who do not bear the Bracken name. She is a mother, who is loving, caring and nurturing to her children. Her loyalty to her husband wavers at times, preferring to lie with both men and women. She intimidates those that don’t consider her a friend and her name carries weight through the realm both in low and high places.

## History

Bethany was born on the 8th moon of 94 AC to Barba and Lyle Bracken in the midst of a strong and ferocious thunderstorm. She was the fourth child that had resulted from their union, along three older brothers and a younger sister born later down the line. As a child she was always quiet, never crying or screaming.

The Bracken family was a happy one, one filled with laughs and love. It was everything a young girl could have asked for. Unlike others of high birth, there was not a lot of weight on her shoulders; she was not expected to lead, nor to garner a particularly high-profile marriage. As such, she was free to play and explore around the grounds alongside her brothers and cousins.

As she grew older, however, her mother insisted that she needed to learn the ways of a true lady. Bethany was quickly separated from her brothers and surrounded with maesters and septas. She did not mind the less time playing and began to create a greater focus and understanding on her studies. Determined to become someone, Bethany spent sleepless nights reading and prodding where she wasn’t supposed to. This came to the attention of her grandmother, Lysa, who took Bethany under her wing and taught her how to move and speak through matters of the court.It was with her that she first heard tales of intrigue and scheming - stories that she should have derided but couldn’t quite help feeling drawn to them. Bethany aspired to be like her grandmother, for one reason or another she knew everyone’s secrets and always knew what to say. An inspiration for Bethany to say the least.

At the age of five and ten, Bethany’s father sent her to King’s Landing to become Lady in Waiting to Queen Zhoe Arryn. It is in King’s Landing and the Red Keep where she truly learned to navigate the social arena both with ease and difficulty. Bethany observed the great Mistress of Whisperer at the time, Unella, with respect and admiration. It is here where she discovered her true aspiration in life, a seat of the Small Council as Mistress of Whispers. And so she learned to sneak and peek through the corridors of the Red Keep, gathering whatever information she believed a Mistress of Whispers would obtain.

As Bethany aged, she began to show signs of great desirable beauty and grace. This beauty accompanied by her sharp mind made the perfect weapon as Beth ascended into the world of schemes and intrigue. Her name began to be known and heard in the mouths of both nobles and peasants. She was known for her determination to see her schemes and trouble to their end.

The year was 112 AC when Bethany was called back to Stone Hedge to marry Jared Mallister, a betrothal arranged from a young age. The wedding was a grandiose event in which house of the Riverlands, West, Vale and Crownlands were invited to attend. That night Bethany became pregnant with her first child, Sabitha Bracken.

Stone Hedge, her home, made her feel safe but it was no King's Landing with it's political playground she learned to love. She began taking over her grandmother's spy network and connections that she had left behind, making it better and larger than ever. It satisfied little of what she desired but she accepted what she could get.

In 114 Ac, Marq the Cobbler rose in rebellion. All the male members of House Bracken left for war in hopes of aiding their liege. Her husband stayed behind to attend to his, at the time pregnant, wife. On the night of Violet's birth, all three of her brother's fell in battle protecting their Lord Father. On their return from war in 115 AC, Lord Lyle Bracken named Bethany his heir apparent. Shortly after, he died succumbing to injuries obtained in battle.

She cried and screamed for seven nights and days. On the eighth day, she came out of her chambers with a new energy about her. A colder and more distant shell of her former self. As she sat on the chair that once belonged to her father, she did not sit on it as the girl that flirted and smiled to men and women to get what she wanted, no. She sat down on that chair as the Lady of Stone Hedge, a woman that demanded her needs and made her feelings heard.

As the new head of House Bracken, Bethany saw to it that the great crimson stallion would remain one of the most powerful and noble houses in the Riverlands. They were kings once after all, should they not aspire to be more than simple vassals? She sent her daughter, Sabitha, to King’s Landing to become a Lady in Waiting to Daenys Targaryen in order to further their connection with the royal family. Arranged marriages, blackmail, charm and wit, along with forgery and espionage are some of the few things the Lady of Stone Hedge did to further her house's position in the political realm. She continues to pursue her old and great aspiration of becoming the Mistress of Whispers and obtaining its power.

## Recent Events

Bethany welcomed the Mallister family with a feast in a small dining hall in Stone Hedge. During the feast her twin daughters enticed the heir to Seagard. All the while Bethany intimidated her guest, the Lord Warryn Mallister who seemed to be suspicions of Bethany's true intentions. In the end they parted not as friends, but simply as allies.

## Household

Jared Mallister: Bethany's loyal, naive and honest husband.

Sabitha Bracken, 19: Firstborn daughter between Jared and Bethany. Lady in waiting to Daenys Targaryen.

Alyssa Bracken, 18: Daughter of Bethany and Jared. Violet's fraternal twin. Alyssa is the most problematic of Bethany's children. She, like her mother and predecessors, likes everything espionage and subterfuge. Uses her charm and seduction more often than not.

Violet Bracken, 18: Daughter of Bethany and Jared. Alyssa's fraternal twin. Sickly and frail, Bethany feels overprotective of her third born. Violet likes horses and riding, she wishes to continue in the family business.

Lyle Bracken, 17: Son of Bethany and Jared. Heir to Stone Hedge. Hot headed and lustful, Bethany's youngest child seems to be her mother's exact replica when she was his age. Bethany wishes he would have taken after his father rather than her.

Lysa Bracken, 70: Bethany's great-grandmother. Once the Lady of Stone Hedge she abdicated her position in favor of her son and heir. She had served as spymaster of Stone Hedge from there on. Close friend to the Queen Bee, Desmera Beesbury.

Maester Loras: The maester of Stone Hedge, has served three generations of Brackens. Weathered by old age he is one of the most loyal members of the Bracken household.

Bryan: Sworn shield to Bethany.

Jenny: Bethany's handmaiden. Saved from an orphanage in Flea Bottom, Bethany has raised and cared from little Jen since she was a child. She is shy and small, rarely raising her voice over a whisper.

Agnes: Stone Hedge head cook. Hired after the previous cook was banished from Stone Hedge by Bethany. She has so far performed adequately, according to Alyssa.

## Character Build

Attribute: Sly

Social Status: Principal Bannermen, Head of House

Skill Points: 20

Skills: Espionage, Sabotage, Silver Tongue, Romance

Mastery: Cloak and Dagger

 7