Elissa Farman

Elissa Farman, as depicted by Douglas Wheatley in Fire & Blood

Captain of Sun Chaser

**Elissa Farman** was a noblewoman of House Farman and the daughter of Lord Marq Farman during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.

## Appearance and Character

Elissa had blue eyes and long flaxen hair, and she was high-spirited.

Archmaester Gyldayn describes her as "sharp of wit and sharper of tongue." Elissa loved horses, dogs, and hawks. She was a fine singer and a skilled archer, but her great love was sailing.

## History

The daughter of Lord Marq Farman of Fair Isle, Elissa had two brothers: Franklyn and Androw. As a child, it was said that she spent more time at sea than upon the land. She sailed her own boat around Fair Isle at the age of fourteen. By twenty, she had voyaged as far north as Bear Island and as far south as the Arbor. Elissa was betrothed twice, once at twelve and once at sixteen, but she scared off both boys.

Elissa attended the wedding of her brother Androw to Princess Rhaena Targaryen on Fair Isle in 49 AC. Elissa quickly grew close to the princess, as well as Rhaena's old friends Alayne Royce and Samantha Stokeworth. Her brother Franklyn dubbed the four friends "the Four-Headed Beast", and the friends often rode the dragon Dreamfyre together. Lord Farman's maester, Smike, speculated that the princess had only married Androw not because she loved him, but instead because of her love for Elissa.

When Marq died in 50 AC, Franklyn became lord and ordered Rhaena, the so-called "Queen in the West", to leave Fair Isle, with the dragonrider departing for Casterly Rock. Though Elissa attempted to leave as well, Franklyn confronted her at the dock and commanded she stay on Fair Isle to be wed. Elissa spat defiance at Lord Franklyn before he and his men were overwhelmed, with Rhaena's companions then sailing with Elissa on her ship, *Maiden's Fancy*, for Lannisport.

Realizing that most lords wanted to take advantage of her or were afraid of her, Rhaena and her friends briefly stayed at Casterly Rock, Ashemark, Castamere, the Golden Tooth, Wayfarer's Rest, and Pinkmaiden Castle. Elissa remained with Rhaena after she established her court on Dragonstone. She quickly warmed to Rhaena's daughter, Princess Aerea, as both were unhappy with their lives at the island fortress. Elissa often spoke of returning to the western seas with the young princess. As Elissa was denied the incomes of Fair Isle by Lord Franklyn, she petitioned Rhaena for gold sufficient to build a ship at Driftmark that could sail the Sunset Sea. Rhaena denied her request, and a rift thus opened in Elissa and Rhaena's relationship.

In 54 AC, Elissa petitioned Rhaena to leave once more. Rhaena permitted her request stone-faced, while Aerea wept for Elissa. Neither Targaryen princess knew of Elissa's destination, and she discreetly stole three dragon eggs from the Dragonstone hatcheries. She departed for Driftmark, where she took ship to Pentos and made her way overland to Braavos under the name **Alys Westhill** and secured an audience with the Sealord of Braavos, selling him the eggs. With the gold, Elissa financed the building of her carrack, the *Sun Chaser*. She set sail with a word of caution from the Sealord, due to the scandal that the theft of the dragon eggs had caused the Targaryens. Androw fell into depression at Dragonstone, as Elissa had been his closest friend. Septon Barth, the Hand of the King to Jaehaerys I Targaryen, was sent to Braavos to investigate the missing dragon eggs. The Sealord denied having them, but agreed to reduce the Iron Throne's debts to the Iron Bank of Braavos.

In Oldtown in 56 AC, Elissa searched for a crew for her ship for her voyage across the Sunset Sea, as she had believed since childhood that undiscovered lands existed west of Westeros. Words of her efforts reached Lord Donnel Hightower, and his grandsons, Ser Eustace and Ser Norman, pledged their ships, *Lady Meredith* and *Autumn Moon*, to her voyage. King Jaehaerys ordered Donnel to take Elissa into custody, but Elissa's three swift ships evaded the twelve pursuers sent by Lord Hightower.

When he returned to Oldtown on *Lady Meredith* in 59 AC, Eustace Hightower explained that they had sailed south by southwest years ago but lost Norman and his *Autumn Moon* to a storm. Elissa's crew towed *Lady Meredith* to three exotic islands, which she named Aegon, Rhaenys, and Visenya. Despite the protests of Eustace, Elissa continued westward on *Sun Chaser* and was never seen again.

Many years later, during his second great voyage on *Sea Snake*, Corlys Velaryon believed he saw the old, weathered *Sun Chaser* in Asshai. It is therefore possible that Elissa reached Essos by sailing west from Westeros.