Gwayne Tyrell

**Ser Gwayne Tyrell,** called the White Rose, is the current Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

## Biography

Gwayne was born in the two-hundred and eighty-fourth year after Aegon’s conquest, the third son of Ser Leo Tyrell and a lady of House Hightower. Ser Leo, a tourney knight of great celebrity, provided well for his three sons. Not that he needed to - the Tyrell coffers were always well-filled, and even the lesser roses of the bush would be *beyond* taken care of financially. Excess of wealth would not distract Leo from grooming his sons for knighthood, and so he would train Garth, Gerold and Gwayne on a daily basis from the moment they could hold a sword.

As a boy, Gwayne was ever close with his cousins in the main branch of the family tree and only grew closer to them as tragedy filled the halls of Highgarden with the deaths of Lord Gyles Tyrell’s male heirs. He would confide in his remaining female cousins and they would confide in him, and they became closer than close. He grew especially close with Eden, who was his own age. His great liking for her bordered on a child’s-love. They would dance together, sing together, but she would surely marry outside of the House, and end up with some great lord. She would not marry Gwayne.

At the age of twelve, his cousin Nyles Tyrell was murdered. It wasn’t long before Leo Tyrell found Nyles’ killers, but there was some fallout between Leo and Gyles for a reason unknown to Gwayne. Partly to get a breath of fresh air from the toxic household and partly to further hone his practice, Gwayne went to the Stormlands to squire under his cousin, Lyonel Baratheon. Lyonel saw his skinny cousin and laughed that he would need to put some muscle on, demanding that he wear heavy plate to build up some strength. They would duel-practice every day until Gwayne could hold his own without immediately being floored by his elder cousin. He always returned to Highgarden with the occasional deaths of his cousins, and eventually with the death of his uncle, Lord Tyrell.

Audrey, his older cousin, would rightfully then be Lady Tyrell, but Ser Leo wished to seize Highgarden, a shocking revelation to everyone. He was a tourney knight, not a schemer, but he had nonetheless tried to take the lordship and had died before his plans could come to fruition - the High Septon having called this the will of the Seven.

Gwayne thought that was the end of his relationships with his cousins, assumed it would mean ostracisation from his family, thought that he would leave Highgarden and never return. But he told Audrey how it was: that he loved her and her sisters, that he wasn’t his father, that he would remain loyal to her forevermore, and so she accepted him and his brothers as the Tyrells they were. Nonetheless, Gwayne didn’t want to stay at Highgarden, not yet. He couldn’t. It was too...hurtful. He left again with Ser Lyonel Baratheon. This time, to war.

The Pirate King had caused strife in Dorne, and Lord Boremund Baratheon pulled the region into the conflict to aid their Southern allies. Boremund, Lyonel and Gwayne rode south with a contingent of Stormlanders and began to do battle with the pirates in skirmishes along the coast. These conflicts eventually led to the death of Lord Boremund, felled by pirates in an ambush on the Stormlanders. Gwayne, now sixteen, managed to fend off the foreigners and retrieve Lord Boremund’s body, bringing it back to the new Lord Lyonel Baratheon, who knighted Gwayne for his efforts. Gwayne would return to Highgarden, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

With the death of the Old King Aemon in the three-hundred and second year after Aegon, coronation games were held to celebrate the fledgeling rule of Viserys III. The games included a tourney at King’s Landing which the eighteen-year-old Ser Gwayne took part in, donning his own sigil; three silver roses on a green field.

The number of combatants had narrowed down until only two remained; Ser Gwayne Tyrell and Ser Matarys Targaryen. The two fought for an hour - Gwayne with his sword and Matarys with his polearms - each disarming the other until they were left clambering for a replacement. At the mark of the hour, the new King Viserys called an end to the affair, declaring the pair ‘joint first place’ and splitting the champion’s favour between them.

Ser Gwayne strode over to the stands to lay his favour in his young cousin Ella’s lap, planting a kiss on the queen of love and beauty’s forehead before returning to stand in front of the king, who offered both Matarys and Gwayne a position on the Kingsguard, which they both accepted eagerly, filling the two vacant spots in the white cloaks and becoming some of the youngest Kingsguard in history.

At court in King’s Landing, Gwayne, of course, grew to be known as a loyal servant of his king, but also as an exceedingly fast friend, despite their differences in religion. In their private quarters, they would grow to make fun of this fact, having hour-long theological debates about the nature of religion and the gods and the world around them. Though not particularly studied in religion, Gwayne grew to be quite knowledgeable in matters of the Red Faith and the Seven, as he began similar talks with His Holiness the High Septon after the Strange One blessed his knighthood with the seven oils. Gwayne originally had apprehensions about the High Septon’s openness and seeming-eagerness to talk, as he was the one to pronounce Leo’s death just, though Ser Leo was a traitor and it was important to keep good relations with the Faith in such turbulent times. Besides, the High Septon was born a Hightower. He and Gwayne were blood.

It wasn’t long before Gwayne was known in court as the White Rose. It helped differentiate him from all of the other similarly-named Tyrells, and was reminiscent of Ser William Estermont’s own nickname of ‘Whiteshell’. Gwayne looked up to Estermont as a knight. A powerful man, strong and dutiful - one that Gwayne had seen many times in his childhood, visiting tournaments with family, or as a squire. William didn’t seem to approve of Gwayne’s courtly manners or fanciful reputation, but the two would share mutual respect as valiant knights.

In the year three-hundred and six, the crown became aware of a growing bandit issue along the roads in the Crownlands. Viserys, Ser Gwayne and Lord Commander Triston Fell, alongside a small contingent of armed men, rode out and gave chase to the bandits, destroying them or driving them out of the land. The trio continued pursuing the leaders of the bandits until they could run no longer, turning to fight.

It wasn’t like how it was said in the stories. There was no bandit king, no famed warriors amongst them, no disgraced knights turned evil. Just a band of robbers. And when Triston Fell was tripped up by one of them, they got lucky enough to put their sword through a gap in Ser Triston’s armour. He was quickly avenged, of course, but Gwayne cursed himself for not rushing to his side in time. He wasn’t quick enough to defend his Lord Commander, but he was quick enough to defend his king.

Upon returning to the Red Keep, Viserys relayed the bad news to the court and the next day, he announced that Ser Gwayne would take Triston’s place as Lord Commander. He was the second youngest knight of the Kingsguard, lacking much of the experience of some of his older sworn-brothers, and so Viserys’ choice was a surprise to Gwayne, though one he welcomed with a bright smile.

Following this promotion, Gwayne would grow even closer to the royal family, his friendship with Viserys transcending into a near-brotherhood. He grew closer to the Queen, too, though not to the extent he did with her husband. Lastly, he acted as a pseudo-tutor to the young Prince Maekar, who admired the ideals of knighthood and the Kingsguard. Of course, though, he would not intrude on the young gentleman’s actual tutelage by the good maester Theon.

In an effort to get closer to the royal family, and to make them more comfortable around him, Gwayne began to learn what he could of High Valyrian. It was awkward at first, though it wasn’t long before the Targaryens would only speak Valyrian around him in their private quarters to keep him sharp. This practice would continue to the modern-day, in the year three-hundred and nine.

…

The son of a traitor; kin of Lady Tyrell, Lords Baratheon, Redwyne and Hightower; correspondent and cousin of the High Septon; Lord Commander; best friend of the king…

War is brewing. There are whispers of Blackfyre’s Holy Seventh stirring across the Narrow Sea. Ser Gwayne Tyrell, in his seventh year as one of the seven white swords of the crown, welcomes any pretender who wishes to bring harm to his family.

## Timeline

**284 AC:** Gwayne is born.

**299 AC:** Ser Leo Tyrell is killed, it is revealed that he was planning a coup against Lady Audrey Tyrell.

**300 AC:** Gwayne is knighted after fighting against pirates in Dorne.

**302 AC:** Gwayne participates in the tourney celebrating the coronation of Viserys III and is declared joint-winner alongside Matarys Targaryen, the two are made Kingsguard by the new king.

**306 AC:** After the death of Ser Triston Fell, Gwayne is made Lord Commander of the Kingsguard.

**309 AC:** Present day.

## Family Tree

https://www.familyecho.com/?p=GOEY6&c=w1edr1our2&f=995972054990416003

## Quotes by Gwayne

"Old lords are haughty, and quick to start fights. Young lords are haughty, and quick to end them." - Gwayne to Varelos of Myr

"Truth be told, I lamented the thought of my oath for a while. A short while. I loved a girl once. She was amazing. My everything. But I had never given my love. But when I knelt before you and said the words, my doubt fled. Looks of approval, cheering, admiration. I felt as though they were worth a thousand wives." - Gwayne to Viserys Targaryen

*Valar Jorrāelis. The name made Gwayne curse on the inside. It was too clever and too silly. All men must love. If that was the truth, then what was Gwayne?* - Gwayne's thoughts

## Quotes about Gwayne

"I prayed to your gods and to mine on the day of coronation. I asked that they deliver to me the blood of my brother, a bastard son, unknown even to us; anything, anything that I would not have to sit that chair. In having doubt you proved yourself what I needed; a man. Not a boy who thought himself the world, nor a boy who worked on faith alone. A true man with his own foibles, the crushing weight of a heart in turmoil." - Viserys to Gwayne

"But, who am I to turn down sparring with the greatest knight in the Seven Kingdoms?" - Lyman Tyrell to Gwayne

*Gwayne Tyrell, sweet summer knight, we are not the same. And never would I wish it so. You do not deserve my lot.* - Viserys' thoughts.