Allaryn

**Allaryn** is a character in the Interlude and Book 2. He is one of the higher-ranking guards in the castle of Sunspear, sworn directly to protect the royal family. Dutiful and loyal, yet not without a sense of humour have made him one of Princess Meria's favoured guards.

## Backstory

Not much is known about Allaryn's early life and he prefers to keep it that way. Born to a woman named Seilla, a tavern wench in one of the countless small inns of Sunspear's shadow city, Allaryn spent his first few years in her presence. His father remains unknown, having been but a brief encounter in Seilla's life.

For reasons Allaryn has never shared with anyone, he left his mother at an early age, travelling with a group of sellswords and thugs through the landscape of Dorne. While he remains very quiet about these years, it can be generally assumed that it was them that turned him into a highly skilled fighter.

A fateful encounter in his life was when he was abandoned by his former comrades, after they were attacked by a feared raider, known only as the Desert Fog. Left heavily wounded and close to death, he was found by an armed convoy, which guarded the Ruling Princess of Dorne herself, Meria Martell. On her order, Allaryn was taken with them to Sunspear, where his wounds were treated. Impressed by the young man's personality and his skill in combat, she decided to offer him a place by her side, as one of her guards.

Accepting without hesitating, Allaryn became one of Meria's most trusted guards over the years. Thankful for the chance she gave him, he became known for his loyalty and capability, two aspects that even won over Meria's captain of the guard, Razek um Daar, despite the Unsullied's hesitation to rely on a man with an attitude as cocky as Allaryn's.

## Interlude

### Seven Letters - No King Above Me

Allaryn is first introduced when Princess Meria calls for him, so that he may escort her and Cira to a meeting with the royal council of Sunspear. On their way, Allaryn jests with his princess, as he is the one in charge of pushing her wheelchair. They encounter Elia Aspys and Ysilla Sand, locked in a verbal sparring match, with Allaryn, like Meria, clearly favouring Ysilla. However, unlike Meria, he does not intervene in their argument.

He accompanies Meria to the council meeting, though remains outside of the room while the meeting itself takes place. As such, he is the first to be alerted to the presence of the Sandstorm inside the walls of the shadow city. He interrupts the meeting to warn Meria of this new development.

## Appearance

Allaryn has strong rhoynish blood in his veins, which manifests itself in his very dark skin, more than most other Dornishmen. His hair is even darker, pitch black, and falling down to his shoulders, yet he remains clean shaven, with eyes of the same colour. A relatively small man, he is wiry and nimble, deadly fast and accurate, even if he lacks strength in return. Generally, he is seen as handsome and though his body shows the scars of a hard life, his face remains free of any marking.

## Personality

Atypical for a guard serving under the otherwise stern Razek um Daar, Allaryn is outgoing and cocky, having retained a lot of his wit while serving at Sunspear. He is arrogant, to the point where he is quite notably full of himself, yet at the same time, he is intelligent enough to know of his own limits. Having a loose tongue, he is known for being open and direct, rarely mincing his words, a trait that some appreciate, while others harbour a certain dislike against him for this very aspect of his personality.

Sceptical of newcomers, he ironically treats strangers at court with the same distrust that was shown to him and it takes a while to fully win his trust, even if he is by no means a man that is hard to get along with in general. Once someone wins his trust or even friendship, they are hard pressed finding anyone more loyal and protective than Allaryn, as he has a natural instinct to protect those close to him, something essential for a guard at Sunspear.

## Relationships

### Meria Martell

Allaryn's loyalty to House Martell is mostly defined over his loyalty to Princess Meria, whom he serves without question. He knows fully well how much he has to thank her for the chance she gave him in life and as such, despite his occasionally loose tongue, he knows how to treat Meria with respect. In return, she knows of his talents and is fascinated with the young guard, to the point where she became his most powerful benefactor at a court that otherwise would have been less than welcoming to him.

### Cira

Allaryn and Cira have a good work relationship. Though their natures tend to be polar opposites, with the shy Cira not quite fitting with the cocky and outgoing Allaryn. However, they share a deep loyalty to House Martell and Princess Meria, especially with their position requiring of them to work together quite often. As such, they have a mutual trust for each other.