Alyna Forrester

Brother - Feron Forrester

> "*Northerners are of ice - only fire could have defeated them*." - Thoughts of Alyna.
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**Alyna Forrester** is the only daughter of Thorris and Jeyne Forrester, and handmaid to Torrha Stark of Winterfell, who is also her cousin and close friend.

## Appearance

Very tall for her age, Alyna has a tapered waist, with long legs, thick thighs and a large bust. Like her mother, Alyna has thick, deep copper-coloured hair that falls past her waist in a mass of gentle curls. She has roounded almond-shaped eyes of dark green, and the fair skin that is typical of Northerners, but her hands are calloused more than most ladies due to her upbringing. She has an oval-shaped face, high cheekbones, a strong, defined jawline, plump bow-shaped lips.

## Biography

### Background

> "*Snowball fights are quite a serious affair in Ironrath.*" - Alyna to Torrha Stark.
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When Jeyne Forrester went into labour a month early while praying in the godswood, panic set into the Wolfswood, particularly at Ironrath. It took nearly five hours of labour, but finally, during the twilight hours of dusk, a set of twins were brought into the world. Both had been born quiet and weak, barely able to feed before they both fell asleep.

The next few months were full of anxiety and hope, as the small children fought every day to grow and live, born in the midst of the Short Winter. They survived the year and grew into strong children.

By four years old, Alyna was attending her lessons or playing with the other children within the courtyards, sometimes being brought along to meet her peers and the family of their liege lords, House Glover. It was actually during one of these trips that she became interested in horses. The North had large draft workhorses with thick fur and long manes, stocky legs and bulky bodies, but they were gentle giants, strong and beautiful, that loved to eat carrots and apples out of her hands.

A few years later, her and her twin's schooling began to properly differ. She began to learn about managing household affairs like bookkeeping, managing servants and needlework. She was, however, also allowed to pursue her own interests, with few restrictions.

### Into the Woods

> "*The cold doesn't care if you're Lord or Lady, it'll kill you all the same. So, be smart and make sure you live to see the sun.*" - Thorris Forrester to Alyna
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Just before her tenth nameday, her father took her brother out into the forests, and returned a day later, neither speaking of what happened, much to her displeasure. A few days afterwards, her father did the same for her: he told the stories of their family, the ironwood sentinels and the Wolfswood forest, they wandered far. Far enough that they wouldn't make it back by nightfall. It was this time that he taught her how to make a snow burrow, a little shelter that would give shelter and better ones chances at survival. They slept till morning and together, they watched the sun rise, beams of amber and gold shone between the trees, painting the world in such vivid color against the snow and evergreens. It was that moment that Alyna truly fell in love with her homeland, in a way she had never known she could love something.

When they returned home, Alyna was presented with a small, coin-sized pendant made from ironwood, with a symbol of the weirwood tree carved on both sides. She learned her brother had a similar pendant, though he had a sword carved on both sides instead. Their homeland was harsh, and dangerous, and didn't play favorites, but that's what made them strong. She was sick for a week after.

Alyna took a new vigor to her studies. She discovered chess and the fun of strategy and tactics, learning 'warcraft', from a theoretical point of view. The twins often pitted themselves against each other in such games, as well as the other children, betting their desserts. Alyna's tutelage under her father continued, learning how to craft rudimentary traps, weave slings, and how to use a dagger in the wild.

When she was two and ten, she attended a feast at Winterfell and saw Melric Whitehill was bothering her younger brother Feron. A Forrester's fury runs cold and slow. While the adults had handled matters, getting a formal apology from the son, Alyna did not think that was enough. Her brother had been glancing at corners and shadows for weeks after, and the bruises on him did not fade for a long while. A drop of something potent had been slipped into Merlic's drink, mixed with mentions that Yrra Flint was sweet on him, and within a few minutes he was with her. Moments later, Yrra's betrothed, Joren Umber, as big as a bear and just as protective and fierce, appeared. Publicly humiliated, Melric fled from the hall.

#### Handmaid to Lady Torrha

Thanks to her mother's family ties, Alyna was chosen to become a handmaiden for her liege Lord's daughter, Torrha Stark, which she was more than happy with. With her brother staying at Ironrath to learn and eventually rule as its lord, she knew it was in safe hands and she could turn her attention to supporting the Wardens of the North in some small manner.

Alyna's staying at Winterfell had, at first, been a bit difficult- she was away from home and her family and friends that she knew, but she adjusted to her duties with the same tenacity of a morning chill, she found her place and settled easily enough after a period. It was actually her cousin who noticed her tendency to stare out at the landscape for, many would say, concerning periods of time, and suggested that maybe she take to drawing or painting so as to see those places and scenes even after they were long gone- and maybe it would help a bit with homesickness, to draw familiar things so she could look upon them and reminisce on times before.

Of course, young Alyna still made mistakes or, rather, showed the fire of youth. After getting into a fight with her visiting twin brother, Lord Brandon had scolded them both once they'd calmed down. By dinner the next night, they'd made up, and were laughing about the fight as well the injuries they'd both sustained.

Alyna has always been curious about dragons: Learning their names and characteristics, how they came to the West and brought their now-royal family to unite and rule the other kingdoms. Her Northern pride was hurt that they weren't able to fend off the foreigners like Dorne. When she heard news of her mother's illness, she hated that she couldn't return, due to her mother's confinement. She had hoped, prayed, desperate for some miracle to come forth heal her mother, some way, somehow. Still, upon hearing of her death, she returned home to attend the funeral. She stayed in Ironrath a while, helping her father and siblings running the keep. Her mother had been burned, as was tradition, for three days and three nights, the ashes buried and a sapling planted above to mark the grave.

### *The Reign of Dragons*

Alyna returns to her duties in Winterfell, a little more quiet and solemn. She is present when Torrha Stark is told of her betrothal to Victor Tyrell. While helping Torrha try on her wedding gown, Alyna is given a ravenscroll that is addressed to her from home. In the Godswood, that scroll is revealed to have come from her father, Lord Thoris, who has arranged for her to now serve as handmaiden to Rhaenerys Targaryen. Before leaving for the Stormlands, she asks Myra Snow to deliver a letter to her father and give him her best wishes as well as tell her brothers to practice playing Quarryboard, since they both lack skill in it. Some ways outside of Harrenhal, Alyna listens to Torrha gush about the virtues of her husband-to-be while lamenting her own impending fate. As the two are talking for what might be the last time in a long while, they encounter a trio of Riverlander Lords who begin to inquire about what they are doing there. However, before much conversation can be made, Tallbran and his guards spirit the girls away, promptly resuming their journey to their respective destinations.

## Personality

Alyna was forged by her environment and became stronger for it. She learned that survival was one part luck, and two parts preparedness. Steadfast in her loyalty to her family and the north, Alyna will do everything she can for them, even if it means being away from home and hearth.

Despite a seemingly cold exterior of courtesy and politeness, Alyna is warm and kind, helping her friends and kin without a second thought. Giving advice or just being a listening ear, playing with children, playing with friends (though more mild and complex games like chess), happy to chat or gossip or just spend time in each other's presence. She has no qualms about telling harsh truths. Coddling doesn't encourage strength.

By the same stroke, though, she praises hard work. 'The quality of a person is often derived by the quality of their work', is her belief. Integrity and loyalty do not just sprout from thin air, it is grown like an ironwood sentinel. Alyna is also wise beyond her years. Granted, sometimes she does tend to overthink because of this, which can cause both anxiety and headaches. She can be proud, especially of her family and the typical pride of a Northerner, but she doesn't boast about it much.

Witty and clever, Alyna has a sharp tongue and a sharper mind. She is able to read a room, a person or a situation and is not afraid to play a longer game for greater reward. Incredibly patient, Alyna can maintain her composure in most situations. She is also cautious, always trying to blend into the background and not call attention to herself.

She claims to have an instinct for reading people's true nature. Like most of her Northern kin, Alyna can be honest to the point of bluntness, and though she does not enjoy lying, she is certainly adept at knowing when to keep her words and opinions to herself. Like her Stark cousins, Alyna possesses a strong sense of duty to her family and homeland.

In contrast to her mature matronly demeanor, Alyna can be whimsical and childish, petty and mischievous. She likes to observe flowers and stare out at the snow, sing songs and read poems. On occasion, Alyna enjoys more bawdy jokes. She normally doesn't show this undignified side to others, but it may still slip out every now and again, giving those lucky enough to catch it a peek of a rich inner self.

Alyna prefers stability, and does not like turbulent times, seeing them more as a danger rather than an opportunity. She fears that these times of upheaval will overturn her House and bury it, destroy it, leave it ruined and lost to the annals of history and eventually forgotten.