Willem Darry
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| Culture | Rivermen | |||
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289–290 AC (roughly)[1] House with the red door, Braavos | |||
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Willem Darry was a knight from House Darry who served as the Red Keep's master-at-arms for King Aerys II Targaryen. He remained deeply loyal to House Targaryen during and after Robert's Rebellion. According to semi-canon sources, he was the brother of Ser Jonothor Darry of the Kingsguard.[2]
Contents
Appearance and Character
Willem was staunchly loyal to House Targaryen. By the end of his life, he was a grey bear of a man who was half-blind[3] and walked with the aid of a stick.[4] He had a gruff, kind voice, and big wrinkled hands, soft as old leather.[4] Daenerys Targaryen remembers him as a gentle,[5] "sweet old bear,"[4] who roared orders at the servants from his sickbed, but was always kind to her.[3]
History
When a new master-at-arms of the Red Keep needed appointing, Lord Tywin Lannister, the Hand of the King, wished to name his brother Ser Tygett to the post, but King Aerys II Targaryen chose Willem instead.[6] When young Prince Rhaegar Targaryen decided that he must be a knight, he went to Willem to be trained.[7]
After King Aerys II learned of the death of Prince Rhaegar at the Battle of the Trident, the king sent Queen Rhaella Targaryen and Prince Viserys to Dragonstone,[3][8] along with Willem.[9] After Aerys's death in the Sack of King's Landing and Rhaella's death in childbirth, the garrison of Dragonstone considered selling the two Targaryen children, Viserys and the infant Princess Daenerys, to the new king, Robert I Baratheon. However, before the garrison could come to a decision and before Stannis Baratheon arrived for his assault on Dragonstone, Willem and four loyal men broke into the nursery at Dragonstone, and escaped with Viserys and Daenerys under cover of darkness, sailing for the safety of the Braavosian coast.[3][10]
Willem and the Targaryen children then settled in Braavos, living in a house with a red door.[3] While in Braavos, Willem was visited by Prince Oberyn Martell, and together, with the Sealord of Braavos as witness, they signed a pact promising that Viserys Targaryen would one day wed Princess Arianne Martell in return for the support of Dorne in winning Viserys the Iron Throne.[11] However, Willem became ill from a wasting sickness when Daenerys was five years old (either in 289 AC or 290 AC).[12][5] He slowly wasted away, dying an unknown amount of time later, after which the servants of the house stole their money, and Viserys and Daenerys were thrown into the streets to fend for themselves.[3]
Recent Events
A Clash of Kings
In a vision at the House of the Undying in Qarth, Daenerys Targaryen sees a room within the house with the red door, where Willem Darry beckons to her, but she remembers that he is dead and rejects it as false.[4]
A Dance With Dragons
In Meereen, Daenerys Targaryen is visited by Prince Quentyn Martell, who presents her with a parchment. The parchment details the secret pact contracting a marriage between Viserys Targaryen and Arianne Martell, and is signed by Willem Darry for the Targaryens and Oberyn Martell for Dorne.[11]
Quotes by Willem
Little princess, there you are. Come, come to me, my lady, you're home now, you're safe now.[4]
Quotes about Willem
Eddard: Ser Willem Darry is fled to Dragonstone, with your queen and Prince Viserys. I thought you might have sailed with him.
Oswell: Ser Willem is a good man and true.
Gerold: But not of the Kingsguard. The Kingsguard does not flee.[9]
No one ever kept me safe when I was little. Well, Ser Willem did, but then he died.[13]
Family
| Lord Darry | Unknown wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Lord Darry | Unknown wife | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 3 older brothers | Raymun | Unknown wife | Mariya | Merrett Frey | Jeyne | Cleos Frey | Jonothor | Willem | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bastard cousin | Lyman | Tywin Frey | Willem Frey | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Pate of the Blue Fork | Amerei Frey | Lancel Lannister | Walda Frey | Roose Bolton | Marissa Frey | Stillborn daughter | Daughter | Walder Frey | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ↑ See the Willem Darry calculation.
- ↑ So Spake Martin: Aerys's Kingsguard, (May 27, 1999)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 3, Daenerys I.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 48, Daenerys IV.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 A Clash of Kings, Chapter 12, Daenerys I.
- ↑ The World of Ice & Fire, The Targaryen Kings: Aerys II.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 8, Daenerys I.
- ↑ A Storm of Swords, Chapter 37, Jaime V.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 A Game of Thrones, Chapter 39, Eddard X.
- ↑ A Clash of Kings, Prologue.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 43, Daenerys VII.
- ↑ George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Daenerys Targaryen.
- ↑ A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 11, Daenerys II.