Bennis of the Brown Shield

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Bennis.svg Ser
Bennis
Bennis.svg
Aliases
  • Bennis of the Brown Shield[1]
  • Bennis Brownstench[1]
  • The brown knight[1]
Title Ser
Allegiance House Osgrey
Culture Westeros
Born Westeros[2]
Personal arms A brown shield
Book The Sworn Sword (appears)

Bennis of the Brown Shield was a hedge knight during the reigns of kings Daeron II and Aerys I Targaryen.[1]

Appearance and Character

Bennis of the Brown Shield was a man who seldom washed. He was about five and a half feet tall,[N 1] and weighed about 80 pounds less than Duncan the Tall. Bennis's rotten teeth were stained red and brown from eating sourleaf. His eyes were small, close-set and green.[1]

The hedge knight had a nasty personality and a foul mouth. His laughter sounded like chickens and mules.[1]

Bennis wore brown breeches, a roughspun tunic, and horsehide boots. His brown surcoat covered his rusted mail, and his swordbelt was a cord of boiled leather. Bennis wielded a longsword and carried a tall kite shield of dark unpainted wood girded with iron. The hedge knight rode a shaggy garron but did not treat it well.[1]

History

Bennis met Ser Arlan of Pennytree and his squire, Dunk, when a group of hedge knights were hired by a Dornish merchant to guard him between Lannisport and the Prince's Pass. Bennis was cruel to the young Dunk, pinching and taunting him. After one of the other knights went missing, it was rumored he had been murdered by Bennis following an argument.[1]

By 211 AC, Bennis served Ser Eustace Osgrey at Standfast together with Ser Duncan the Tall, Arlan's former squire. He is insulting toward Duncan's squire, Egg, but does not realize the boy is actually Prince Aegon Targaryen. Bennis accompanied Duncan in an attempt to discover why the Chequy Water had dried up, and he injured Wolmer, one of the workers of Lady Rohanne Webber of Coldmoat, when they refused to break down the dam they had built.[1]

After Bennis and Duncan informed Eustace about the events that had transpired, Eustace realized that Rohanne would take the wounding of one of her men as a slight to her honor. Preparing for conflict, Bennis and Duncan began to train Eustace's villagers for battle. Hoping to prevent retaliation, Duncan traveled to Coldmoat to pay a blood price, but Rohanne refused to accept it. She instead threatened to come for Bennis with fire and steel if Eustace would not give him to her by the next day. On the condition that Bennis deliver himself for punishment, Rohanne planned to only slice his nose, but Bennis refused to allow it, even after the woods near Standfast were burned on Rohanne's orders. Duncan sent home Bennis's poorly-trained recruits.[1]

Preparing for Rohanne's arrival, Bennis decided to hold up in the tower of Standfast. When Eustace, Duncan, and Egg rode to the river to meet Rohanne and her men, Bennis stayed behind because the sight of him would likely infuriate the Lady of Coldmoat. While Duncan settled the dispute in a duel with Ser Lucas Inchfield at the river, Bennis tied up Sam Stoops and his wife at Standfast. The brown knight stole all the valuable items at the tower and fled.[1]

Quotes by Bennis

Nasty stuff, water. Drank some once, and it made me sick as a dog. Wine's better.[1]

—Bennis to Duncan the Tall

Never knew an animal stupid as a sheep. Think they're kin to you, lunk?[1]

—Bennis to Duncan the Tall

Quotes about Bennis

The man is grown mean and false and craven.[1]

—thoughts of Duncan the Tall

It is Bennis I want, and Bennis I shall have. No one rides onto my lands, does harm to one of mine, and escapes to laugh about it.[1]

Notes

  1. Dunk, 6'11", estimated he was a foot and a half taller than Bennis.

References