Editing Brynden Tully (section)

==History==
===Early Life===
Brynden is the brother of [[Hoster Tully]], younger than him by five years.{{Ref|AGOT|34}} The brothers were close through their childhood.{{ref|acok|7}} Together with [[Norbert Vance]], Brynden squired for [[House Darry|Lord Darry]],{{Ref|AFFC|38}} and was eventually [[knight]]ed. In {{Date|260}}, Brynden fought in the [[War of the Ninepenny Kings]] against the  [[Band of Nine]] on the [[Stepstones]]. There, he proved himself a great and worthy knight, and gained fame and renown throughout the [[Seven Kingdoms]].{{ref|affc|33}}

After their [[Lord Tully (father of Hoster)|father]] died, Brynden's older brother Hoster inherited the rule of [[Riverrun]]. Hoster sought to betroth Brynden to [[Bethany Redwyne]], but Brynden refused, straining their relationship. While other lords like [[Lord Bracken (Aerys II)|Lord Bracken]] and [[Walder Frey]] made offers as well, Brynden remained unwed.{{Ref|AGOT|71}} [[George R. R. Martin]] has thus far not shed any light on why Brynden has chosen to remain unwed.<ref>[[So Spake Martin]]: [http://www.westeros.org/Citadel/SSM/Entry/1204 Brynden Tully's Bachelorhood (March 19, 2002)]</ref>

When [[Catelyn Stark|Catelyn Tully]] was eight, Hoster called Brynden the "black goat of the Tully flock" during an argument. Brynden pointed out that their sigil was a fish, which made him a black fish instead of a black goat. Brynden took for his personal sigil the Tully emblem, but with a black trout jumping, instead of a silver trout, and he became known as the "Blackfish".{{Ref|aGoT|34}}

While Brynden's relationship with Hoster was strained, he had a good relationship with Hoster's children, Catelyn, [[Lysa Arryn|Lysa]] and [[Edmure Tully|Edmure]], as well as Hoster's young ward, [[Petyr Baelish]]. When Hoster was too busy and Lady [[Minisa Whent]] too ill, the children ran to Brynden with their problems and stories.{{Ref|AGOT|34}} When Lords [[House Bracken|Bracken]] and [[House Blackwood|Blackwood]] were at Riverrun to settle a feud with Lord Tully's help, Catelyn rejected a kiss from Petyr, who then got drunk and passed out at the table. In order to prevent Hoster from seeing his young ward like this, Brynden carried Petyr to his bed, where Lysa snuck in after him to give Petyr her [[maiden]]head that night.{{Ref|ASOS|80}}{{refn|group="N"|The app ''[[A World of Ice and Fire]]'' provides a different time frame, stating that Lysa and Petyr had sex on the night Catelyn's betrothal to [[Brandon Stark]] was announced.{{Ref|AWOIAF|Petyr Baelish}} However, it seems unlikely and inaccurate, as Catelyn was 12 at that time, and thus Lysa and Petyr would have been only 10 and 9.{{Ref|AGOT|6}}{{Ref|AWOIAF|Catelyn Tully}}}}

Hoster and [[Tywin Lannister]], [[Lord of Casterly Rock]], considered betrothing Hoster's younger daughter, Lysa, to Tywin's heir, [[Jaime Lannister|Jaime]].{{Ref|Awoiaf| Jaime Lannister}} As such, Lord [[Sumner Crakehall]] sent Jaime, his squire, with a message to [[Riverrun]]. Hoster took a fortnight to write his reply, during which he sat Jaime next to Lysa with every meal. Jaime ignored the shy Lysa, however, instead pressing Brynden for stories about the War of the Ninepenny Kings.{{ref|AFFC|33}}

===Robert's Rebellion===
[[Robert's Rebellion]] began in {{date|282}}. [[Catelyn Stark|Catelyn Tully's]] betrothed, [[Brandon Stark]], and his father, Lord [[Rickard Stark]], had been killed by King [[Aerys II Targaryen]], so Catelyn was instead betrothed to Brandon's younger brother, Lord [[Eddard Stark]]. In order to bind [[House Tully]] to the rebel cause, Lord [[Hoster Tully|Hoster]] agreed to wed [[Lysa Arryn|Lysa]] to Lord [[Jon Arryn]],{{ref|ASOS|2}} The sisters were wed to Eddard and Jon in a double ceremony at [[Riverrun]], but during the wedding feast Brynden informed his brother that he had taken service with Lord Arryn.{{ref|AGOT|34}} Considering this to be personal rejection,{{Ref|awoiaf| Brynden Tully}} Hoster disowned Brynden{{ref|ACOK|7}} and refused to speak his name for years to follow.{{Ref|AGOT|34}}

Brynden continued to fight in Robert's Rebellion, further increasing his fame.{{Ref|AWOIAF| Brynden Tully}} Following the conclusion of the war and the ascension of King [[Robert I Baratheon]], Brynden went with Lysa to the [[Vale of Arryn]] and was named [[Knight of the Gate]], the commander of the [[Bloody Gate]], by Lord Arryn.{{ref|AWOIAF| Brynden Tully}}