Gerold Dayne

	Darkstar by Bella Bergolts ©
Alias	Darkstar
Titles	Ser; Knight of High Hermitage;
Allegiance	House Dayne of High Hermitage
Culture	Dornishmen
Born	270–274 AC; Dorne
Lover	Princess Arianne Martell
Books	A Feast for Crows (appears); A Dance with Dragons (mentioned); The Winds of Winter (mentioned);

Gerold Dayne, known as Darkstar, is the Knight of High Hermitage. His house is a lesser branch^[4] of the Daynes of Starfall, and he is a cousin to Lord Edric Dayne.^[1]

Appearance and Character

Gerold is in his late twenties.^[3] A handsome man, he has a clean-shaven face with an aquiline nose, high cheekbones, dark purple eyes, and a strong jaw. Gerold has collar-length thick silver hair, divided by a streak of midnight black.^[5]

Gerold has a sardonic sense of humor.^[5] Arianne Martell finds him handsome and valorous, but also thinks he is a cruel man with angry eyes.^[5] Darkstar is jealous of his famous cousin, the late Ser Arthur Dayne, who was the Sword of the Morning, and he attributes Arthur's greatness to his sword, Dawn.^[5]

Darkstar wields a longsword which he hones with an oilstone. He prefers to drink unsweetened lemonwater instead of summerwine.^[5]

History

At some point, Gerold was one of the lovers of Arianne Martell.^[3]

Recent Events

A Feast for Crows

Gerold allies himself with Princess Arianne Martell when she attempts to crown Princess Myrcella Baratheon in place of her younger brother, King Tommen I Baratheon. At Shandystone, Arianne admits to her other conspirators that she only included Darkstar for his fighting prowess and his keep, High Hermitage. Gerold is skeptical of Arianne's plan to provoke House Lannister.^[5]

Arianne's party is surprised at the Greenblood by Areo Hotah, who orders them to surrender. Gerold agrees since they are outnumbered, but Myrcella's bodygyard, Ser Arys Oakheart of the Kingsguard, rides to his death in an attack on Areo. Amidst the fighting and confusion, Arianne sees blood streaming from Myrcella's face.^[5]

Myrcella is taken to Sunspear, where Maester Caleotte saves her life. In captivity, Arianne ponders whether her plan had been betrayed by Darkstar or by another of her conspirators. When Arianne meets with her father Doran, Prince of Dorne, she is told that Gerold attempted to kill Myrcella. Her horse reared, however, and Darkstar succeeded only in slicing off her ear and cutting her cheek to the bone. Darkstar escaped Areo's guards by riding into the sands of Dorne.^[6]

A Dance with Dragons

Ser Balon Swann arrives at Sunspear with the Mountain's skull. Under Arianne's instruction, Myrcella has blamed Darkstar, not Areo, for the death of Arys.^[7]^[8] Arianne's father Doran, the Prince of Dorne, sends Obara Sand with Balon to hunt Gerold at High Hermitage.^[7]^[9]

After Balon writes to Myrcella's mother Cersei Lannister, the Queen Regent thinks that Darkstar is a catspaw of her brother, Tyrion Lannister, whom she already blames for the deaths of her first son, King Joffrey I Baratheon, and their father, Lord Tywin Lannister.^[8]

The Winds of Winter

Warning
This information has thus far been released in a sample chapter for The Winds of Winter, and might therefore not be in finalized form. Keep in mind that the content as described below is still subject to change.

While traveling to the stormlands, Arianne and Ser Daemon Sand discuss Gerold. Arianne feels that Obara and Areo can kill Darkstar, although Daemon is skeptical. Arianne is regretful for ever trusting Gerold, thinking that he was so handsome she had not believed the many stories told about him.^[10]

Quotes by Gerold

Andrey: Garin the Great, the wonder of the Rhoyne.
Garin: That's the one. He made Valyria tremble.
Gerold: They trembled, then they killed him. If I led a quarter of a million men to death, would they call me Gerold the Great? I shall remain Darkstar, I think. At least it is mine own.^[5]
—Andrey Dalt, Garin, and Gerold

I was weaned on venom, Dalt. Any viper takes a bite of me will rue it.^[5]
—Gerold to Andrey Dalt

Myrcella: Are you the Sword of the Morning now?
Gerold: Men call me Darkstar, and I am of the night.^[5]
—Myrcella Baratheon and Gerold

My House goes back ten thousand years, unto the dawn of days. Why is it that my cousin is the only Dayne that anyone remembers?^[5]
—Gerold to Arianne Martell

Quotes about Gerold

He is highborn enough to make a worthy consort, she thought. Father would question my good sense, but our children would be as beautiful as dragonlords. If there was a handsomer man in Dorne, she did not know him. Ser Gerold Dayne had an aquiline nose, high cheekbones, a strong jaw. He kept his face clean-shaven, but his thick hair fell to his collar like a silver glacier, divided by a streak of midnight black. He has a cruel mouth, though, and a crueler tongue. His eyes seemed black as he sat outlined against the dying sun, sharpening his steel, but she had looked at them from a closer vantage and she knew that they were purple. Dark purple. Dark and angry.^[5]
—thoughts of Arianne Martell

By tradition the Kingsguard were the finest knights in all the Seven Kingdoms ... but Darkstar was Darkstar.^[5]
—thoughts of Arianne Martell

Once I crown Myrcella and free the Sand Snakes, all Dorne will rally to my banners. The Yronwoods might declare for Quentyn, but alone they were no threat. If they went over to Tommen and the Lannisters, she would have Darkstar destroy them root and branch.^[5]
—thoughts of Arianne Martell

You were a fool to make him part of this. Darkstar is the most dangerous man in Dorne. You and he have done us all great harm.^[6]
—Doran Martell to Arianne Martell

Arianne: Darkstar did it. He tried to kill Princess Myrcella too. As she will tell Ser Balon.
Nymeria: That part at least is true.
Doran: It is all true. And now Ser Gerold has fled back to High Hermitage, beyond our reach.
Tyene: Darkstar. Why not? It is all his doing. But will Ser Balon believe it?
Arianne: He will if he hears it from Myrcella.^[7]
—Arianne Martell, Nymeria Sand, Doran Martell, and Tyene Sand

Ser Gerold is more a viper than your uncle ever was. Prince Oberyn could see that he was poison, he said so more than once. It's just a pity that he never got around to killing him.^[10]
—Daemon Sand to Arianne Martell

Poison, thought Arianne. Yes. Pretty poison, though. That was how he'd fooled her. Gerold Dayne was hard and cruel, but so fair to look upon that the princess had not believed half the tales she'd heard of him.^[10]
—thoughts of Arianne Martell

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 A Feast for Crows, Appendix.
↑ See the Gerold Dayne calculation.
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Gerold Dayne.
↑ So Spake Martin: US Signing Tour (Denver, CO), November 22, 2005
↑ ^5.00 ^5.01 ^5.02 ^5.03 ^5.04 ^5.05 ^5.06 ^5.07 ^5.08 ^5.09 ^5.10 ^5.11 ^5.12 ^5.13 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.
↑ ^6.0 ^6.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 40, Princess In The Tower.
↑ ^7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 38, The Watcher.
↑ ^8.0 ^8.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 54, Cersei I.
↑ A Dance with Dragons, Epilogue.
↑ ^10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 The Winds of Winter, Arianne I

[Raffcappendix{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-1] 1.0 ^1.1 A Feast for Crows, Appendix.

[2] See the Gerold Dayne calculation.

[Rawoiafgerold_dayne{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 George R. R. Martin's A World of Ice and Fire, Gerold Dayne.

[4] So Spake Martin: US Signing Tour (Denver, CO), November 22, 2005

[Raffc21{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-5] 5.00 ^5.01 ^5.02 ^5.03 ^5.04 ^5.05 ^5.06 ^5.07 ^5.08 ^5.09 ^5.10 ^5.11 ^5.12 ^5.13 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 21, The Queenmaker.

[Raffc40{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-6] 6.0 ^6.1 A Feast for Crows, Chapter 40, Princess In The Tower.

[Radwd38{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-7] 7.0 ^7.1 ^7.2 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 38, The Watcher.

[Radwd54{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-8] 8.0 ^8.1 A Dance with Dragons, Chapter 54, Cersei I.

[Radwdepilogue{{{3}}}{{{4}}}-9] A Dance with Dragons, Epilogue.

[arianne1-10] 10.0 ^10.1 ^10.2 The Winds of Winter, Arianne I

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