Willem Manderly

Willem Manderly is the second son and fourth child of Lord Barthogan and Lady Jorelle Manderly, and has served as a Knight of the Kingsguard since the end of the The Dragon's Defiance in 379 AC.

Appearance
Willem Manderly is not the man he was a year ago. His gaunt face is clean-shaven, not even a remnant of the short blond beard he used to wear remaining upon him. Scars reach from his hairline to his chin that act as reminders of the war he lost so much in, along with the lack of the smile that used to be so prominent. And then there is the greatest loss of them all. Whilst his right arm still holds the sword it always has, his left arm no longer bears his shield. After losing it in the battle of King's Landing, the Kingsguard still struggles to come to terms with his severe injury, one that will define his life forevermore.

Heady Days of Youth
Willem Manderly was born in the three-hundred-and-fifty-ninth year after Aegon’s Conquest, as the fourth child and second son of Lord Barthogan and Lady Jonelle Manderly, and as the twin brother of Lyanna Manderly. His father had been distant for many years, and so the upbringing of his children was often left to the child themself, although the coffers of White Harbour would front the cost. As long as it was kept relatively secret from his father, everything Willem was allowed to try, he did, to mixed success, his skills at things like painting and handwriting leaving much to be desired. However, he took well to singing, a skill which he was taught by a wandering bard who requested an amount of money that could have been considered exorbitant by a house that did not hold as much wealth as his.

Even in his youth, Willem acted as the perfect courtly figure, polite to his father’s lordly guests, and courteous to the ladies of White Harbour. But his true skill could not be taught by a hired tutor, by a Maester or a bard. It could only be taught by his father, the warrior Lord Barthogan, and that was where the young lad shined. His first time holding a sword, he dropped it. His second, he swung it clumsily. His third, he held it like a veteran knight, replicating the way he had seen others do so. Whilst as a young page he could not spar with the castle’s experienced warriors, Willem was all too happy to attack every training dummy he could and did so regularly. His father would guide him through the stances and guards that made a skilled warrior better than some fool who lifted a sword. He found himself learning through his training too, the footwork he practiced with a blade in his hands allowing him to adapt it into something he could use more often - dancing.

His skills with the sword and with his voice led to Willem catching the eye of many girls of his age, and to say he did not tease them would be lying. But there was only one girl whose feelings he truly reciprocated. Jeyne Dustin had been the first girl at White Harbour’s court to take notice of Willem, before he had even become truly skilled with a sword. Initially, they became close friends, but as time passed they became more. In his first two years as a squire, the young Manderly did not miss a single day of training, and often trained more than necessary. In the later years, however, that number began to fall. Willem and Jeyne would be spotted across the castle and the city in alleys and empty rooms, holding hands and kissing and doing things that young lovers do whenever possible. After a while, he began to feel like his training was as much to impress his dear as much as it was to become a better warrior.

As time passed, Willem became better and better with a sword, although he began to feel his training, his dedication, was for nothing. What war would come to the North? His father had not set forth to the aid of the crown in the Second Lysene Spring, and there had been no tension in Westeros since the Woe of Wolves, seven years before his birth. But, in his eighteenth year, that did not stop him from being overjoyed when his father summoned him to the New Castle’s great hall and told him to kneel. Oils were poured over him by the Septon of the Snowy Sept, and Barthogan tapped his sword on his son’s shoulders before bidding him to stand. From that moment on, he was a knight, one of the few that the north had produced over hundreds of years.

The Tourney Knight
Almost as soon as he had received his spurs, Willem found himself travelling south. White Harbour had received a missive, along with what seemed to be most of the holdfasts in the kingdom, from Lannisport, announcing a grand tourney in the city. Ecstatic that his first tourney would be one so great, the young knight and his lover headed through the Neck and to the Westerlands. After entering his name into the master of games’ records, the knight began to prepare to fight. His performance in the melee was poor, however, but Willem did not feel too bad about it. In truth, simply the rush of having his name called out and hearing the cheers of the crowd was enough to excite him. This, of all things, was what he was meant for. He would not hold titles and land, but he would hold glory. If it killed him, he would be the greatest fighter the Seven Kingdoms had seen in generations.

Travelling from hold to hold and attending small tourneys on the way with his beloved, Willem’s next grand appearance was at the wedding of Prince Daeron Targaryen and Argella Baratheon, a ceremony which would become known as the Wet Wedding. Once more he took part in the melee, and once more he was knocked out quickly, his combat with the mysterious Knight of Stumps ending in a victory for his opponent as crushing as Alton Whent’s victory over him at Lannisport. But as the storm swept over the keep of House Baratheon, Willem felt just as happy as he was after that first loss, watching the winner of the melee remove their helmet and summarily annoy the majority of lords and knights who had competed. Not the knight of White Harbour. As Rhea Reyne revealed her identity, Willem clapped and whooped like a fool, caring less about the woman’s name and gender, and more about the distinctly impressive beating she had given her opponent. After his embarrassing performance at Storm’s End, Willem returned to the North once more for a period of rest and relaxation.

But when word came of a tourney at Pyke in the Iron Islands the knight, now in his twentieth year, set forth once more with Jeyne Dustin at his side. In truth, his attendance at Pyke was more out of sheer curiosity - what would an Ironborn knight even look like - than out of a desire to win, but once more the Manderly put his name down for the melee, and once more prepared to fight. And once more, his opponent was the Knight of Stumps, the mystery swordsman who had put him down months before. It did not end the same way. In four clean hits, without his opponent even touching his blade against him, the young man had knocked the mystery knight to the ground. After doing so, Willem used his sword to pry the other man’s helm off before pulling him from the ground with great effort and embracing the man, who had been revealed as Ser Beck Dragonfly, as a friend. His victory against the Riverlander only raised his spirits further, and in his confidence he refused to check who was up against him next before they crossed swords. When Vorian Dayne, Knight of the Kingsguard and Sword of the Morning, turned out to be his opponent, Willem felt his heart sink. And yet, he continued onward. His first hit dislodged a piece of Vorian’s armour that was hung too loosely. His second simply met the Dornishman’s own. His third was fierce, and pushed the Kingsguard back. And his fourth knocked the other man straight to the ground, without a scratch on him.

With his victory against Dayne under his belt, Willem rested on his laurels for a moment, an action that almost doomed his chances in the tourney as Rolland Hightower took advantage of the knight’s relaxation to pressure him, nearly defeating him in combat. But he prevailed still, until only four men stood on the field. Jaehaerys Storm, Joffrey Clegane, and Crispian Celtigar were his remaining competitors, and as the bastard and the Westerman engaged each other, Willem knew that his opponent would not wait. Celtigar attacked with great force, meaning that he could only defend as the Crownlander moved relentlessly. His defenses were firm, but they were not enough, and a well-placed blow from the man knocked him to the ground, eliminating him just after Jaehaerys Storm and securing him a firm third place in the melee. As the man who defeated him continued on to his final opponent, Willem watched with anticipation as the Celtigar put the Westerman into the dirt. As the man was rewarded with his winnings, the young knight took the opportunity to congratulate both of his fellow warriors, and pledged that he would defeat them the next time they fought in a tourney.

With his third-place under his belt, once more the Manderly returned to his family home, not simply to relax and wait for the next tourney. Jeyne was pregnant, and the Maester at Pyke who had received an emergency visit from the couple after the melee had confirmed that there would not be long left until the child was born. Bastard or not, they would be his child, they would be born at White Harbour, and they would be a Manderly in spirit, if not in name. After two months of staying in the city Jeyne gave birth, and she and Willem were parents, with their young son being named Wendel after the former Master of Ships, Wendel Manderly. For three months the couple cared for their son as a couple, and if their son did not bear the name Snow, it would not have been unrealistic to believe they were married. It did not last. It never could.

All Good Things…
Willem was summoned to the castle with an urgent message, and arrived alongside his eldest and youngest brother, Allard and Jory. Argella Baratheon had been poisoned, supposedly by her goodfather the King. Prince Daeron, Lord Lyonel Baratheon, Lord Robert Arryn, and Lord Tommard Tully had raised their banners against His Grace, declaring their intention to depose Vaegon Targaryen. Lord Stark did not wish to waste any more Northern lives than necessary on a southern war, and so a call was sent out for volunteers to join the Winter Wolves, an elite group of warriors led by Rodrik Stark who would assist the rebels in their struggle against the murderous king. Willem and his brothers all volunteered to head south, and with the exception of Allard who was forced to remain in the city and govern in their father’s place, the brothers became Winter Wolves. Willem returned to his and Jeyne’s home, and made a promise - when he returned, they would be married, and he would petition the new king to legitimise Wendel for his loyalty. With that goodbye, a distinctly non-final one, the knight left his wife-to-be.

South they rode, to meet with the forces of the Vale of Arryn, led by Lord Quenton Corbray and Lord Robert Arryn. Along with the Vale’s army, the Winter Wolves moved south through Brindlewood, where they were waylaid by the King himself, leading an ambush from the trees towards the allied force. For the first time in his life, Willem Manderly went to war. He bloodied his blade truly, and fought men who wished to kill him, not friendly combatants. It should, by all rights, have been a loyalist victory - King Vaegon was a fearsome commander and the element of surprise should have only expanded on that. But with valour and with their slightly superior numbers, the North and the Vale pulled through. It was not without great loss, though, as Rodrik Stark had been captured in the confusion and taken back to King’s Landing, leaving the Winter Wolves leaderless. It fell to Lord Barthogan Manderly to take that position, and to work alongside the other rebel lords to lead their cause to victory.

After the victory at Brindlewood, the Vale’s forces split and raided Sow’s Horn, Rook’s Rest, and the Antlers, whilst the North’s contingent successfully raided the town of Rosby before reuniting with the main army at Duskendale. Vaegon Targaryen once more tried his luck against Lord Arryn’s army, charging directly at the older man’s contingent as the battle raged. With the other sections of his army falling, Vaegon was quickly surrounded and forced to retreat, and many other loyalist commanders ended up in the same position. As the enemy retreated, Willem took his small force around the back of an unidentified knight’s retinue and challenged the man to a duel. With the sigil he bore on his shield and the colour of his armour, he was identifiable as Triston Darklyn, the heir to Duskendale. Triston knew that beating Willem would be the only way he could escape the chaos, and Willem knew that putting down Triston would deprive the enemy of a valuable commander. And so, sword in hand he prepared to be charged. Triston leapt forwards and Willem did much the same, fighting the Crownlander to a standstill. After a few minutes the younger knight found a weakness in the other man’s armour and drove the point of his sword in as he blocked the Darklyn’s attack with his shield, killing him. For all the thrill of the fight that had overtaken him as he battled the other man, Willem did not feel good about ending his life, and ensured his bones were returned to his family.

After the success at Duskendale, the rebel forces marched onwards to the capital. Vaegon Targaryen sat within those walls, and his tyranny was near its end. Prince Daeron and a small rebel force would sneak into the city whilst the main army besieged the city as a distraction. As always, Willem stood with his fellow Northmen in the main contingent, and joined the assault on the city. Grasping his sword and shield tightly, the young knight was one of the first men over the walls and into the city, slaying Westerlander soldiers in swathes as the army pushed forwards. Inevitably, though, their assault was slowed and the battle became a slog. Man was pressed against man and knights were thrown from their horses. If you were not killed you were left for dead, and it was unlikely someone would save you. For a regular soldier, it was every man for himself.

Willem was not a regular soldier. As he pushed down the Street of Flour, he saw a man lying disarmed on the floor, his shield shattered and his sword cast aside. When the Manderly asked the man his name he called himself Benfred Snow of Last Hearth, and that he had been defeated by some unknown knight in a duel. Without thinking, he unstrapped his shield from his left arm and gave it to the bastard with a smile, before continuing down the road with just his sword. At the end of it, he encountered the commander of the Street of Flour’s defenders. Addam Reyne wore the red and white of his house well, and brandished his sword with confidence as Willem approached. With a snarl, the northern knight leapt forward and slammed it into the Westerlander’s shield with a crash. Addam pushed him backwards with ease, and without his own shield the young man was at a distinct disadvantage. However, his footwork allowed him to dance around the older knight and dodge his cuts and stabs. But he could not move forever. Willem expected Reyne to swing his sword a certain way, and dodged accordingly. He could not have predicted that the Lord of Castamere’s uncle would have done exactly the opposite. With a sickening crunch the blade caught him in the shoulder and crushed through, causing him to lose all feeling within the limb in an instant. Even though it did not cleave the entire thing off, he knew what had happened. But it did not distract him. With a whirling cut, Willem found a weak point in his opponent’s armour and pushed the blade through, killing him inefficiently and brutally. It was the last thing he saw before cheers rose up around the rebel army and all went black.

...Come To An End
When he awoke, a man in grey stood beside him in his small bed, a chain around his neck and a bottle containing a strange concoction in his hand. Willem did not wait to see if he was noticed before asking how the battle had gone. What he was told was not concerning, but still a great surprise. Daeron had won - that, he was expecting - what he had not expected was that Vaegon the Vile would have been slain by Vorian Dayne, who now stood as Lord Commander of the Kingsguard. Notable casualties in the battle had included the previous Lord Commander and one of his fellow Kingsguard, the valiant Ser Addam Reyne, and the Lord of White Harbour. That had concerned him. Willem was so fraught with worry about his brother Jory that it took until he had finished pacing backwards and forwards around the room to notice something strange about his balance. Looking to his left, he noticed a distinct absence. He had remembered the pain that had shot through it, and the lack of any feeling that had come soon after. He had not expected this. Willem asked the Maester how it had happened, and he was told what he had known he’d hear. It had been removed to save his life.

It had been lost. His shield arm. Gone. What use was a warrior with no shield? Like a mug with no handle, or a sword with no hilt. Pointless. After leaving him to sit for a moment, the Maester informed the knight that the King wished to see him as soon as he felt fit. It did not take long until Willem arrived in the throne room, bandages covering the gap that was now his shoulder. Upon his arrival, Daeron made his intentions known. Willem’s actions in the battle had been valiant and selfless and were the model of knighthood at its purest. If the King saw it that way, Willem certainly did not, but he listened in silence until the purpose of his summons was revealed. He was to join the Kingsguard, if he wished to. He thought for a moment, about his brothers, about Jeyne, about his son. He looked at himself, the broken man who had killed two knights who were far better men than him, even if he was the stronger warrior. He could not be the Willem Manderly who fought at the Tourney of Pyke, who lost graciously at the Wet Wedding. He could not be the Willem Manderly who impressed Jeyne Dustin with his impressive footwork. What could he be?

He could be a silent watcher. That was all he was good for.

Willem accepted his position as a Kingsguard, and was granted a modified white cloak that covered more of his left side than a usual cloak would. It seemed like only a token gesture, but it meant something as he clasped it around his neck and knelt before the King and his Lord Commander, and became Ser Willem Manderly, Knight of the Kingsguard.

Failure. What he had not lost in the war he had lost through his own actions. Even as the dust settled, Willem Manderly felt he had failed. Who could respect a man like him? Who could love a man like him? He had thrown away the one woman who could.

Fool.

Timeline

 * 359 AC - Willem Manderly is born to Lord Barthogan and Lady Jonelle Manderly nee Bolton.
 * 365 AC - Without the oversight of his father, Willem begins instruction in the courtly arts.
 * 368 AC - Lord Barthogan begins to train his second son to wield a sword and be a warrior, something Willem takes to well.
 * 369-376 AC - Willem meets Jeyne Dustin at court and becomes close with her, slowly developing their relationship from friends to more.
 * 377 AC - Willem is knighted by his father and takes part in the Tourney of Lannisport.
 * 378 AC - After losing to the Knight of Stumps at the Wet Wedding, Willem defeats that same mystery knight and a selection of other warriors to come third at the Tourney of Pyke.
 * 378 AC - Jeyne and Willem’s son, Wendel Snow is born and is treated like a full Manderly, at least by his parents.
 * 379 AC - Along with his brother Jory and his father, Willem joins the Winter Wolves and heads south to join the Dragon’s Defiance on the side of Prince Daeron. In this war, Willem slays Triston Darklyn and Addam Reyne in personal combat. It, however, comes at a great cost as Willem loses his arm in the war. After Daeron assumes the throne, the Manderly is recruited to the Kingsguard.
 * 380 AC - Willem serves as a Kingsguard faithfully if quietly, often being assigned to Princess Helaena Targaryen.

Family
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