Name: Garlan Darklyn
Age: 21
Appearance: http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2014/169/7/1/maric_by_nathanparkart-d7muxrr.jpgAffiliation: House Darklyn
Personality: Garlan is everything his brother's are not. Relaxed and care-free at all times, he rarely allows events around him to influence his light-hearted manner. First to laugh and last to frown, Garlan is rarely serious or stoic. His animated face betrays his razor sharp wit, and he is fully prepared to trade words and well as swords with his opponents.
Garlan is confident, but not to the point of arrogance. He knows his limits, and exactly how far he can push them before he will collapse. Unlike his borthers, Garlan cares little for honour or gallantry, and if he can do something that ensures his survival for another day, then you can be assured he will do it without hesitation; others have accused him of playing dirty, but he prefers to think of it as playing smart. He has little loyalty to anyone but himself, and is a free and independent spirit that refuses to be tied done by anything and anyone for too long. His carelessness has only seemed to increase after the death of Sybelle, and there are hints of cynicism in his behaviors.
Biography:The oft overlooked and forgotten fourth son, Garlan had to fight for every bit of affection he could as a child. While his brothers natural strength made them destined to become knights, Garlan was not so blessed. He had none of the raw power of his siblings, but instead a great agility. His lithe frame allowed him to move quickly through the Fort's halls a skill which came in useful given the mischief he often involved himself in.
As Garlan grew older he became less concerned with pleasing his parents, whose pride was directed towards his elders, and more concerned with pleasing himself. Often he would pinch food from the Fort kitchens before nabbing a mount from the stables and riding into the nearby woods. Here he spent hours dancing through the trees, climbing amongst the leafy canopy far above. He had no great desires and ambitions, and was content to spend his life ignored but free.
Unfortunately, his father had other ideas. Meric was disheartened when Jasper showed no signs of swordsmanship, and he became convinced that Garlan should fulfil his knightly role instead. While Garlan would have much preferred to learn to play the lute than swing a sword, he did not protest overly against his father. Becoming a knight was a tradition for the Darklyn boys, and Garlan reasoned that if he became a knight quick enough he would be allowed to return to his simple life.
So it was that Garlan undertook training along with Steffon and Edwyn, and while he could never truly match their combat abilities, he had a certain skill with a blade. When it came time for his brothers to be squired off to knights, Garlan was deemed too young and inexperienced. Instead, he was to remain at Duskendale and continue his training. As it happened, this suited Garlan rather well as he recently become infatuated with a barmaid working in the town proper of Duskendale. At every available opportunity he rode into town to visit her, and tune on his lips and a whistle in his step.
Garlan knew his parents would never approve of his courtship of a common bastard girl, and so he kept their relationship a secret from all. In all his fantasies he imagined sailing away with her to Bravo or Yunkai, and ridding himself of all responsibility. Truly he yearned for freedom, and as the days bled into months and weeks, he grew discontented with his future as a knight.
However, circumstance intervened, and with the outbreak of civil war his training was put on hold. With the return of Edwyn to the Fort, and the preparations for war, Garlan was once again free to do as he pleased. Every night he indulged in the bodily pleasures of flesh with Sybelle, and each night he came closer and closer to asking her to sail away with him. Shortly after he reached the age of ten and eight, he finally proposed his plan to her. She was overjoyed, and the two made preparations to leave within the week.
However, suddenly and without warning, their plans were dashed to a million pieces. Ser Criston Cole marched on Duskendale, and in the Sacking, Sybelle was slaughtered. Had Garlan been by her side to protect her, perhaps things would have been different, but he had taken refuge on a ship docked in the harbour during the attack. When he learned of her demise, his world crumbled around him. A void filled the space where once his hopes and dreams had lain, and he began to blame himself for her death. He could not stand to remain in the land which was soaked in her blood, and driven by guilt, he fled Duskendale.
For the next three years, Garlan spent his time wandering where the winds took him. He hired himself out as a sell-sword to keep him in coin, and travelled across Westeros, and as far as Essos. He tried to forget Sybelle, and his family, but always he was plagued by the memories of what had happened. Hearing that the Dance was drawing to a close, he decided to return once more to Duskendale to face his demons; he arrived a week before the crowning of Aegon III.
