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House Tyrell of Highgarden
It's been but a full generation since the Tyrells went from High Stewards to High Lords. Much of their history since the Field of Fire and it's aftermath have been involved in conflict at nearly all sides. Lord Harlan, the man who submitted Highgarden to Aegon the Conqueror, spent his remaining years leading armies for Aegon's war of conquest, only to lose his life and his host in the sands of Dorne.
His son, Lord Theo, would be reluctant to continue any armed hostilities with Dorne. Instead, Lord Theo turned his efforts to the conflict of contestation, calling a council of septons and maesters to examine and dismiss the claims put forth by other houses of the Reach trying to claim Highgarden as their own. He married Lady Bethany from House Redwyne, a beauty, but more importantly, a Lady well practiced in the games of southern courts.
The result has been a consolidation of power in the Reach. To further that end, Lord Theo and Lady Bethany have busied themselves with raising five children; Lord Bertrand, Lady Vittoria, Lady Mina, Lord Garrett, and Lord Lorent. Lord Bertrand is the eldest, the heir, and known as a drunkard and fool. While Lord Theo has lost faith in his eldest and heir, the Gods have given him a blessing of an unusual kind: Lady Vittoria, his second eldest, is bright, charming, well read, and more accomplished than any man her age throughout the Seven Kingdoms as one of Westeros' finest Lord Commanders.
There is a gap of at least eight years between the two oldest children, and the three youngest. Lady Mina is half agony, half pride, to her parents; though she is loyal and bright, she eschews the traditional role of a young highborn Lady, more fond of horses and archery than needlepoint and courtesies. The youngest two, both young Lords, are capable and good lads. Garrett takes seriously his love of family and his duties as a Lord, even at the age of nine. The youngest, Lorent, is a charmer that can often be found at the side of one of his parents.
In a recent move that has surprised some, Lord Theo has transferred one of his hereditary titles, that of High Marshall of the Reach, to his second born, Lady Vittoria.
Warden of the South 
Lord Paramount of the Mander Defender of the Marches
Lord Paramount of the Mander Defender of the MarchesLord Theo's life has been a constant battle. Both literal, and figurative. He is as much a warrior as the Gods have allowed, and truth be told, had pushed himself in his youth in a way that likely exceeded even what the Gods thought to give him in terms of martial prowess. His sore knees of today remind him of his overzealous youth, but he has largely avoided the kind of injury that plague other lords his age.
He was ever more fond of books and running a realm than he was at the head of a cavalry charge, or among the lists. So when he inherited Highgarden from his own father, he sought to build the kind of defensive structure no other Lord of the Reach would see coming: that of wise men and tradition and authority of institutions well regarded. He called a council of Septons and Maesters to defend his family's claim. Though it never stopped the whispers from proud Reach nobility, it did end the immediate threat to the Tyrell claim to Highgarden.
On another front of the same battle, Lord Theo found his most stalwart ally in the form of Lady Bethany Redwyne. Always fond of the charming beauty from the Arbor, it was her ability to make friends and keep friends that has proven, over the years, unmatched by any other noble lady her age in the Reach. And just as importantly, Lady Bethany has proven a good mother, giving him five healthy children.
His children are a blessing he cherishes, though the Gods have been cruel with his oldest and heir, they have blessed him with every child since. And Lord Theo still holds out hope for his eldest, even though others around him have lost such hope, or placed their hope for House Tyrell in others, such as the little Lords Garrett and Lorent. Of Lady Mina he hopes she will remain her strength of will and love of life, but hopes her rough edges begin to smooth out with age.
He is closest with his second, the Lady Vittoria Tyrell. Unlike Lady Mina, Lady Vittoria was always a well spoken and elegant little Lady, he was always so certain he would be able to find the best of all possible matches for her. Yet she kept asking about his father, about the lost Host of Highgarden. Lady Vittoria always loved when he read her stories, but over years he knew this was different. When his eldest defied him and offended him and their entire bloodline, Theo admits he went mad. The madness found him in Lady Vittoria's room, waking her, unburdening himself on her little shoulders, sharing the weight of his world when he was too deep in his cups. She pleaded with him to let her learn, to give her a chance to defend their family's honor if Lord Bertrand could not. In his madness, and his wine, he promised her that he would.
For all the cruel japes men and women have casually thrown about regarding Lady Vittoria, Lord Theo would be lying to himself if he said he didn't secretly enjoy every one. Is their child leading armies and being celebrated from Westeros to Essos for their prowess? So what if Lady Vittoria kisses girls and boys alike? So what if she encourages Lady Mina in all the worse ways? She understands what almost no one else but his wife seems to understand: that the Tyrell struggle for legitimacy is a long game to be played, not one that can be won in his lifetime, of theirs.
He will do what he can, raise his children, and ensure his House and his lands are prosperous and bountiful. To that end, and to that of his family, he is an eternally dedicated man.
Lady of Highgarden ✿ née Redwyne Lady Bethany has heard it all, and she has seen quite a bit. The Conquest was fresh in her youth, and the loss of life among Reach Houses was staggering, like some plague that swept across their verdant lands on dragon wings to cut down too many men, young and old, before their time. Despite House Redwyne's relative familiarity with the Conqueror, they still rode beside King Mern the III to the battle that would scar the Reach for generations to come; the Field of Fire.
She and her sisters were matched quickly in life; one sister to Casterly Rock, and she to Highgarden. Though the matches were good, few could say if the men they were matched to were as good as the matches, themselves. In her case, to her fortune, Lord Theo Tyrell was a serious man that took his responsibilities to heart, but in his private moments she learned he was also a loving man, playful, capable of being sweet as a honeycake in the right circumstances.
Even better, he was willing to listen to her, to lean on her when necessary, giving her a role she knew not all noble ladies enjoyed. Because of this, because of Highgarden, Lady Bethany was able to continue the role she had excelled at in her youth; the Lady at the center of all court happenings. Whether it was births, marriages, forbidden loves, rivalries, petty resentments, or fleeting fancies, the lives of the highborn went through court, and few were as effective or nimble at managing it all as she was. It is still a great pride to her that Highgarden's role in Reach society has only increased, instead of waned.
She is a partner to Lord Theo in managing both their household, and their seat. The accounts and stores and granaries of Highgarden are, simply put, a greater task than anything she could have imagined. The sheer size of Highgarden is something, she contends, best enjoyed from afar—as managing such a massive seat is a never-ending task that requires it's own army of stewards and servants, of which she and her husband are at the head of.
Of her children, she adores them all, even the wayward Bertrand. A sweet boy, quick to smile and to laugh, darker moods had taken him as he grew older, but he was never too old for her love, or for her counsel. She remains convinced Bertrand will, in time, figure it out, likely with the help of the right woman. Lady Mina, despite her best efforts, remains a challenge that delights her daily. She would love nothing more than to let Mina do as her wild heart would do, but Lady Bethany knows all too well the true demands of a noble lady, and Mina will have to learn them, too. Garrett is a big boy of nine, a sweet soul, though much like his father he can be too serious, too concerned with responsibility. She hopes he finds a partner to remind him to laugh, though for now, she is thankful Mina and Garrett are so close, children at play. Little Lorent is a young, fearless, boy who has never met a danger that didn't excite him. He loves laughing, he loves singers, he loves stories of knights and heroic deeds. In secret, Lady Bethany wishes she could keep Lorent this way forever, but as someone who grew up in the aftermath of the Field of Fire, she knows that is an impossibility.
And, then, there is her second child. Lady Bethany begged Theo not to send little Vittoria away to Oldtown. "Do not take my daughter from me," she recalls screaming at Theo, in a rare fit of hysteria. Nothing Theo said that night could calm her, yet it was the little Vittoria who calmly took her hand, and looked up at her, smiling, with the calmest voice Bethany had ever heard in her life: "It's okay, momma, you will see. Believe in us." Why the Gods give children such capacity to see the troubles of their parents so clearly, why they are so capable of brightening even the darkest moments...it will never cease to amaze her. In Vittoria, Bethany had a treasured daughter, the kind of daughter most mothers dream of. Dutiful, caring, and kind. They both loved to read until the candles burned out. They both loved riding, and talking of courtly matters to no end. The loneliness she felt when Vittoria left for Oldtown took years to lessen, and never really went away until Mina, Garrett, and Lorent.
Yet not even she could have imagined what her little daughter would become. At times, she doesn't know what to say to Lady Vittoria. Her Vitt, she could talk to endlessly, laughing and gossiping. Yet when Vittoria takes on the persona of the Ardent Maiden, her daughter feels distant, hard to relate to, as if there is a steel armor around her that not even a mother could get past. When people speak of the Ardent Maiden, she finds herself feeling as if they are speaking of some other person, surely not her little Vittoria.
Heir to Highgarden ✿ Resides in King's Landing Lord Bertrand is a drunk and a fool, a sod. This description of the man can be heard from one end of the Reach, to the other, and back again. One would think a Lord and heir to one of the Great Houses of Westeros would be free of the jealousies and insecurities that plague some men, but Lord Bertrand has long been proof that even the highest born can fall victim to such gaps of character.
Lord Bertrand likes to gamble. He likes to drink. Most of all, he likes women. He isn't much of a warrior, and despite the strong tradition of Knightly chivalry in the Reach, never did spend much time in the training yard. He has quarreled with his Lord Father since an early age, and their clashes have become stories of infamy around Highgarden. He resents Lord Theo for enabling his sister, Lady Vittoria, and making him look like less of a man to their bannerlords. He apologies, sarcastically, to Lord Theo that the Gods gave him, Lord Bertrand, a cock and not his Lord Father's beloved Lady Vittoria.
Perhaps surprisingly, Lord Bertrand adores his Lady Mother, Lady Bethany. He's good friends with a number of his Redwyne cousins, and often prefers the Arbor to Highgarden. His closest friends are a collection of other noble sons from the Reach that also didn't take to the Knightly tradition, and like to enjoy what life has to offer, instead of just what life demands of them. There is a certain level of cunning to Lord Bertrand, and he does so love his youngest siblings, even the bizarre Lady Mina.
His earliest close confidant was his sister. Where once they were thick as thieves, now he cannot help but feel as if she mocks him behind his back, or feels as if she would never think highly of a man such as him, and such thoughts wound him deeply, creating distance and division between them, whether Lady Vittoria likes it, or not. One day he will show her, his father, and all the Realm what he is truly made of.
In the meantime, he largely resides in King's Landing, where he has begun to do what highborn men do: invest their gold in worthwhile ventures, and enjoy their station in life. He's even fathered a son or two, depending on how believable the mothers are.
Two and Twenty Years Old High Marshall of the Reach Order of the Golden Rose
High Marshall of the Reach Order of the Golden Rose“I swear to you, the little Lady Tyrell is half horse, half book.” – Ser Arlo Flowers, Man-at-Arms of Highgarden
The second child born to Lord Theo Tyrell and his wife, Lady Bethany of House Redwyne, there was little out of the ordinary for little Lady Vittoria for much of her young life. She did as any daughter of a Great House did during her earliest years, becoming a dedicated student of the Seven Pointed Star and the Faith of the Seven, becoming a fine dancer for her age, and becoming above average at needlepoint. At some point, Lady Vittoria is sent with her Septa at Highgarden to the city of Oldtown. The assumption has always been that Lady Vittoria was meant to become a Septa, herself, given her early mastery of the Seven Pointed Star.
Yet several other accounts paint a different picture; she was sent to Oldtown shortly after the most unsavory of fallings out between her Lord Father, and her older brother, Lord Bertrand. Bertrand, these sources claim, was a drunken fool even in his younger years, known for whoring. Determined to prepare his House for what he saw as inevitable struggle for their overlordship of the Reach, Lord Theo sent his daughter to Oldtown, to learn from the Faith, but also the Maesters. Indeed, several mundane scrolls of daily Maester business do list Lady Vittoria as a visitor to the Citadel, far more than is usual for any nobility, let alone a girl. It’s also noted she was present for Maester Benifer’s celebration at an Inn near the Citadel on the day after his elevation to Archmaester, as Benifer was a primary tutor for Lady Vittoria during her time in Oldtown.
The truth of it, though known only to Lady Vittoria and her Lord Father, and a select few Archmaesters, along with a few Acolytes, was, indeed, the latter account. By the time she left Oldtown as a young woman, she was given a secret gift of chain links: yellow gold, bronze, iron, copper, and silver. Later in life, these links were made into a bracelet. She was seen at nearly every open lecture of Archmaesters specializing in iron and copper, and there are rumors the most comprehensive history on the ill-fated campaign of Lord Harlan Tyrell in Dorne, authored by Maester Belis, a then young Acolyte who was given his chain only upon finishing the small book, only wrote what the true author, Lady Vittoria, dictated. Maester Belis was shortly after assigned to the Arbor, as his specialty had always been plants and growing.
Lady Vittoria spends the majority of her young life after leaving Oldtown on the road: she visits King’s Landing and spends months with Grand Maester Gawen, inspecting the (relatively) newly built walls of the capital city, learning everything the Grand Maester had to teach her about the raising of the walls, from manpower to construction to logistics. Her Lord Father purchases one of the first known Great House manses within the city of King’s Landing, a fortified compound within city limits. Though Lady Vittoria establishes the manse in truth, it is her elder brother, Lord Bertrand, who would later give the manse it’s reputation for day long parties overflowing with wine and sex, not Lady Vittoria.
“She is no normal Lady, this one; I’d have her beside me for every battle if I could. And I’d have her marry any of my sons she wanted.” – Lord ‘Savage’ Sam Tarly
Where she travels next remains a mystery. Dornish sources claim to have seen her in Dorne, while other sources claim she visited the Free Cities. Whatever the truth of it, Lady Vittoria for sure shows up again in 37 AC and in the strangest of places for a daughter of a Great House: leading an army of the Reach into the Riverlands to support Hand of the King Lord Alyn Stokeworth’s effort to dislodge Harren the Red from Harrenhal and bring him to justice. Though the Reach’s host is continuously mocked, and their lady Lord Commander constantly mocked behind her back and to her face, neither the host or it’s commander let the treatment affect them. Though official records say it was Lord Alyn who cornered Harren the Red and his outlaws, many others claim it was only done once Lord Alyn began listening to Lady Vittoria at his war councils. When asked, directly, Lady Vittoria does little more than praise the brave, lost, Lord Alyn. As friend of both, it is noteworthy Grand Maester Gawen has privately accused Lady Vittoria of dodging the question every time it surfaces.
It was in the face of her actions during the bringing of Harren the Red and his outlaws to justice that Maesters and bards alike gave Lady Vittoria the name she is undoubtedly best known as by high and low born alike: the Ardent Maiden. However fitting a name it may be, serious students of military matters and historical matters name her next feat one of her greatest: in a span of time that seemed impossible she marched her force to the border of the Reach and the Stormlands and Dorne, the Marches, even while taking on reinforcements from the Reach along the way. The Army of the Reach made such good time she joined the effort to repel the Vulture King from Nightsong. Her army would join with Lord Tarly’s, and here again there are questions as to who really led the successful routing of the Vulture King’s army, though it was worth noting that the King awarded Lords Dondarrion, Caron, and Tarly, while Lady Vittoria’s role seems to have been missed in the official records. She was recorded as being present at both war councils, and the Vulture King’s execution.
She returns to Horn Hill with Lord ‘Savage’ Sam Tarly, where it’s said both armies have a celebration feast before disbanding. She then returns to Highgarden, re-connecting with family, though there is a rumored ugly incident where Lord Bertrand beats Lady Vittoria to such an extent she is seen with bruises for the weeks following. While servants rumor of a jealous, drunken, rage there is nothing from the family itself, other than Lady Vittoria claiming she was tossed from a horse. Immediately after she departs for the Arbor with her mother. While her mother spends most her time at the keep of the Redwynes, it’s said Lady Vittoria spends all of her time at sea with cousins on ships of the Redwyne fleet. She notably helps repel a pirate attack on one of the ships with a bow, before returning back to the Arbor. With Lord Redwyne and his advisors, along with his sons, Lady Vittoria learns of a great increase in such attacks.
“The Ardent Maiden is the steel rose of Highgarden, make no mistake. She leads them now in all but title.” – Septon Pater of the Starry Sept
In the most clear-cut military action of the Lady’s to date, Lady Vittoria raises a small host of mostly sailors, along with a small unit of men she had led in prior engagements, and takes a mixed Reach fleet, supported by longship mercenaries, to engage the surging pirates at their own home ports. They find the self-proclaimed King of the Basilisk Isles, infamous pirate lord Saathos Saan, himself paid to clear out the isles of pirates by the Free Cities, only to turn pirate and declare himself pirate lord. Though some of the fighting is treacherous, the Lord Commander, Lady Vittoria, unleashes one surprise attack after another, often tricking the pirates into over-aggression, and herself leading a daring night time raid with nothing but small boats with muffled oars, on the ship of Saathos Saan himself. It is in the personal cabin of Saathos Saan that Lady Vittoria and her small raiding party find and rescue Lady Alys Oakheart, once sold to Myrish slavers by the Wyl of Wyl at the end of the First Dornish War, now one of Saathos Saan’s personal pleasure slaves found chained to his Captain’s bed. Surprisingly, Lady Alys is not the most surprising of the finds by Lady Vittoria on Saan’s flagship: she finds ancient Valyrian scrolls, the contents of which she has never spoken about to another soul. To her most trusted men she tasks with taking the scrolls, and Lady Alys, back to the Reach. Lady Alys, now in her late thirties, is returned to her home. The ancient Valyrian scrolls simply disappear, to where only one man, and Lady Vittoria, truly know.
Although Lady Vittoria asks Maesters with the force to attribute most recorded details of the campaign to the Lord Captain of the mixed Reach fleet, her Redwyne cousin, the Free Cities have many eyes and ears among both pirates and mercenaries, even some within her own force. When word quickly reaches the Free Cities, Lady Vittoria is requested at Volantis for celebration and reward. Though she and a small party are ambushed by Lyseni and Myrish slavers demanding compensation for the slaves freed to Westeros, the ruler of Volantis, the Valyrian Dragonlord Vhandyr of House Belaerys, repays the debts for Lady Vittoria, and introduces her to his companion in his own ongoing campaign against Dothraki; exiled Prince Maegor of House Targaryen. She shares a meal with both men, before accepting the rewards offered by the Free Cities representatives, and getting to meet Balerion and Terrax, the two largest living dragons in creation.
Besides increases to the payment due each man of the force, it’s unseen what Lady Vittoria did with the majority of her rewards, or even exactly what the rewards consisted of, beyond gold. It is also noteworthy that Lady Vittoria visits the Temple of the Lord of Light, twice, as well as meeting with emissaries from the Iron Bank of Braavos before departing to return home to the Reach. Her return home lacks any fanfare or celebration at Highgarden, other than most of her family, her oldest brother the most noteworthy absence, hosting her on their pleasure barge for a slow trip down the Mander. She begins a tour of the Reach that is interrupted with the news that the High Septon has called a council of Septons and Maesters to investigate and debate the recent actions of the Royal House of Targaryen, and that the High Septon, as well as several Archmaesters, have requested Lord Theo Tyrell. Given his now older age, the Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the South asks Lady Vittoria to attend the conference in his place. She agrees, but only at the head of a force of One-Hundred Knights of the Reach. There are rumors of a mercenary company from Essos being hired by the Ardent Maiden, herself, and housed a day’s ride from Oldtown. What, if anything, Lady Vittoria suspects might happen remains a mystery to all.
Played by [@EspadaEmi]
Mina Tyrell
Age: Four and Ten Years Old (Born 27 AG)
Appearance:
Description & biography:
Mina Tyrell
Age: Four and Ten Years Old (Born 27 AG)
Appearance:
Description & biography:
"Young Lady Mina can climb like a squirrel, fight like a wildcat, swim like a fish and track like a hound." - Ser Arlo Flowers, Man-at-Arms of Highgarden
"True, the only thing she can't do is act like is a proper lady." - Reply, Lady Falia Oldfowers, etiquette teacher and governess.
The third child of house Tyrell has been both a blessing and a vexation for her parents. From her earliest childhood Lady Mina has rebelled against almost all of the expectations and pursuits of a young noble lady in favor of more lordly activities. While other young maidens learned needlework and gossiped, the youngest Lady Tyrell would run from her lessons to join her Lord Father on the hunt, climb trees or tend to the horses. Her etiquette teacher all too often abandoned her lessons in a huff after Mina responded to attempts at polite conversation by repeating the off-color jokes of her older brother and her family's Men-At-Arms. With dancing her instructors found passable success and were elated, that was until it came out that she had only put in the effort after an offhand comment from her father compared the steps of a dance to footwork with a blade.
Encouragement from her eldest sister and indulgence from her father have turned her into a vivacious, quick-witted and strong willed girl, frequently clashing with her mother over her role and responsibilities as a young noble lady. She's taken up regular archery and dagger-fighting training since the age of ten, a compromise after her father's multiple refusals to train her as a page resulted in a months long sulk.
With her two younger brothers, Mina is free to be herself without judgement and loves them both all the more for it. Garret is probably the person she's closest to, a constant playmate who she gets into trouble with and helps in equal measure. At eleven and six respectively she shot an apple off of Garrett's head to the horror of onlooking servants. When she was twelve and Garret seven, she sneaked him out of the house on a 'private hunt' to avoid their lessons, then protected him from an angry boar they found by distracting it and climbing up a tree while he went to fetch help. Most recently when local lordlings were bullying him because they thought their fathers deserved to be Lord Paramount of Highgarden, she coached him on how to fight back then secretly helped send them on their way by dropping a beehive on their heads with a well-placed throwing knife.
More importantly now that he's old enough to start in on the knightly training Mina was denied, Mina's become determined that with her help he'll one day be the greatest knight in Westeros! To that end she's been watching his training and trying to pick up as much as she can to advise him, along with challenging him to improve his dagger fighting and equestrian skills.
She spoils little Lorent constantly, sneaking him sweets and cheese when she raids the kitchens, reading to him from books of stories, comforting him at night if their Lady Mother can't be reached and overall being the picture of a loving elder sister as best she can manage. That's not to say she doesn't still have her rough edges. She's been forbidden from riding double with him on her horse on more than one occasion when she thought leading him slowly on his little pony was too dull and taught him to repeat jokes and words she really ought not to have known herself to the horror of their parents.
Her relationship to her older siblings is a little more complicated, however.
Bertrand has always been relatively nice to her and tolerated her eccentric behavior, even finding it amusing at times. It was Bertrand who gave her the half-mocking, half-affectionate nickname of 'Thistle of Highgarden' after Mina pantsed a boorish associate of Bertrand's at a party and gave the first boy to approach her at King's Landing a particularly humiliating verbal lashing when he laughed at her challenge to 'prove his worth against her in a contest of skill' in the same week. Bertrand used to take her hawking and sailing, sneak her sweets and sips of strong wine and teach her things to scandalize their parents. More recently, she's started to become aware of Bertrand's darker side and fouler moods, especially after Vittoria's mysterious injuries and her parents cover-up. Still, she loves her brother and has been doing her best to shield Garrett and Lorent from any knowledge of his faults.
Vittoria is the sibling she knows the least, but also the one she loves the most. In her youngest years, she followed her sister everywhere like a little shadow, doing her best to copy what she did and actually reigning in her most tomboyish behaviors in her desire to be more like Vittoria, her rebellious trouble-making only worsening after the older girl left for Oldtown.
For Mina, her eldest sister's presence always means life is going to get more interesting. It was Vittoria who showed her King's Landing, inspired her with stories of her tactical victories and gave her the Dornish recurve bow she so treasures. During their stay at the Arbor, Mina was aboard the ship with Vittoria and their cousins when it came under attack by pirates, though she didn't fight apart from running arrows to the defenders and once backstabbing a man who boarded during the clash. To her frustration she was left out of the subsequent pirate hunt, but still talked about 'her first real battle' fervently for days. Best of all, when Vittoria returned from her trip to the Free Cities, she brought with her a Braavosi Water Dancing instructor for Mina. While she couldn't fight like a knight, she could finally learn to use a sword. Their parents were less than pleased about this at first, until Vittoria convinced them that given how much trouble Mina gets into regardless, she had best learn to defend herself.
Now traveling with Vittoria as part of her retinue and out from under her parents eyes, Mina feels more free than she ever has before. In spite of being there to attend some stuffy conference of Maesters and Septons, she's in high spirits and excited for the adventures to come.
"True, the only thing she can't do is act like is a proper lady." - Reply, Lady Falia Oldfowers, etiquette teacher and governess.
The third child of house Tyrell has been both a blessing and a vexation for her parents. From her earliest childhood Lady Mina has rebelled against almost all of the expectations and pursuits of a young noble lady in favor of more lordly activities. While other young maidens learned needlework and gossiped, the youngest Lady Tyrell would run from her lessons to join her Lord Father on the hunt, climb trees or tend to the horses. Her etiquette teacher all too often abandoned her lessons in a huff after Mina responded to attempts at polite conversation by repeating the off-color jokes of her older brother and her family's Men-At-Arms. With dancing her instructors found passable success and were elated, that was until it came out that she had only put in the effort after an offhand comment from her father compared the steps of a dance to footwork with a blade.
Encouragement from her eldest sister and indulgence from her father have turned her into a vivacious, quick-witted and strong willed girl, frequently clashing with her mother over her role and responsibilities as a young noble lady. She's taken up regular archery and dagger-fighting training since the age of ten, a compromise after her father's multiple refusals to train her as a page resulted in a months long sulk.
With her two younger brothers, Mina is free to be herself without judgement and loves them both all the more for it. Garret is probably the person she's closest to, a constant playmate who she gets into trouble with and helps in equal measure. At eleven and six respectively she shot an apple off of Garrett's head to the horror of onlooking servants. When she was twelve and Garret seven, she sneaked him out of the house on a 'private hunt' to avoid their lessons, then protected him from an angry boar they found by distracting it and climbing up a tree while he went to fetch help. Most recently when local lordlings were bullying him because they thought their fathers deserved to be Lord Paramount of Highgarden, she coached him on how to fight back then secretly helped send them on their way by dropping a beehive on their heads with a well-placed throwing knife.
More importantly now that he's old enough to start in on the knightly training Mina was denied, Mina's become determined that with her help he'll one day be the greatest knight in Westeros! To that end she's been watching his training and trying to pick up as much as she can to advise him, along with challenging him to improve his dagger fighting and equestrian skills.
She spoils little Lorent constantly, sneaking him sweets and cheese when she raids the kitchens, reading to him from books of stories, comforting him at night if their Lady Mother can't be reached and overall being the picture of a loving elder sister as best she can manage. That's not to say she doesn't still have her rough edges. She's been forbidden from riding double with him on her horse on more than one occasion when she thought leading him slowly on his little pony was too dull and taught him to repeat jokes and words she really ought not to have known herself to the horror of their parents.
Her relationship to her older siblings is a little more complicated, however.
Bertrand has always been relatively nice to her and tolerated her eccentric behavior, even finding it amusing at times. It was Bertrand who gave her the half-mocking, half-affectionate nickname of 'Thistle of Highgarden' after Mina pantsed a boorish associate of Bertrand's at a party and gave the first boy to approach her at King's Landing a particularly humiliating verbal lashing when he laughed at her challenge to 'prove his worth against her in a contest of skill' in the same week. Bertrand used to take her hawking and sailing, sneak her sweets and sips of strong wine and teach her things to scandalize their parents. More recently, she's started to become aware of Bertrand's darker side and fouler moods, especially after Vittoria's mysterious injuries and her parents cover-up. Still, she loves her brother and has been doing her best to shield Garrett and Lorent from any knowledge of his faults.
Vittoria is the sibling she knows the least, but also the one she loves the most. In her youngest years, she followed her sister everywhere like a little shadow, doing her best to copy what she did and actually reigning in her most tomboyish behaviors in her desire to be more like Vittoria, her rebellious trouble-making only worsening after the older girl left for Oldtown.
For Mina, her eldest sister's presence always means life is going to get more interesting. It was Vittoria who showed her King's Landing, inspired her with stories of her tactical victories and gave her the Dornish recurve bow she so treasures. During their stay at the Arbor, Mina was aboard the ship with Vittoria and their cousins when it came under attack by pirates, though she didn't fight apart from running arrows to the defenders and once backstabbing a man who boarded during the clash. To her frustration she was left out of the subsequent pirate hunt, but still talked about 'her first real battle' fervently for days. Best of all, when Vittoria returned from her trip to the Free Cities, she brought with her a Braavosi Water Dancing instructor for Mina. While she couldn't fight like a knight, she could finally learn to use a sword. Their parents were less than pleased about this at first, until Vittoria convinced them that given how much trouble Mina gets into regardless, she had best learn to defend herself.
Now traveling with Vittoria as part of her retinue and out from under her parents eyes, Mina feels more free than she ever has before. In spite of being there to attend some stuffy conference of Maesters and Septons, she's in high spirits and excited for the adventures to come.
Second Son of Highgarden Traveling with Lady Vittoria Prospective Squire
Traveling with Lady Vittoria Prospective SquireLord Garrett is a tall, heavy, boy for his age. He always has been. His Lord Father seems proud of the fact, and their Master-at-Arms always says it will make Garrett a fearsome Knight in the future. Garrett likes that, he loves stories and songs of knights and heroes. He also likes playing with his friends around Highgarden, he loves looking at all the bugs and animals. The Maester says a good curiosity is the whetstone of a fine mind.
Garrett spends a lot of time with his sister Mina. She's a lot of fun, she likes to ride, she likes to hunt, she likes to do all the things he likes to do. Other people seem to wish Mina was more like other young Ladies, but Garrett likes Mina just the way she is, and wishes people would just leave her alone and let her be. Why can't more people just be who they are? Garrett doesn't understand that.
People say not nice things about his older brother, Bertrand, but Bertrand is always nice to him. Bertrand tells him to learn all he can and practice hard in the yards, as the second born son it will be Garrett who has to lead the armies while Bertrand rules from Highgarden. Garrett likes that Bertrand will depend on him to lead armies, that sounds like an adventure. Bertrand is only not nice when he drinks too much wine, but Garrett doesn't see that a lot, and misses Bertrand now that he mostly stays in King's Landing.
But when Bertrand left, Vittoria came back. Garrett doesn't know Vittoria like he does Bertrand, but Mina knows Vittoria better, and says Vittoria is the best sister they could have. Garrett is excited about Vittora being home more, he hears all kinds of stories about her, she's even seen dragons, and been to Essos, and fought bandits and pirates and rebels. She's never lost a battle, all the men-at-arms in Highgarden say so. She's very sweet and very pretty, and wears neat dresses. She says when she goes to Oldtown with her Knights, that Garrett and Mina can go with her. That's really exciting!
Lorent is just old enough to play with now, and Garrett likes his little brother a lot more now because he's more fun. Garrett will miss Lorent when he goes with Vittoria and Mina to Oldtown, but Garrett has to learn how to lead armies for Bertrand like Vittoria does for their Lord Father. Garrett loves his Lord Father and loves most when he gets to go hunting with him and his men. His father teaches him all kinds of things, and is usually there during his training. He loves his mother most of all, she's the best mother in Westeros. He still loves staying up late with her as she reads books to him and his sister and brother. Plus she sneaks him sweetcakes even after the cooks say they can't possibly spare any more.
Third son of Highgarden ✿ Prospective Page Lorent likes dogs, they're silly. Honeycakes are his favorite, but he likes cheese a lot also. His momma is the best momma, and Lord Father can be scary but he likes to teach Lorent exciting things like arrows and daggers and hunting and horses. Garrett is better when he has fun, Mina is his favorite, but Bertrand is always really nice and sneaks him sips of wine and cheese and tells him that one day he will match Lorent with the most beautiful lady. Lorent doesn't like ladies as much, but Bertrand says he will one day, and Bertrand is older so he know things, he says. Vittoria likes to snuggle and read like momma, so he likes her a lot more now that she's home and lets him fall asleep as she tells him stories of where she's been and her adventures. She has a lot of Knight friends that are very nice to him, it's a lot of fun!
