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For the main Kingsguard entry, see here
The Kingsguard of Aerys II, the Mad King
- "I learned from the White Bull and Barristan the Bold. I learned from Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning, who could have slain all five of you with his left hand while he was taking a piss with the right. I learned from Prince Lewyn of Dorne and Ser Oswell Whent and Ser Jonothor Darry, good men every one."—Jaime Lannister
The Brothers who served the Kingsguard during the reign of Aerys II Targaryen (albeit some of them served also under King Jahaerys). At the time of the series beginning, the only survivors were Ser Barristan Selmy and Ser Jaime Lannister.
- Ambiguous Situation: Their loyalty to Prince Rhaegar... is interesting, to say the least. It is, however, just not enough to explain why, for a sustained period probably lasting months, the Lord Commander and two of the best knights (Dayne and Whent) were guarding Lyanna Stark (who was allegedly kidnapped by the Prince, but not a member of the royal family) in some remote Dornish tower, instead of doing their job protecting the King and his direct family, like they were supposed, by both tradition and precedent, to be doing. At the time, Ned Stark wondered as well; and, received the pretty cryptic stereo answer of "Our prince wanted us here".
- Badass Crew: Held in high esteem even years later, with Ser Barristan and Ser Jaime regarding the Kingsguard that came after as a sorry pack of losers compared to what the institution had been at this point in time.
- Fish out of Water: Ser Lewyn Martell was commanded to lead the Dornish forces at the Battle of the Trident in support of Rhaegar; this is the furthest North any Dornish army has pushed in recorded history, so they were understandably out of their element. Still, they provided a worthy battle in spite of their loss to Robert Baratheon and his army.
- Knight in Shining Armor: Jaime Lannister is the only one not remembered as being this. Though ironically he was probably the closest to it.
- Last Stand: The showdown at the Tower of Joy is likely this. The war is over, all the Targaryen supporters are dead and there's only three of them against seven men seasoned by the war. The Kingsguard take down five of them before dying.Ser Arthur Dayne: And now it begins. (draws his sword)
Eddard Stark: (with sadness in his voice) No. Now it ends. - Long-Dead Badass: Jaime is still proud of serving with such esteemed warriors. Ser Barristan also still doesn't quite rate himself as highly as he does his dead comrades-in-arms.
- My Master, Right or Wrong: Despite being comprised of good men (well, more or less), aside from Jaime they were all predominantly loyal to the Mad King and stood by during the vast majority of his atrocities, even defending him from much of the blowback his own idiocy caused to the best of their abilities. However, many were also loyal to Prince Rhaegar, and held Lyanna Stark hostage while being fully willing to kill her brother and his friends to prevent them from rescuing her. Though there seems to have been a lot more to the story than that.
- Noble Top Enforcer: For Aerys, certainly, and possibly for Rhaegar as well.
- Obvious Rule Patch: Their whole predicament raises the question of why there still is no established system for them (and others) to deal with bonkers or idiotic kings when other royal family members could plug the gaps without upending the whole feudal system. Particularly given the general assumption that any given Targaryen could go nuts at any time. If there were such a "when faced with clear and present insanity that's prohibitively expensive to guard, break glass and use Summon Great Council" clause to their vows, things... might have played out with a whole lot less pain and confusion for all concerned. Of course, for most of his reign, the King did seem harmless, and the Kingsguard did appeal successfully to him for leniency and reform for the Kingswood smallfolk, so it might have been harder for them to believe that the King had gone beyond the pale.
- A system like this is logical and sounds pretty reasonable on paper. But in practice, most rulers holding power would fear such a system being used by their enemies to unfairly depose them and prevent any such mechanism for removal from ever being implemented. Given the Targaryen history of their own family members trying to steal the throne, it's not hard to see why such a system was never put in place.
- Punch-Clock Villain: They let Aerys do pretty much whatever he pleased because it was in their job description, however unpleasant a few of them found it to be. Though at least in Dayne, Whent and the various Lord Commanders' cases (in Ser Barristan's case, he eventually asks himself pointed questions about just why he saved Aerys from Duskendale when his death there would have brought Rhaegar to the Throne; Jaime, too, seems to regret failing Rhaegar... if not quite as much), it seems that things were a lot more complex, as all their actions during and after Aerys' reign suggest.
- Tough Act to Follow: Invoked. Both Ser Jaime and Ser Barristan feel this way about this generation of the Kingsguard. One reason why it declined under Robert is that there were five vacant positions to fill in immediately after a devastating war (a war which killed many great knights) and a long peacetime that followed which, while good for the realm, did not create vacancies for better contenders (or many seasoned veterans to fill them, even if there were vacancies).
- Undying Loyalty: Since it was their job, to King Aerys. Apparently.
- Though few of them, like Arthur Dayne or Oswell Whent (and later the Lord Commander himself) are shown having more willing and, arguably, deeper loyalty towards Prince Rhaegar, and sided with him in business they were not supposed to take part in. This may very well be an hint of the increasing conflict between the King and the Crown Prince and how it affected the loyalty among the court. They ended up involved in schemes directly concerning Rhaegar instead of the king, such as the organizing of the Tourney of Harrenhall (which was rumored to be an excuse for Rhaegar to meet potential allies) and, of course, the abduction of Lyanna Stark. They also inexplicably spent the Rebellion guarding Lyanna Stark instead of the royal family, which leads to the Ambiguous Situation written above.
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Ser Gerold Hightower
Ser Gerold Hightower, Lord Commander of the Kingsguard
The White Bull
- "The Kingsguard does not flee."
Promoted to Lord Commander of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Jaehaerys II, he continued to serve in that post during Robert's Rebellion. Like his fellow brothers, he is remembered as a Knight in Shining Armor. He died at the Tower of Joy.
See the House Hightower page.
- Animal Motifs: Nicknamed "The White Bull", for his Kingsguard membership and great strength.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: Likely what it took for him to be Lord Commander over legendary warriors like Barristan Selmy and Arthur Dayne.
- Beneath the Mask: As a Hightower, he has deep roots with the Faith of Seven, so he was deeply disturbed at witnessing the mockery of a "Trial by Combat" note to Rickard and Brandon Stark and tries to rationalize it to Jaime Lannister for the sake of innocence, who actually is in his own little world as he used to do whenever Aerys got extra nutty. The fact that during the Rebellion he eventually followed Rhaegar's orders instead of the king's (mind that the relationship between father and son was strained) seems to suggest that he was more critical of the king than he let Jaime know.Gerold to Jaime: You swore a vow to guard the king, not to judge him.
- The Big Guy: He could definitely pack a wallop and served in this capacity when fighting in a group. Not a small guy, either.
- Broken Pedestal: For Jaime, who looked up to Gerold, after the Lord Commander privately reprimanded Jaime for judging the Mad King's evil actions, and the realm considering him a good man for being loyal to the tyrannical Mad King, while reviling Jaime for killing a murderous lunatic like Aerys. With Ned's memory of the Tower of Joy revealing Gerold would have fought at the Trident to keep Aerys on the Iron Throne if he could have, and that he considered Jaime a 'false brother who would burn in Seven Hells' if they had been present.Jaime to Catelyn: That was the White Bull, loyal to the end and a better man than me, all agree.
- Cool Helmet: Some art depicts him wearing a helm in the shape of a white bull's head
- Good Is Not Nice: Jaime remarks upon his disbelief when Hightower, one of his mentors and idols, reprimanded him for privately questioning his oaths after watching Aerys brutally murder Rickard and Brandon Stark, and how absurd it is that he is still seen as a hero while Jaime is hated for killing the Mad King.
- I Choose to Stay: King Aerys tasked him to find Prince Rhaegar and bring him to King's Landing. He succeeded in finding him, but instead of coming back to the Red Keep with the Prince, he followed Rhaegar's order to stay guarding Lyanna Stark along with Arthur Dayne and Oswell Whent, which is strange as the Lord Commander is a even more important figure than usual in wartime. Why he thought Rhaegar's order had the priority instead of the king's is yet to be found out.
- Impaled Palm: He got shot in the hand by Ulmer of the Kingswood Brotherhood
- Just Following Orders: His way of dealing with what he was asked to do was to have this on repeat as a kind of koan.
- Large and in Charge: He was tall, strong and possessed a booming voice.
- Master Swordsman: When Jaime thinks of your skill with a mixture of admiration and envy, you had to be one.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: His attitude towards the Mad King's crimes led Jamie Lannister to lose respect for both the office of the Kingsguard and the institution of knighthood.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: As stated above, it's still count of
speculation why the Lord Commander of the King's guard stayed in a seemingly unimportant location guarding Lyanna Stark (when already two of his underling were doing just that), instead of being a chief leader of the Targaryen forces like it was his job to do. Whatever it was, it must have been a damn important deal. - Old Soldier: By the time of Robert's Rebellion, Ser Gerold had served as Lord Commander for almost 25 years, having succeeded Duncan the Tall after the Tragedy at Summerhall.
- And when one considers he was the uncle of Lord Leyton Hightower, who has grandchildren in their twenties by the time of the War of the Five Kings, some simple math would indicate that, even with generous allowances for the ages of certain members of House Hightower, Ser Gerold may very well have been in his sixties when he fought at the Tower of Joy.
- Pet the Dog: When Aerys, out of spite, ordered Jaime back to King's Landing after his investiture into the Kingsguard at Harrenhal to protect Queen Rhaella and Prince Viserys, Gerold offered to take that duty so that Jaime might compete in the tourney, but Aerys refused to hear of it.
- Undying Loyalty: To the institution of the Kingsguard and the less respectful king.
- The Unreveal: Of the three Kingsguard, he's the one with the most ambiguous reasons to have been guarding Lyanna Stark instead of fighting or protecting the king. While the other two traveled with Rhaegar and Lyanna since the beginning, Ser Gerold was instead tasked by King Aerys to find Rhaegar, which he did; but rather than bringing Rhaegar to King's Landing with him, he stayed at the Tower of Joy. It's yet to be explained why guarding that tower was more important than coming back to the court and playing a more active role in the royal forces as the Lord Commander of the Kingsguard is expected.
- We Used to Be Friends: He was Jaime's mentor once and cared about him enough at least to offer to take his place at King's Landing so the boy could compete in a tourney. But after Jaime killed the mad king they were sworn to serve, Gerold considered him a false brother who should have burned in seven hells.
- You Are in Command Now
- Ser Gerold became Lord Commander after his predecessor Dunk died at Summerhall.
- After the death of Lord Ormund Baratheon early on in the War of the Ninepenny Kings, Ser Gerold took command of the Westerosi army.
Ser Arthur Dayne
Ser Arthur Dayne, the Sword of the Morning
- "Our knees do not bend easily."
Lord Edric Dayne's uncle and brother of Ashara Dayne. One of the most famed knights in recent Westerosi history, Arthur Dayne was a member of the Kingsguard at the time of Robert's Rebellion. He was slain by Eddard Stark at the Tower of Joy.
See the House Dayne page.
- The Ace: He is legendary even by Kingsguard standards.
- Always Someone Better: Ser Barristan Selmy seems to view Arthur Dayne as such; though according to George RR Martin they were close in fighting skills in their respective primes, Dayne was just better armed, more beloved by the smallfolk and more trusted by Rhaegar Targaryen.
- Apologetic Attacker: Ned Stark remembers him having a "sad smile" when he and his men confronted him at the Tower of Joy.
- Became Their Own Antithesis: No one was more chivalrous and knightly than Arthur, and he was loyal to Rhaegar to a fault, but that loyalty led the Knight to hold a damsel in distress hostage and attack the brave heroes come to rescue her. Somewhere along the line, Ser Arthur Dayne became the very kind of person knights are supposed to fight against. Of course, this raises the question of whether or not Lyanna was actually a hostage and if, as the theory runs, she's Jon Snow's mother - in which case, he's defending his Lord's pregnant lady love against highly placed men in a rebellion against said Lord, who might not react so well to a potential heir to the dynasty they just overthrew.
- BFS: The greatsword Dawn. Supposedly made of Thunderbolt Iron.
- The Dreaded: Arthur was regarded as the deadliest of the Mad King's knights. Approach with caution.
- Duel to the Death: Had a famous one with the Smiling Knight which riveted young Jaime Lannister. He also engaged in an epic duel with Ned Stark that the latter barely survived, and only thanks to the intervention of Howland Reed.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: With Rhaegar Targaryen; as per Ser Barristan, they were best friends.
- Honor Before Reason: By reputation. Jaime recalls that during his duel with the Smiling Knight, Arthur disarmed him, but waited for the Smiling Knight to get another sword before resuming the duel and killing him.
- Knight In Shining Armour: Rivalled only by Aemon the Dragonknight, for best example in the series.
- Legacy Character: He is the most recent "Sword of the Morning".
- Lightning Bruiser: Though he is long dead in the books timeline, so we never see him fight, he was said to make Smiling Knight "bleed from a dozen wounds", and Jaime considered him physically stronger than himself.
- Long-Dead Badass: Jaime Lannister himself says when inspecting five members of the current Kingsguard that Arthur Dayne could have slain the five of them with his left hand while taking a piss with his right.
- Loved by All: His reputation during his lifetime and after his death, even by the people who were on the other side.
- Master Swordsman: House Dayne doesn't bestow the title "Sword of the Morning" on just any of its knights—they have to earn the right to be worthy of wielding its ancestral greatsword, so Ser Arthur is already this by name. And that's without the likes of Jaime Lannister outright admiring his skill. When armed with Dawn, it is heavily implied that Ser Arthur may be the greatest swordsman in the series.
- Noble Top Enforcer: Despite being part of the Mad King's service, Arthur Dayne was beloved by the realm and the smallfolk. In his fight against the Kingswood Brotherhood, he ensured that his men treated people fairly, they paid for bed and board, in addition to successfully convincing the king to give increased rights to the people. This dwindled support for the outlaws and ensured their defeat.
- Pre-Mortem One-Liner: As Ser Jaime recalled.The Smiling Knight: It's that white sword of yours I want.Ser Arthur: Then you shall have it, ser.
- They Call Him "Sword": The Sword of the Morning, a family title.
- Undying Loyalty: To the King, but specifically, Prince Rhaegar.
- World's Best Warrior: Though it is outright stated that there is no such thing as an unbeatable warrior, with that being said, everyone thinks of Arthur as the greatest fighter of his generation and better than themselves, even other tremendously skilled swordsmen like Ser Jaime Lannister or Ser Barristan Selmy.
Martin himself outright stated that when armed with Dawn he would defeat Ser Barristan Selmy, another major contender for the title. - Worthy Opponent: Regarded by Eddard as such, which is why he returned Ser Arthur's body and sword to his family.
Ser Oswell Whent
Ser Oswell Whent
- "Woe to the Usurper if we had been [on the Trident]."
A member of the Kingsguard during Robert's Rebellion. He died at the Tower of Joy.
- Animal Motifs: In honor of his House sigil, nine black bats on a yellow field, Ser Oswell had a black bat with its wings spread embroidered on his helm.
- Cool Helmet: His white helm with a black bat on the visor.
- Deadpan Snarker: He was known for his dark humor.
- Everyone Is Related: He was related to Catelyn Tully through her mother, Minisa Whent, seemingly being a cousin or uncle. Also by the time of Robert's Rebellion Catelyn was sister-in-law to Lyanna Stark herself. Being Westerosi nobility does that to your family tree.
- Undying Loyalty: To the King and to Prince Rhaegar, along with Arthur Dayne. He was one of his companions Rhaegar left King's Landing to kidnap Lyanna Stark, and was allegedly involved in organizing the Tourney of Harrenhal at Rhaegar's instructions.
Ser Jonothor Darry
Ser Jonothor Darry
- "When you donned that cloak, you promised to obey."
A member of the Kingsguard during Robert's Rebellion. He was slain at The Battle of the Trident. Word of God states he was the brother of noted Targaryen loyalist Ser Willem Darry.
- Blind Obedience: To Aerys.
- Good Is Not Nice: Jaime remembers guarding the king and queen's bedroom with Ser Jonothor as they listened to Aerys raping his wife. When Jaime pointed out they were supposed to protect her too, Darry replied, "We are, but not from him."
- Punch-Clock Villain: In service to the Mad King, Jonothor had to help carry out or enable many vile acts, although it clearly rankled him to do so.
- Token Evil Teammate: Granted, he's an angel compared to some historical kingsguard, but he's the only one of Aerys' Kingsguard who never made a Heel–Face Turn from a villainous king (as Barristan and Jaime did), defected from Aerys to Rhaegar (as Whent, Dayne, and Hightower did), or was coerced into fighting for Aerys through a hostage (as Lewyn Martell was). His sole moment of note is defending Aerys' Marital Rape License.
Prince Lewyn Martell
Prince Lewyn Nymeros Martell
- "My uncle always said that it was the sword in a man's hand that determined his worth, not the one between his legs."—Arianne Martell
Uncle to Doran, Elia and Oberyn, Prince Lewyn was a member of the Kingsguard during Robert's Rebellion. He was slain by Ser Lyn Corbray at The Battle of the Trident.
See the House Martell page.
- Cool Uncle: To Princess Elia and her brothers. Arianne Martell also recalls her great-uncle fondly, remembering how he would often tickle her until she could scarcely breathe from laughing so hard.
- Culture Clash: Although never depicted as lacking in devotion to the Seven or in dedication to his duties towards the Crown, let's just say he found that certain aspects of Dornish culture don't map very well onto every oath sworn by the Kingsguard.
- Due to the Dead: His bones were returned to Dorne by Jon Arryn a year after Robert's Rebellion ended in an effort to help placate the rebellious elements in the region.
- Forced into Evil: He was strong-armed by King Aerys into commanding the Dornish forces sent by Doran Martell to fight at the Battle of the Trident, having been threatened with the safety of of Princess Elia Martell and her children as extortion. Something the Martells have certainly not forgotten, although they easily forgave him not being there to protect her. Aerys is another question.
- The Oathbreaker: Prince Lewyn's paramour was a "secret" kept by his fellow Kingsguard, though how well-kept is strongly debatable. Although, if you go into technicalities, he didn't actually take her to wife, so... we're basically talking the exact same get-out clause that the Night's Watch use to nip off to Mole Town with, except this time used for Dornish cultural reasons.
- Warrior Prince: Quite literally.
Ser Harlan Grandison
Ser Harlan Grandison
- "Aerys would want a young man to take his place, so why not a roaring lion in place of a sleepy one?"Jaime Lannister
Jaime Lannister's predecessor in Aerys' Kingsguard.
- Animal Motifs: House Grandison's sigil is a sleeping lion. He dies in his sleep (and is replaced by a Lannister).
- Old Soldier: He was an elderly knight, but since the Kingsguard serve for life he continued to carry out his duties until he passed away.
- Passed in Their Sleep: Died peacefully while sleeping in his cell in the White Tower.
- We Hardly Knew Ye: We aren’t told anything about the man apart from his name and how he died. However, if he managed to survive as a knight of the Kingsguard into his winter years, he must have been a fine warrior.
Ser Gwayne Gaunt
Ser Gwayne Gaunt
A knight of Aerys' Kingsguard during the Defiance of Duskendale.
- Alliterative Name: Gwayne Gaunt
- Bit Character: Only mentioned once in the books.
- Red Shirt: Killed by Ser Symon Hollard during the Defiance of Duskendale.
- Undying Loyalty; Killed trying to defend his king from being taken hostage by a rebel lord.
