Alysanne Hightower neé Peake

Introduction
Lady Hightower neé Peake was born in Starpike, and quickly developed a sense of adventure. It was that which brought her to a feast in Oldtown, where she met a young Leyton Hightower, and the two were married not long after that.

Appearance and Character
Alysanne was born in Starpike in 418 AC to Lord and Lady Peake. From a young age, she thirsted for knowledge above all else. With emerald green eyes and long brown locks, Alysanne was a beauty by any standard, and the men and boys of Starpike took notice, starting from a young age.

Yet she hardly noticed this. By the time she was thirteen, she'd learned all her letters and read nearly every book in the Starpike library. Her mother thought her impotent when she requested a wardship at a larger city so she could engage more people and read more books, which brought her attentions to Oldtown, just a short ride to the west.

History
For years, Alysanne developed an affinity for leadership, demanding her father allow her a cadre of ladies to attend her. Unfortunately, they peeled off one bye one. But a single lady stayed with her always, Lady Emberlei Flowers, a Peake by blood but not name. The two of them stayed together even after Alysanne married Leyton, and remains with her at Oldtown, along with Ser Androw Riverton, a lesser known knight of a nearby village.

Her relationship with her father, Gormon Peake, Lord Peake's cousin, was always difficult, though he did follow Lord Tyrell as a close and loyal vassal. In his time away, Alysanne developed an affinity for her mother, Elia Peake, the two soon becoming inseparable. This came to a head when her father convinced Lord Peake to close off the castle during the Scarlet Winter, and a close friend of Alysanne's died as a result. Their relationship was fractured, beyond repair, ever since.

She found respite in her mother, Emberlei, and a few of the other serving girls, whilst her father continued his martial ways. As a result of this lack of reconciliation, Alysanne hardened into the woman she later became before eventually marrying Leyton Hightower. Her books, her quick wit, and her close friend was all she truly needed. Unfortunately, her strained relationship with her father gave her a severe mistrust for men, aside from one friend, Androw Riverton, and it would impact her later relationships for essentially the rest of her adult life.

A benefit of the strained relationship with her father was two relationships that helped guide her development. First, her mother. Elia Peake and Alysanne were nearly inseparable, especially during various campaigns such as the Second Hammer Uprising and the Mummer's War and when Gormon was off fighting with his liege and lord.

This type proved to be the most blissful of Alysanne's life, even whilst she had family in peril. Her mother was a guiding force, and her bond with Emberlei only strengthened to the point where she considered the girl a sister. Lady Emberlei is older than Alysanne, and she considers her wiser, going to her for advice and guidance in Oldtown, just as she did in Starpike when they were girls.

Recent Events
Alysanne has been married to Leyton for a few years, though the two do not have any children together as of yet. He is rough and emotionless and does not seem to understand the weight of his actions. The marriage, made for political reasons rather than out of any affection the two might have held before it was completed, has always been strained. Alysanne finds herself in the library more oft than not, and when she is not in their chambers upon Leyton's return, a row is near certain to occur.

Her husband can be a difficult man, but Alysanne wishes for nothing more than to be a dutiful wife. Her main priority is to continue her studies, maintain her friendship with Emberlei, her closest confidante, and ultimately, attempt to make Leyton happy. How the three can be reconciled is difficult, but Alysanne is a headstrong woman, and she will never stop trying.

Household and Family
Gormon Peake - father, born in 395 AC

Elia Peake - mother, born in 400 AC

Emberlei Flowers - handmaiden, born in 415 AC

Ser Androw Riverton - local knight and sworn sword, born in 397 AC