Darick Westerling

Ser Darick Westerling is the second born son of Ser Jacelyn Westerling and his wife Lady Alys Westerling of House Lorch. He was added as a Knight of the Kingsguard in 430 AC to replace Ser Allard Morrigen.

Appearance and Character
A fit man in his mid thirties, Darick Westerling stands at 6'0 even accommodating a build of lean muscle on his capable body. Sporting the sandy brown hair of his house that he keeps to a medium length and compliments with a well trimmed beard and mustache. Wearing the white armor of his station during all formal and official duties required and needed of him, Darick is well acquainted with wearing the heavier scaled and plated armor of knights yet has a preference for more mobile equipment. He is a passionate hunter and rider, taking what chance he has to don the lighter armors and protection that would accommodate a hunter. His casual wear consists of a sandy brown Doublet and a pair of simple black trousers.

A Knight tried and true, tested on the battlefield and learned in the arts of war, Darick tries to stand as an example to the ideas of chivalry and the traditions they stand for. Having been trained on matters of defense due to the position the Crag takes in the West, his knowledge of defensive strategies has taught Darick the importance of supply and the hasteful mustering of levy. This knowledge had also opened up Darick from an early age to think not just on defense outside the keep, but inside as well. Inside a keep, where the enemy has more chances for chaos and subterfuge, is an aspect that Darick prepared and planned over to better serve his house, latter his king.

Honest to a fault, too brave for his own good, and unflinching in his loyalty, Darick considers these his points of pride where others may see weakness in them. Disdainful of the very nature of dishonesty, he has little trust or faith in those who he believes or knows lie. Darick has great love for those he makes bonds with and will place himself as their ear to speak to, the hand to help them up, or, if need be, their first and last line of defense.

His bond with his fellow Kingsguard is so great that his personal sigil is mirrored to represent this great love he holds. Adapting the sigil of House Westerling, he has changed the six seashells into six white cloaks to stand in for his six brothers. This is displayed on his shield alone and wielded with pride by Darick who maintains the shield with utmost diligence and supervision. The only remnant of his House in his wardrobe is the seashell brooch pinning his white cloak and affixing it to his person.

History
Born on the Second Moon in 305 AC, Darick came into the world as the Second child of his parents, Ser Jacelyn Westerling and Lady Alys Westerling. Ser Jacelyn was a cousin of the main branch of House Westerling and a veteran of the War of Three Thieves and, later in his life, the Mummer's War. His older brother Lucas being away as a page to the Spicers of Castamere by the time he was born and his mother was constantly bedridden by sickness lead to the initial few years of Darick's childhood being a lonely one save for the company of his Uncle Martin and latter his younger brother Robert. Being born to the poor House Westerling left little options for Darick and his siblings upbringing in regards to quality, this however did not deteriorate the love that he maintained for his family or the admiration he held in his father for sacrificing time from the family to make more funds for his house.

The Mummers War began in 407 AC, once again pulling their father away to fight for House Lannister and the crown for his last war as a mace blow he recieved while fighting in the Riverlands to his leg left him with a permanent limp and ruined his prospects as a soldier in the future. Darick's broken and depressed father returned home and immediately set about educating him in matters of war and the strategies tought to the men of House Westerling due to the strategic location of their house. Their seat of the Crag was the last major castle on the northern coast of the Westerlands and thus, a critically important position acting as a floodgate to prevent hostile armies from approaching further south. Darick took to heart the lessens of his Father and Uncle as well as begining his training with sword, lance, and bow, showing great potential with his martial prowess. His time with his uncle would be short lived however as he left to pursue his desire to become a maester in Oldtown, the tearful boy said his farewell with his younger brother Robert to their uncle, who had acted as a second father and teacher to the children, before his departure of which none of them have yet to reunite from since.

In 410 AC the greatest opportunity yet that came in to their family came in the form of a knight of House Manderly  offered to make the young Lucas his squire and take him north. Darick's father relished the opportunity for his child to travel and see the greater parts of the Seven Kingdoms, potentially and hopefully even grow the houses prestige and earn coin to better its position. His father beamed with pride when his eldest son emerged from his quarters in the sea foam green of House Manderly proclaiming "Now the sand has its sea." What wealth and sway he had in court Ser Jacelyn used to arrance a feast to see his son of with much fanfare and festivities. This was one off the few times all five of Darick's family was spending quality time as a unit together and experienced and shared in each others joy and love, unbeknownst that it would be their last time. For the first time in his life, Darick saw one he loved away with joy rather than tears and embraced his brother wishing him luck while promising him a raven every fortnight. And as such it was that Darick saw his older brother Lucas Westerling alive for the last time.

The next few years went without event for Darick who grew into a fine young lad with himself finally becoming a squire in his own right to a knight in the court of House Westerling. He kept his promise to his older brother, eagerly writing him and sending a raven every fortnight as he had promised even sending the occasional raven to his Uncle in Oldtown while he studied, though their correspondence was less frequest due to his uncles heavy workload at the citadel. The last few ravens he recieved from Lucas detailed the rising tensions in the North over multiple wildling tribes uniting under a single ruler and that House Stark had called its banners after multiple raids on their lands. His brother would be joining these forces going North to meet the threat and end this supposed King. Lucas Westerling would die charging with the Manderly cavalry at Hardhome after he was shot multiple times by wildling archers.

The knight who Lucas had squired for personally lead the body home and informed the family of his bravery and skill, being truly worthy of the title of knight. With Jacelyn's permission, Lucas Westerling was knighted as Ser Lucas of House Westerling, a knight of the Seven Kingdoms, posthumously by his teacher in a small, private ceremony observed by the household only. The change in their family was immediate with his mother doting and obsessing more and more on Robert that the boy began to ignore his lessons and training with his mother's permission to spend more time with her instead. His father doubled down and presssed Darick more and more to succeed and triumph in life, Jacelyn spent what funds he had left hiring and employing tutors and older knights to come to the Crag and train him when he felt that Darick had learned all he could from him.

Fate turned against House Westerling again when the pox swept through the Crag and took the lives of Darick's brother and mother, who couldn't keep herself away from the young Robert even in his sickroom. The small funeral that was arranged for the two was done with haste and finished as quickly as the pox took them. This was the last straw on Ser Jacelyn's life as a year later on Darick's 17 name day, Ser Jacelyn announced his intent to depart for the Nights Watch and requested his son be knighted so that he would know his son had become a man before he left him. Following his father's request, and likely from the preassure of everyone in the hall looking at him, Darick was knighted by his master and promplty dubbed Ser Darick of House Westerling, Knight of the Crag.

With no true family left in The West, Darick traveled the Seven Kingdoms as a traveling knight, competing in what tourneys where he could and doing whatever odd jobs the smallfolk and local lords of wherever he happened to travel needed. His experiences over these next few years built Darick's appreciation for honesty as he observed in the smallfolk and helped to shape him into a knight of the people who stood for the smallfolk. Simple sword and shield hero antics weren't the only skill Darick had for resolving the issues he faced in his travels as he had many instances where he chose to speak with the occasional wayward ruffian or the band of upset smallfolk favoring negotiating with those he saw as good people on hard times rather than putting them to the sword. His exploits soon reached the ear of Lord Farring who employed him into his personal household in 425AC, after 3 years of wandering Westeros he had a home again.

Darick spent the next 4 years in service to Lord Farring as his Master-At-Arms and avoided the near-constant attempts of Lord Farring to wed him to one of his young daughters. His service came to an end when Darick admited to Lord Farring that he had no desire or intent whatsoever to wed one of his daughters, and as such Lord Farring thanked him for his service to his house but promptly requested he leave his court. Desiring no conflict on the matter, Darick left Farring Hall in the night. Having amassed enough funds, Darick made his way to Kings Landing with the intent of settling in the city for a time and provide his services where a man of his talents would be needed.

Settling in on the Street of Steel, Darick provied his services as a bodyguard to the local shop owners in Kings Landing, quickly gaining a positive reputation like he had while traveling. During his time of performing odd jobs across the city, Darick had to muscle unrully patrons from an inn and met one of the women working there, a young woman named Mina. Darick for the first time felt a rush of energy seeing this beauty and began to visit the to see her more and more. It became habit for Darick to begin eating his supper at this inn on days which he knew she would work as to allow the two to see each other. This growing relationship between the two culminated in Darick confessing to her after work his affection that had grown for Mina, which she happily confessed that she reciprocated. Darick would help to move her from her lodging in Flea Bottom into his own on the Street of Steel.

Whilst making his way from one shop to another, Darick happened upon a group of Gold Cloaks harrasing the shop keep who employed him, demanding he pay them half of his earnings for the day. Intervening on his employers behalf, Darick demanded they leave to avoid any escalation. Escalation was exactly what happened as the Gold Cloaks drew blades and he was forced to defend himself. It was here that Darick killed his first man, killing one and injuring the other two. Apprehending the remaining injured gold cloaks, Darick turned them and himself over to the city watch for judgement.

Luckily for himself though, the Gold Cloaks he had fought were responsible for multiple incidents like the one he had stopped and now there were citizens who had been victimized by their extorsion coming forward to defend him and praising him as a hero. Word of this incident reached Ser Allard Morrigen of the Kingsguard who approached Darick about the incident and requested his help in a personal matter he was interested in. As Ser Allard explained to him that he was looking into corruption in the Gold Cloaks like what Darick had stopped and needed his help to uncover more as a threat to the city was a threat to the king. Eager to do more good, Darick readily accepted the proposal.

Instructed to continue business as usual while simply observing certain Gold Cloaks, Darick resumed his protection of local businesses while making sure to take as much notice as possible of the men Ser Allard needed. Darick lead this routine in his daily life for many months until finally noticing a change in pattern amongst the guards he was watching and relayed his observation to Allard. Under direction, he tailed a patrol to an inn by the River Gate to uncover the root of the corruption that they had investigated together, The Captain of the River Gate himself. Informed of this development, Allard gathered trustworthy Gold Cloaks alongside himself and Darick to arrest the ringleaders of the corruption. Upon their arrival at the River Gate though Ser Allard was struck with multiple quivers from crossbowmen placed in wait by the corrupt captain and the River Gate descended into chaos of Gold Cloak fighting Gold Cloak. While the fighting raged, Darick pulled Ser Allard to safety in an alley and attempted to tend to his wounds with the help of a few gold cloaks. Unfortunately though, Ser Allard would pass in that Alleyway he had been dragged into despite what treatment that could've been provided to him.

With reinforcements arriving from other patrols, the corrupt Gold Cloaks were defeated with their captain dying in the fighting. Darick prepared Ser Allard's body and covered the body with it's white cloak while awaiting the transport for the body to the Red Keep, which he intended to escort. Less than a week latter, a knock fell at Darick's door and upon opening he found himself facing a royal page who presented him with a letter from court. Much more to his surprise, the letter bore the King's seal and the contents of the letter revealed that King Rhaegar himself wished for Darick to appear at court and be the man who replaced Ser Allard's vacant space on the Kingsguard. Without awaiting a response, the page informed Darick that he was expected by the next day to appear before court for the ceremony to take place and departed his home.

In that moment Darick felt great joy at the prospect, but his thoughts changed drastically upon the return of Mina from the inn for the day. The oaths of Kingsguard were well known to any man and to break it was a terrible crime, yet Darick knew true love with Mina and would not trade her for anything. Informing her of the situation, Mina encouraged him to take the cloak and still continue the relationship as simple as that, but Daricks morals conflicted at this. To lie to the king and men who would be his brother in oath and office would be a betrayal of who he was. Whatever reservations Darick had prevented any good sleep over the night for him as he dwelt on the proposal of both the King of the Seven Kingdoms, and the woman he loved. Come the dawn, Darick was awoken by a knock at the door and the page's voice calling for him. Rising from his bed he observed the sleeping figure of Mina and resolved the decision in his heart.

Donning his cloak and putting on his best set of armor, he planted a kiss on Mina's sleeping brow and exited his home. The page awaited impatiantly and set about informing Darick that, obviously by his attire he intended to travel to the keep and that the King was already prepared to recieve him for the ceremony. With an understanding nod Darick sent the page for his horse while he closed the door to his home and uttered one thing, "For Love".

Within the hour of leaving his home, the tired and conflicted Darick was before the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms, King Rhaegar II of House Targaryen. That day Ser Darick Westerling knelt before his King and was dubbed Ser Darick of the Kingsguard in the sight of gods and men, and told his first and only lie for love.

Family

 * Ser Jacelyn Westerling - Father
 * Lady Alys Westerling, nee Lorch (†) - Mother (378-421)
 * Ser Lucas Westerling (†)  - Older Brother (401-418/19)
 * Robert Westerling (†) - Younger Brother (409-421)
 * Maester Martin - Uncle