Brynden Corbray

Brynden Corbray is the second son of Lord Ronnel Corbray and Lady Myra Corbray nee Lynderly, and has served as a Knight of the Kingsguard since 387 AC, and a Knight of the Rainbow Guard since 405 AC.

Appearance and Character
Brynden Corbray is a tall man, and a muscular one, his lean, fit figure the repayment of years of training. His brown hair reaches to the middle of his neck, and a short beard adorns his chin. His piercing steel-grey eyes owe a lot to his intimidating persona, along with his pale white armour, that often reflects the light, and the legendary sword at his hip, Lady Forlorn, its ruby pommel standing out against the white.

Brynden is often seen as a grim man, and in combat he is feared. However, in the halls and corridors of Summerhall, he is often heard singing the Three Blows of Brynden Hammer, and commonly partakes in melees and jousts, to prove his adeptitude with the blade and the lance, unnecessary as that is.

Early Life
Brynden was born in the year 369 AC at Heart's Home, as the second son of Lord Ronnel Corbray. Never destined to become the heir to House Corbray, Brynden instead began to train as a warrior, like the Corbrays of legend. At the age of six, he began to train under his uncle Gawen, in the ways of a knight. Even from an early age, Brynden was proficient with a sword, laying out guards in his family's castle like they were training dummies.

When he was ten years of age, Brynden, his uncle, and his father, travelled to the The Kingswood Tourney, where Gawen entered the lists. The Corbray knight unhorsed two combatants, and Brynden became enamoured with the lance. At the tourney, Gawen encountered a knight of the Kingsguard, Ser Marq Farring. Gawen had been unhorsed by Ser Marq, and the two agreed that Brynden would squire under Marq in King's Landing.

Squireship and the White Sword Tower
Brynden travelled to the capital with Ser Marq in the royal party, and saw the King for the first time, becoming intrigued with the Targaryens and their dragons. At King's Landing, Brynden was put through rigorous training, and fought every man in the Kingsguard at the time, including the Lord Commander, Daven Crakehall, defeating them all, eventually. Continuing to train, Brynden was knighted upon his seventeenth birthday, by Ser Marq.

The White Raven and the Hammer
It was a year later that Ser Brynden Corbray received the honour of a lifetime. Ser Arron Jast of the Kingsguard had perished of a sickness, and King Aenar, along with Lord Commander Daven Crakehall, inducted the young knight into the Kingsguard at the age of 18. Proud of his son, Ronnel Corbray had Lady Forlorn delivered to the White Sword Tower with an escort, and Brynden Corbray became the picture of a legendary Corbray.

It was one year later that he got his first taste of war. In the Kingswood, the Warsmiths, led by Brynden Hammer, had attacked Foolskeep, and slain Lord Follard, along with his three sons, and a group of 50 royal men-at-arms. News arrived at the capital a few weeks later, that the Warsmiths had raided Helmshall, and looted the castle for their gains. Daven Crakehall was appointed as the leader of the forces, and Brynden accompanies him, along with Marq Farring. Brynden had heard much and more of Brynden Hammer and the Warsmiths, and had formed an admiration of them. However, the raids on Foolskeep and Helmshall had left a sour taste in the Kingsguard's mouth, and he knew that Hammer must be put down.

Brynden and Marq fought side by side in the Battle of the Weeping Willows, cutting down Warsmiths as they fought through the trees, pushing back against Hammer's charge, and engaging with Gentle Geoff, the giant Warsmith. Whilst Brynden fought Geoff to a standstill, Farring was not so lucky, and was slain in the field of battle. Brynden, seeing the chaos, was forced to leave Farring's body at the postern gate, in the royal retreat.

Brynden fought at the Fording of the Rush, carrying Lord Commander Daven Crakehall away from Sumner the Sunderer, whilst one of his brothers slew the Warsmith. Victory running through his veins, Brynden urged the Lord Commander to pursue Brynden Hammer, receiving a clout on the ear for his troubles, and a stern explanation. At first, Brynden was angry with the Lord Commander, pinning the lack of action on cowardice, but after the Song of Sword and Steel, he realised how wise the Lord Commander was.

Returning to King's Landing, Brynden recovered, and had his wounds patched up by a maid of sixteen, named Alysanne, who took an attraction to the Corbray. Whilst the King and the Lord Commander dealt out punishments to the captive Warsmiths, Brynden and the maid's love bloomed, in direct violation of his oaths, leading to great heartbreak when the Kingsguard were drawn to war again.

At the Song of Sword and Steel, Brynden joined Crakehall in flushing out Hammer and the Warsmiths, the Kingsguard and the cavalry waiting in the trees as Hew and Hammer advanced on the Kingsbridge. Corbray watched as the Warsmiths tore through the men of the crown, and pleaded Crakehall to charge. Eventually the Lord Commander relented, and, white cloaks billowing in the wind, the men of Daven Crakehall crushed rebels beneath their feet. Brynden leapt from his horse and drew Lady Forlorn, after his lance had shattered on a Warsmith's shield, and engaged the nearest Warsmith he could. Brynden Hammer. The two Bryndens looked each other in the eye and smiled, beginning their deadly dance. The rebel's warhammer crushed into Corbray's shield many a time, distorting the pale white metal as the two fought. Hammer caught Lady Forlorn's blade often with the haft of his hammer, and the duel carried on for half an hour. Both men were bleeding heavily, and the battle looked a stalemate, until Lady Forlorn caught Brynden Hammer under the shoulder, stabbing him through to his heart. The Warsmiths had been defeated, and Brynden fell to the ground, unconscious. The battle was won.

Upon the victorious party's return, Brynden was taken back to the maid who had previously assisted him, and discovered that the girl had become pregnant. Presumably, with the child of Brynden Corbray, Knight of the Kingsguard. Brynden knew that the girl could not stay in the city. If the child looked like their father, the two would be executed, and the child killed as well. After his wounds were healed, Brynden made a fateful decision. He arranged for a ship to take Alysanne to Heart's Home, with a letter for his uncle, Gawen.

Famine and Family
It was four years later that the Great Famine hit King's Landing. Whilst those in the Red Keep were less affected, Brynden knew the plight of those on the streets of the capital, and often ate only half of his rations, riding to the streets of the city and offering the rest to the hungry and poor. This granted the Kingsguard a good rapport with the people of King's Landing, and made the two-and-twenty year old knight a well-renowned member of the Kingsguard.

During the Famine, Brynden received a raven from Heart's Home, the Corbray seal on the letter giving the sender away. The pain and suffering of the Great Famine was removed from Brynden's mind as he read the words upon the page.

"Your son is well. Alysanne is not wanting for food, and the two will survive the famine.

Never break your oaths again, or I will come down to King's Landing and tear your head from your neck.

Gawen."

Brynden knew he would not likely see his son again, but he felt well knowing he was safe.

Three Thieves, Three Kings, One Kingdom
Viserion took flight from King's Landing in 396 AC, and Brynden followed, captaining one of the royal fleet's ships. At the Battle of Splinters, he did very little, his ship staying mostly upon the sidelines of the battle, as Viserion fell from the sky. Brynden's ship was unaffected by Daarius Ormollen's raids on the fleet, and thus he stayed relatively unharmed throughout the early war.

It was at the Second Battle of Splinters that the Kingsguard distinguished himself. His ship collided with a Stepstones warship, captained by Balerion the Black, son of the Black Pearl of Braavos, and a famed pirate. Balerion was everything Brynden was not. In his black armour, the Braavosi was a shadow of the white cloaked knight, and his lecherous, whoring ways were opposite to the stoic, oathkeeping of the Valeman. Lady Forlorn met Balerion's rapier, steel clashing with Valyrian Steel as they danced upon the deck of Balerion's ship, ''the Black Pearl. ''Eventually, Lady Forlorn tore Balerion's plate asunder, and killed the man in one swipe. With the death of the right flank's commander, the Crown's forces managed to surround the centre of Ormollen's fleet, pushing Daarius back.

At the Battle of the Broken Arm, Brynden killed no notable commanders, but slew many pirates upon the deck of his ship and theirs, bringing the Targaryen fleet to a swift victory, fighting under dragonfire. Ormollen's Pyre was a short battle as well, Brynden barely killing ten men over the course of the conflict.

At the Gallows, Brynden fought alongside another knight of the Kingsguard, through Alequo Silverband's halls, until the King of the Stepstones met Maekar Targaryen in the skies above Grey Gallows. Brynden was taken by the Targaryen's valour, as the dragons danced, and found great respect for the Prince.

Scarlet Winter, White Cloaks
Another letter was delivered from Heart's Home at the outbreak of the Scarlet Winter. Brynden dreaded every letter, but as the first, it relieved Brynden of many of his worries.

"She is warm. Your son begun his squireship a few years ago, and he is, luckily, taking after his father.

I will still remind you that you have oaths to keep.

Gawen."

Brynden often went out to the Blackwater Bay, wearing a white bearskin cloak that he had purchased from a Northern merchant looking to profit from the winter, and sparred with the Kingsguard squires on the ice, defeating them swiftly as he went. Upon the Night With No Moon, Brynden was assigned to Maekar Targaryen, the Prince that he had seen fighting over Grey Gallows, and the two watched as the red moon overhead the city, their beliefs in the Starry Rites fearing the worst. Upon the death of Aemon Targaryen, and Maekar's resignation from the Small Council, Aenar assigned the Corbray to Summerhall, to protect Maekar and his kin.

Knights of Summer
Upon Maekar and Brynden's arrival at Summerhall, the Kingsguard was brought to the great hall of the palace, where he was inducted into Maekar's personal guard, the Rainbow Guard of Summerhall, as Ser Brynden the White. He has served as Summerhall's Kingsguard for two years, and formed a close bond with House Targaryen of Summerhall.

Family

 * Lord Ronnel Corbray - Father - b. 349 AC
 * m. Lady Myra Corbray nee Lynderly - Mother - b. 350 AC, d. 407
 * Ser Artys Corbray - Brother - b. 367 AC
 * Ser Brynden Corbray - b. 369 AC
 * l. Alysanne - Lover - b. 371 AC
 * Gwayne Stone - b. 388 AC


 * Ser Gawen Corbray - Uncle - b. 351 AC
 * m. Alyssa Ruthermont - Aunt - b. 354 AC
 * Ser Andar Corbray - Cousin - b. 372 AC