Alyn Tyrell

Ser Alyn Tyrell (born 413 AC) is the third son of Lord Gareth Tyrell and a knight of the Kingsguard. During the Blue Winter, he toured much of southern Westeros with his knight-master, and made a name for himself in the Second Hammer Uprising. After defending Rhaenyra Targaryen at the Battle of Ashford, Alyn Tyrell was named to the Kingsguard in 436 AC.

Appearance and Character
Alyn is tall and muscular, with his father's height and the coloring of House Tyrell in his hazel eyes and curly brown hair. He usually wears a short beard and mustache, though he will shave for formal events. Like his father, Alyn prefers plain clothes in brown and green to opulent noble costume or the hard-to-clean white of the Kingsguard. Often his only adornment is a pendant with the Tyrell rose on one side and the seven-pointed star on the other.

Cheerful and gregarious, Alyn is a strong leader of men. He is as capable of rallying troops on the battlefield as he is of defending his king within the walls of the Red Keep. A champion of the smallfolk, he is well-beloved for his role in training and fighting beside militias of the Reach, the West, and the Stormlands.

Early Life
Born at Highgarden to Lord Gareth Tyrell and his wife the Lady Leona Tyrell, Alyn has trained to be a knight since he could first grasp a wooden sword. Visiting King's Landing with his family at the age of six cemented his dreams: he would be a knight of the Kingsguard or nothing else.

After attending the funeral of Queen Visaera at King's Landing in 420, Alyn sailed to the Arbor to serve as page and cupbearer to Lord Ryam Redwyne rather than returning to Highgarden with his family. He remained at the Arbor until the age of twelve, studying combat and the knightly duties of martial knowledge, and making fast friends with the Redwyne children.

Time as a Squire
Ser Artos Oakheart took Alyn to be his squire at the beginning of the Blue Winter. Armored more often in furs than in plate, the pair traveled much of Westeros, ranging from Riverrun to Sunspear. Together they fought bandits in the Westerlands, guarded shipments of food from the Reach, and escorted maesters to areas of sickness in the Vale and Crownlands.

As the harsh winter came to an end, Alyn and Ser Artos traveled to King's Landing to celebrate the wedding of Prince Aegon and Princess Rhaenyra. Though young Alyn could only catch a glimpse of the happy couple through the crowd, he once again swore to himself he would be a knight of the Kingsguard or nothing else.

Knight and squire remained on the east coast of Westeros for several years, hiring on with the goldcloaks of King's Landing for events when extra security was needed and answering calls for bandit-hunters from villanges in the Crownlands and northern Stormlands. On a few occasions, they accompanied crown officials or high-ranking merchants on journeys to Pentos, Tyrosh, and Myr.

It was at the Silver Wedding that Alyn proved himself worthy of becoming a knight, triumphing as the winner of the melee. Though he won nothing more than glory and the approval of his peers, the reward of knighthood was enough.

Knighthood
In late 431, after journeying from King's Landing to Oldtown, Ser Artos knighted Alyn Tyrell after a vigil in the Starry Sept. There the two parted; the son of Old Oak returned to his family's seat, while the newly-made Ser Alyn remained in Oldtown for a time. Already the Second Hammer Uprising had begun to stir; Alyn used his burgeoning popularity to steer as many as he could away from the Warsmiths. Ultimately, the Uprising came despite his meager efforts.

When the riot at the Starry Sept broke out, young Alyn did his best to fight through the crowd and protect the Septon. Taken by surprise and unarmored, he was gravely injured and almost trampled underfoot. It was thanks only to his friends within the city that he did not die that day. Instead he was able to recover his strength in secret and escape the city with his life. Though he had been humiliated, he had also been taught an important lesson: he needed to depend as much upon his wits as upon his strength with a sword. Travelling in disguise with a group of other young knights, Alyn crossed the Reach again and again. He rallied lords to his father's banners, taught loyal smallfolk to defend their holdings in this time of danger, and turned many bands of would-be warriors away from the Hammer's cause with tales of his perfidy. When one lord after another refused to serve his liege as sworn, Alyn and his circle turned to sabotage. Burning armories in the cover of night, destroying supplies for the creation of war machines, stealing maps and shooting down ravens as often as possible, they flinched only from destroying crops and food supplies. The Blue Winter still loomed large in their young minds.

With the news that Oldtown had been returned once more to the control of House Hightower, Alyn gathered the various small militias he had trained and led them to join the forces of his lord father. Within the commander's tent, Gareth's son found himself in one of the few embraces his father had ever given him; rumors of Alyn's death and torture had been as common as tales of his bravery and battles.

At the battle of Ashford, Ser Alyn Tyrell fought in the vanguard, on foot among the men of the Reach whom he had trained. While dragons wheeled overhead, he sought out and struck down as many of Ser Duncan Hammer's lieutenants as he could find. When at last Rhaenyra descended to duel Ser Duncan, Alyn found himself near, fighting back lesser men to prevent them from interfering. After the Hammer fell, Alyn was one of several who assisted the queen with her wounds, relaying messages from her to the Golden Company and helping her to mount her dragon when she departed.

The Kingsguard
When Rhaenyra Targaryen returned to her brother-husband Aegon VII Targaryen, it was with a tale of Ser Alyn Tyrell on her lips. More than once she told her new-made king of the young knight's bravery and strength in battle; so it was that after his coronation, Alyn Tyrell was summoned to King's Landing and inducted into the Kingsguard. So it was that as the depths of the Four Year Winter fell upon King's Landing, the young man's greatest dream was at last realized.

Family
See House Tyrell.