Alesander Florent

Ser Alesander Florent is the fraternal twin of Renata Redwyne and second born son of Ser Imry Florent with his wife, Loreza of Braavos. While his brother toiled in King’s Landing, and his sister enchanted a scion of House Redwyne, Alesander lived the life of a wanderer. His upbringing was an ambiguous and unconventional one by Westerosi standards, particularly given the standing of the fading House Florent as well as the interests of his Braavosi mother.

Having come to be known as the Black Fox, Alesander is now the Lord of Brightwater Keep, and the Reach's representative to the young King Daeron III's council of regents.

Appearance and Character
As a boy, Alesander was considered a gangly, long and lanky youth. His features were too sharp by half, and his bony frame was not what one would hope if a parent nursed ambitions of rearing a great knight to display to all the realm. To say he had been off-color, and awkward would have been the most succinct of understatements. Where his sister was exotic, he seemed malformed. Age, however, proved to be his greatest bounty as he grew into the body he had been given by birth. Adulthood finds the Black Fox as tall and lanky as ever, but where once there had been awkwardness, there was now grace. His chiseled features present a unique visage, with all the lines and edges giving him an almost statuesque demeanor.

With the passing of time, Alesander now has allowed his fading features to be hidden by a beard, as well as shoulder length hair.

Like so many of House Florent, the young man dons the dark red hair akin to the fox. His eyes are a dark, green that sometimes appear as if they might even be hazel. In his manner of dress, Alesander tends to darker colors in varied shades of black and of blue. Upon the matter of armor, he has always preferred chainmail and leather to plate, feeling that the traditional garb of Westerosi knights were too limiting for his preferred forms.

Though he has been knighted in the seven oils, Alesander cares little for the traditional codes and honors upheld by the knights of the realm. He maintains as pristine a façade as he is able, and despite his genteel manner, there are few whom have crossed his path that might describe Alesander as a kind man. He is ambitious, ruthless and willing to do whatever he must to see the fading fortunes of his family restored. His sister, Renata, is regarded by some as a great artist, and so too is he. Only of a decidedly more visceral cast.

Early Life
Alesander Florent was born mere seconds before his twin sister, Renata, in the Fourth Moon of 392 A.C.  Their birth was not an easy one, and all the complications that arose would see Loreza of Braavos, their mother, unable to again become thick with child. The twins, however, entered the world both hale and whole. They were smaller than their brother Auguste had been, but according to the maester who delivered them into the world they were as healthy as any could be.

They were energetic, and mischievous children. The two were often inseparable and displayed a certain cunning for children their age. Given the sigil of their fallen house, some within Oldtown had taken to calling them the Black Foxes. As a boy Alesander would often watch the knights that often flocked to Oldtown for tourney, and it was then that he hatched grand plans to join their number. His father was a mercantile man, and had never earned the title of Ser, and as he grew older this shamed the young Alesander, if only because it was yet another mark of how low the Florents had been given to dwell.

In 414 A.C., at the age of twelve, a certain knight caught Alesander’s eye. He was a young, virile man by the of House Costayne named Ser Pellinore. He was a cousin to the Lord of Three Towers, but at that point of his career in the tourney circuit he was rather more well-known. After sufficient begging, Imry Florent approached the knight and at first Ser Pellinore rejected the notion. Alesander had become surly with this rejection but was resolved to have his own way. Some moons later he approached Ser Pellinore himself in what seemed a chance encounter, and thereafter the knight agreed to take him on as his squire.

Ser Pellinore
His time spent squiring for Ser Pellinore proved to be all Alesander had hoped for and more. The price had had to pay for the pleasure was one he was more than willing to endure. In fact, as he grew he came to enjoy their arrangement, as Ser Pellinore exposed him to a world that he could have only imagined. Their house was not a poor one, by any stretch of the imagination, but the foxes of House Florent were a far cry from what they had been. Ser Pellinore and his lifestyle proved to accentuate just how far they had fallen.

Alesander was a capable squire, but he had not the natural gifts born to other boys of his age. He was scrawny by comparison, but rather than scorn him for this Ser Pellinore exposed him to other styles better suited to his stature. He was a natural on a horse, and even proved himself capable when it came to the tilts against other squires of his age. All in all, it was a fruitful endeavor, but the young man was left wanting more.

The martial aptitudes of Westeorsi knights were not the only thing to captivate Alesander during this period, as he became more and more interested in the origins of his mother. Loreza hailed from a family of moderate wealth from the Free City of Braavos. He had met many a Braavosi during his time in Oldtown, sailors and the like, and sometimes would likewise bother them for this tale or that. It was a quiet, silent dream that he nursed for fear of angering the scion of House Costayne.

Pellinore was a mercurial man, coming and going as he might please. As was the case with most such men he required precisely the opposite of his squire. Grateful as he was to the great knight, Alesander came to resent him as the years drew by. Near his eighteenth nameday he even confronted the knight, after once again being refused his spurs.

In the end, Alesander enlisted the help of his sister, Renata and together they formed a plot to force Pellinore’s hand. The price for that sundering what the relationship Alesander had long enjoyed, but his ambitions had come to mean more to him than the other fruits of his partnership with Pellinore Costayne. After Renata attained sufficient blackmail, Alesander confronted the Costayne and in return found himself anointed in the seven oils.

The Secret City
The newly minted knight wasted little time in advancing his plans to spend some time abroad. He had grown bored the Oldtown, it was simply a matter of securing the funds. His father, Imry, was a mewling sort of man and disliked the notion of his travel. He hoped the boy would enter the service of House Hightower as a sworn sword to Lucifer’s son, Lord Leyton. Alesander was a willful man, filled with all the fire of youth, and rejected the notion. Like all of his family he was grateful to the Hightowers for their sanctuary, but his time with Ser Pellinore had highlighted for him that he did not envision himself in a life of service. No matter how honorable the station.

There was one matter, however, that might have seen Alesander change his mind. Renata had not the same drive nor inclination to endure such rough travels to the Free Cities, and despite his entreaties would not accompany him. He understood that she had her own affairs, but the rejection did cut him deeply. He had never truly been without his sister and was reticent to endure the experience.

When all was said and done, however, Alesander did set off for Braavos as he had long dreamed. He boarded with his mother’s relations and set about absorbing all that he could. Beneath the aegis of the Titan, he learned much of their culture, even taking to the Braavosi blade, a rare thing for a knight of Westeros.

Beyond the expansion of his more martial capabilities, one of the more notable undertakings of Alesander was his affair with the Sealord’s daughter, Voresa Zalyne. In thrilled the young knight to have so captivated such a highborn woman’s attentions, and it was an infatuation he utilized to the fullest. He truly enjoyed the time he was able to spend with the beautiful Voresa, but after a time, as was often the case, he grew tired of her company. Fearing proscription by her powerful father, Alesander departed Braavos and returned to Oldtown to reunite with his family.

The Black Fox
The young knight, just before his twenty-second nameday, returned to his family’s home in the city. He had often kept up with the affairs of the region through the letters he would trade back and forth with his sister. The ending of his relationship with Voresa could not have come sooner, however, as he was only just able to arrive before the wedding of his sister to Ryam Redwyne, cousin to the Lord of the Arbor. He found the man to be a suitable match, even if his prospects of inheritance seemed minimal.

It was a mark of how precipitously the two were connected that Alesander quickly resumed his place at Renata’s side. Like before he aided her endeavors, and she his.

During the period that followed he once more became known by the moniker of his youth. Due to his style of dress, the way in which he participated in tourney, and his overall demeanor many once more dubbed him the Black Fox. The young knight even took inspiration from the name in the devising of his own personal sigil. A means by which he hoped to differentiate himself from the failed legacy of his father’s generation. His return to the city also saw him sometimes attached to the household of Lord Leyton, as Alesander became less reticent of making himself of use when the need arose.

Lady of the Arbor & Keeper of the Key
While the Black Fox had not lived an unworthy life, recent years have seen him grow more ambitious and harbor an even greater desire concerning the matter of House Florent’s reclamation. It was a hope that many had harbored, but for Alesander it was about much more than simply seeing his family take its due. He cared deeply for his parents, his siblings, and the legacy that they left behind. Nevertheless, he could not help but feel rankled by his comparative level of success when measured up against that of his siblings.

As the years drew by his sister’s fortune had taken an upturn, and more and more he believed she would one day be the Lady of the Arbor. His sister was not the only one to see an uptick in fortunes however, as word reached them that their brother, Augsute had risen in the Black Queen’s court to become one of the coveted Keepers of the Keys. House Florent was in a greater position than any before him could ever have dared to hope for. Yet still, he had to wonder what part he would play in the great games to come.

Reclaiming Brightwater Keep
Alesander departed Oldtown in the retinues of Lord Leyton Hightower, and his goodbrother Ryam Redwyne to attend the Grand Tournament at Summerhall in the Fifth Moon of 418 A.C.

Alesander would eventually manipulate his way into marrying Jeyne Tyrell, Lady of Brightwater Keep, and have her, and the children of their union, carry the Florent name. Thus, after many schemes had been planned and executed with the help of Renata, Alesander's twin sister, House Florent became the future of Brightwater Keep once more.

Alesander knew what he had done may result in tension with House Tyrell, so he kept his head low, and focused on improving Brightwater Keep. No longer a wanderer, Alesander's days were spent improving his administrative skill, and taking the role of castellan of Brightwater Keep in all but name.

The impending threat that Alester felt from House Tyrell, should he give them reason to try to reclaim what they had taken from his kin once before, made having an heir Alester's first priority. With the birth of his firstborn, Arys, the line was secured, and the child was also a nephew to Gareth Tyrell. The secondborn, Gareth, was named after his uncle, as an appeasement to both Alester's liege and wife, though the former had not asked for it.

After the death of Lysa, Alesander's fourthborn, a rift grew between husband and wife. Already with tensions high as the rivalry between the two eldest sons had become the only thing anyone in Brightwater Keep could talk about, the death pushed Alesander away, into his work, while Jeyne would spend less time administering the lands, and spend what time she had left with her children. As such, it is often the case that Jeyne is seen travelling for tourneys and weddings with her children, and Alesander stays home.

Though Alesander has left his roguish behaviour behind, he still resorts to being as stern and ruthless as he was in his past. The only exceptions to this is his sole surviving daughter.

Recent Events
In recent years, Alesander has cultivated his advantages and mitigated his weaknesses, focusing on improving Brightwater Keep and maintaining the ties of conditional loyalty and mutual advantage with his fellow Lords of the Reach. Stymieing his efforts in these regards were the carefree and often ill-considered actions of his son and heir, Arys - a lad more at home on a tourney circuit than in a great hall. Though the lad was the envy of many of his peers - handsome, charming, charismatic, and skilled with sword and lance - he was an entirely different sort of man than his father, and Alesander grew to reset his own son for this perceived indiscretion.

The Great Council of 439 AC
In 439 AC, the Florent household attended the Great Council in King's Landing, where Alesander hoped to take advantage of the political upheaval much as his brother Auguste had done in the days of Queen Visaera. While in King's Landing for the council, Alesander's good-brother Lord Gareth Tyrell passed away, leaving Highgarden to Alesander's nephew, Lord Garlan Tyrell.

Word reached the assembled Reach lords of Westerlander forces marshaling along the borders of the northern Reach, and many of those assembled blamed Queen Visenya - for whom the lords of the West had emerged as staunch proponents - for the Lannisters' warmongering. Though Alesander supported Queen Rhanyra and Prince Viserys' claim on the Iron Throne (along with many other lords of the southern Reach, in opposition to Lord Tyrell), Visenya and Daeron's claim won out, and the question of what would come next for the Reach lords came to the surface.

Alesander declined to participate in a proposed conspiracy with lords Hightower and Tarly, in spite of his differences with his nephew. He raised the levies of Brightwater and its vassal houses for the defense of the Reach, should such actions prove necessary. With the approval of Lord Aelyx Sunderland's regency plan - proposing that the Small Council be dissolved and one lord from each of the Seven Kingdoms, as well as the Riverlands, be appointed as the regents and Small Council of the young King Daeron - Alesander competed with Lord Oakheart for the task of representing the Reach. Oakheart - a Wing and perceived crony of Tyrell and perhaps even the Lannisters - lacked the trust of the other southern Reach lords, whose support gave Alesander the impetus needed to secure the position.

Regency
Alesander's term as regent lasted only a handful of weeks. On the field before King's Landing, Alesander and the other regents met with Criston Lannister to determine why he had brought an army to the capital and what it would take to see the army return home. Despite tense negotiations, an agreement was reached. Then, as Lord Desmond Oakheart - Lannister's ally - attempted to disarm him until the army was sent home, all hell broke loose.

In the chaos that followed, Oakheart was slain by Lannister, Prince Baelor Targaryen took flight upon his dragon as Lannister cavalry hurled towards the place of parley, and the remaining regents including Alesander retreated to the walls of the city. The Crimson Parley, as it would come to be known, was the first and last of Alesander's major trials as regent.

After a long and conspicuous absence in the wake of the Great Council, Queen Visenya descended on each member of the regency council independently, arguing for the dissolution of the council and the declaration of her as sole regent. Recognizing that he would be unable to sway the queen or the other regents, Alesander acquiesced and gave his vote to dissolve the council (though he was careful to do so only after the decision had been reached by a majority of his peers).

Following the dissolution of the council, Alesander remained in the capital to serve as King Daeron's Master of Coin. Many of his fellow regents - Criston Lannister, Baelor Targaryen, Vickon Blacktyde, and William Vaith - returned to their home regions and needed replacement. To Alesander's chagrin, the replacements included both Godric Arryn and Tysane Lannister. The new Dornish representative to the king's court, Vorion Dayne, was given the position of Master of Coin in tandem with Alesander, with the queen's expectation that the two men share the position. Instead, Alesander proposed to occupy the still-vacant seat of the Master of Whisperers, leaving the purse strings of the realm to Dayne.

Family
Alester Florent d. 300 AC, m. Melara Crane
 * Alekyne Florent b. ~285-290 AC, m. Merrill Hightower
 * Rylene Florent b. ~315 AC
 * Axell Florent b. ~320 AC
 * Gyles Florent b. ~340 AC,
 * m. Melissa Peake
 * Imry Florent b. 366 AC d. 421 AC
 * m. Loreza of Braavos
 * Auguste Florent, Keeper of the Queen's Purse b. 386 AC
 * Alesander Florent, the Black Fox b. 392 AC
 * m. Lady Jeyne Tyrell, Lady of Brightwater Keep b. 387 AC
 * Arys Florent b. 419 AC
 * Gareth Florent b. 421 AC
 * Renata Florent b. 422 AC
 * Lysa Florent, b. 423 AC d. 437 AC
 * Leyton Florent b. 425 AC
 * Renata Florent, Lady of the Arbor b. 392 AC, m. Ryam Redwyne b. 384 AC
 * Florys Redwyne b. 413 AC, m. Garlan Tyrell b. 409 AC
 * Rossart Redwyne b. 416 AC
 * Alerie Redwyne b. 420 AC
 * Joanna Florent, b. 379 AC, m. Kevan Costayne b. 377 AC
 * Arianne Costayne, Lady of Three Towers b. 398 AC, m. Emmon Greyjoy b. 389 AC
 * Olenna Costayne b. 410 AC, m. Harys Hunt b. 410 AC d. 433 AC
 * Jory Costayne b. 413 AC d. 434 AC
 * m. Bethany Fossoway b. 414 AC
 * Myranda Costayne b. 417 AC
 * Meryn Florent
 * Stafford Florent