Ellery Lefford

Ellery Lefford is the daughter of Horas Lefford. She is the niece of Lord Luthor Lefford, and currently a handmaiden in the service of Visenya Silvermoon.

Appearance and Character
Naive, pure and utterly innocent, Ellery is as unsuited for the world of intrigue as possible. Yet in what can only be described as a cruel joke played upon her by the Seven she currently finds herself living right at the centre of Westerosi politics, in the service of Visenya Silvermoon as a handmaiden. Her life at court is a troubled one, and she constantly struggles to keep up to date with the always changing tides of power, influence and favour within the Red Keep.

History
Ellery was born in 418 AC. She was the second daughter of Horas Lefford, the quiet and reserved brother of the Lord of the Golden Tooth. Unlike her siblings she was doted upon by her father, who provided her with everything that she could ever wish for. Estranged from his wife by the time Ellery had reached her third nameday, Horas quickly chose a life of seclusion for him and his youngest child. The pair left the Golden Tooth in 422 AC for Lannisport, despite the fact that Lord Lefford had forbidden them from leaving his keep.

Hidden away in the city, it was there that the two settled into a reclusive life away from friends and family. Horas invested what few funds he had managed to save into the shipping trade, reinventing himself as a honest yet self-contained merchant. Soon enough, the pair were able to purchase a small but comfortably appointed house in one of the city's more quiet, yet still affluent, neighborhoods. Here they lived in blissful isolation for many years, as Horas brought his darling daughter up away from the harsh realities of everyday life. Though Ellery had no friends of her own age she was content living her unremarkable and modest life.

The fairy-tale that she had been living came to an abrupt end in 432 AC, when the War of Three Banners broke out in the Westerlands. First the threat of famine and starvation began to haunt the city in which Ellery and her father dwelled, though it did not trouble her and her father. They lived a comfortable life and were happily able to ignore the rampant poverty that crippled many of their fellow citizens. Despite the mass of discontent that grew within the city Horas chose to stay, placing his faith in the Lord Admiral of Lannisport and his officials being able to quell any potential problems that might arise. This faith was misplaced. Ultimately, even the Lord Admiral and his men proved unable to put an end to the crisis. Riots erupted across the city, and then: fire.

The Great Firestorm of Lannisport destroyed Ellery's humble childhood home, and with it her peaceful childhood. Father and daughter barely managed to escape the blaze unharmed and were left with no option other than to return to Horas' brother Luthor, in the hope of seeking shelter from the chaos that had so quickly engulfed the entire region. Their frantic flight through the city and across much of the Westerland's shattered Ellery's image of the world, and plunged the usually carefree and cheerful girl into a deep and unresolved depression.

When they at last arrived at the Golden Tooth, filthy and exhausted from their travels, they found Lord Lefford a changed man, still broken after the murder of his wife. Luthor had little time for a brother who had abandoned their family and his duty over a decade ago. In the end, Horas and Ellery were only permitted entry into the castle under one condition: that Horas release his last child into the sole care of Luthor. Already her uncle had brought her siblings, Myles and Jeyne, under his control - now it seemed that he would have Ellery too. His plans for her would reveal themselves soon enough.

The civil war that had brought the West to it's knees came to an end in 435 AC. A few weeks later, on the eve of her seventeenth nameday, Ellery was unceremoniously dispatched to the capital. She was not permitted to say farewell to her father. Soon enough Ellery would discover that she was now to serve a new mistress: Visenya Silvermoon. Her uncle required a trustworthy pair of eyes and ears in King's Landing, to keep himself better aware of the mood of the King and his court. Ellery was to serve as his spy.

Yet Luthor's designs would soon come to nothing. Quickly the young Lefford showed herself to be irredeemably naive, embarrassingly incompetent, and totally unaware of the intricacies of courtly etiquette. In short, she proved far too gullible and trusting of people to be of any use at all as her uncle's informant. Quickly, then, the Lord of the Golden Tooth lost interest in his bumbling and guileless niece. Ellery was left to her own devices, abandoned in a foreign and treacherous land with few - if any - friends and little idea of how to survive. She has existed in a state of perpetual confusion and disarray since then. In truth,Ellery's sole comfort during her years at court has been the growing sense of admiration and respect that she has for Visenya.

She has grown utterly devoted to the Queen Consort, and would do anything for her.

Recent Events
Ellery continues to serve Visenya Silvermoon faithfully, if ineptly.

Family

 * Luthor Lefford, Lord of the Golden Tooth, b.382 AC. Uncle.
 * Melara Lefford née Hawthorne, Lady of the Golden Tooth, b.384 AC d.431 AC. Aunt.
 * Ser Lucas Lefford, b.414 AC. Cousin.
 * Loreon Lefford, b.416 AC. Cousin.
 * Lymond Lefford, b.419 AC. Cousin.
 * Horas Lefford, b. 385 AC. Father.
 * Ser Myles Lefford, b.412 AC. Brother.
 * Jeyne Lefford, b. 416 AC. Sister.
 * Ellery Lefford, b. 418 AC.
 * Ormond Lefford, b.356 AC d.417 AC. Uncle.