Gawen Tyrell

Gawen Tyrell is the Lord of Highgarden, Lord Paramount of the Mander, Defender of the Marches, High Marshal of the Reach, and Warden of the South. Head of House Tyrell, Gawen served previously as Lord Commander of the Queensguard for Queen Elaena I Targaryen, however he was released from his oath after the death of his father, Baelor Tyrell, to continue the line of House Tyrell.

Appearance and Character
Hotheaded and brash, Ser Gawen Tyrell is a man chiseled from the same stone as his father; possessing a certain swagger that can only be expected from a scion of one of Westeros’ most powerful families. Though at first glance he might appear to be a fairly level-headed individual, quick to laugh and slow to anger, the truth is not quite so appealing, and Gawen has a hard time controlling his emotions, especially when he is in an ill-mood, which is not an uncommon occurrence. Whilst he attempts to uphold all of the values of a true knight, and views himself as epitome of chivalry: claiming to do all that he does in the name of glory and honour, Gawen has been known to neglect certain aspects of his duties, with many of his decisions and stances being in direct opposition to the knights code. Rash and easily fooled, Gawen is not much of a planner, nor is he one to think things through before rushing straight into action, leading to many impulsive decisions, the consequences of which are often left for someone else to deal with. Stubborn as a mule and proud to a fault, Gawen is never one to admit his own wrongdoing, yet he is quick to hold a grudge against anyone who would do him wrong.

Early Life
The oldest living son of Lord Baelor Tyrell, and the first in line to inherit the lordship of the Reach, from the moment of his birth, Gawen Tyrell had been a problem child. Initially he had been the younger of two twin boys, however sickness had taken his brother before he reached his first name day, a sickness which had almost claimed Gawen’s life as well. This dire circumstance led to Gawen receiving a very intimate upbringing, with his mother keeping the boy by her side at all times lest she lose the child like he had lost its brother. This did not sit well with Lord Baelor, who expected the child to be raised amongst his household where he could be taught to fight and lead like the other boys his age, rather than sitting beside his mother learning to sew like a woman. Upon numerous occasions within his early life, Gawen would be taken by his father to learn the masculine arts required to be a lord, however Gawen always seemed hesitant and was quick to resist change, always reverting back to his mother. Eventually Lord Tyrell would get so tired of this that he would simply give up with the child, allowing him to waste his life away whilst he instead rested his attention upon his other, more promising sons. This would change however upon his mother’s death.

Upon Gawen’s eighth nameday, his mother would give birth to a final child, and in the process she would die. This left Gawen without the figure who had loomed over him his entire life, and give Lord Baelor the chance to once again attempt to mould his son into the man he wanted him to be. Baelor Tyrell grieved for his wife, but he did not waste any time in seizing the opportunity to influence his son, now Gawen had no alternative but to listen with little interest as his father instilled in him values of traditional honour and bravery, and whilst once he had been a sweet and fairly effeminate boy, he was now expected to become a brave and honourable knight. Under the tutelage of his mother he had always enjoyed fun and games, but under his father, who was still hurt from the loss of his wife all of that stopped and Highgarden became a generally more sombre place.

By the time he had reached his late teens, Gawen had grown to resent his father along with the lot he had been given in life. He began to seek out ways to actively spite his father including taking a lowborn girl as a lover, claiming that he would one day marry her and that their children would rule as Lords of Highgarden. In truth, Gawen felt very little for the woman, but he knew that her low status infuriated his father, and that was enough for him to proclaim his eternal love. Of course, such an arrangement was not sustainable. The woman would become pregnant with Gawen’s child, yet he was hesitant to actually marry her, everything had seemed fine when it was simply a ploy to anger his father, but when things got serious Gawen wasn’t sure he was willing to commit to marrying this woman. So Gawen did what any brave knight would do in his situation. He ran from his problems.

He would take a small retinue of knights from his father’s household and journey across Westeros as a tourney knight, leaving the woman in the hands of his father who was more than happy to see his son finally become ‘a man’, even if the circumstances were not ideal. This would only last for a few months before Gawen caught the attention of King Aegon VI during a tourney to celebrate the tenth name day of the King’s granddaughter Elaena, in which he would unhorse several notable knights. The King gave Gawen a place within the court (partially due to his important name) and Gawen would live in King’s Landing, attending to odd duties, but mostly attending balls and participating in tourneys and the like. King Aegon even offered Gawen a spot within his Kingsguard following a vacancy, however Gawen was unwilling to commit to a life of celibacy.

Knight of the Kingsguard
Gawen would not see his father again for many months, until eventually Lord Tyrell took the time to visit his son in the capital. Lord Baelor explained that he had dealt with Gawen’s former mistress, giving her moon tea for the child and sending her far away so that she could no longer be a problem. He likely thought that this would help to ease the tension with his son since, after all, it had caused him to leave, however he was wrong. Gawen was fickle man and the thought of his father murdering his child was not one that rested well with him, he flew into a frenzy, rejecting his father’s suggestion that he return home and reclaim his rightful place as heir of Highgarden. Instead, spite drove Gawen to make a decision that would define the rest of his life: he accepted King Aegon’s offer and joined the Kingsguard.

His father was furious, though he would not show this publically, and would in fact commend the King on his decision to honour House Tyrell with such an esteemed position. Gawen would be appointed as the sworn shield to Princess Elaena, the King’s granddaughter and would begin to grow close the young lady. She was young, full of energy and innocent of all of the woes of the world, the perfect foil to Gawen’s miserable cowardice, she brought out the best in him, treating him like a brother, the sort of family he had never had back in Highgarden.

Gawen did not mend the relationship with his father, even when Baelor was appointed Master of Laws and Gawen’s sister (who was little more than a stranger to him) was married off to Prince Jaehaerys of Dragonstone.