Headcannons for Cersei, Rhaella and Lysa’s ladies in waiting at Kings Landing.
The importance of ladies-in-waiting
(Our history)
In our history ladies in waiting was a good way for women to gain power. Whether through the queen, or the queen through them, even the queen arranging marriages of her ladies to powerful men at court to extend both women influence, ladies in waiting are an historical example of the soft power noblewomen wielded throughout the centuries.
Some ladies in waiting have become famous in our history with tudor times being most notable such as Queen Anne boylen, Queen Jane Seymour and Queen Catherine Howard as they later became queens. Others noted for their deep friendship and loyalty such as María de Salinas who defied King Henry 8th riding miles to Queen Catherine of aragons side locking them in the room together and it was said Catherine died in her friends arms.
But in medieval times Queen eleanor of aquitaine took her ladies in waiting on the 2nd crusade. There were debunked myths her ladies dressed as amazons. King Edward 1st (who inspired Tywin Lannister) wife Queen Eleanor of Castile’s ladies in waiting partook in courtly and religious activity’s, my favourite story is on each year on Easter Monday Edward allowed Eleanor's ladies to trap him in his bed and paid them a token ransom so he could go to her bedroom on the first day after Lent, this custom was so important to Edward that in 1291, on the first Easter Monday after Eleanor's death, he gave her ladies the money he would have given them if she had been alive.
Mistress of the robes is the chief lady in waiting. In our history the mistress of robes responsibilities are: responsible for the queen's clothes and jeweller, arranging the rota of attendance of the ladies-in-waiting on the queen, being in attendance herself on more formal occasions, and undertaking duties at state ceremonies.
A Song of Ice and Fire worldbuilding:
Duties of ladies in waiting:
Ladies in waiting bore witness to births
Received and carried messages to and from the queen
Singing in ambassadors languages
Picking out gifts
For cersei and Rhaella I used exsisting people and filled in the gaps. For Lysa I built from the namless ladies whilst fitting in how she must’ve felt at court newly married to Jon Arryn.
I used as much cannon as possible and built from there using ‘a search of ice and fire’, my books and ‘a wiki of ice and fire’
I got inspired to do this after thinking about Cateyln and if she took a Royce and blackwood into her service how I could fit it in cannon to make her have the isolation that GRRM desired but still realistic like Lady cat sent her Royce as an envoy to yhon Royce during WOT5K and her blackwood widowed sister of tytos went back to help him with his lands. With her northern ladies staying in winterfell as her eyes and to do her bidding’s with her sons.
Queen Rhaella of house Targaryen
Rhaella known to have few. With reaching no more at three at a time. Her most famous was joanna Lannister whom she went away, princess of dorne whom she married her son to her daughter, and cassana estermont mother said sons killer.
Whilst Lady Joanna Lannister, wife of Lord hand Tywin, took on the duties of mistress of robes until given to the princess of dorne. Lady Cassana Estermont, wife to King Areys’ cousin Lord Steffon Baratheon, was known for her eye with fabrics having been born on an island steeped in influence from the Stormlands, dorne and essos she used her upbringing with merchants to intercede on the Queen behalf. She used the queens trust to choose many of the textiles used in house Targaryen’s chambers. The curtains she chose for the queens ballroom had her in the courts esteem as embroidered through the gorgeous deep red and onyx black velvet was popular motifs of each region of Westros, it was said she embroidered the main houses herself.
Rhaella having none after the princess of dorne adds to cannon where King Areys has her surrounded by septas and servants with the intent of controlling and spying on her. Queen Rhaella being rid of her own ladies conveys her being stripped of her power by her husband. It shows her isolation and loneliness at court which is why she begins turning a blind eye to Visery’s behaviour as stated by Barristan.
Mistress of robes
Rhaellas was Joanna Lannister done for her husband hand and closeness with her husband.
When sent away she gave it to the princess of dorne who sung high Valyrian beautifully and translated for the queen with essosi ambassadors. It was said the princess of dorne was closer to Joanna than the queen herself.
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Worldbuilding and brainstorming Queen Cersei Lannister’s court
-Known to have very few like Rhaella (who only had a few due to her isolation in court) which adds to the haughty and proud rep cat states
-At first She took in crown landers alongside Lannisters and westerlanders, they then wedded Lannisters and westermen adding to Lannister at court.
-Soon her ladies dwindled after she married the last off she relied more on her servants. Preferring her children, brother and cousins she had squire for her royal husband.
-Non family members who’ve served her have never been blonde. I’m fact the only one was genna who cersei allowed to go to the westerlands to take on the ladies roles in casterly rock. Rumour is they fell out.
-Estermonts we’re expected to have a place in her ladies with one who used to play with Robert singled out and placed near the queen at feasts, but after going to green rock she left with none. The said girl was instead sent to stormsend to be a care for renly.
-When she came to court to marry King Robert in late 284 she had lord hand’s Jon Arryn’s wife lady Lysa Arryn and inherited her ladies as she was highest ranking woman prior. The Arryn women would end up being lord Nestor Royce’s wife’s ladies in vale as he was high steward, until Lysa returns to the vale. Cersei kept Lysa though, who seemed to become more isolated from the other ladies as years went on.
A little brainstorm for the Tully sisters
-After Lysa still births she got rid of those who had kids but brought them back after Robert Arryn until their kids played and she sent them away again.
-Lady cat sent her Royce as an envoy to yhon Royce during WOT5K and her blackwood widowed sister of tytos went back to help him with his lands.
Cersei
Genna Lannister untill Joffrey was born in 286
She was essentially cerseis steward. She had the servants of the Lannister represented court in kingslanding report to her. She came with cersei in 284 by Tywins demand, cersei found her domineering and when Joffrey was born (cementing queen Cersei’s dynastic role) she had Genna return to casterly rock to “perform the lady’s duties at the rock”.
Lanna Lannister
Born 270 wife of lord antario Jast was has been cerseis mistress of robes since coming into her ladies in 286 until 290 when cersei felt she favoured time with her sons and husband over waiting on cersei.
Speaking multiple lanagues she was cerseis translator when ambassadors would come from the free cities. With large interests with art and languages he was entrusted to fill the queens rooms with Lannister beauty. Favouring harmony she keeps her tongue polite and her head down after Lannister pride caught her and she stated her work after Lord Tywin had complimented his daughter. It was said cersei both father and daughter gave her stares colder than ice beyond the wall.
Cerenna Lannister
Born 274 younger sister of Daven Lannister. She came to court in 290 after being invited the previous year at the lannisport tourney most likely after a good word from Daven to Jaime on her grace and discreetness.
She had hoped to make a good marriage but cersei did not want her attention divided so stalled, she made her mistress of robes when she came to court which she remained until Taena is replaced with her.
Her because Lannister always first, then senebele which people thought was a slight to Lysa.
Her father Ser Stafford Lannister known for blunders made a jest to Queen Cersei on her sons Twelfth name day feast about mistaking Jaime and Cerenna dancing for a young Lord Tywin and Lady Joanna. Cersei suggested with her words for her uncle take her back to the rock when they leave but her tone ordered it.
Jocelyn swyft
Wife of Kevan Lannister. She came to court with cersei in 284. She left with her husband after joffreys 12tg name day but returns after joffreys wedding and death.
She is in charge of the queens finances and purchases. This changes when she comes back after joffreys marriage where her role is to oversee cerseis servants.
Alysanne Lefford
Came to cersei daughter of Lord Leo Lefford she was recalled back home after Lord Leo wife passed childbearing age cementing Alysanne as hier.
Giggly Alysanne contrasts her fathers sour nature she became good friends with Lanna Lannister then Melesa Crakehall. Cersei had her sit next to Ser edmure Tully at a ball once however Lord hoster did not pick up the bait having sent letters to Prince Doran Martell later that year.
First in charge of Cerseis schedule she is observant and cunning the queen never held her in close confidence and the closer she got to cerseis other ladies the more paranoid the queen got having her role change from doing her schedule to taking up her cousins Leonella lefford role.
Leonella lefford
Was lady in waiting but did not return after her marriage to Lothar Frey in 291 nor was a gift given when she had their child tysane frey the following year.
Deeply religious she was the go between the queen and the faith. She represented Cersei at masses and alms giving when the queen preceded not to attend.
Melesa Crakehall
Genna Lannisters daughter in law she came to court after leonella left. When Tywin left after joffreys 12th name day melesa crakehall left with his entourage to see her husband. This was allowed by cersei as she became paranoid she was spying for her aunt.
Excellent at needlework she’s cerseis go to when needing new works to gift. Bubbly and outgoing she spends her time in the city finding new singers for the queen who finds her too gossipy.
Rosamund Lannister
From lannisport is her ward and she is in the care of a westerlander septa of myrcella. Dutiful and sweet she enjoys playing dress up with myrcella but doesn’t like playing games that are hard or with lots of rules.
Senelle
(Born lanett married to a lannisport) had been lady to cersei since 284 she had always been a strong ally but was taken to the black cells after being accused of spying by Taena on cersei. Replaced by Dorcas Senelles cousin.
Or 289 seen at lannisport tourney.
She came as cerseis cupbearer. Due to being a lannett by birth cersei treats her more like a servant than a lady. Though her deference to cersei had her entrusted as a go between the queen herself and her spies outside the hands tower. It was through senelle she learnt of Jon Arryn and Stannis baratheons visit to the brothel.
Taena
Then becomes cerseis mistress of robes. As we know from cannon her loyalty is dubious.
Lysa Arryn
Jon Arryn had given Lysa two ladies to help her with organising the coronation and red keep prior to his marriage.
and roberts estermont aunt
Anya waynwood
Known as stern and courteous more lord than lady she was focused on the task Lysa was more on the colours.
Lady Jeyne bellmore
Married to late ser ronnel Arryn and mother to late Elbert Arryn. Good at running a household she was kind and good a math though riddled with grief.
He picked older women to help but Lysa felt isolated.
She later went into the faith.
Leona Baratheon
Widow of ser harbet Baratheon, lord Steffon Baratheon’s uncle, born of house Swann she bonded with Lady Jeyne so much they joined the faith together in 285. She helped be a go between Lysa and the stormlander court after the rebellion, and making sure King roberts coronation had house Baratheon imagery and included legends of ancient stormlanders. Her first duty- which she excelled at was to design King Robert Baratheons chambers.
Elenei Estermont
Grandmother of Robert, Stannis and renly, she is wife of lord estermont and passed away before joffreys birth. She tried wholeheartedly to breech the gap between Lysa and Anya.
Talked gently to lady Jeyne about her cassana and jeynes Elbert.
She couldn’t help much as she was just 80. Talking of too many things would confuse her and she’d forget Lysa was lord Jon’s wife and not his daughter. But she never forgot her family, especially those who’d passed.
In late 284 when Lady Cersei Lannister became Queen, Lady Lysa became a lady-in-waiting herself.
i just cant stop thinking abt the narrative of bastardy that asoiaf gives us and of all the metaphors for oppression, how bastardy just,,,fits really unexpectedly well like to have ur entire existence be a sin, to be “bad blood”, to be assumed lustful and treacherous and dishonorable and Wrong and Bad for smth so completely out of ur control, to punish the son for the sins of the father, to be a living dishonor, a constant stain on your family tree, completely alienated from any family they could have, not even given the courtesy of a last name, having to be a snow or a sand or a waters or a flowers, to have your only given identity being a connection to where you were born, to call a bastard child a “natural born” child, to give them only “natural” names. When jon said “i will turn fifteen on my next name day, and maester luwin says bastards grow up faster than other children”,,,,,it lives rent free in my head.
my worst habit as a writer is that i lovveeeeee to expand on families as character and worldbuilding but then i have to sit here like. is there any possible way for me to introduce "has an aunt whos a postal worker and single mother trying to bounce back from a recent divorce' into the narrative. can i naturally drop my aunt lore. its important to me.
i was reading lillian doherty's 'gender and internal audiences in the odyssey', and when looking at the gendered social rules of the (patriarchal, obviously) society the story takes place in, she writes how "[Penelope] -- and her female slaves, who would also be fair sexual game for Odysseus according to the cultural norm -- must remain completely celibate in his absence."
and i had to sit back for a moment and take it in, because man, i'd never fully considered that aspect of it. obviously odysseus is never implied to take sexual advantage of any of his slaves within the epic, but as master of his household he is meant to be in total control of his slaves' sexuality and bodies. their failure to remain celibate (whatever the circumstances...) in itself equals betrayal against his authority and against the household, acting outside their allotted station.
i think it's interesting how the first night odysseus is back at ithaca, disguised as a beggar, he lies down plotting the suitors' deaths the next day, but he is much more tempted by and fantasizes about rushing the slave women and killing them right then and there, because the sight of the suitors taking them to bed is making "his heart growl with rage". this is before the contest, before any battle. odysseus has already decided the slave women must die.
like yes, within the narrative and society of the odyssey the slave women are presented as undoubtedly and irredeemably guilty, and then when they are executed -- excruciatingly slowly -- for their misdeeds (contrasted to the suitors, who are all dealt quick deaths in combat) the text doesn't imply that that is an unjust decision at all. but i think in modernity we ought to consider what those twelve enslaved women (trapped for decades in a leaderless household where overly entitled young men are running wild) are meant to be guilty of.
re: the discussion about karma in asoiaf, i think it's so fascinating that one of the things that damns cersei in the end is her relationship with lancel. lancel is so constantly treated as a joke by the lannister kids in the earlier books, as an unimportant person, that it would have been easy for george to push him out of the narrative as soon as he outlasted his usefulness after the battle of blackwater bay. but the narrative cares about lancel, cares about his emotional state, about his victimization. it doesnt treat the fact that he was exploited by cersei as a vulnerable 16 year old as a joke like the other characters do.
the fact that lancel turns to the faith of the seven as a way to make sense of his trauma falls in line with how aeron and mel do the same for their own griefs, and the way that theon seems to turn to the old gods in the godswood after his own treatment--the physical descriptions of lancel and theon are strikingly similar. lancel and aeron and theon all seem to be aged severely by their trauma (while mel is the opposite, appearing youthful despite being the oldest living character of them all)
i guess in the end im just glad that lancel is taken seriously by the narrative, and that time and time again george takes the hopes and sorrows side characters as seriously as main characters. whether it's lancel or lancel or penny or eroeh or hazzea or the miller's boys, the one thing that is punished by the arc of the story time and again is the belief that certain people matter more than others
arya's decision to kill chiswyck because of how he raped and murdered layna is one of those storytelling choices that really show how the little people are prioritized in the narrative. like sure arya couldve used her jaqen h'ghar genie wishes on killing tywin or whatever. but the whole point is that layna mattered too. the death of mycah weighs heavily on arya and ned, and the fact that of all of the Hound's crimes it’s mycah’s murder that he stands on trial for at aryas insistence is significant as a story choice.
it's telling that arya's prioritization of the 'little guy' is reflected in all the starks in different ways. sansa saves dontos hollard. robb spares osha. jon saves the old man the freefolk tell him to kill. bran probably has a moment that im blanking on right now. rickon is four.
in a series where the meaning of heroism is constantly upheld and subverted in different ways by characters such as stannis and rhaegar and robb, it stands of note that the most consistent way a hero is identified by the narrative is how they uphold the worth of the ordinary person, even when it doesn't benefit them, even when it hurts them. lyanna “that’s my fathers man you’re kicking” stark, the knight of the laughing tree, stands up for howland reed. dunk kicks a prince of the crown for the sake of a puppet girl. maybe it's true that there's no such thing as a true hero, and that all honor is a mist that melts in the morning. but a common person is not "no one."
In the latest episode of HotD, Ormund Hightower surrenders in bad faith and maliciously fails to uphold his end of surrender terms (giving up Daeron Hightower), betting on the fact Daemon never met Daeron before. He didn't use the peace process to attack Daemon himself, but later attacks Tumbletown after he has surrendered and was allowed to leave to Oldtown. Is this still a war crime?
In earlier eras, people might be released back to their homes on the condition that they don't take up arms again. Such an arrangement was called parole and it actually does form a component of the modern Code of Conduct (as in, US armed servicemembers are forbidden to agree to any arrangement involving such a form of parole), it was a big thing in the US Civil War. Parole violations, upon being discovered, typically presented with immediate execution. Typically, agreeing to a surrender upon condition without any intention of fulfilling said condition would also be considered grounds for immediate execution upon discovery. This isn't perfidy, which is using the symbols of good faith as a means to attack (attacking under a parley flag being the most common example), but the point of these prohibitions is to ensure the validity of surrenders to seek an end to combat and preserve life, such conduct is almost certainly a war crime.
That being said, I don't put any stock in House of the Dragon being coherent in any fashion because the writers have demonstrated they largely do not care about these sorts of matters and see everything under the lens of watchers pointing to say "wow, look, that's so cool." So according to the slapdash nature of the writing of House of the Dragon...who knows? I guarantee that just knowing what parole is in the conditions of the US Civil War means I thought about this more than the writers did.
Like not for nothing but yeah, there should be consequences for sexually assaulting someone. We don’t have to believe in punitive carceral systems to say “committing a violent act against another person will have social repercussions for you”. Am I insane here?
