   the shield of the queen, sometimes also referred to as the queen's shadow, was a position originated by jonquil darke in 51 ac, after queen alysanne was attacked while bathing. needing someone who could accompany her in all places, jaehaerys i wrote to the current lord darklyn to send his bastard half-sister ( who had already earned her own reputation by participating in a tourney as a mystery knight ) to serve as alysanne's protector. she quickly earned her own acclaim as 'the scarlet shadow' for her scarlet armor and the attentiveness she showed her charge.
   jonquil remained at court after the death of queen alysanne, living long enough to write a code for those she thought might follow her. among these rules were a vow of chastity, similar to the kingsguard, though jonquil approached it more practically - a woman full with child would not, in her mind, be able to serve as a protector - and a denial of marriage so long as the shield remained at the queen's side. there were also notes on how many steps to remain behind, how to address the queen's children, and even marginalia on how best to attend the queen in childbirth.
   these women are not knights, though later queen betha blackwood would attempt to arrange such an honor for her own shield, perriane rivers, twice. they are not members of the kingsguard, nor of the queen's ladies-in-waiting ( though some, like meredyth mullendore and jeyne harte might have been intended to be so at first ), and occupy a singular and often lonely place. queen dowagers do typically take their shields with them after the ascension of a new queen. at least two have given their lives for their queens.
   though often a position occupied by bastards, all of them have one or two noble parents. no baseborn woman has ever served as a shield, and it would not be permitted. additionally, sometimes the use of bastards fell out of fashion during certain reigns. on this occasion, the position went to the lively younger daughters of minor families.
  they also have no set uniform, unlike the kingsguard. some choose to wear armor, others blend armor and gowns together. during the periods of peacetime where the position becomes more ceremonial, many are apt to wear gowns exclusively. they do tend to wear weapons no matter what, and still keep up combat training even in peacetime. jonquilâs sword is passed between each subsequent shield.
list of shields below, with brief histories attached:
jonquil darke, shield to alysanne. the originator of the position and utterly devoted to the crown and the system. known also as the scarlet shadow, she would later pass her sword to alyssa stone in a private ceremony following the ascension of queen aemma arryn. she lived the remainder of her life following alysanne's death in a small cell at the sept of baelor, though she never took formal vows.
alyssa "ser" stone, shield to aemma. the bastard daughter of lord royce of runestone, she befriended the future queen when they were both children at the eyrie. she gained attention when, at twelve, she bested some of lord arryn's knights in an archery contest after disguising herself. she was permitted further training and when aemma became queen, she was sent for to become her shield. following the queen's death in the childbed, she was given leave to return to the vale of arryn and returned only to pass jonquil's sword to her successor.
meredyth mullendore, shield to alicent. originally sent to court as a prospective lady-in-waiting for the new queen, her father convinced the hand of the king to make her the new shield after acclaiming her talents. meredyth gave a short demonstration against alyssa, who bestowed jonquil's sword on her with the blessing of the king. unlike her predecessors, she often chose to wear gowns to conceal her weaponry. she remained part of the dowager queen's household after the coronation of aegon ii and helaena, though she passed jonquil's sword on to jeyne that evening. when her family declared for rhaenyra, she renounced her surname and was known as meredyth of the shield until her death. likely died in the capture of the dowager queen.
jeyne harte, shield to helaena + rhaenyra. a sweet girl, she referenced jonquil directly to friends when she disguised herself and took part in a tourney. though defeated, her performance did earn her a place in princess helaena's entourage as a lady-in-waiting with the assumption that when the time came, she would bear jonquil's sword. when the time did come, jeyne served all of a few days. her father, lord harte, was at court and refused to bend the knee to aegon ii. he was beheaded, and jeyne abandoned her post and fled, seeking passage to dragonstone bearing jonquil's sword. she would swear to the black queen soon thereafter. it's unclear if she was allowed to remain.
bethany thorne, shield to jaehaera. often remarked upon as more septa than shield to her young charge, the young daughter of house thorne was chosen by the council of regents. she was extremely protective of the girl-queen and even sang to her on a few occasions. when jaehaera jumped to her death while bethany was abed with fever, the shield had to be sedated to prevent an attempt on her own life. she would later appeal to the council of regents, requesting a trial for her dereliction of duty. they would instead instruct her to serve her penitence in a sept, where sheâd remain.
mhaegen bywater, shield to daenara. a daughter of a minor coastal house, she was one of many who suffered the effects of the âmaidenâs day curse,â when her face was maimed as she and her entourage were set upon by a mob in the port. though not present at the ball, her father still sent her court all but blaming the hand of the king for his daughterâs plight. for her part, mhaegen did not seem to mind it overmuch and wrote later that she welcomed the idea of never marrying. she was nevertheless made the new shield to queen daenara, who she was nearly a decade older than. they shared a sunny disposition, and mhaegen was later found to have snuck her own portions of food to her lady during the secret siege of maegorâs holdfast.
emma âthe faithfulâ vyrwel, shield to naerys. the strong and stalwart eldest daughter to lord vyrwel, emma wore her hair short at her chin and stood at an equal height to aegon the unworthy. rumor goes that she wore her hair so short to escape the kingâs notice. emma often joined naerys in prayer, and could often be seen sparring with the dragonknight. when it came to matters of naerysâs honor, she was known to chafe against the restrictions of her position - not a knight, she would not be considered as an honorable representative of her queen.
ysilla allyrion, shield to myriah. the youngest daughter of lord allyrion, she entered the court upon the marriage of daeron and myriah. she was sent specifically as a guard for myriah and not just as a lady, and that position was cemented as shield of the queen following the death of aegon iv and the accession of daeron ii. she also participated in at least three tourneys as a âmystery knightâ ( in quotes here because at least twice, it was known by most that it was she in the armor ) and had a love of jousting. she was extremely quick in the melee, and with her wit, and could often be spotted with the queen and the king, laughing and giving rise to some rumors of inappropriate closeness.
ellyn storm, shield to aelinor. not much attention is paid to the young attendant of queen aelinor, as it was said she had all the wit and manner of a crypt. she would later be called the âgrey shadowâ for the colorlessness of her dress and similar to her predecessor jonquil, the closeness with which she followed the queen. she remained a companion of aelinorâs even when the crown passed to aerysâs brother. a rumor went around later that the bloodraven had taken her tongue, or had perhaps taken to controlling her mind. repeating these would at times make her smile.
perriane rivers, first shield to betha. a bastard daughter of house bracken, her appointment to the position was seen as an attempt to soothe ancient woes between the houses. she and betha were said to have been so alike in looks, sheâd often act as a decoy when traveling, switching spots with the queen to protect her on the road. an accomplished archer and horsewoman, she was unfortunately killed in the line of duty while accompanying her mistress on a ride while they were visiting family. the attackers mistook her for the queen, which allowed betha time to escape.
lyarra snow, second shield to betha. inheriting the position from perriane, lyarra was the oldest of any queenâs shield to take the position yet - sheâd be beaten in this when jeyne hill took the position. given jonquilâs sword by betha herself, she is also known to have made some edits to jonquilâs code.
jeyne hill, shield to shaera. a childhood friend of shaeraâs, there are some rumors that say in her youth she aided in the elopement. unlike many of this list, she was actually married at a point but was later widowed. she disguised herself as a man to fight in the war of the ninepenny kings and earned distinction and a bit of folk support after being unmasked. for her acts of valor, she was rewarded with being named shaeraâs shield.
sybelle plumm, shield to rhaella. brought forth by influential courtier tywin lannister, there are some who now whisper she was more spy than shield. sybelle herself, however, attempted to make herself a confidant of the queen and attended her with honor. she was slain in combat while aiding the queen in her escape.
