House Royce of the Gates of the Moon

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House Royce of the Gates of the Moon
House Royce of the Gates of the Moon.svg
Coat of arms A black portcullis over a white crescent moon on purple bordered with runes on bronze
(Purpure, a moon increscent argent surmounted by a portcullis sable, all within a bordure bronze charged with ancient runes of the third)
Seat Gates of the Moon
Head Lord Nestor Royce
Region Vale of Arryn
Title Keeper of the Gates of the Moon
Heir Ser Albar Royce[1]
Overlord House Arryn

House Royce of the Gates of the Moon is a noble house from the Gates of the Moon in the Vale of Arryn. They began as a junior branch of House Royce of Runestone.[2] According to semi-canon sources, they blazon their arms with a black portcullis over a white crescent moon on purple bordered with runes on bronze.[3] Their motto has not appeared yet.

History

House Royce of the Gates of the Moon began as a junior branch to the senior Royces of Runestone. They have intermarried with noble houses from the Vale of Arryn, and potentially one of the Great Houses as well if the branch that married into House Stark is the same branch. Benedict Royce, a younger son of Lord Raymar Royce of the junior branch, married Jocelyn Stark.[4][5][N 1] According to Catelyn Stark, the marriage between Benedict and Jocelyn produced three daughters who married into other Vale houses. One married a Waynwood, another a Corbray, and the third might have married a Templeton.[4]

Lord Nestor is called "a formidable lord in his own right" by Catelyn Stark[6] before he is granted lordship over the Gates of the Moon, so the branch may have held a lordship before that.

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

The Gates of the Moon, by Paolo Puggioni, from The World of Ice & Fire

Lord Nestor Royce has been High Steward of the Vale for fourteen years in Lord Jon Arryn's absence as Hand of the King in King's Landing, and many whisper that he should rule as regent until young Lord Robert Arryn comes of age. Nestor has offered himself as a suitor to the widowed Lady Lysa Arryn, but she has rejected him. Nestor welcomes Lady Catelyn Stark, Ser Brynden Tully, Tyrion Lannister, and Bronn to the Gates of the Moon.[6]

Nestor and his son, Ser Albar Royce, witness Tyrion's trial by combat at the Eyrie.[7]

In King Joffrey I Baratheon's first session of court, both Lord Royces and their sons are among the nobles commanded to do him fealty or be labeled as traitors.[8]

A Storm of Swords

Robb Stark, King in the North and King of the Trident, considers whom he can choose as his heir apparent, due to the apparent deaths of his brothers Bran and Rickon and the marriage of his sister Sansa to Tyrion. His mother, Catelyn Stark, refers to the Jocelyn Stark-Benedict Royce marriage, saying one of their descendants could be Robb's heir.[4]

Lysa counts Nestor among those who want to wed her, but she finds him dreadful.[9]

A Feast for Crows

Lord Nestor Royce by Chris Dien © Fantasy Flight Games

Lord Nestor, his son Albar, and Ser Marwyn Belmore come to the Eyrie to hear Marillion confess to the murder of Lysa. Sansa Stark, pretending to be Alayne Stone, bastard daughter of Lord Petyr Baelish, falseley confirms for Nestor that the singer had killed Lysa, as she had actually been murdered by her new husband, Petyr. Although the Keeper of the Gates of the Moon has not been a hereditary position, Petyr, the Lord Protector of the Vale, grants the castle to the Royces in perpetuity, stating it was the wish of Lady Lysa before her death. In his words to Nestor, Petyr grants them the lordship "for their loyal service", but privately to Sansa he admits to "buying their support."[10]

Nestor closes his gates against his cousin, Bronze Yohn, and the rest of the Lords Declarant. His garrison is less than three hundred men, and each of the six lords outside has a thousand. Nestor accompanies them when they climb to the Eyrie to treat with Lord Baelish.[11]

Nestor's daughter, Myranda Royce, was once married, but her husband died while they were having sex on her wedding night. Nestor offers Myranda as a match for Harrold Hardyng, but his offer is rejected by Lady Anya Waynwood.[12]

House Royce at the end of the third century

The known Royces during the timespan of the events described in A Song of Ice and Fire are:

Nestor
 
Unknown
wife
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Albar
 
Myranda
 
Unknown
husband
 
 


Household

Historical Members

Quotes

Nestor: I will not say I had not hoped for this. Whilst Lord Jon ruled the realm as Hand, it fell to me to rule the Vale for him. I did all that he required of me and asked nothing for myself. But by the gods, I earned this!
Petyr: You did, and Lord Robert sleeps more easily knowing that you are always there, a staunch friend at the foot of his mountain. So ... a toast, my lord. To House Royce, Keepers of the Gates of the Moon ... now and forever.[10]

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 At this time, it is uncertain if Raymar Royce was an ancestor of Nestor Royce, or if "junior branch" refers to another branch of House Royce entirely.

References