The Point is Honor
Bravery
Lightning cracked to the south as the riders swung down off their horses. For half a heartbeat darkness turned to day. An axe gleamed silvery blue, light shimmered off the mail and plate, and beneath the dark hood of the lead rider Brienne glimpsed an iron snout and rows of steel teeth, snarling.Gendry saw it too. “Him.”
“Not him. His helm.” Brienne tried to keep the fear from her voice, but her mouth was dry as dust. She had a pretty good notion who wore the Hound’s helm. The children, she thought.
The door to the inn banged open. Willow stepped out into the rain, a crossbow in her hands. The girl was shouting at the riders, but a clap of thunder rolled across the yard, drowning out her words. As it faded, Brienne heard the man in the Hound’s helm say, “Loose a quarrel at me and I’ll shove that crossbow up your cunt and fuck you with it. Then I’ll pop your fucking eyes out and make you eat them.” The fury in the man’s voice drove Willow back a step, trembling.
Seven, Brienne thought again, despairing. She had no chance against seven she knew. No chance, and no choice.
She stepped out into the rain, Oathkeeper in hand. “Leave her be. If you want to rape someone, try me.”
-Brienne VII, A Feast for Crows
(will finish with my favorite pic again, by quickreaver at deviantart)
It was really hard to choose one final quality of Brienne’s to mention. I thought about posting on her ability to be forgiving or selfless, but most of all I wanted a post that conveyed her bravery and honor. I don’t think you can really have honor without bravery to go along with it though, so this post will go under the title Bravery. Brienne’s bravery comes through most of all in times when she needs to be brave to be honorable and do what is right. I love the quote between Bran and Ned in A Game of Thrones, where Bran asks Ned if a man can be brave when he is afraid, and I think Brienne proves her bravery over and over in times when she is also afraid. She bites off Vargo Hoat’s ear when left to the Bloody Mummers, she fights Jaime Lannister and then defends him each at time where it could lead to her death, she stands up and fights for the children at the inn in the quote above. Brienne’s bravery is just stunning. I can safely say if I was her in these situations I would probably break down and give up. I don’t have her strength, her sense of honor and doing what is right at all costs, her heroism. I wish I did, but it is only a special kind of person who does, and Brienne is just one of those people. I love her, I admire her, and I cannot wait to see where she goes next.
I hope that my 6 days of posts have been entertaining and fun, and most of all I hope they have done justice to Brienne. Thank you everyone for reading, and all your wonderful comments!
To finish, another wonderful quote, from Brienne IV, in AFFC:
“Ser Galladon was a champion of such valor that the Maiden herself lost her heart to him. She gave him an enchanted sword as a token of her love. The Just Maid, it was called. No common sword could check her, nor any shield withstand her kiss. Ser Galladon bore the Just Maid proudly, but only thrice did he unsheathe her. He would not use the Maid against a mortal man, for she was so potent as to make any fight unfair.”
Crabb thought that was hilarious. “The Perfect Knight? The Perfect Fool, he sounds like. What’s the point o’ having some magic sword if you don’t bloody well use it?”
“Honor,” she said. “The point is honor.”