01 THEON GREYJOY

Name=Theon Greyjoy Nickname=Little Theon Birth=281 AC Age=18 Occupation=Hostage, ward Family=Balon (father), Alannys (mother), Rodrik (dead older brother), Maron (dead brother), Yara (older sister) Appearance=medium-length medium-brown wavy hair, a shaven-to-stubble brown beard, grey-green eyes, average at 5'9", lean muscular build, fair complexion Clothing=a tunic, padded undersleeves, jerkins, fur collars, trousers, cloaks, boots, a belt with a sword hanging from it

Personality=Theon is shown to be arrogant, narcissistic and vain, but fundamentally not malicious. Beneath his confident exterior, however, Theon is insecure, weak, and unsure of himself. This stems particularly from his conflicted family allegiances. After his father's failed rebellion against Robert Baratheon, he was taken from Pyke when he was nine years old to be raised at Winterfell by the Stark family as their ward/hostage. Even though he grew up alongside the Stark children - Robb Stark and Theon considered each other best friends - Theon never forgot that he was an outsider since he was not of their blood, and would be executed if his father tried to rebel again. This outsider status weighed heavily on Theon, demonstrated when Ros and Tyrion Lannister mention it.

Backstory=Prince Theon Greyjoy was the youngest son of King Balon Greyjoy of the Iron Islands and the younger brother of Rodrik, Maron, and Yara Greyjoy. Following his father's failed rebellion against the Iron Throne, Theon is taken as a ward (initially hostage) to Lord Eddard Stark of Winterfell. Theon was the youngest son of Lord Balon and Lady Alannys Greyjoy. Balon is the head of House Greyjoy and Lord of the Iron Islands. The Iron Islands are one of the constituent regions of the Seven Kingdoms and House Greyjoy is one of the Great Houses of the realm. House Greyjoy rule the region from their seat at Pyke and Balon also holds the title Lord Reaper of Pyke. Theon was born at Pyke. He is Balon and Alannys's fourth child after Rodrik, Maron, and Yara. Eight years before the start of the series Balon rose in rebellion against the Iron Throne. The Ironborn were crushed in a war led by King Robert Baratheon and Lord Eddard Stark. Theon's brothers were both killed in the fighting. Balon surrendered and was allowed to remain Lord of the Iron Islands on the condition that Theon remains a hostage and ward of Eddard Stark. Theon's sister Yara remained on the Iron Islands. Despite his status as a hostage at Winterfell, Theon was treated well by the Starks, and he came to see Eddard as a surrogate father while becoming best friends with Robb Stark and forming a friendly rivalry with Jon Snow. Theon is a skilled archer. His cocky arrogance and cavalier actions contrast with the staid ways of the North. Theon is present during the execution of Will, a deserter from the Night's Watch. He holds the scabbard of Ice, the greatsword of House Stark, as Lord Eddard Stark draws it to behead the condemned man. On the way back to Winterfell, the party finds a disemboweled stag dead in the road. Looking for the killer, they find a dead female direwolf and five pups huddled by the corpse for warmth. A broken piece of the dead stag's antler is embedded in the direwolf's neck. Eddard initially insists the pups be given a quick death, which Theon cavalierly moves to carry out himself, upsetting Bran and angering Robb. However, Jon Snow tells his father that this is an omen as there are five pups and five trueborn Stark children. Eddard consents to allowing his children to adopt the pups. Just as the party leaves, Jon finds a sixth pup, an albino. Theon mockingly declares him the runt of the litter and that he belongs to Jon. Later, Robb, Jon, and Theon get shaves and haircuts, as they ponder the impending arrival of the royal party, notably the reputation of Queen Cersei Lannister as a great beauty and the poor reputation of Prince Joffrey Baratheon.