Braxton Beesbury
Ser Braxton Beesbury, called the Stinger, was heir to House Beesbury and one of the most celebrated knights of the Reach during the reign of Jaehaerys I Targaryen.
His friendship with princess Saera Targaryen dragged him into a court scandal that brought him before the Iron Throne, accused by the king himself.
Chapter 1
The heir of Honeyholt
65–82 ACBooks only
Born in the year 65 AC, Braxton Beesbury was heir to Honeyholt and came to be counted among the most admired knights of the Reach. It was said that, while still young, he had already fathered two children out of wedlock. He was a handsome young man, though those who knew him considered him arrogant.
By around 82 AC, Ser Braxton belonged to the innermost circle of princess Saera Targaryen, alongside Jonah Mooton, Roy Connington, Alys Turnberry, and Perianne Moore. The five were inseparable at feasts, hunted together, and went out together, once crossing Blackwater Bay to reach Dragonstone.
Chapter 2
The night at the Blue Pearl
84 ACBooks only
Jaehaerys I TargaryenIn the year 84 AC, Jonah Mooton, Roy Connington, and Ser Braxton were caught drunk at the Blue Pearl, a brothel in King's Landing, laughing as the king's fool, Tom Nabo, sat surrounded by prostitutes. The City Watch arrested them, and Jonah claimed the visit had been princess Saera's idea.
The questioning extended to Perianne Moore and Alys Turnberry, and it emerged that Alys was pregnant and that Saera had forced both of them to sleep with their friends. Jonah, Roy, and Braxton were thrown into the dungeons, and when King Jaehaerys I and Queen Alysanne themselves questioned Saera, the princess admitted she had given herself to all three, each believing he had been the first. She then proposed marrying all three at once, as King Maegor I had done with his six wives, and Jaehaerys answered with fury.
Chapter 3
Trial by combat
84 ACBooks only
Of the three, Ser Braxton received the harshest sentence: from the Iron Throne, Jaehaerys I ordered his tongue torn out and his arms and legs broken, leaving him crippled for life. As a knight, Braxton had the right to demand trial by combat, and he did so, choosing as his opponent none other than the king himself.
The combat took place the next morning. Braxton was nineteen; Jaehaerys was forty-nine. The king wielded Blackfyre, while Braxton chose a morningstar, hoping Jaehaerys was not accustomed to defending against such a weapon. The gamble did not pay off: Braxton tired quickly, and the king seized the chance to go on the attack and finish him.
