Loras Tyrell

Loras grew up far from Highgarden, taken in as a ward at Storm's End, where he served first as page and later as squire to Renly Baratheon. That daily closeness planted the bond that would later steer House Tyrell's course.

He was knighted at only fifteen, early even by the standards of Westerosi warrior nobility. He had his armor made by Tobho Mott, and at the tourney held for Prince Joffrey's name day he defeated both Ser Hosteen Frey and Ser Jaime Lannister, a feat that traveled fast through the courts of the realm.

When Eddard Stark arrives in King's Landing as Hand of the King, Loras rides in the tourney held in his honor, wearing armor set with jeweled flowers and a cloak worked in gold thread. He defeats Ser Robar Royce and three Kingsguard knights, and after every bout gives a white rose to a different woman in the crowd. The last one goes to Sansa Stark, who is left dazzled by the gesture.

Against Ser Gregor Clegane he resorts to a trick — riding a mare in heat to unsettle his rival's horse — and wins, but Gregor's fury turns first on the animal and then on Loras himself. His brother Sandor saves him, and Loras yields him the final victory without argument.

Loras is stung that Eddard Stark chose Beric Dondarrion, not him, to go and capture Gregor Clegane. Not long after, when Eddard's standing at court collapses, Loras flees the capital together with Renly and his men.

When Renly Baratheon claims the Iron Throne for himself, all of House Tyrell backs his proclamation. The alliance is sealed by the marriage of Renly and Margaery, Loras's younger sister, and Renly repays it by naming Loras Lord Commander of the Rainbow Guard, a personal escort as showy as the Kingsguard.

At the tourney held in Bitterbridge, Loras is defeated by Brienne of Tarth, whose victory wins her a place among the same seven guards.

Renly's death leaves Loras beside himself. Convinced that Brienne of Tarth and Catelyn Tully are to blame, he kills two of his own fellow guards, Emmon Cuy and Robar Royce, in a fit of rage, without ever catching up to the women he is hunting.

When House Tyrell throws in with the Lannisters against Stannis Baratheon, Loras fights alongside his brother Garlan, who shows up at the Battle of the Blackwater wearing Renly's armor to sow confusion among the enemy troops.

After the victory, King Joffrey rewards Loras with a place in the Kingsguard.

Loras joins the Kingsguard at his father's wish, though it is Littlefinger who is really pulling the strings: someone of his blood needs to watch over Margaery once she becomes queen. The vow of chastity also spares him a marriage his nature made hard to sustain.

Still mourning Renly, he quickly wins the affection of the smallfolk of King's Landing. When Tyrion Lannister asks him why he took the white cloak, he answers that "when the sun has set, no candle can replace it."

When Jaime Lannister returns to the capital and accuses Brienne of killing Renly, Loras withdraws the accusation after she speaks with him on Jaime's orders. He remains close to Margaery, who suggests he train young Tommen in arms; Queen Cersei refuses, using doubts about his manhood as her excuse.

Loras accompanies Jaime Lannister at Tywin Lannister's wake. When word arrives of the Ironborn attack on the Shield Islands, Cersei plays on Loras's hot temper until he commits to taking Dragonstone himself, freeing Paxter Redwyne's fleet to sail to the Reach's defense.

The plan works out as Cersei hoped but not as Loras did: during the assault he is badly burned by boiling oil, and his fate is left unconfirmed.

From this point the two versions of his story part ways. In the novels, Loras's fate after his wounds at Dragonstone remains unresolved. The television adaptation, by contrast, ends his story with his death in the year 303.