Ah, dear reader, gather close to the flickering flame, and let the Old Wizard tell you of a noble house lost to time, blood, and betrayal: House Hollard, a once-proud name of the Crownlands, now but a whisper beneath castle ruins and courtly songs.
A Bond Forged in the Age of Heroes
Long before kings breathed fire and wolves ruled the North, the Hollards stood proudly beside House Darklyn of Duskendale. During the fabled Age of Heroes, they were not merely vassals; they were kin, heart-bound by loyalty and marriage. Some say three Hollard daughters became queens, wed to Darklyn kings of old. Whether all tales are true or gilded in time’s telling, their alliance was deep and unshakable.
The Defiance of Duskendale
But not all oaths end in glory.
When Lord Denys Darklyn dared to defy the Mad King Aerys II Targaryen, the Hollards stood by him, brave or foolish as it may seem. Within the walls of the Dun Fort, Denys captured the king himself. And it was Ser Symon Hollard, master-at-arms and steel-hearted knight, who slew Ser Gwayne Gaunt of the Kingsguard.
For half a year, Lord Tywin Lannister and a royal host waited beyond the walls, powerless to act. Had they stormed Duskendale, the king would have died. All hope seemed still until Ser Barristan Selmy, alone and legendary, breached the fort, slew Symon, and freed the king.
And thus, the wrath of Aerys was unleashed.
Denys bent the knee and begged for mercy. He received none. The king ordered House Darklyn wiped from the world… and House Hollard followed them into ruin. Their lands were seized, their castle torn to rubble, and nearly every man, woman, and child executed.
Only one soul was spared: young Dontos Hollard, nephew of Symon. Saved only by the intercession of the very man who had slain his kin, Ser Barristan Selmy.
The Red Fool of King’s Landing
Years later, Ser Dontos Hollard remained in court at King’s Landing, a remnant of a ghosted house. When the cruel boy-king Joffrey Baratheon took the throne, Dontos entered his name-day tourney, drunk and unarmored. Joffrey, ever merciless, ordered him drowned in wine. Only the plea of Sansa Stark saved him.
He was stripped of his knighthood and turned to jest the court’s fool in motley, known henceforth as Dontos the Red.
But the fool still remembered honor. When Sansa became trapped in the gilded cage of the capital, he whispered to her of rescue, meeting her in secret within the godswood. He gave her a hairnet laced with amethysts and promised salvation on Joffrey’s wedding night.
That salvation came in fire and poison. As the Strangler claimed Joffrey’s life, Sansa fled in the chaos with Dontos at her side.
A Price Paid in Blood
He brought her to the Merling King, a ship on the Blackwater, where Petyr Baelish awaited in the fog. There, Dontos asked for his promised payment of ten thousand golden dragons.
Instead, he received crossbow bolts.
Petyr had no intention of paying. With a torch cast upon his corpse, Ser Lothor Brune buried the truth alongside him. And thus ended the line of House Hollard, in betrayal, coinless, and alone.
A Castle in Ruin
Years later, Brienne of Tarth came seeking traces of Sansa and Dontos. In the ruins of Hollard lands, north of Duskendale, she found only echoes, broken stone, and empty hearths. Perhaps Dontos was born there, but no one remains to say for certain.
Known Members of House Hollard
- Ser Dontos Hollard – “Dontos the Red,” fool and final bearer of the name. Killed 300 AC.
- Ser Symon Hollard – Master-at-arms of Duskendale, killer of Ser Gwayne Gaunt.
- Ser Steffon Hollard – Symon’s twin and father of Dontos.
- Ser Jon Hollard – Steward of House Darklyn, married to Lord Denys’s sister.
- Robin Hollard – A squire during the Defiance, possibly Jon’s son.
- Three Hollard women who became queens to the Darklyns in the Age of Heroes (unconfirmed, from legend).
Arms and Allegiance
- Coat of Arms: Barry red and pink, with three golden crowns on a blue chief.
(Blazon: Barry gules and rose, on a chief azure three crowns or) - Region: Crownlands
- Seat: Hollard Castle (now in ruins)
- Overlord: House Darklyn (historical)
- Status: Extinct (died out 300 AC)
If ever a house fell not by war, but by loyalty, it was House Hollard swept away for standing by a friend, remembered only by fools and ruins.
May their name live on in song and whisper.
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