Boros Blount

Ser Boros Blount is a knight of the Kingsguard, the seven sworn brothers in white cloaks who protect the king. He is an ugly man with a broad chest, short bandy legs, a flat nose, baggy jowls, and brittle grey hair. His service spans the reigns of Robert Baratheon and his son Joffrey, but his loyalty belongs not to the crown but to the Lannisters, and he carries out their commands—even brutal ones—without hesitation or remorse.

Appearance and Character

Ser Boros is described as an ugly man with a broad chest and short, bandy legs. His nose is flat, his cheeks baggy with jowls, and his hair is grey and brittle. He is physically unremarkable for a knight of the Kingsguard, but his moral character is even less distinguished. He is a man who simply does not care. When he strikes Sansa Stark on the king's orders, he shows no hatred and no love—he feels nothing for her at all. She is only a thing to him. This emotional emptiness makes him a perfect tool for those who wish to use violence without moral complication.

Role in the Kingsguard

Ser Boros is one of the seven knights of the Kingsguard under King Robert Baratheon. He is present at the execution of the deserter from the Night's Watch, standing guard as Lord Eddard Stark carries out the sentence. When King Robert rides out to hunt with Ned, Ser Boros and Ser Meryn Trant wait behind him with a dozen guardsmen. He is also stationed at the far end of the bridge to Maegor's Holdfast when Ned is summoned to the dying king's bedside, a ghostly figure in white steel armor in the moonlight.

After Robert's death, Ser Boros becomes one of the knights who escort Sansa Stark to the throne room. He wears white velvet now, and his snowy cloak is fastened with a lion brooch whose eyes are tiny rubies—a clear signal of where his true allegiance lies. When Sansa compliments him on his appearance, he responds in a flat voice, showing no warmth or courtesy.

Instrument of Lannister Cruelty

Ser Boros's most significant act is his brutal treatment of Sansa Stark. When Joffrey orders him to "teach her" after she speaks out of turn, Ser Meryn Trant strikes her first, but Ser Boros is present and complicit. Later, when Sansa refuses to go to the battlements to see her father's head, Joffrey threatens to have Ser Boros drag her up. The knight's willingness to use force against a helpless girl marks him as one of the queen's creatures, utterly without honor.

He is also the knight who escorts Jeyne Poole to Lord Petyr Baelish's apartments after the coup, following Cersei's orders to remove the steward's daughter from Sansa's company. He does this without question, as he does everything the Lannisters command.

Narrative Significance

Ser Boros Blount represents the corruption of the Kingsguard under Lannister influence. Unlike the legendary knights of the order's past—Ryam Redwyne, Prince Aemon the Dragonknight—Ser Boros is a paper shield, a man who wears the white cloak but serves only the queen's will. Varys the Spider identifies him as one of "the queen's creatures to the bone," alongside Ser Meryn Trant. His presence in the Kingsguard demonstrates how far the institution has fallen from its ideals, and his willingness to strike a noble girl on a child king's command shows that the Lannisters have surrounded themselves with men who will do anything they are told, no matter how dishonorable.