Windblown

The Windblown is a free company of sellswords, one of the oldest and most notorious in the Disputed Lands. Its commander, a soft-spoken, sad-eyed Pentoshi nobleman known only as the Tattered Prince, has led the company for thirty years, since he fled Pentos rather than accept the ceremonial, sacrificial role of prince. The company's name derives from its founder's ragged cloak, a patchwork of cloth strips torn from the surcoats of men he had slain, and the company's banners are fork-tailed blue-and-white standards. The Windblown has known but one commander in its history, and of its six founders, only the Tattered Prince survives.

Origins and Command

The Tattered Prince was three-and-twenty when the magisters of Pentos chose him to be their new prince, hours after beheading their old prince. Instead of accepting the throne, he buckled on a sword, mounted his favorite horse, and fled to the Disputed Lands, never to return. He rode with the Second Sons, the Iron Shields, and the Maiden's Men before joining with five brothers-in-arms to form the Windblown. The company goes back thirty years, and its commander keeps his true name to himself. The Tattered Prince's stallion's spotted hindquarters are covered with ragged strips of cloth torn from the surcoats of men his master has slain, and the prince's own cloak is sewn together from more of the same.

Contract with Yunkai and the Siege of Meereen

During the conflict in Slaver's Bay, the Windblown is hired by the Yunkai'i to fight against Daenerys Targaryen. The company is one of four free companies serving Yunkai, alongside the Long Lances, the Company of the Cat, and the Second Sons. The Windblown are present at the Battle of the Horns of Hazzat, where they fight alongside the Yunkish forces against the Astapori. The company's serjeants recruit aggressively in Volantis, calling out to every passing man and boy, promising riches and glory. The Windblown are described as being two thousand strong, with the Tattered Prince commanding from a huge grey warhorse. The company's ranks include a variety of sellswords from across the known world, including Westerosi exiles, Myrish crossbowmen, and Volantene swordsmen.

The Feigned Defection

As the war progresses, the Tattered Prince grows disillusioned with the Yunkish command, which he views as incompetent and divided. He secretly decides to switch sides, sending a group of Westerosi-born sellswords—including Pretty Meris, Hugh Hungerford, Dick Straw, and the three Dornishmen (Quentyn Martell, Gerris Drinkwater, and Archibald Yronwood)—to defect to Daenerys Targaryen. The ruse is carefully constructed: each of the chosen men has a plausible grievance against the Tattered Prince, such as past whippings, lost fingers, or perceived slights, to make their defection believable. The Tattered Prince instructs them to ride east, deep into the hills, then swing wide about Yunkai, making for Meereen, and to go over to the dragon queen's patrols. The plan is for them to act as genuine deserters, infiltrating Daenerys's forces to keep the Windblown's options open.

Betrayal and Aftermath

The plan goes awry when the Dornishmen, who are secretly on a mission to wed Daenerys, reveal their true identities and the ruse to the queen. The other Westerosi sellswords are imprisoned in the bowels of the Great Pyramid. Later, after Daenerys's disappearance, the Tattered Prince negotiates with Quentyn Martell, who seeks to hire the Windblown to help him steal a dragon. The Tattered Prince agrees, but demands a high price: the city of Pentos. The attempt to steal the dragons ends in disaster, with Quentyn Martell burned to death and the Windblown sellswords, including Caggo Corpsekiller and Pretty Meris, fleeing the scene. The imprisoned Windblown members are later used by Ser Barristan Selmy as part of a plan to rescue hostages from the Yunkish camp.

Significance

The Windblown embodies the treacherous and mercenary nature of the free companies in Essos, where loyalty is a commodity to be bought and sold. The company's shifting allegiances—from Yunkai to a feigned defection to Daenerys, and then to a private deal with Quentyn Martell—reflect the chaotic and self-serving politics of the sellsword world. The Tattered Prince's long-standing desire for Pentos, a city he once rejected, serves as a driving motivation that ultimately leads to the company's involvement in the disastrous dragon-stealing plot. The Windblown's story highlights the theme of deception and the difficulty of trust in a world where oaths are easily broken and every alliance is provisional.