The Seven Who Rode

The Seven Who Rode were seven champions sent into the burning streets of King's Landing to recover Prince Joffrey Velaryon after he took flight on Syrax. Their ride ended not in the rescue of the prince, but in a fight over his remains: the queen's men brought his body back, while three of the seven were killed. Their story is remembered through conflicting accounts of their motives and through the cost of their attempt to carry out the queen's command.

Identity and Members

The group comprised Ser Medrick Manderly, heir to White Harbor; Ser Loreth Lansdale and Ser Harrold Darke, knights of the Queensguard; Ser Harmon of the Reeds, called Iron-Banger; Ser Gyles Yronwood, an exiled knight from Dorne; Ser Willam Royce, who carried the Valyrian sword Lamentation; and Ser Glendon Goode, Lord Commander of the Queensguard. The septon, maester, and fool accounts agree on the seven names, even as they differ over what drove the men.

Six squires, eight gold cloaks, and twenty men-at-arms accompanied the champions. Their names were not preserved, leaving the seven leaders at the center of the account despite the larger force that rode with them.

Purpose and Motives

The Seven Who Rode left the Red Keep on the night Joffrey disappeared, following the queen's order to pursue her son and bring him back. By the time the watchers heard Syrax, Joffrey had already flown from the castle. The mission therefore began as a pursuit through a city in turmoil, with the queen's command still its stated purpose.

The chroniclers offer different explanations for the riders' obedience. Munkun presents them as men of honor bound by duty; Septon Eustace attributes their action to compassion for a mother seeking her son; Mushroom portrays them as foolish men hoping for a rich reward. The account allows that each version may hold part of the truth, without settling on a single motive.

The Ride and Recovery

The riders descended from the Red Keep into a city already engulfed in violence. They fought their way through King's Landing as it burned, and the alleys of Flea Bottom became the setting for their final struggle. Songs later made much of the ride and its perils, though the historical account distinguishes the ballads from what can be established.

When they reached Joffrey, the mob had fallen upon his body and was stripping it of valuables. The Seven Who Rode fought through the crowd and recovered his remains, though they could not retrieve his right foot. Their task had changed from bringing the prince back alive to preventing his body from being wholly taken by the mob.

Losses and Legacy

Three of the seven died in the fighting. Ser Gyles Yronwood was pulled from his horse and killed; Ser Willam Royce was struck down, and Lamentation was taken from him and never found. Ser Glendon Goode was attacked from behind and killed after his horse threw him amid the fighting. He was only twenty years old and had been Lord Commander of the Queensguard for less than a day.

The fate of the three makes the ride more than a tale of loyal pursuit: the queen's command brought her champions into a battle they survived only in part, and their success came too late to save her son. The Seven Who Rode recovered Joffrey's remains, but the rescue ended in loss, with one of their companions' famed swords disappearing into the city.