Maiden’s Woe

Maiden’s Woe, identified in the account as Lady Forlorn, is the Valyrian steel blade of House Corbray. Its importance is both hereditary and political: it marks Ser Corwyn Corbray’s standing as a knight of repute, then enters the fatal confrontation that helps reignite conflict in the Vale of Arryn.

Identity and Inheritance

Lady Forlorn was given to Ser Corwyn by his late father. The blade’s inheritance accompanied Corwyn’s place in an ancient and honorable house, and its possession added weight to his position among the lords of the Vale. His brother Leowyn Corbray was Protector of the Realm; the family’s standing, together with Corwyn’s reputation and the sword, made him difficult for the regents to oppose when they arranged his marriage to Lady Rhaena.

Corwyn was thirty-two, a second son, and already the father of two daughters from an earlier marriage. Those circumstances made him an imperfect choice for the regents’ purposes, but his repute as a knight and his family’s rank counted in his favor. He and Rhaena were betrothed quickly and wed a fortnight later, while the regents worried that her twin, Baela, might already be pregnant.

The Confrontation at Runestone

After Lady Jeyne’s will was challenged, Corwyn ruled that Ser Joffrey Arryn was the rightful Lord of the Eyrie. When rival claimants rejected the ruling, Corwyn imprisoned the Gilded Falcon and his sons and executed Eldric Arryn. Ser Arnold Arryn, Eldric’s father, escaped and took refuge at Runestone, where he had once served as a squire.

Corwyn went to Runestone to force Ser Arnold from his sanctuary. Lord Gunthor Royce, an old but fearless man, put on his ancient bronze armor and rode out to confront him. Their exchange escalated from heated words to curses and threats. Corwyn drew Lady Forlorn; the account leaves unresolved whether he meant to strike Gunthor or only threaten him. A crossbowman on Runestone’s battlements then shot Corwyn through the breast.

Consequences and Significance

Corwyn’s death was treated as more than a private killing. He was one of the king’s regents, and striking him down was described as treason akin to attacking the king. His family connections widened the stakes: he was uncle to Quenton Corbray, husband to Rhaena, brother-in-law to Baela, and kin by marriage to Alyn Oakenfist.

The blade’s appearance at Runestone thus marks the instant a political dispute becomes an armed crisis, though the evidence does not establish that Corwyn used it to wound anyone. After his death, the Corbrays, Hunters, Craynes, and Redforts backed Joffrey Arryn, while the Royces and Ser Arnold drew support from other Vale houses and the lords of the Fingers and Three Sisters. The Gilded Falcon’s supporters in Gulltown and House Grafton remained loyal despite his captivity. The Iron Throne’s response followed in the form of a final demand that the opposing lords lay down their arms, and preparations to end the rebellion by force.