The White Worm

The White Worm is the name attached to Mysaria, a Lysene woman whose shadow falls across both a royal murder investigation and the politics of Rhaenyra Targaryen’s court. Blood accused a pale, foreign-speaking woman called Misery of hiring him and Cheese to kill Prince Jaehaerys, but no evidence in the account confirms that accusation. Later, Mysaria emerged from the shadows to become Lady Misery, an unofficial intelligence power in King’s Landing.

Identity and Names

Mysaria is identified as a Lysene harlot and associated with two names: the White Worm and Lady Misery. During the search for the killers of Prince Jaehaerys, Blood described the woman he claimed had hired them as older, very pale, foreign by her speech, and cloaked and hooded. He said other harlots called her Misery. The account later identifies Mysaria as the White Worm and says she became known at court as Lady Misery, linking the names while leaving Blood’s allegation unverified.

The Murder Investigation

Two days after Prince Jaehaerys was killed, Blood was captured at the Gate of the Gods while trying to leave King’s Landing with the prince’s head hidden in a saddle sack. Under torture, he said he was carrying it to Harrenhal to collect a reward from Prince Daemon Targaryen, and supplied the description of the woman he claimed had hired the killers. His account made Misery a suspect, not a proven accomplice.

After thirteen days of torment, Blood was allowed to die. Ser Luthor Largent and the gold cloaks searched the Street of Silk, turning out and stripping the city’s harlots in their effort to find Cheese and the White Worm. The search produced no trace of either. The gap between Blood’s accusation and the investigators’ failure to find her leaves Mysaria’s role in the killing unresolved.

Return to Court and Influence

Mysaria later appeared openly at court, taking up residence in the Red Keep during Rhaenyra’s rule. She was never formally given a seat on the queen’s small council, but in practice she served as mistress of whisperers. Her network reached across King’s Landing, with informants in brothels, alehouses, and pot shops, as well as access to the halls and bedchambers of the powerful.

Her influence also depended on personal ties. Prince Daemon remained in her thrall and called on her every evening, apparently with Rhaenyra’s approval. Mysaria thus occupied an unusual position: excluded from the council’s official structure, yet established at court and connected to both the queen and her husband through intelligence and private access.