Willam the Wasp

Willam the Wasp was a knight of the Kingsguard remembered both for his proven loyalty and for the fatal expedition he led into Andalos. His military reputation helped persuade Jaehaerys Targaryen to appoint Myles Smallwood as Hand, while his death during the search for a supposed monster showed how easily uncertain reports could draw the king’s agents into danger.

Reputation and Service

Willam had served at Acorn Hall and knew Myles Smallwood through that service. When Jaehaerys sought a Hand, Willam strongly endorsed Smallwood, describing him as exceptionally fierce, loyal, and capable. Smallwood’s liege lords, Prentys Tully and Lady Lucinda, also praised him. The king accepted their recommendations, and Smallwood set out for King’s Landing within a fortnight. Willam’s testimony was one part of the case for choosing an experienced warrior to balance the young king’s council.

Willam’s own reputation rested on a long record of service in battle. He had fought for the king’s brother, Aegon Targaryen, beneath the Gods Eye; battled Wat the Hewer at Stonebridge; and ridden with the late Lord Stokeworth to bring Harren the Red to justice during the reign of Aenys. He bore scars from many fights, a visible record of the martial experience for which he was known.

The Search in Andalos

After reports reached King’s Landing of a beast prowling the hills north of Pentos, Jaehaerys sent twelve men across the narrow sea to investigate, with Willam leading them. The reports described a creature attacking flocks and shepherds, but offered no reliable proof that it was a dragon. The king’s party went to Pentos and engaged a local guide who claimed to know where the creature could be found.

The guide led Willam and his men into a trap in the Velvet Hills of Andalos. They were attacked by brigands and, despite fighting back, were overwhelmed by superior numbers. Willam was said to have been the last of the party to fall. His head was returned to one of Rego Draz’s agents in Pentos, confirming the expedition’s destruction.

Death and Aftermath

Septon Barth concluded that the supposed monster was only a story used by men stealing sheep to frighten others away. Myles Smallwood urged Jaehaerys to punish Pentos for the killings, but the king refused to make war on an entire city for the crimes of outlaws. The matter was set aside, and Willam’s fate was entered in the White Book of the Kingsguard.

Willam’s death also left a vacancy in the Kingsguard. Jaehaerys awarded the white cloak to Lucamore Strong, victor of the great melee in the Dragonpit. The episode thus links Willam’s established reputation as a loyal warrior with the limits of royal power: his mission ended in a distant ambush, and the king chose not to turn that loss into a war against Pentos.