Merrett Frey

From A Wiki of Ice and Fire
Revision as of 14:49, 30 March 2014 by Scafloc (talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
House Frey.png
Merrett Frey
House Frey.png
Merrett Frey TheMico.jpg

Alias Merrett Muttonhead
Allegiance House Frey
Culture Riverlands
Born In 262 AC
Died In 300 AC, Near Oldstones[1]
Spouse Mariya Darry
Books

Merrett Frey is a member of House Frey and a POV character in the epilogue of A Storm of Swords. He is 37 years old at the time. Merrett is the ninth son of Lord Walder Frey[1] and the fourth son born of Lord Walder's marriage to Amarei Crakehall.

Appearance & Character

See this collection of images

Merrett is a big, broad man of middle height. In his youth, he was almost as robust as his older brother Hosteen Frey, the strongest son of Lord Walder, but in later years he became "soft and fleshy."[1]

Ser Jaime Lannister remembers Merrett as slow, clumsy and stupid in his youth, with strength being his only positive quality.[2]

History

Merrett served with his mother's relative Lord Sumner Crakehall as a page and later a squire. Like many Crakehall descendants, he was known for his strength and robustness. During this time, he knew Jaime Lannister, also a squire at Crakehall, although the two were not very close because of Merrett's habit of bullying others, which was not to Jaime's liking. Jaime is implied to have turned the tables on Merrett when the Frey boy tried to bully him.[2]

The downfall in Merrett's life began with the expedition against the Kingswood Brotherhood. First he caught a pox from a camp follower, and later he was captured by Wenda the White Fawn and was branded on his arse with her mark, the fawn. He was freed after Lord Sumner paid a ransom, but was unable to sit for a fortnight and became the target of cruel jokes by the other squires. In his very next fight, Merrett was hit with a mace that broke his helm, leaving him insensible for a fortnight. As a result, he suffered immense pain whenever he was hit in the head, and generally suffered extreme headaches for which he drank excessively to numb the pain. He was sent back to the Twins by Lord Sumner and never knighted because of his injuries. His father began mocking him as Merrett Muttonhead.[1][2]

Merrett married Mariya of House Darry around 282 AL, considered an excellent match at the time. However, soon after the wedding, the Darrys lost most of their influence and power due to Robert's Rebellion, in which they declared for the Mad King. Merrett fathered four daughters, before the marriage produced a son, Little Walder Frey. One daughter died when she was still a child and two other daughters shamed their parents with promiscuity (Gatehouse Ami) and gluttony (Fat Walda), respectively.[1]

Consigned to a useless existence without knighthood, troubled by persistent headaches, despised by his father and considering his wife a shrew and his children worthless, Merrett gained the dubious distinction of being the biggest drunk in the Twins.[1]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

Merrett is among the many Freys present at the Twins when Catelyn Tully comes to treat with Lord Walder Frey.

A Storm of Swords

With the Freys striking a secret alliance with House Bolton, Lord Walder offers Roose Bolton the choice of a daughter or a granddaughter with her weight in silver as dowry. Bolton chooses Merrett's daughter Fat Walda. Merrett thinks this will get him into the favor of his father because of the importance of the alliance with the Boltons, but is disappointed when Lord Walder tells him that he is not going to thank his son for fathering a daughter who made him pay a larger dowry than necessary because of her gluttony.[3][4][1]

Merrett is humiliated again when the assignment he is given for the Red Wedding turns out to be getting Greatjon Umber too drunk to fight, a task based on Merrett's special gifts in the field of drinking, as explained by his half-brother Lothar Frey. However, Merrett fails once again, passing out in the attempt while the Greatjon is sober enough to kill two men, break another's arm and take part of Ser Leslyn Haigh's ear off before being subdued.[1]

After the Red Wedding, the Brotherhood Without Banners kidnaps Petyr Frey. Merrett volunteers to deliver the ransom for his great-nephew. As he is afraid that after the death of Lord Walder most Freys who are not descendants of Stevron Frey will be thrown out of the Twins by the new Lord of the Crossing, expected to be Stevron's son Ryman Frey, and as he has no prospect of maintaining an existence on his own, Merrett hopes to gain favor from his role in saving Petyr, who is Ryman's third-born son. Lord Walder originally laughs at the suggestion of Merrett dealing with outlaws, but, after Merrett practically begs for it, he eventually gives his consent.[1]

Upon his arrival at Oldstones, the place for exchanging ransom and hostage, he finds out that the Brotherhood has already hanged Petyr for his involvement in the Red Wedding. They take the ransom and prepare to hang Merrett as well. However, he is offered release on the condition that he can provide information on the whereabouts of Ser Sandor Clegane, who was on his way to the Twins before the Red Wedding, and a girl accompanying him. Merrett knows nothing about this matter and the preparations for hanging him continue. When the Brotherhood raise the murder of Robb Stark, Merrett insists it was justified vengance for Robb insulting House Frey rather than murder. However, he protests that all he did at the Red Wedding was drinking and that he was not involved in the planning, which he says was done by Lord Walder, Ryman Frey and Roose Bolton. The Brotherhood tells him they have a witness for his involvement. This turns out to be Catelyn Stark. Merrett is aghast, remembering how his brother Raymund killed Lady Catelyn and how they left the body lying a whole day before stripping it naked and throwing it into the river. Asked whether Merrett was part of the plot, Lady Catelyn just nods, as she can't speak anymore. Merrett is then hanged by the Brotherhood.[1]

A Feast for Crows

After the execution of Merrett and Petyr Frey, the members of the Brotherhood Without Banners disperse. Lord Lucias Vypren follows one band to Fairmarket but loses them there. Another group goes to Hag's Mire. They are pursued by hounds and hunters led by Black Walder Frey, but their trace is lost when they reach the Neck. However, peasants who are questioned provide descriptions of members of the band, including of the hooded woman who is believed to be their leader, whereas nothing is heard of Beric Dondarrion or Thoros of Myr in connection with the killing of the two Freys. This creates doubts as regards whether the Brotherhood is really responsible.[2]

When Ser Jaime Lannister is on his way to ending the Second Siege of Riverrun, he makes a stop at Castle Darry, now seat of his cousin, Lord Lancel Lannister. There he meets Lancel's wife Amerei, Merrett's oldest daughter, as well as her mother Mariya Frey. When Jaime mentions the Smiling Knight, an outlaw from the Kingswood Brotherhood he fought in his youth, Amerei starts to cry, remembering her own father's death at the hand of outlaws. Lady Mariya's suggestion that Jaime knew Merrett makes Jaime remember a slow, clumsy and stupid boy, who bullied everyone until he made the mistake of trying to bully Jaime. Thus the only praise that comes to his mind is that Merrett was strong. Amerei brings up their time fighting the Kingswood Brotherhood, of which Merrett told her stories, but Jaime has a good recollection of Merrett's less than impressive achievements at the time and assumes that these stories mainly consisted of exaggerations and lies. Jaime raises a toast to Merrett, considering it easier to drink to the man than talk about him. Amerei later mentions that Ser Harwyn Plumm has promised her Dondarrion's head and she tries to coax Jaime into finding the killers of her father as well, although without success.[2]

Family

 
Walder
 
Amarei
Crakehall
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hosteen
 
Bellena
Hawick
 
 
 
Lucias
Vypren
 
Lythene
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Symond
 
Betharios
of Braavos
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Arwood
 
Ryella
Royce
 
Damon
Vypren
 
Elyana
Vypren
 
Jon
Wylde
 
Alesander
 
Alyx
 
Bradamar
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ryella
 
Androw
 
Alyn
 
Hostella
 
Rickard
Wylde
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Danwell
 
Wynafrei
Whent
 
 
 
 
 
Merrett
 
Mariya
Darry
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pate of the
Blue Fork
 
Amerei
 
Lancel
Lannister
 
"Fat"
Walda
 
Roose
Bolton
 
Marissa
 
Stillborn
daughter
 
Daughter
 
"Little"
Walder
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Geremy
 
Carolei
Waynwood
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Raymund
 
Beony
Beesbury
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Sandor
 
Cynthea
 
Robert
 
Malwyn
 
Sarra
 
Serra
 
Cersei
 
Tywin
 
Jaime
 


References and Notes

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at House_Frey.
The list of authors can be seen in the page history of House_Frey.
As with A Wiki of Ice and Fire, the content of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.