Lady Rohanne Webber

Lady Rohanne Webber, known throughout the Reach as "the Red Widow," was the head of House Webber and Lady of Coldmoat during the reign of King Aerys I Targaryen (circa 209–211 AC). She is a central figure in the novella The Sworn Sword , the second tale in the Dunk and Egg series. A woman of formidable will, sharp wit, and tragic circumstances, Rohanne navigated a world that sought to strip her of power at every turn—yet she refused to yield. She would later become the second wife of Lord Gerold Lannister, making her the grandmother of Tywin Lannister and thus an ancestor to the main series' most powerful house.

Rohanne Webber possessed a striking and memorable appearance that belied the fearsome reputation that preceded her:

• Stature: She was notably small, standing at only 4'11" (approximately 150 cm), with a thin, slight frame.

• Hair: Her most famous feature was her long, strawberry-blonde red hair, which she typically wore in a thick braid that reached down to her thighs—a braid so iconic that Ser Duncan the Tall would later cut a lock from it as a keepsake.

• Eyes: She had green or grey-green eyes, sharp and assessing.

• Complexion: Her face was dusted with freckles, and she had a dimpled chin and a snub nose.

• Age: In 211 AC, during the events of The Sworn Sword , she was 25 years old, though rumor and tragedy made many assume she was far older.

• When she smiled, she looked like a girl of fifteen—"a pretty girl full of mischief and laughter"—but this youthful appearance masked a woman who had already buried four husbands and two children.

Born as the only surviving child of Lord Wyman Webber of Coldmoat, Rohanne's life was marked by loss from its very beginning. She had five or six brothers, all of whom died in infancy—deaths that would later fuel rumors that she had murdered them to secure her inheritance.

During her youth at Coldmoat, Rohanne developed an innocent romance with Addam Osgrey, the son of Ser Eustace Osgrey, who served as her father's page and later squire. Their relationship never progressed beyond a few stolen kisses, but it was genuine and tender—the only love she would ever truly know. When Ser Eustace proposed marriage between Rohanne and Addam, Lord Wyman refused, having already betrothed his daughter to another squire in his service.

At the age of ten, Rohanne suffered her first devastating losses. Her father and her young husband (only twelve years old himself) rode to war in the Battle of the Redgrass Field, fighting for the loyalist Targaryen cause. Both her husband and her beloved Addam perished in the battle—Addam fighting for the rebel Daemon Blackfyre as his father's squire. Rohanne wept only for Addam, not for the husband she barely knew, and she blamed Ser Eustace for Addam's death, nursing a bitter grudge against him for years thereafter.

Rohanne's marital history became the stuff of dark legend, earning her the moniker "the Red Widow":

1. First Husband (d. 196 AC): The unnamed squire, killed at the Redgrass Field when Rohanne was ten
2. Second Husband (m. ~199 AC, d. soon after): At thirteen, she was married to a fifty-five-year-old man who soon died of a chill. Six months after his death, she gave birth to their son, who was weak and died within three days.
3. Third Husband — Ser Simon Staunton (d. by choking): Died by choking on a chicken bone at dinner.
4. Fourth Husband — Ser Rolland Uffering (d. of illness): Perished during the Great Spring Sickness.

From these unions, she bore one daughter (by either Simon or Rolland), but the child did not live to see her first name day.

These accumulated tragedies spawned vicious rumors: that she had poisoned her husbands, that she was a witch who sold her unborn children to the Lord of the Seven Hells in exchange for dark arts, and that she was barren. The smallfolk whispered that demons came by night to carry off her issue, and that she danced with demons and embroidered evil spells.

Rohanne Webber was a study in contrasts—a woman who cultivated a fearsome reputation while remaining deeply vulnerable beneath her armor.

Defensive Ferocity Having learned that the world would not protect her, Rohanne adopted a strategy of intimidation and strength. She "tried hard to make herself seem ferocious to lords and knights," understanding that in a world of predators, she could not afford to appear weak. She was skilled with archery, a martial art that suited her small stature and fierce independence.

Pragmatic Ruthlessness When a peasant named Dake was accused of stealing sheep from Webber lands, Rohanne had him sewn into a sack with rocks and sunk in her moat—a punishment that demonstrated her willingness to employ brutal justice to maintain order. When Ser Eustace Osgrey came to demand the man's release, she informed him it was already done, provoking him to swear a holy vow that he would never return to Coldmoat except to take possession of it.

Sharp Intelligence and Wit Rohanne was "too small, too clever, and much too dangerous". She possessed a quick, cutting wit and a keen understanding of politics and law. When Ser Duncan the Tall came to negotiate on behalf of Ser Eustace, she immediately saw through his bluster and countered his claims with documented evidence of her house's rights to the Chequy Water—including proof of Eustace's treason during the Blackfyre Rebellion.

Vulnerability and Longing Beneath her armor—both literal and metaphorical—Rohanne remained the girl who had loved Addam Osgrey. When Duncan mentioned Addam's name, she slapped him so hard she split his lip, but this violence masked genuine grief. Years later, when she finally visited Addam's grave at Standfast, she wept uncontrollably, allowing Ser Eustace to comfort her and finally lay their shared tragedy to rest.

She admitted to Duncan: "I scarce remember Addam any longer. It was more than half my life ago. I remember that I loved him, though. I have not loved any of the others".

Rohanne's worldview was forged in the crucible of loss and betrayal. Her father's final lesson to her shaped her entire approach to power:

"I was ten years old when the black dragon rose. I begged my father not to put himself at risk, or at least to leave my husband. Who would protect me, if both my men were gone? So he took me up onto the ramparts, and pointed out Coldmoat's strong points. 'Keep them strong,' he said, 'and they will keep you safe. If you see to your defenses, no man may do you harm.' The first thing he pointed at was the moat. My first husband perished on the Redgrass Field. My father found me others, but the Stranger took them, too. I no longer trust in men, no matter how ample they may seem. I trust in stone and steel and water. I trust in moats, ser, and mine will not go dry."

This philosophy—trusting in defenses rather than people—made her a formidable ruler but a lonely woman. She built dams to protect her lands during drought, fortified her castle, and maintained her independence even as suitors circled like vultures.