Balon Hightower


 * "Beneath the gold, the Hightower."
 * ―Ser Argyl Flowers, former knight of the Company

Balon Hightower is one of the captains of the Golden Company. He is well liked both by his peers and the men beneath him. His stubbornness and skill at arms has led to his unofficial title, 'the Bulwark.'

Appearance & Character
Balon is generally considered a good man. He values loyalty, honesty, and chivalry the way any true Reachman should. He is uncomfortable lying, but he will for the right cause. He tries to be friendly with all men, but will remember those who wrong him and stand against him. His bravery is unquestioned, as is his ferocity in battle. With his brothers in arms, he is generally considered one of the most boisterous among them, always laughing the loudest and singing the most. But when he's alone, he often finds himself thinking of things he would rather not be. The faces of the men he's killed haunt him at night, as do the men who have died fighting by his side. Though Balon rarely loses his temper, when he does his anger is frightening to behold.

Early Life
Born in 253 AC in the Disputed Lands of Essos, his father was Ser Morgan Hightower, who claimed to be a distant cousin of the Hightowers of Oldtown. His mother died giving birth to his sister when Balon was two, and his father fell quiet whenever the subject was brought up, so Balon knows little about his mother aside from her name. Balon's father was a member of the Golden Company, so Balon has known warfare all his life. He spent his early days traveling with the company, though staying well out of combat.

When Balon was seven, the War of the Ninepenny Kings erupted, and the Golden Company marched to war. Balon sailed with the company, as he always did, so while he did not witness every battle, he saw the aftermath of most of them. He saw them carry his father's body back from one of the last conflicts, slain by an Estermont man at arms. The men of the Company took Balon in, for his father had been well liked, and Balon was as a nephew to many of them. They took him back across the sea when they were defeated, promising to raise him to be one of them, just as his father had intended.

Early Days in the Company
When Balon turned fourteen, a knight of the company named Ser Argyl Flowers took him as his squire. The men of the company had taught Balon rudimentary weaponry, but Argyl taught him to master his blade. Beyond that, however, Argyl taught him little of being a knight, about chivalry and honor. His father Morgan had been an honorable man, but he had died before Balon had truly understood what that meant. While other men of the Company steered him towards more material concerns, Balon quickly developed a sense of great honor and justice, treating all men like his equal (unless they were above him, of course). He worked hard at his duties, wanting to show Argyl that he was worthy of the trust the knight had placed in him, and that he had it in him to be a strong man like his father had been. His first battle came not long after, and though he performed well, he did not distinguish himself. Not yet.

Balon has one sibling, a younger sister by the name of Jacqueline. While Balon was only seven when their father died, he took great care of his little sister. He always looked out for her, insisting that she continue to travel with the Company when some of the other men suggested that a sellsword camp was no place for a young girl. When Jacqueline was seventeen, Balon arranged her marriage to Ser Tristifer Mandrake, another knight of the company and a good friend to Balon.

Adulthood
When Balon was nineteen, Argyl knighted him on his deathbed. The knight had taken a wound against a Tyroshi sellsword, and the company physicians told him it was fatal. Ser Argyl made him a knight, and then passed within the hour. He gifted him all his worldly possessions as well, as Argyl had no family that he cared for. So Balon went from a squire to a knight with considerable assets. He followed suit with the rest of the company, wearing his wealth upon his person, including the traditional golden arm rings, bejeweled chains, and a large gemstone in the pommel of his sword.

Balon is a man that is set in his convictions. He will not abide unnecessary cruelty or torture, and will always look to defend the weak. His kind nature doesn't mean that he won't fight, however. Quite the opposite. Balon is always up for a fight, and he knows what he's doing in one. His size is no hindrance to his speed in a duel, and he is seen as one of the company's best swordsman. Due to all of this, a great number of the men in the company have taken to calling him 'the Bulwark.'

Balon is well liked within the company. He is just and cool-headed, honorable and gregarious, and men often come to him to settle disputes between them. It was due to this and his skill at arms that led to him being offered a position as an officer in the Golden Company at the age of twenty six. He has served loyally ever since, helping to keep the Company as disciplined as ever, and, hopefully, more victorious than they have been in the past.

Two years ago, Balon took Young Jon Mudd as his squire. Balon and the boys father, Old Jon Mudd, are fast friends despite the difference in their ages, for Ser Morgan Hightower and Old Jon had been like brothers. Balon had been around Young Jon his whole life and looked on the boy like a brother. He has done his best to pass on his skill at arms and his sense of chivalry and honor, and just try to make the young man the best that he could be.

Recent Events
When his great friend Vogarro Rall revealed to Balon that he was in fact Aenys Blackfyre, true heir to the Iron Throne and rightful king of Westeros, Balon was shocked. At first, he felt somewhat hurt and betrayed that he had been lied to. But those feelings and thoughts quickly gave way to another; I'm standing before a king. Balon fell to his knees and swore his undying allegiance to his true king. Ever since the truth was revealed to him, Balon has prepared himself for the day that the Company returned to Westeros to reclaim their birthrights.

When the Golden Company was camped in the Stepstones, waiting to be ferried across to Westeros, an animal trapper and hunter came to sell some of his stock. While watching the new market to make certain that nothing went wrong, Balon purchased a small black and white monkey that he named Seasmoke.