Rhaegar Frey is an House Frey member and the second son of Ser Aenys Frey and Tyana Wylde. After Robb Stark’s demise at the Red Wedding, he and two members of House Frey travel to White Harbor to convince Lord Wyman Manderly to join the Iron Throne’s cause under King Tommen I Baratheon’s rule. However, things do not go right as he goes missing while returning from the mission.
After the Frey betrayed the Starks for the Lannisters, Rhaegar and his family joined the Boltons’ cause, serving under Queen Cersei Lannister’s indirect rule.
Rhaegar Frey Details
- Name: Rhaegar Frey.
- Year of Birth: 269-274 AC.
- Year of Death: 300 AC.
- Parents: Ser Aenys Frey and Tyana Wylde.
- Allegiances: House Frey, the Iron Throne.
- Wife: Jeyne Beesbury.
- Children: Robert Frey, Walda Frey, Jonos Frey.
- Culture: Rivermen.
- Religion: Faith of the Seven.
Appearance and Personality
Named after Rhaegar Targaryen, the Prince of Dragonstone, Rhaegar Frey is around thirty years old, big-bellied, round-shouldered, and unattractive. He has a silky beard with a cynical look when he smiles. Being an imbecilic liar, he is prone to pointless fits of rage to mask his true desires. Rhaegar wears a grey silver-trimmed lambskin doublet with a silver cloak featuring a breastpin depicting the Twins.
Relevance in A Song of Ice and Fire
A Dance with Dragons
Rhaegar Frey becomes a widower after his wife, Jeyne, dies from a wasting illness. He and two of his half-uncles, Ser Symond Frey and Jared Frey, board the Lionstar and travel via Sisterton to White Harbor to deliver the bones of Ser Wendel Manderly and get the Manderlys to join the cause of the Iron Throne under King Tommen Baratheon. A marriage pact gets signed for Rhaegar to marry Lord Wyman’s granddaughters Wynafryd Manderly and Little Walder Frey to marry Wylla Manderly. The Freys also offer to give Lord Wyman a bride.
When Lord Davos Seaworth arrives at White Harbor, he meets Lord Wyman Manderly at the Merman’s Court to ask for the Manderlys’ support of King Stannis Baratheon. The Freys mock Davos at court. However, he rebukes them, telling Lord Manderly that they broke the sacred laws of Guest Rights and were complicit in his son’s death. He also says the Manderlys swore loyalty to the Starks, who were kind to them.
Wylla Manderly vocally supports Davos and tells her grandfather she will never marry Little Walder. Rhaegar Frey then steps in, telling Lod Manderly that he has no choice but to obey the new Wardens of the North, the Boltons. He states that Ramsay Bolton will soon marry Arya Stark of Winterfell, Jeyne Poole, saying the war is over. He also insults King Robb Stark, saying he is a vile dog who deserves death.
Though furious at Rhaegar’s statements, Lord Wyman Manderly agrees with him and orders Marlon Manderly to take Davos to prison and kill him. However, unknown to the Freys, another prisoner with similar features to Davos gets killed. Their head gets dipped in tar, and an onion is placed in their mouth, mocking Davos’s sigil.
Lord Manderly meets the Onion knight in the Wolf’s Den and explains he had no choice because he wanted his son and heir, Ser Wylis Manderly, to be freed from captivity. He calls Rhaegar a smirking worm wearing a dragon’s name and tells Seaworth of his plans for the Freys. Lord Manderly also tells Davos that Bran and Rickon Stark are alive and says his terms for joining Stannis will be Rickon’s recovery from Skagos as he wishes to restore the Starks’ rule of the North.
After the agreements with the Freys, Lord Wyman gives Rhaegar palfreys as guest gifts, signifying their guest right has ended. He travels behind them to Barrowton. However, they vanish on the way. Lord Manderly reaches the city for Ramsay’s wedding, and when asked about the missing Freys, he says they went ahead because of his train’s slowness. Roose Bolton reaches North with a Frey force and changes his son’s wedding venue to Winterfell to force Stannis, who had captured Deepwood Motte, into battle.
Lord Wyman serves three large pies to the Freys and the Boltons at Ramsay’s wedding feast. He then asks for a song about the Rat Cook, who gave a King who offended him a pie containing his son. Big Walder Frey suspects Lord Manderly of killing his kin, and later, Ser Hosteen Frey accuses Wyman of their murders.
Rhaegar Frey: The Insufferable Liar
Like most members of House Frey, Rhaegar Frey was an insufferably proud and stupid man with little critical reasoning skills. He lacked restraint in talking and was eager to insult Robb Stark in front of the Manderlys, who had incredible loyalty for their liege lords. He failed to realize that though the Boltons were in charge of the North, Lord Manderly was still the ruler of White Harbor and had power in the region.
