Westeros

After dealing with a knight and a dead almost-king, with all their courtly eccentricities, I decided it was high time for a dose of less noble chatting; hence, Podrick Payne. Squire extraordinaire, brothel cruising legend and so-so horse rider, Daniel Portman’s Pod has won the favor of the fans thanks to his humility, devotion and courage, traits which make him a most rare Westerosi bird indeed. Even non-squires such as you and I can empathize with him at some level (not necessarily about the brothels.)

Daniel Portman may share some traits with young Payne. As opposed to Finn Jones and Gethin Anthony’s more openly extrovert demeanor, the Glasgowite looks more serious and contained. Ultimately, he is a most polite and straightforward lad who just seems a bit overwhelmed by the magnitude of the Con. Welcome to my world, Pod!

MARINO: Hi Daniel, thank you for taking these questions.

M: In Season 4 you became Gwendolyn Christie’s trusty sidekick. You were used to being Tyrion’s squire, so how do you fare with your new boss?

Surely the world has plans to keep Podrick busy and test his mettle time and again, fret not! On a side note, when Daniel said “you get into habits” I heard “you get into hobbits”, and that conjured up a veeeery weird image in my mind for the briefest of times. Hehe.

M: Regarding Podrick’s role, Tyrion needed people to protect him, whereas Brienne does not seem to. How does he adapt to this situation?

M: Let’s not forget Podrick belongs to a noble house, even though a lesser one. How do you think he views the game of thrones?

Seriously, what’s so great about being a knight? Everybody seems so anxious to have their characters become one or be the best one. Remember, folks: knights meet gruesome deaths just as often if not more than non-knight humans, only in fancier armors!

M: Do you see this happening?

A smile lights his face. Again, the thrill of knighthood! Man… If Podrick wants a “quiet life” I’d rather wish for him to land a job at Hot Pie’s Direwolf Pie Emporium.

M: But characters are often forced to face reality very harshly in the show. Do you believe those knightly traits may become spoiled?

We’ll see how Pod fares against the lure of The One Ring once he joins the Avengers to face Voldemort in his hideout on Tatooine… (Ooops. Cosplay overload alert!)

M: How would you like Pod’s story to develop?

Another big grin; it sure seems this question is the most popular, according to a recent multicentric non-randomized research study promoted by the Citadel. Toss it at your interviewees and make them happy through the power of wishful thinking!

M: Thank you so much, Daniel!

My, my, isn’t he a darling? Such a sweet boy! Too bad I couldn’t spend more time with him. He’d certainly make for the best son-in-law EVER (as long as he quits the brothel thing.) I’d definitely want him married to one of the bastard daughters I’ve been meaning to have.

Anyway, since Daniel’s Scottishness had whetted my appetite for MOAR delicious Scottishness, I decided the best choice would be to seek an audience with the Lady of The Eyrie. Riverlands, here we come!

About the Author

Marino Santirso is a biped hailing from Northern Spain who writes, translates and edits words for companies such as… can’t really tell you. He collaborated in the Spanish edition of “A Dance with Dragons” and is in charge of the Spanish versions of the “A Game of Thrones” LCG and board games. He loves Dorne because “Ser Arthur Dayne had a magic sword” and “OMG the Red Viper is almost a Maester!” He also likes to stick his finger into béchamel sauce when no one is watching and won’t probably be allowed to write anything else for anyone else anywhere ever. He is a gentle soul; please handle with care.