Melbus Reed

"My name's Melbus, but you can call me Mel." Melbus is a kind, fun-loving, and fiercely loyal man native to the Stormlands. He was born to Sterling and Amanda Darkwood in a small farming village. He has an older sister named Suzanna, and no brothers. However, he has not seen or spoken to his family since he was very young. He was recently adopted into House Reed of The Neck, and is the heir to their lord.

Childhood
Melbus was a small child, scrawny in comparison to most. His father, the owner of a rather large farm, was immediately worried of his infant's future. How could a child so frail, so weak, lead the family's farm to a successful future? As he aged, it became clear that Melbus had no interest in remaining in his small village. He was overcome by wanderlust from the moment he could walk.

Adolescence
When Melbus was around ten years of age, a caravan came through his town. In it was a maester, making his way to his newly assigned keep. Melbus was fascinated by the books the maester possessed, and the maester noticed this. He gifted a stack of books to the boy, and Melbus stayed up the entire night, reading in the candlelight. In the morning, Sterling, his father, found him asleep, open book in hand. Sterling took the books from Melbus, exclaiming that he wouldn't let his child become a bookworm with no muscle. Melbus protested, arguing with his father until it devolved into physical violence. After being beaten by his father, he was disowned. Thrown into the world with nothing but his books and the clothes on his back, Melbus set out for the nearest city, Storm's End.

Teenage Years
After Melbus arrived in Storm's End, he managed to find passage to Oldtown on a cargo ship. The captain of the ship, Arthur Cutway, become a father figure to the young boy. Arthur taught Melbus how to live on his own, how to survive. When it came time to part ways, Arthur told Melbus one final thing:"Always stay true to who you are. That's how you survive." At the young age of thirteen, Melbus enrolled in the Citadel to train to become a maester. He studied there for over ten years, under the watchful eye of his then-teacher, '''Maester Allistaire. '''During this time, he took many trips across the Narrow Sea to Essos, to study the eastern continent's flora and fauna.

Season 3 - Arrival in Westeros
Melbus never got to the point in his studies to become a full-fledged maester during his initial stay at the Citadel. Instead, he chose to use his knowledge of plants and animals to farm, actually following in his father's footsteps. Soon after his arrival, he found himself in Bear Village. He found himself surrounded by friendly faces, and knew this was where he wanted to stay. However, a great storm was coming, and Melbus decided to shack up in someone's house for a few days, instead of building a house and having it destroyed. He found refuge in the home of a chef in King's Landing, named Rhys Scarlett.

Season 4 - Life at the Red Ob
When the storm subsided, Melbus built a home near the red tower, where he could be near his newfound friends. His closest neighbor was the Abernathy family, comprised of '''Francis, Scarlett, and Trev. '''He became fast friends with them, and stuck to their side for most of his days as he acclimated to his new surroundings. Soon after, he grew closer to the others in his neighborhood: Bear, Pheebear, Allison Black, Giddeon, Crafte'e, and others. But, most importantly, he met a girl named Vesper, who would play a major part in Melbus' life. It was also during this time that he met Jasper Degrey, who would become his on-and-off love interest for the rest of his days.

Bear, up to his usual shenanigans, quickly realized Melbus had feelings for Vesper, and he set them up on a date. However, it ended up devolving into awkward conversation between the two, as they were both aware of the entire neighborhood eavesdropping from beyond a nearby hedge. Once the coast was clear, they both fled to a place where they wouldn't be watched. Vesper explained that she had had a husband in the past, who had unfortunately passed away. She told Melbus that she had no interest in relationships, and he respectfully accepted her view. They remained good friends

The quiet living of Bear Village was interrupted when Francis Abernathy grew sick and died in Casterly Rock, leaving the neighborhood shocked and in mourning. This and other events caused Trev to disappear into the wild to grieve alone. He did not return until after the next storm. Soon after Francis' death, a young squire from Casterly Rock moved into town, named Charles.

It was also around this time that Allison and Vesper were summoned by Lady Calista of Casterly Rock, who claimed that the two had created slanderous rumors about her. The two women were forced into hiding. Melbus and Bear found them after days of searching, and Melbus was able to clear up the situation with both parties. However, Vesper had decided that she wanted to return home to Dorne, a land which was then unreachable by horse. She left Melbus a note in his mail while he slept, telling him that if her heart didn't already belong to her husband, it would have belonged to him. Melbus has held onto that note to this day.

When the next storm hit, he and Allison journeyed to Dorne to live with Vesper for two years.

Season 5 - Pariah
After returning from Dorne, Allison and Melbus had a plan. They were going to create a new settlement in the redwoods. They, along with a returned Trev Abernathy and a few new friends, created a village in the redwoods called Pariah. Soon after, Allison and Melbus discovered that Vesper's daughter, Briella, had run away from home and was living on the Iron Isles. They agreed to keep it a secret from her mother, and kept a watchful eye on her.

Life was relatively quiet in the redwoods, until reports of wildlings began appearing nightly. Late one night, Melbus was alone in the village. In the dead of night, a party of wildlings grappled over the wall of the town. He tried to fight them, but was slain. However, the local red priestess found his body and dragged it to safety. By some miracle, she resurrected him. This event has haunted Melbus, a man of science, to this day.

When the next storm hit, Melbus decided to return to the Citadel and finish his training as a maester.

Season 6 - The Disgraced Maester
Melbus became the maester of the Vale, serving his old friend '''Lord Rhys Tully. Soon after they had gotten settled in the new Vale, a report came in from Maester Wyndlynn '''of Dragonstone that the red priestess of Casterly Rock attacked him. Melbus knew who the red priestess was: his best friend, Allison. Going against his vows, Melbus defended Allison during interrogations by Grand Maester Pius and Wyndlynn. This infuriated the grand maester. Wyndlynn then sent a raven calling for violence against followers of the Lord of the Light. Melbus knew his best friend was in danger, and broke his vows a second time by relocating himself to Casterly Rock without permission.

Because of his broken vows, Grand Maester Pius stripped him of his links and status as a maester. He was allowed to keep his ravens and act as a messenger for Casterly Rock. Soon after this, Lord Haydn Darkmer was found guilty of theft and treason, and was executed. The now-knight and friend of Melbus, Charles Mallister, was placed into power.

Later on, Melbus was given a chance to redeem himself by the new Grand Maester, his old teacher Allistaire. If Melbus behaved, he would get his links back. Until then, he would be referred to as an acolyte and a maester-in-training.

Season 7 - Uncertainty
Melbus had become first steward of Casterly Rock, assisting his friend and lord in any way possible. He was also working with Grand Maester Allistaire and Maester Karl to earn his links back, though he doubted he would ever be respected by the brotherhood again, and was having second thoughts about rejoining. He had considered giving up entirely, until a red priest named Malek Tichondrius convinced him to stick with it and become a maester again, stating that the brotherhood would eventually need the progressive, accepting, and strong minds of Melbus' generation.

Because of the doubt that was ever-present in his head, Melbus decided he would return to the Citadel and finish getting his links there.

Season 8 - House Reed (Out of game)
When Melbus returned to the Citadel, he was demoralized. The maesters of the realm had made him feel useless, unwanted. Perhaps the maesters of the Citadel would be more forgiving, he had thought. He was wrong. The story of Melbus “the witch-loving maester” had reached even the archmaesters in Oldtown. Subsequently, he was subjected to the lowliest of duties, becoming a glorified janitor.

He thought that his time couldn’t any worse, until he heard news that made his heart sink. Wyndlynn, the maester who Melbus saw as the cause of all of his problems, had been chosen as the next archmaester of the Citadel. Melbus knew that he wouldn’t be able to handle letting the old maester see him like this, so in the night he left the Citadel, leaving any hope of receiving his links behind.

For a long time, Melbus wandered Westeros. He worked as a travelling doctor, servicing many villages. Often, he would stay in Seagard, the ancestral home of House Mallister, where he was welcome for his service to Lord Charles Mallister. He did this for many months, and it eventually brought him to The Neck, where he met the crannogmen and their overlords, House Reed. After assisting the men of the swamp with a crop blight, Lord Reed took an interest in Melbus. He was offered the position of Master of Farms, which Melbus took.

During the months that followed, Melbus used the knowledge of plants he had gained while studying to be a maester to become one of the greatest farmers in The Neck, which he travelled at the behest of Lord Reed to assist in agriculture amongst the crannogmen.

Lord Reed then surprised Melbus with the offer of adoption. Melbus was hesitant. His house, the Darkwoods, had disowned him when he was very young. The only thing close to family he had wasn’t in blood: Allison and Trev are like siblings to him, and he loves Briella like a daughter. Melbus had kept the Darkwood name until he became a maester, and after abandoning the Citadel he had used it again. It didn’t mean much to him, however. After mulling it over, Melbus accepted. His name was legally changed to Melbus Darkwood-Reed, though he often omitted the “Darkwood” when introducing himself to others. Melbus now had a great responsibility on his shoulders: he was the heir to House Reed.

Season 8.5 - Returning Home
After spending quite some time in The Neck with his new adopted family, Melbus decided it was time for him to return to his friends outside the swamps. When he arrived, however, he found Casterly Rock in a sorry state. It seemed like the first day of summer, when in reality it had passed quite earlier. Also, to his surprise, he found that Lord Charles' daughter, Aleah Mallister, was now the lady of Casterly Rock. He was advised by his friends to live elsewhere until leadership changed.

So, Melbus moved in with his old friends Chrisley and Faris Darkwater, who resided on the black sand beach. There he spent quite some time honing his cooking and gardening, all while taking daily trips to visit Casterly Rock and his friends. He also spent most of his days with Briella, who had taken up residence nearby.

After the war between the crown and the Iron Islands, a vote was done in which Vonda Cromwell-York, another one of Melbus' close friends, became the new lady of Casterly Rock. Aleah and her father Charles moved to King's Landing, abdicating the throne of Casterly. Melbus was surprised to learn that his old maester brother, Karl, had also left the brotherhood and was back with Vonda, his wife. He was to be lord of Casterly Rock. With his friends in charge and change coming to Casterly, Melbus moved back to to the city, to his home.

As winter approached, Briella told Melbus that she was to return to the Lonely Light, where she was raised during her childhood. There, she was to give birth to the child she was currently pregnant with. Melbus promised his niece that he would join her there come winter, and he promised himself that he would take what he had learned raising Briella and help take care of what would be his grand-niece or grand-nephew. Melbus is not a religious man, but he made a third promise. Before he fell asleep on the last night of summer, he looked to the stars and promised Vesper, the deceased mother of Briella and his first love, that he would never neglect his duty of watching over her family.

Appearance
Melbus is a tall, skinny individual with brown hair and green eyes. Early on in his days, he was extremely pale due to his frailness, but his years in Dorne darkened his skin to a more normal tone. He often sports a beard, and was never seen without his wizard hat during his time as a maester. He currently dons desert clothing in the colors of Casterly Rock: red, purple, and white. When he lived outside of Casterly, he wore the colors of House Reed: slate and forest green.

Trivia

 * Melbus has many nicknames: Mel, Melby, Smelly, Smelbus, Smelly Melly, etc.
 * Melbus had fourteen links:
 * One in black iron for ravenry
 * Four in copper for wildlife history/zoology
 * Six in silver, mainly for agriculture, but also healing
 * Three in tin for geography
 * He got the nickname "Smelly" on his first day in Westeros, when Bear misheard him say his name. To this day, the only one who still refers to him as Smelly is Zoil.
 * He is being hunted by a date-gone-wrong, Daphne. He still has trouble sleeping at night when he thinks about her.
 * Since he didn't have a real family for most of his life, he considers Allison and Trev to be his siblings. He also is uncle to Briella (not by blood), and is her male parental figure in Westeros.
 * Despite his new, familial loyalty to House Reed, Melbus still feels he owes much to House Mallister, and will always be willing to serve Charles and his family.
 * He might be related to Dakarro Darkwood? They discovered that they have the same last name, so perhaps they're cousins?