A plump, rather shy young man poked his head out from behind a bookshelf. He wore ill-fitting black clothes and held a thick book in his hands.
When he saw Viserys and Rhaenys, he grew visibly nervous and nearly dropped his book.
Samwell Tarly had been sent to the Wall just as the Reach bent the knee to the Iron Throne. As House Tarly's eldest son, he should have inherited his family's glory and lands, but his timid nature had earned him nothing but contempt from his father, Earl Randyll.
Had events followed the original story, Sam would have joined the Night's Watch next year, at the same time as Jon Snow.
However, because the rebellion in the Reach had ended early, Earl Randyll had returned to Horn Hill sooner and been able to spend a long stretch at home. His patience with Sam had consequently reached its limit.
In Randyll's eyes, his eldest son walked with a hunched back, stammered when he spoke, and could not even look others in the eye. He possessed none of the fortitude expected of House Tarly. Having to face Sam's cringing, fearful manner every day only made him feel all the more that his eldest son was useless.
Moreover, Sam's ability to read and his love of books were utterly worthless in the eyes of House Tarly, which prized martial prowess. Whenever Randyll saw him hiding in the study, reading books and poring over scrolls, he burned with anger, convinced that this was a disgrace to their family.
Thus, to clear the path of succession for his second son, Dickon Tarly, Earl Randyll had not even waited for the Night's Watch's regular recruitment period. Without hesitation, he chose to remove the obstacle and sent Sam off to the Wall himself. It was both