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| “ | There are old sellswords and bold sellswords, but no old bold sellswords. | „ |
| ~ Ben Plumm |
Ben Plumm, also known as Brown Ben Plumm is a supporting character in the A Song of Ice and Fire novel series.
He is initially introduced as a captain of the Second Sons, an old sellsword company. While a descendant of a noble Westerosi family, House Plumm, he is an Essosi common man of mixed cultures. Following the disappearance of his predecessor, Mero, Ben is chosen as the new commander of the Second Sons.
Appearance[]
Ben appears to be an aging but fit man. He has brown skin, a weathered broad face with wrinkles over his eyes, a broken nose, grey-white hair, a salt and pepper beard, and large, dark, and almond-shaped Dothraki eyes, which he inherited from his mother.
Biography[]
Ben Plumm was born as the son of an unnamed female Dothraki. His grandmother was half-Ibbenese, as her family originated from the island of Ibben. Though he is part Dothraki and part Ibbenese, it is stated that Ben is also part Braavosi, Summer Islander, Qohorik, Dornish, and Westerosi, the latter due to the fact that he descended from House Plumm, a noble family of the Westerlands. In addition, he stated that he has a drop of Targaryen blood, which might explain why Daenerys Targaryen's three dragons, Viserion, Rhaegal, and Drogon, have a natural liking for him.
Ben Plumm, apparently due to his age, has a hazy memory as he sometimes couldn't remember different events in full detail. He stated that an old member of House Plumm had married a "dragon princess." When Ben vaguely stated that the wedding took place during the reign of King Aegon Targaryen, Daenerys asked him which one, as she pointed out that there are five Aegons who ruled the Seven Kingdoms, but Ben Plumm was unable to recall the requested regnal number.
It is suspected by Tyrion Lannister that Ben is a possible distant relative to the famous Ossifer Plumm and that Ben Plumm has "two drops" of dragon blood and not just one, as it is rumored that Viserys Plumm had been fathered by King Aegon IV Targaryen on Osiffer's wife, Princess Elaena Targaryen.
At some point, Ben Plumm, prior to joining the Second Sons, served as a bodyguard in Meereen for the ancient House of Pahl under Oznak zo Pahl's uncle. Ben would then flee after Oznak killed someone he knew, as that person looked at a woman the wrong way. Ben Plumm managed to escape Meereen through the sewer system, though he was left haunted by their experience. At an unknown point in time, he would join the Second Sons as a sells word mercenary. During his first battle with the sellsword company, Ben, while plundering, took some leather armor from a dead mercenary and found that its lining was sewn with a fortune of coins. Becoming naive, he told a fellow sellsword, whom he believed to be a friend.
That sellsword proceeded to report Ben's crime to the serjeant, and Ben Plumm was stripped of his fortune by his colleagues. Though Ben has a love for gold, the incident that happened made him come to the realization that one who is not alive will not be able to enjoy it. When Ben Plumm claims to have fought in a hundred battles, he himself does not claim that he fought bravely in all of them.
Recent History[]
A Storm of Swords[]
After Mero, the previous commander of the Second Sons, disappears during the Battle Near Yunkai, Ben Plumm is elected to be the new commander of the sellsword company. He joins Daenerys Targaryen and sits on her war council, marching in her host to the city of Meereen. Even though Daenerys had sent Strong Belwas to kill Oznak Zo Pahl, Meereen continued to remain strong. However, Ben gets the idea of using the city's sewer system as a route to besiege Meereen.
A Dance with Dragons[]
Ben Plumm and the Second Sons were sent by Daenerys, who is now queen of Meereen, to guard the south against any Yunkish incursions. As Daenerys began to lose control of her dragons, who are now growing more independent, Ben lost faith in her and decided her cause was lost. He and the Second Sons then betrayed her by going over to the Yunkai' i. A distraught Daenerys is near despair upon learning of this. Remembering the warning of "betrayal for gold" from her time in the House of the Undying, Daenerys wonders if the betrayal of the Second Sons is that very betrayal.
At the Yunkish slave market outside of Meereen, Ben Plumm attempts to buy Tyrion Lannister and the female dwarf Penny, as he had in mind of delivering Tyrion's head to Daenerys as a wedding gift or to Cersei Lannister so he could claim a lordship. This plan was thwarted when slave trader Yezzan zo Quaggaz outbid him.
Ben Plumm was present, and Yezzan feasted on the Yunkish commanders. Ben then plays a game of Cyvasse with Tyrion, only to lose the game to the Imp, much to Ben's anger. Tyrion then plays him as Yezzan bets on him. Tyrion manages to win four of five matches, allowing him to earn a lot of gold for Yezzan.
Ben was brought to Meereen to attend Daenerys' wedding by the Yunkai'i to represent the Second Sons alongside other representatives of other Sellsword companies that serve Yunkai: The Windblown is represented by the Tattered Prince, Gylo Rhegan represents the Long Lances, and Bloodbeard represents the Company of the Cat. Daenerys was relieved that Dario was absent, as she knows that he is furious with Ben Plumm for his betrayal.
When Ben approaches Daenerys, who is angry at him for betraying her, he apologizes for switching sides, telling her that his sellswords didn't care to die before explaining his defection, saying it is natural for sellswords to switch their allegiance if they believe that it would improve their odds for survival. He then reveals to Daenerys the reason why he and the Second Sons turned cloak. As she has difficulty controlling her dragons, they were left troubled by this upon learning that Daenerys could not use her dragons to fight against the Yunkish forces. Though Daenerys was furious with Ben Plumm for his betrayal, she couldn't blame him for deserting her. After Ben leaves, Daenerys asks Ser Barristan Selmy, now her lord commander of the Queensguard, for his opinion. He advises her that, while Ben is truthful, it is unwise to put her trust in a sellsword.
As she sought ways to make up for the loss of the Second Sons, Daenerys asked Ser Barristan about the possibility of finding a rival leader in the sellsword company who might want to remove Ben Plumm. While Barristan thinks it is possible, he is uncertain.
Following the chaos at Daznak's Pit, in which Daenerys disappeared from Meereen on her dragon Drogon, Tyrion, Penny, and Ser Jorah Mormont escape from Yezzan Zo Quaggaz as he dies from the Bloody Flux/Pale Mare due to having become a victim of the epidemic. This allows all the other slaves to escape as well. When Tyrion, Penny, and Jorah entered the Second Sons' camp, Ben Plumm was astonished to see the latter, and he allowed the trio to join due to an agreement he had made with Tyrion. As the Imp signed sixty documents, he promised to pay 100 gold dragons to about 50 high-ranking members of the Sellsword company. Ben Plumm then signs a document in which he is promised by Tyrion that he'll be given 100,000 gold dragons along with land and a lordship. Tyrion promises to honor the documents when he becomes Lord of Casterly Rock.
The Winds of Winter[]
During the Second Siege of Meereen, Tyrion tries to get the Second Sons to switch sides again, promising to "Find her hostages [Daario, Hero, and Jhogo] and free them. And I will swear on the honor of my house and home that this was Brown Ben's plan from the beginning," but one of the Sellswords tells him that it is for Ben Plumm to decide. Ben and his companions returned from the camp of Yunkai'i noble Malazza (or the Girl General). At that time, Viserion, one of Daenerys' dragons, had returned to his lair in Meereen, while the other dragon, Rhaegal, continued to soar the skies above.
When a messenger named Kem arrives, he relays to the Second Sons the commands of Morghar zo Zherzyn, the supreme commander of the Yunkai'i, The Second Sons are giving aid to the Company of the Cat and two Ghiscari legions by taking the Unsullied in the rear. Kem suddenly recognizes Tyrion Lannister as an escaped slave, after the dwarf makes a sarcastic comment. Though the messenger ordered the Second Sons to surrender Tyrion, he was killed by Jorah Mormont. Ben Plumm then declared that they have always been loyal to Daenerys and that siding with the Yunkai'i is no more than a ruse.
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Daenerys's dragons are fond of him and let him touch them, possibly due to his distant family relation with House Targaryen.
- Ben's ancestor, Viserys Plumm was a son of Princess Elaena Targaryen (with some rumors claiming his father was King Aegon IV Targaryen). It is also possible that the three dragons simply like Ben, as Prince Quentyn Martell, despite having Targaryen ancestry, still failed to claim a dragon, at the cost of his life.
External Link[]
- Ben Plumm on the A Wiki of Ice and Fire.
