Prince Lewyn Nymeros Martell of Dorne won renown as a knight before he was raised to the white cloak of the Kingsguard in the service of King Aerys II Targaryen. Brother to the ruling Princess of Dorne, he was a warrior of proven worth, beloved of his sworn brothers, who quietly kept the secret that he had broken his vow of chastity and kept a paramour. Of all the seven, it was said, the smallfolk and lords of Dorne loved Prince Lewyn best.
When Robert's Rebellion came, the suspicious king held the prince's niece Elia and her children as hostages to ensure Dorne's loyalty, and dispatched Lewyn to lead ten thousand Dornishmen to join Prince Rhaegar's host. At the Battle of the Trident in 283 AC his contingent threatened to turn Robert's left, but the day was lost, and the old prince—already grievously wounded—fell at last to the blade of Ser Lyn Corbray. His death, with that of Elia soon after, left Dorne bitter and unforgiving for many years.