Walder Frey (son of Merrett)

Walder Frey
Alias	Little Walder
Allegiances	House Frey; House Stark (formerly); House Bolton;
Culture	Rivermen
Born	In 291 AC, the Twins
Died	In 300 AC (aged 9), Winterfell
Father	Merrett Frey
Mother	Mariya Darry
Personal arms	The twin towers of Frey, quartered with the brindled boar of House Crakehall and the plowman of House Darry; (Quarterly, first and fourth, cendrée, a bridge azure, at either end a tower of the same (for Frey), second, tenné, a boar brindled argent and sable (for Crakehall), third, tenné a plowman sable (for Darry)
Books	A Game of Thrones (appears); A Clash of Kings (appears); A Storm of Swords (mentioned); A Feast for Crows (appendix); A Dance with Dragons (appears);

Walder Frey, nicknamed Little Walder, is the son of Merrett Frey and Mariya Darry. His personal coat of arms, depicted on his shield and surcoat, quarters the twin towers of House Frey with the brindled boar of House Crakehall and the plowman of House Darry.^[4]

Appearance and Character

Walder is tall and stout, with a red face and big round belly. He is known as "Little Walder" because he is fifty-two days younger than his cousin, "Big Walder" Frey, although Little Walder has since grown half a foot taller.^[5]

Little Walder's lambswool doublet is silver-grey with dark blue trim.^[6] His armor is fine silver plate with enameled blue chasings. His crest has streamers of blue and grey silk and he rides a dappled grey courser.^[4] The boy carries a dagger on his hip.^[6]

Walder is boastful and mean.^[4]

Recent Events

A Game of Thrones

Little Walder is present at the Twins when Catelyn Stark comes to treat with Lord Walder Frey. As part of the terms allowing Robb Stark to cross at the Twins, Little Walder is sent to Winterfell to be fostered.^[7]

A Clash of Kings

Little Walder and his cousin, Big Walder, are sent to Winterfell to become wards of Catelyn Stark. They are tutored by Maester Luwin.^[8] Little Walder quickly makes friends with Rickon Stark, but is not friendly with Bran Stark.^[5] The children play monsters and maidens, rats and cats, come-into-my-castle, and lord of the crossing, which Little Walder wins more often than not.^[5] Rickon angers Bran by showing the Freys the crypts of Winterfell.^[5]

During the harvest feast, Little Walder trains with knights from White Harbor; Bran thinks Little Walder strikes the quintain harder than Big Walder. Little Walder taunts the simple-minded Hodor, and he boasts of being able to slay Bran's direwolf, Summer.^[4] Bran sends boiled beets to Little Walder during the celebratory meal. Little Walder dislikes the Reed siblings, Meera and Jojen, considering the crannogmen to be frogeaters and mudmen.^[9]

When word of Ser Stevron Frey's death at Oxcross arrives at Winterfell, Little Walder and Big Walder argue over who is next in line to inherit the Twins, showing no sadness at their relative's passing.^[10]

The Frey cousins are taken captive by Theon Greyjoy when he leads his ironborn in capturing Winterfell.^[11] One of the cousins volunteers for Theon's party that searches the wolfswood for Bran and Rickon when they disappear from the castle, claiming he has hunting experience. Although Theon does not identify which one, the boy states his desire for a wolfskin cloak and denigrates crannogmen. The Frey flushes three rabbits from the wood and is able to shoot one with an arrow. Theon eventually sends the boy back to Winterfell with most of the hunting party before continuing on to the Acorn Water.^[12]

The Freys are spared by Ramsay Snow during the sack of Winterfell.^[13]

A Storm of Swords

A letter written by Big Walder and signed by both Frey cousins is sent to the Twins claiming Theon Greyjoy burned Winterfell. At Riverrun, Lame Lothar Frey conveys this false report to Robb Stark, now King in the North.^[14]

A Feast for Crows

Little Walder has become a squire to Ramsay.^[15]

A Dance with Dragons

Little Walder is offered as a husband to Wylla Manderly by Rhaegar Frey when Frey envoys go to White Harbor to return the bones of Ser Wendel Manderly to his father, Lord Wyman Manderly.^[16]

Little Walder and Big Walder bring Theon Greyjoy, who has been mutilated by Ramsay Bolton, from the Dreadfort's dungeon to Ramsay's feast with Arnolf Karstark and Hother Umber.^[6]

The Frey cousins are with Ramsay at the siege of Moat Cailin.^[17]

Lady Barbrey Dustin gives grey colts to Walder and his cousin when they join Ramsay in searching for missing Freys near Barrowton.^[18] Theon notes Little Walder is becoming more and more like Ramsay, which disturbs Theon and Big Walder.^[18]

Little Walder attends the wedding of Ramsay and "Arya Stark" in the godswood of Winterfell, and the mists make the boy resemble a red bull to Theon.^[19] With a snowstorm striking Winterfell, Little Walder joins^[20] other squires in building snowmen along the battlements and in the yard.^[21] One of Abel's girls teaches Little Walder how to dance.^[21]

Later, Little Walder's frozen, bloody body is discovered in a snowbank below the ruined First Keep of Winterfell. A blood-spattered Big Walder accompanies Little Walder's uncle, Ser Hosteen Frey, and his soldiers when they enter the Great Hall of Winterfell. According to Big Walder, Little Walder was looking for a White Harbor knight who owed silver from a game of dice. Wyman denies Hosteen's accusation of having ordered Walder's death, and an enraged Hosteen attacks Lord Manderly after he insults House Frey. The confrontation leaves six White Harbor men and two Freys dead. It takes the intervention of Lord Roose Bolton's men to prevent a battle within Winterfell.^[3] Theon suspects Abel and his girls of Little Walder's murder, but Rowan claims it is no work of theirs.^[3]

Quotes by Walder

Big Walder: He'll set his wolf on you, cousin.

Little Walder: Let him. I always wanted a wolfskin cloak.
Bran: Summer would tear your fat head off.
Little Walder: Does your wolf have steel teeth, to bite through plate and mail?
Luwin: Enough! These threats are unseemly, and I'll hear no more of them. Is this how you behave at the Twins, Walder Frey?

Little Walder: If I want to.^[4]
—Big Walder Frey, Little Walder, Bran Stark, and Luwin

Little Walder: Let me come too. I want that wolfskin cloak. I've hunted lots of times before. Red deer and elk, and even boar.
Big Walder: He rode on a boar hunt with his father, but they never let him near the boar.^[12]
—Little Walder and Big Walder Frey (presumably) to Theon Greyjoy

Quotes about Walder

The big one they call little, it comes to me he's well named. Big outside, little inside, and mean down to the bones.^[4]
—Osha to Bran Stark

Both were squires, both were eight, and both were Walder Frey. Big Walder and Little Walder, yes. Only the big one was Little and the little one was Big, which amused the boys and confused the rest of the world.^[6]
—thoughts of Theon Greyjoy

Little Walder had become Lord Ramsay's best boy and grew more like him every day, but the smaller Frey was made of different stuff and seldom took part in his cousin's games and cruelties.^[18]
—thoughts of Theon Greyjoy

Hosteen: We know the man who did this. Killed this boy and all the rest. Not by his own hand, no. He is too fat and craven to do his own killing. But by his word. Do you deny it?

Wyman: I confess ... I confess that I know little of this poor boy. Lord Ramsay's squire, was he not? How old was the lad?
Hosteen: Nine, on his last nameday.

Wyman: So young. Though mayhaps this was a blessing. Had he lived he would have grown up to be a Frey.^[3]
—Hosteen Frey and Wyman Manderly