Ser Pate the Woodcock was an anointed knight of the Kingsguard during the reign of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen.
History[]
After the succession of King Jaehaerys I Targaryen from his uncle, King Maegor I Targaryen, Jaehaerys had need to fill his Kingsguard, as he had but two serving white cloaks. It was decided that, at the wedding of his mother, Alyssa Velaryon, to Lord Rogar Baratheon, the remaining slots would be decided by a contest of arms. Jaehaerys settled on a melee instead of a joust, as he believed few attackers would come for him on horseback with a lance.
The wild melees that ensued were dubbed the War for the White Cloaks by Maesters, as hundreds of knights competed for the honour of a place amongst the Kingsguard. Ser Pate was one of the five champions, though he preferred wielding a spear to a sword. He was the youngest of the five. Some doubts rested on whether he was a proper knight, though they were settled when Ser Joffrey Doggett, so impressed by Pate's skill, knighted him then and there, after which he was given a white cloak.
Ser Pate was amongst the seven Kingsguard knights present when Jaehaerys married his sister, Princess Alysanne Targaryen. he was again present when Lord Rogar landed on the shores of Dragonstone and demanded that the two be separated, stepping forward to protect his king and queen along with his six brothers. He even went so far as to threaten Rogar with death should he attempt to lay a hand on the king.
Pate was amongst the knights who sparred with Jaehaerys in the courtyard of Dragonstone. It was pate who won the castle garrison's wagers on who would "kill" (defeat) the king most often, as reports suggest that Jaehaerys struggled to deal with Pate's skill with a spear. According to the author of A Caution for Young Girls, allegedly Coryanne Wylde, she slept with both Pate and Ser Joffrey, though Maesters believe this to be a fabrication.
After Jaehaerys reached his maturity, he went to King's Landing to take the Iron Throne. He summoned Lord Rogar from Storm's End, who had, by this time, been stripped of his position as Hand of the King, and granted him a full pardon, on the condition that Rogar be a good husband to his mother, Alyssa Velaryon. Ser Pate accompanied the two of them through the Kingswood to see that they safely returned to Storm's End.