long ago , the lord and lady of house lannister ( nearly children then , fresh from the bedding ceremony ) were blessed with a son as their first born . they adored him , though spent little time with him . the birth took a heavy toll on lady lannister , and she was ill more often than not in the following months . on the same day she gave birth - another did . this woman , the daughter of the kennelmaster and a servant to the lannisters , loved her son above all else . she spent every waking hour with him as she could . her father , worried for his daughter's fate - had the boy smothered in his sleep - removing the babe from her life . the girl was distraught , refusing to accept her child's death . a plan came to her , a most horrible one , that saw her swapping her own dead baby for the lannister heir - and fleeing the city . she ended up far from home , with a babe on a boat . she slept much of the journey - the stolen babe in her arms . she'd raise the child as her own for years - refusing to admit he was anything but hers . until , at last , she could pretend no longer . in appearance , the boy could have been the lord lannister's perfect copy . as he grew , she came up with a plan . her son loved her , loved her above all else and would do anything for her . she told him of the truth , claiming she had only done so as his parent's had been neglectful , and would never have loved him as he deserved . and he , he who had no memories of his parents , believed her .
though lady genna has only been the ruling lady for a year , but the unwed lords too of the westerlands had all been seeking her hand for many years by then . when she refused even their attentions - one such case being the ruling lord of hornvale himself - many were angered at her seeming disdain for her own people . the lord braxton brax was greatly offended at the slight , in front of the king no less , and sought out like minded individuals who might aid him in his proposed rebellion . his muttering was overheard by a most interested individual - a guest to the wedding who would offer the name ' critten ' when asked . he supported the man's words , honeyed words dripping in poison as he drew himself closer to the lord of hornvale . the seat , he would say with feline - like arrogance , of the warden of the west should have never belonged to the lady genna but to the firstborn of the lannisters - casper himself .
with the revelation that the long believed firstborn son of the lannisters was alive , a civil war is starting in the westerlands , with support divided between the lady genna and the lord casper . things are quite tense , and the west are picking sides . once ‘ critten carrigan ’ had washed the berries that dyed his hair dark away , none could deny he was the exact replica of his father .