Podrick Payne: How did you end up serving Renly?

Brienne of Tarth: When I was a girl, my father held a ball. I'm his only living child, so he wanted to make a good match for me. He invited dozens of young lords to Tarth. I didn't want to go, but he dragged me to the ballroom. And it was wonderful. None of the boys noticed how mulish and tall I was. They shoved each other and threatened to duel when they thought it was their turn to dance. They whispered in my ear how they wanted to marry me and take me back to their castles. My father smiled at me and I smiled at him. I had never been so happy. Till I saw a few of the boys snickering. And then they all started to laugh, they couldn't keep the game going any longer. They were toying with me. "Brienne the Beauty", they called me. Great joke. And I realized I was the ugliest girl alive. A great lumbering beast. I tried to run away, but Renly Baratheon took me in his arms. "Don't let them see your tears," he told me. "They're nasty little sh*ts and nasty little sh*ts aren't worth crying over." He danced with me and none of the other boys could say a word. Renly was the king's brother after all.