The Twins
Seat of House Frey, Lords of the Crossing
- House
- House Frey
- Region
- The Riverlands
- Raised by
- The first Freys, some six hundred years past
- Age
- Younger than most great seats, and richer than most for it
The stones themselves
The Twins are two identical squat castles, one on each bank of the Green Fork of the Trident, joined by a great stone bridge broad enough for wagons, with a fortified gatehouse — the Water Tower — standing guard at its midpoint. There is nothing lovely about them and nothing subtle: their whole power is the bridge, the only dry crossing of the river for many leagues in either direction. The Freys have grown fat over six hundred years by charging any who would cross, and have raised toll into a way of life.
Famous halls and features
The bridge
The broad stone span linking the two castles — the only crossing of the Green Fork for a hundred leagues, and the whole reason for the Freys' wealth and importance.
The Water Tower
The fortified gatehouse standing at the middle of the bridge, from which the Freys command the crossing and levy their famous toll.
The twin castles
Two matched strongholds, east and west, so alike that neither can be taken without facing the other across the river.
A legend of The Twins
The Freys have no ancient legend, being an upjumped house that rose on tolls rather than swords — a fact the older lords never tire of noting, and the Freys never forgive. Their only lore is the crossing itself, and a grim reputation for making guests pay dearly, one way or another, for the courtesy of their bridge. That reputation, the chronicle will say no more of here, would one day be earned in full.
Beyond the chronicle's edge
What hospitality the Twins offered in the war of the five kings is a wound for readers who have reached it.
Te rozstaje wymieniają śmierci, zakończenia i drogi, którymi w książkach jeszcze nie podążono. Odsłoń je tylko, jeśli znasz obie drogi — albo jeśli nie boisz się wiedzieć.
Common questions
Why are the Twins strategically important?
The Twins guard the only bridge across the Green Fork of the Trident for a hundred leagues. Any army moving between the north and the south of the Riverlands quickly must cross there — so whoever holds the Twins controls the crossing.
How did House Frey grow so wealthy?
House Frey built the bridge across the Green Fork some six hundred years ago and has charged a toll to everyone crossing ever since. That steady income made the once-minor house rich and populous, if never quite respected.
Why are they called the Twins?
The seat consists of two nearly identical castles, one on each bank of the river, joined by the toll bridge. The matched pair gives the stronghold its name and makes it defensible from both sides.
Are the Freys an old house?
No — by the standards of Westeros the Freys are upstarts, rising only in the last six centuries on the strength of their bridge and toll rather than ancient blood, a fact the older houses of the realm rarely let them forget.