Samwell Tarly and Gilly

Samwell Tarly and Gilly begin a romantic relationship despite being two people trapped in horrible situations at the edge of the known world at The Wall. Despite war consuming Westeros and the world seeming to approach its climactic end, somehow things have surprisingly worked out for them for the moment.

Samwell Tarly by rights should have become one of the great lords of the Seven Kingdoms some day, as the firstborn son and heir of Lord Randyll Tarly. His father, however, felt nothing but contempt for his fat and bookish son, who had no martial inclinations whatsoever. As Samwell approached his eighteenth year, Randyll bluntly told him that if he didn't "volunteer" to join the Night's Watch and foreswear all rights to inheritance, he would take Samwell out on a "hunting trip" - on which he would kill Samwell in such a way that it looked like an accident. Shaken, Sam left for the Wall.

Gilly grew up isolated even from other wildling groups, with her domineering and disgusting father Craster - who incestuously married his own daughters, fathered new daughters on them, then as the years passed would marry and impregnate these new daughters as well (while leaving any sons in the woods as sacrifices to the White Walkers). Gilly's mother hasn't been identified but she was probably also her own sister - and in time, her own father Craster impregnated her as well. Despite everything Craster had done to her, however, Gilly was never so traumatized as to give up hope that life could get better - she was so isolated from the rest of the world that she really had no other basis for comparison to realize just how badly Craster was mistreating her.

Eventually Gilly gave birth to a son and became terrified that Craster would take him to sacrifice in the woods, but before that could happen Craster died in the Mutiny at Craster's Keep. In the chaos that followed Samwell and Gilly fled back through the wilderness to the Wall, where Sam was successfully able to find a secret passage to the southern side. Samwell then took Gilly to the relative safety of Castle Black.

Gilly briefly moved to nearby Mole's Town but then fled back to the Wall in time for the Battle of Castle Black. Rushing out to defend the Wall from Mance Rayder's horde Sam kissed Gilly for the first time (Gilly didn't know how to react because Craster never kissed his wives).

Later, in grief after Maester Aemon's death, Gilly climbs onto Samwell and they have sex. Soon afterwards, Sam realizes he would be of better use to the Watch leaving for Oldtown to train as a master to replace Aemon back at the Wall. Samwell takes Gilly and her son with him on the journey, afraid to leave them to die as dangers assail the Wall.

Appearances together
Copy-pasted from "Drogo and Daenerys", this listing is inaccurate.