re: ASOIAF: Choose Your Knights of the Kingsguard (Spoilers)

1. (Lord Commander) Arthur Dayne - Widely considered the best swordsman to ever live, a proven leader, and loyal to king and kingdom above all else. He is also smart and wise, which would enable him to give me needed advice.

2. Thoros of Myr - A skilled warrior in his own right, he has the ability to bring people back from the dead. Pretty sure I want this guy above all others. He is a good lieutenant, not a true leader, though.

3. Barristan Selmy - Widely considered the best swordsman of his era, a proven leader, and loyal to king and kingdom above all else. Similar to Arthur Dayne, highly intelligent and able to give needed advice.

4. Areo Hotah - Pretty much a badass and loyal to his liege. His skill in battle appears to be quite impressive. He is a pure weapon. Point and he'll kill.

5. Garlan Tyrell - A skilled fighter, training in real life combat situations and among those in the know is considered a far superior fighter to his brother, Loras. He is also bigger and stronger than Loras and is not out for personal gain or glory.

6. Ser Robert Strong OR the Red Viper - Can't have both in the same Kingsguard, in my opinion. Red Viper showed the world what he was capable of, but he appears to be a pretty sneaky bastard and is the brother to the sneakiest bastard (besides Littlefinger) in Westeros, Doran Martell. Don't know that I could trust him. Ser Robert Strong is a bit of a mystery to me. I don't know if he is controlled by Qyburn, has his own mind, or is in some other fashion unreliable. For these reasons, these two are near the bottom.

7. Rhaegar Targaryan - Considered one of the most skilled swordsmen in history and loyal to king and kingdom. Only hesitation is that he might attempt to assert his claim to the throne over me, which is why he is at the bottom.


THOSE LEFT OFF THE LIST:

Jaime Lannister - Can't say I would trust that guy as far as I can throw him prior to him losing his hand and after he lost his hand he isn't much of a warrior.

Ned Stark - I don't need any more honor and all indications suggest he is an average fighter, certainly not worthy of the Kingsguard. Plus, I don't really want a guy who is honorable to a fault. We all saw how it played out with him playing the game of thrones. I don't want that to happen to me.

Darkstar - he is far too much of a wild card for me. I certainly can't trust him to be loyal to me. Not yet, anyway...

Bronn - He is a sellsword. He is loyal to the people who pay him the most, in whatever fashion. He would be a terrible Kingsguard.

Victarion Greyjoy - At his heart, he is a sailor and a pillager. He is loyal to his family and Pike, not the kingdom. He would butcher me in my sleep given the opportunity.

Brienne of Tarth - While skilled, I don't think she could keep up with any of the people I listed. Plus she's a bit dense.

Loras Tyrell - A bit too "fair" for me. He comes across as arrogant and a somewhat selfish. Plus, he appears to be not quite the warrior the others I listed appear to be.