Loras Tyrell (Game of Thrones)

Loras Tyrell, the Knight of Flowers, is a young tournament knight much admired by the ladies of court and a close friend of Renly Baratheon.

Overview
Loras Tyrell is the youngest son of Mace Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden and Warden of the South. He is called the Knight of Flowers for the flower-clad cloak he normally wears to jousting tournaments. As a member of House Tyrell, his family crest is a yellow rose on a green field. Despite his boyish figure, he is a celebrated knight and jouster.

Major Plots
In the Tournament of the Hand, he and Gregor Clegane ("the Mountain") are the last two knights to survive the tournament, pitting them against each other in the final bout. Loras successfully unseats the Mountain in this final joust. However, some claim that this victory is an act of trickery - knowing that Clegane rides a stallion, Tyrell takes advantage of this by riding a mare in heat, causing his opponent to lose control of his mount. After the Mountain takes his anger out on his horse, he attacks the much smaller and unprepared Tyrell, but his brother Sandor Clegane ("the Hound") intervenes and is able to hold off Gregor. Loras gratefully declares the Hound to be the true winner of the tournament. Loras is fond of handing roses out to young women at tournaments. During the Tourney of the Hand, he hands a red rose to Sansa Stark, who becomes immediately infatuated with him, as he seems everything she believes a true knight should be. It is also revealed that Loras Tyrell is the secret lover of Renly Baratheon. House Tyrell is the second richest house in the kingdom behind House Lannister, and Loras offers Renly the financial support of his family if he should make a move for the throne. After King Robert's death, he is seen leaving King's Landing with Renly and heading south with considerable haste.