Image inspiration: An old Knight

A Wiki of Ice and Fire.

Obviously, this isn't just any "old" knight, but Ser Barristan Selmy, former Lord Commander of the Kingsguard from A Song of Ice and Fire. Aside from that, this picture serves as an interesting piece of inspiration. I've been mulling over a fictional world I had started to lay the groundwork for many, many years ago and an aged knight would fit right into a potential cast of characters. A couple of possibilities come to mind:

• A knight long in the service of a noble, discharged because of his age in favor of a much younger man, or finally retiring to enjoy his golden years on a ranch or something. Regardless, he grows tired of the quiet life and eagerly takes small jobs: escorting merchants, missionaries and the like, tracking down bandits, rescuing the odd farmer's daughter. These small jobs eventually grow until he's recruited to take on a big mission.
• Alternatively, he could be the sole survivor of an ill-fated venture, perhaps leading to the deaths his lord and his retinue at the hands of a rival noble. He leads a life of a shamed knight, sulking from place to place, taking one of the aforementioned jobs to buy his drink. Another idea could be that he was so ashamed of what happened, that largely gave up the knightly life, becoming a migrant laborer, traveling from place to place, doing odd jobs here and there, but refusing to take up the sword again.

Now, the latter brings up a most interesting idea. One day, he discovers, much to his shock and horror, that he wasn't the sole survivor after all and others, possibly even his lord, have been held prisoner the entire time, rotting away in some dungeon. From there, he's either recruited as part of a rescue mission, or he decides to stage one of his own, with the help of a few friends and hired hands.

Oh, the possibilities.