Lillian Steelheart
Queen Lillian Antigora Steelheart- Ableford (a.k.a. Lilly / The White Rose)
"Kindness is the most important quality in any ruler. Forgiveness the second." - Lillian SteelheartThe kind and honorable Queen of Agaland, wife to Hadrick Steelheart, mother of James Steelheart, secret adoptive mother of Erwon Silversong. She is the tempering hand that spares the kingdom her husbands tyrannical temperament. Through her influence, she guides her sons to be better than their father and steers the kingdom to the day that the crown prince takes charge.
Mental characteristics
Personal history
Queen Lillian Steelheart was born Lillian Ableford, the second of two children to the King and Queen of Gyrminia. Like many of the second born Ableford children before her, she was raised to support her elder brother once he took the throne, until he found a suitable wife. Once Henry was properly engaged, she continued to learn the role of a ruler, should the worst happen. Like many before her, she entered the church where she learned to harness her potential as a healer, to one day serve the kingdom as a Priestess of Myrada.
Prior to her commitment ceremony to fully enter the priesthood, her father was struck down on the battlefield. To appease the neighboring kingdom and the king's long time friend, Hadrick Steelheart, she was pulled from the church's service and married to the much older man. For the first time she fought against her fate, acting cold and hostile toward the king. After a year of watching his people suffer at his hand, particularly when she displeased him, her attitude changed. She appeared to have accepted her role and worked to stymie his harshness to his people. Her husband, so fond of wine, was easy to trick into signing a document that gave her powers to completely veto his laws and regulations, and change or nullify his sentencing of criminals if she deemed them too cruel.
The lives of their people improved once she began to quell his tyranny. Naturally, it came time for her other queenly duty... Producing an heir. Behind the closed doors, without the influence of wine and the people around him Hadrick could be a loving and kind man, and thus she complied. Every attempt ended in disaster. It soured their relationship and she had to prevent him from overstepping more often.
It became particularly suspect when palace maids began to disappear. Her suspicions were confirmed when her handmaiden, an elven slave, confessed to her in tears that Hadrick had been taking advantage of her regularly. The woman was terrified and carrying his child. Lillian sent her friend away with two of her own personal guard to keep her safe. She continued to try for a child with Hadrick to keep suspicion off of her for the maid's disappearance, taking precautions not to get pregnant again. Of course, more maids disappeared...
Four years later, two men brought a young child to the palace with a letter from her old friend. She took the child in as her ward, saving him from Hadrick and filling the hole left vacant by so many losses. She raised him as her own, though Hadrick did not take part. To the kingdom, he was just an urchin the queen took pity on.
Two years later she finally carried a pregnancy to term, giving birth to a son prematurely at the end of winter. She almost did not survive the birth and possibly would not have, if it were not for the young boy constantly at her side, tending his baby brother and comforting her. It was seeing Erwon with little James, both so small and vulnerable, that she decided... Their father's reign could not continue.
After recovery she began to gather fragmented resistance to her husband together, taking the reigns to coordinate them and effectively work to undermine his reign. Later, Erwon joined the resistance as her second in command, though the two have conflicting ideals on whether Hadrick should be deposed or executed. She operates in secret under the call sign "White Rose".
Education
As a princess and future queen, Lillian was afforded the best possible education in Gyrminia, covering basics, politics, court intrigue, etiquette, and some espionage. Once she entered the church, she was trained in depth in religion and magic, excelling at healing magics.
Relationships
History
Hadrick married Lillian partially as a political move and partially to fulfill a promise to his beloved friend. Over time he fell further for her, never showing it as he should. Their trouble producing an heir led to Hadrick straying repeatedly, though that stopped after discovering Erwon's existence. Lillian did not like Hadrick and did not want to marry him. She grew to love her husband on some level over time, until his drinking became too much and his cruelty came out. She has come to hate the man after discovery of Erwon's existance. How many other children had he had and successfully murdered? She plays the doting wife in public now, no longer allowing him to share a bed with her once James was born.
Ethnicity
Other Ethnicities/Cultures
Spouses
Hadrick Steelheart
(spouse)
Siblings
Pronouns
She/Her
Sex
Female
Gender
Female
Presentation
Feminine
Eyes
Light Blue
Hair
Long, auburn, worn pulled back
Skin Tone/Pigmentation
Pale Tanned
Height
5 feet 2 inches
Weight
110 pounds
Ruled Locations
Comments