Arielle Whitewood

Arielle grew up as the youngest of three with two half-brothers. Her mother, a human assassin and magic wielder, was sent to kill her father. Vespera would have succeeded too, if not for Riven’s charm and skill with a blade, and the fact that he insisted on having daggers hidden everywhere, even in the bath.   Arielle takes after her father in almost every way – his red hair, pale skin, and broad stature, though she at least has her mother’s blue-green eyes, soft features and curves. By age twelve, she was already almost as tall as Vespera, and by age 15 she towered over her at 5’ 11”. She also trained like her father, much to her mother’s chagrin, much better with a sword and shield than daggers. Though she knows a few tricks, she is too big and brash to be good at deception and stealth.   From a young age, she trained as a warrior, constantly trying to compete with her brothers. They made games out of trying to surprise each other — constantly sparring and taking each other down. Arielle finally bested her middle brother at age eighteen.   At twenty, she was a personal guard for a human princess, Elodie, until the princess was married off to a Fae prince four years later. By twenty-three, along with her brothers, she was part of an elite guard for a well-known noble in Eithwyn. In a covert attack, the noble was assassinated along with Arielle’s two brothers and one other member of the guard. Arielle was injured but left alive when the mansion was alerted to the attack. It was discovered that they were betrayed by one of their own.   Recovery took months, but returning home was never an option. Grief and anger propelled her forward, not back. The Crusader’s Alliance gave her a new battlefield, a place where she could fight for something beyond personal vengeance—though whether it was truly a fresh start or merely an escape from the ghosts of her past, even she doesn’t know.

Betrayal left scars far deeper than the ones Arielle wears on her skin. It hardened her—making her wary in ways she never was before. Once, loyalty was simple: her family, her comrades, her duty. But after losing her brothers and her closest allies to treachery, trust became a fragile thing, earned only through proof and perseverance.   She no longer assumes that bonds forged in battle equate to unwavering loyalty. Instead, she watches, tests, and observes. Those who fight beside her must prove their resolve time and time again before she allows even a sliver of trust. The openness she once carried—the easy camaraderie she had with her brothers—is gone.   Yet despite the wariness, Arielle clings to the concept of loyalty with an almost desperate grip. She refuses to become the kind of person who betrays. If she pledges herself to a cause, a person, or an oath, she will die before she breaks it. The pain of betrayal has sharpened her, but it has also solidified what she values most: steadfast devotion.