Ophelia

Ophelia suffers from the same mysterious illness that her mother did and as such has a diminished physical condition. She fatigues more easily than other people her age and is about a year behind in growth. The continued experimental magical potions and spells that have been used on her to treat her symptoms and cure the disease have led to her hair losing its color, going from the same brunette as her mother and father to a paling blueish white.

Ophelia was a quite unexpected birth to her parents Ulric Heartvale and Cecily Heartvale. Her birth caused a series of events that would permanently change the lives of so many people in the Kingdom, including her older sister Aleksandra. With her birth Aleksandras claim to the throne as eldest was placed under a spotlight, unlike her Ophelia was not a bastard, but a full blooded heir to the Queen and King. The very idea of her should not have been possible, as Cecily had been deemed barren and unable to conceive a child nearly a decade prior, and years of attempts were fruitless. As she grew she never wanted for much as both her sister and her parents showered her in affection and kindness. She was a sickly child, first as a baby with colic, unable to sleep and be comfortable crying at all hours of the night, then as she grew older it was discovered that the mysterious illness that made Cecily Heartvale so ill also resided within her. It had not slowed her down and she still learned lessons of Thrane, her mothers home kingdom, from her. Dancing, singing, traditional foods and customs that made it unique were all taught to her with Aleksandra and her mothers help. Her first memories are learning how to sing traditional songs and doing dances with her family, dancing on her fathers feet.

As she grew she became acutely aware of her mothers condition as she grew from being able to scoop her up to barely being able to leave her bed. Ophelia had to grow up watching her mother become more and more weak, acutely aware of the fact that she was watching her waste away. Her parents had explained this to her carefully, making sure she was fully aware of what might happen, and luckily Ophelia for the most part understood the concept of death, or at least as well as any five year old would. Shortly after turning six her mother succumbed to her illness. What she remembers of the event if a fragmented day, playing with Aleksandra, Demetrius, and Cedric Warren in the late morning, a game the older children had let her join in much to her delight. She remembers how the three teens had indulged her with a game of pretend, how they let her be the gallant knight while she saved the others from monsters and evil wizards. Mostly she remembers the look on her fathers face as appeared in the archway and told them that their mother wasn't doing well, that it was time to talk to her and say goodbye. Even though she was young she had seen her father cry only a handful of times, all of them for serious reasons. The silent walk through the halls and up the grand staircase to her parents bedroom, the seemingly mile long walk just to force her feet to move as she shuffled to the bed. What she was sure was only maybe half an hour felt like half a day as she clung to her mothers side, sobbing, begging her not to leave yet. Gentle petting of her hair, kind and loving whispers and kisses to her forehead, even with as weak as she was Cecily Heartvale made the effort to hold her close and try to lessen the blow as she comforted Aleksandra and Ulric Heartvale.

Losing her mother was a blow that deeply hurt her and changed hers and her families lives. Her mothers kindness and love was apparent, and even as little as she was she remembers how many people came to pay their respects. The King of Thrane came to pay his respects, and if Aleksandra is to be believed when he knelt to address her she had hugged him, clinging to his large frame and crying into his shoulder. Ophelia doesn't remember this, though the weeks after her mothers death were mostly a blur, the somber march through the city with her casket before she was entombed in the Heartvale crypt, the mourners, the extravagant gifts sent by nobles and royalty from all of the kingdoms. It all passed by in a blur. Her childhood shifted as Ulric was left to try and run a kingdom and raise two daughters on his own, and Ophelia was often left to advisors and courtiers who ran her lessons as she came of school age. When her life finally began to look and appear normal again, after years of trying to learn how to be her old happy self, the Winter Plague struck.

If losing her mother at such a young age was hard, losing her father only three years after was life shattering. Within weeks the city was on lockdown, she and her sister were confined to a hall in the upper levels of the castle, quarantined away from all staff and people in an attempt to preserve their health, especially given how it was clear Ophelia had inherited her mothers illness. In those long months her sister became her closest, and only, confidante. She became a bookworm as she and her sister often were holed up in the library on that floor reading books and trying to keep a semblance of fun in her life. Aleksandra did her best to keep up her lessons, often teaching from the books they found there but also trying to add an element of fun to everything they did. She remembers how for her birthday Aleksandra had, in secret, taken all the extra scraps of cloth and paper they had to try and make her fun games to play as well as using the servants kitchen to try and make her a small cake. These efforts were appreciated of course, and Ophelia became closer than ever with her sister, something that helped her immensely when the news that their father had contracted the plague came to them. They weren't allowed to see him, risking the infection was too high, but they had been promised by the palace physician Mercy that if the time came that the plague would take him that she would use all the magic at her disposal to allow them to say goodbye. They held out hope for a cure, but the progress was slow and nowhere near the speed needed to save him.

Ophelia knew the worst had come true when Mercy entered their quarantined hall. She encased them in powerful magic and escorted them to their fathers bedside where just as she had three years ago she clung to her parents side. He told her to be strong, to be brave, and to help her sister by being good, but to always follow her heart and do what she felt was right just as her parents had taught her for years. After his passing she was sent back into the quarantined hall, and Aleksandra was crowned quickly as Queen Regent to rule in the emergency situation since she was now the eldest living Heartvale. Those last three months she spent nearly alone, once again with advisors and courtiers and other adults to keep her safe and focused on her studies, unable to see her sister or anybody else. Unlike with her mother there was no funeral, her fathers body quickly taken to the crypt and sealed, with a memorial service held after the plague had ended and the city had some sort of normalcy.

Ophelia now is stuck in a situation that seems neverending. Her sister 'rules' as a figurehead to the city until Ophelia is old enough to take the crown and despite her misgivings she's taken it all in stride with a smile. No longer is she the bright and bubbly child who wished to pretend she was a knight or a mighty wizard, now she studies and reads her books and is quiet. She finds following her heart as her parents had taught her to become ever more difficult as she is torn between what she thinks is right and the best outcome for the kingdom, and herself.