Changes: Laura Stirling

Revision as of 09:30, 17 May 2019

Laura Melissa Stirling (née Zosimus) was the queen consort of King Aldous and mother of King Richard and Princess Eleanor.

The daughter of Lord Gavin Zosimus and his first wife Melissa, she lived a privileged life in Tyr until the War of Succession, which cost her father his life and everything her family held dear. To survive, the teenage Laura wed the king and bore his heirs.

Beloved by her subjects, she was known as the "queen of peace" for her efforts to end the Fifth Exekian War.

Biography

Birth

Laura was born in 164 AYZ, on the side of the road just outside Bodai. She was the only child of Lord Gavin Zosimus and his first wife Melissa. Her birth was facilitated by Rowan Renard, the son of a local midwife. Rowan had intended to lead them to his mother, but Melissa's condition was too advanced, and they were forced to stop along the way. Present at her birth were all major members of the cult of Vormund, save Kemet. Her mother died of hemorrhaging shortly after her birth.

Her father took her with him to Arza Kell, where he stayed with the rest of Vormund's followers. News of her grandmother's impending death was publicly announced when Laura was just five days old. Gavin decided to leave her in the care of Kemet and Clara Richter while he went to Tyr to reconcile with his mother. While Vormund and his other followers traveled to Hiberia, Kemet and Clara stayed behind with the infant Laura.

Approximately a month went by. Kemet sensed intruders approaching the caves, and they made a hasty getaway. Unable to reach Gavin, who was being followed by Temple agents, Laura remained in the care of Kemet and Clara as they headed south.

Childhood

Laura was raised by Kemet and Clara until she was seven years of age, at which point Gavin deemed it safe to claim her. The old friends regained contact with each other and were reunited in the southern fringe town of Telovet, where Laura was finally returned to her father.

With seven years having passed, much had changed. Gavin had taken in Vincent Apothik as his ward and remarried to Lady Ilena, having two children with her, Melanie and Galahad. He remained a devout Vormundist, practicing the outlawed religion in secret and raising his children in the faith.

Due to her noble upbringing, Laura had a relatively luxurious and happy childhood at Isidore, the family estate, although she was not without fear. Persecution of Vormundists gradually increased as she grew older, and her father's enemies were numerous and unscrupulous.

She began receiving betrothal requests when she was still very young. Both Prince Aldous and Prince Claudius were considered potential suitors for her, and King Tristan suggested that she be betrothed to one of them. Her father politely declined the offer, claiming he wanted to wait and see what kind of woman she grew into.

Vincent, her father's blind ward, was like an older brother to her. The two were very close, with Laura finding him easy to talk to. Her half-sister Melanie was her best friend, and while she didn't always get along with Galahad, she loved him deeply.

Torn Asunder

When Laura was fourteen, King Tristan and his family paid Isidore a visit. Laura was told she would be presented formally to the princes, one of whom she would likely marry. However, the festivities were cut short as Tristan was assassinated in the dining room by a sniper from the second floor. The killer was later revealed to be none other than Drusus Rolfe, whom Gavin had helped to free from prison many years earlier.

With Tristan dead, the crown passed to his eldest son Aldous. Gavin refused to swear fealty to Aldous, finding him unfit to be king. The War of Succession broke out when Gavin Zosimus supported Aldous' brother Claudius Stirling, who had proclaimed his intentions to end the persecution of the Vormundists, who were initially blamed for Tristan's assassination.

Over the next two years, while the war raged on, Laura threw herself into studying warfare, geography, and history. Many of her father's friends and allies were killed in battle, among them the husband of Joan Dychauk. Their widows and children came to stay at Isidore, hiding under the protection of the Zosimuses.

Everything came crashing down when Aldous Stirling arrived at Isidore with his army. He revealed Gavin had been slain in battle to the shocked and horrified household. Taking everyone prisoner, he ordered his soldiers to loot and destroy their home. The children attempted to escape in the chaos that followed, but only Vincent was successful. Aldous himself chased and caught Laura, who was thrown into a cart with all underage girls in the mansion, including servants.

Laura3 — The captured Laura is held by Aldous' soldiers.

Separated from her family, she and Melanie were picked out of the group of girls by an agent of the king, who then took the girls to Carthmere Castle, where they were expected to placidly await their fate.

Laura2 — Laura is taken by boat across the river to Carthmere.

Life at Carthmere

After another failed escape attempt, Laura was kept under heavy guard and forbidden to leave the castle walls. She was under the care of Princess Helen, Aldous' sister, who "supervised" all aspects of the girl's life, and her every move was watched. As a well-treated political prisoner, Laura had a legion of servants waiting on her, including her own handmaiden, Hera O'Leary. Her treatment, which was more lenient and luxurious than Melanie's, indicated that Aldous intended to marry her at the end of the war - a prospect she found unbearable.

Lonely and frightened, she reached out to the royal physician, Julian Tierney, who was one of the few people who seemed genuinely kind at court. Though he was over ten years older than her, she fell in love with him.

Laura7 — Laura viewing the castle for the first time.

Marriage

Three years since the beginning of the civil war, Claudius was finally captured, and after his execution Aldous returned to his castle. By then aged seventeen, Laura was considered of marriageable age. Laura agreed to the marriage as a matter of survival. Upon her wedding she was crowned queen of Apicarta.

Once she became queen, the ban preventing Laura from leaving her place of residence was lifted, and she was permitted to venture out so long as she had an escort to protect her. She immediately began searching for Vincent, eventually discovering him begging in the streets of Tyr.

Aldous had difficulties readjusting to life after the war, and began entertaining his old notions of eradicating the Exekians. In preparation for the invasion of the south, Laura knighted several men. One of them she recognized as Galahad, who had been taken captive and pressed into service.

With his campaign planning complete, Aldous prepared for war. He decided to take the pregnant Laura with him, defying the advice of the court physician.

Fifth Exekian War

War broke out between the humans and the New Exekian Empire when Aldous began to push the southwest border, hoping to gain more land. He fought against Nechtan in various skirmishes, camping near the ruins of Iskirra.

Heavily pregnant and living in a bivouac, Laura learned that she was likely carrying twins. Aldous, a believer in the religion of his mother's people, was convinced twins were bad luck and had ordered his personal guard to kill the children if they turned out to be twins. Galahad learned of this from the men and told Laura about it.

While still trying to find a way to save her children, Laura was surprised to find that Kemet was in command of the fortress of Heliobas. Motivated by a desire to reunite with him and Clara, she fled the camp, arriving at Heliobas alone. The vigorous ride triggered her labor.

Under the protection of Kemet, she was placed in one of the fortress' towers, where Clara tended to her. As her labor stretched on into a third day, a desperate Clara rode into the camp and convinced Julian to come with her to Heliobas. Under the physician's care, Laura gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.

Kemet and Clara agreed to take the girl. Laura named her son Richard; she was allowed to stay for another day of rest. Along the way back, she and Julian encountered a newborn Exekian abandoned at the roots of a sycamore tree. She took the child as her own, naming him John.

Her husband returned victorious from battle against the Exekians to find his wife nursing both a human and an Exekian child. Enraged, he threatened to kill John, but Laura lied to him, saying the Exekians had placed a curse on her and that if the child was harmed the curse would fall on him instead. The highly superstitious king backed down.

Word spread through the camp about this supposed "curse", and Aldous' disgruntled, terrified troops began deserting by the thousands. A member of the king's guard was sent to Laura to see John for himself, and the conversation he had with Laura, in which she pleaded with him to stop the war, caused the entire king's guard to abandoned their posts. Aldous was left with no choice but to call off the invasion. It was this event that earned Laura the moniker of "queen of peace".

Birth of Eleanor

Laura's daughter, Eleanor, was born when she was twenty.

Later Years and Death

The last years of Laura's life passed rather uneventfully. She focused on raising her three children, teaching them courage and compassion. In each of them she instilled a strong belief in peace and coexistence between peoples. Her sons adored her, but Eleanor was often disobedient and appeared to dislike her mother.

During a plague outbreak, Laura fell ill. She died not long after at the age of twenty seven.

Description

While she was somewhat mousy as a child, as an adult Laura was known for being extremely beautiful. She was small in stature with a slender figure. Her fair skin, delicate features, and mane of curly dark hair were considered very attractive. Her daughter Eleanor bears a strong resemblance to her.

Personality

In her youth Laura was carefree and mischievous, always wanting to have fun. The loss of her family and her being thrust into the role of wife and queen at a young age took its toll, and she became passive and docile. While she had her own opinions, she kept these to herself.

Upon finding John, however, the spark of courage and rebellion was reignited in her. Disobeying Aldous, whom she had come to fear, marked a turning point in her life.

At court, she was a more controversial figure. While many described her as charming, others found her cold. She was intelligent, with a sharp wit and a biting sense of humor. Her opinions were sometimes radical. A few among the nobility considered her a threat, while others saw her as merely a nuisance.

She loved Vincent for his gentleness and warmth, but also because he was more level-headed than she. He was able to rein her in, and as long as he was there to stop her from doing something crazy, she felt secure.

Legacy

Richard referred to John and himself as "the sons of the queen of peace". She was beloved by her people, especially the Vormundists, who saw her and her father as their champions against persecution.

@@ Line 15: / Line 15: @@
 Laura was born in 164 AYZ, on the side of the road just outside [[Bodai]]. She was the only child of Lord [[Gavin Zosimus]] and his first wife [[Melissa Zosimus|Melissa]]. Her birth was facilitated by [[Rowan Renard]], the son of a local midwife. Rowan had intended to lead them to his mother, but Melissa's condition was too advanced, and they were forced to stop along the way. Present at her birth were all major members of the [[:Category: Cult of Vor|cult of Vormund]], save [[Kemet]]. Her mother died of hemorrhaging shortly after her birth.
-Her father took her with him to [[Arza Kell]], where he stayed with the rest of Vormund's followers. News of [[Sibylla Andronikos|her grandmother]]'s impending death was publicly announced when Laura was just five days old. Gavin decided to leave her in the care of Kemet and [[Sophia Richter]] while he went to Tyr to reconcile with his mother. While Vormund and his other followers traveled to Hiberia, Kemet and Sophia stayed behind with the infant Laura.
+Her father took her with him to [[Arza Kell]], where he stayed with the rest of Vormund's followers. News of [[Sibylla Andronikos|her grandmother]]'s impending death was publicly announced when Laura was just five days old. Gavin decided to leave her in the care of Kemet and [[Clara Richter]] while he went to Tyr to reconcile with his mother. While Vormund and his other followers traveled to Hiberia, Kemet and Clara stayed behind with the infant Laura.
-Approximately a month went by. Kemet sensed intruders approaching the caves, and they made a hasty getaway. Unable to reach Gavin, who was being followed by Temple agents, Laura remained in the care of Kemet and Sophia as they headed south.
+Approximately a month went by. Kemet sensed intruders approaching the caves, and they made a hasty getaway. Unable to reach Gavin, who was being followed by Temple agents, Laura remained in the care of Kemet and Clara as they headed south.
 === Childhood ===
-Laura was raised by Kemet and Sophia until she was seven years of age, at which point Gavin deemed it safe to claim her. The old friends regained contact with each other and were reunited in the southern fringe town of [[Telovet]], where Laura was finally returned to her father.
+Laura was raised by Kemet and Clara until she was seven years of age, at which point Gavin deemed it safe to claim her. The old friends regained contact with each other and were reunited in the southern fringe town of [[Telovet]], where Laura was finally returned to her father.
 With seven years having passed, much had changed. Gavin had taken in [[Vincent Apothik]] as his ward and remarried to Lady [[Ilena Zosimus|Ilena]], having two children with her, [[Melanie Liu|Melanie]] and [[Galahad Zosimus|Galahad]]. He remained a devout [[Vormundism|Vormundist]], practicing the outlawed religion in secret and raising his children in the faith.
@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 Heavily pregnant and living in a bivouac, Laura learned that she was likely carrying twins. Aldous, a believer in the religion of his mother's people, was convinced twins were bad luck and had ordered his personal guard to kill the children if they turned out to be twins. Galahad learned of this from the men and told Laura about it.
-While still trying to find a way to save her children, Laura was surprised to find that Kemet was in command of the fortress of Heliobas. Motivated by a desire to reunite with him and Sophia, she fled the camp, arriving at Heliobas alone. The vigorous ride triggered her labor.
+While still trying to find a way to save her children, Laura was surprised to find that Kemet was in command of the fortress of Heliobas. Motivated by a desire to reunite with him and Clara, she fled the camp, arriving at Heliobas alone. The vigorous ride triggered her labor.
-Under the protection of Kemet, she was placed in one of the fortress' towers, where Sophia tended to her. As her labor stretched on into a third day, a desperate Sophia rode into the camp and convinced Julian to come with her to Heliobas. Under the physician's care, Laura gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
+Under the protection of Kemet, she was placed in one of the fortress' towers, where Clara tended to her. As her labor stretched on into a third day, a desperate Clara rode into the camp and convinced Julian to come with her to Heliobas. Under the physician's care, Laura gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl.
-Kemet and Sophia agreed to take the girl. Laura named her son [[Richard Stirling|Richard]]; she was allowed to stay for another day of rest. Along the way back, she and Julian encountered a newborn Exekian abandoned at the roots of a sycamore tree. She took the child as her own, naming him [[John]].
+Kemet and Clara agreed to take the girl. Laura named her son [[Richard Stirling|Richard]]; she was allowed to stay for another day of rest. Along the way back, she and Julian encountered a newborn Exekian abandoned at the roots of a sycamore tree. She took the child as her own, naming him [[John]].
 Her husband returned victorious from battle against the Exekians to find his wife nursing both a human and an Exekian child. Enraged, he threatened to kill John, but Laura lied to him, saying the Exekians had placed a curse on her and that if the child was harmed the curse would fall on him instead. The highly superstitious king backed down.