Helena Archant

Basic Information

• Appearance

  Build: Held upright at the unimpressive height of 5'5", her small hands and hourglass figure have been carefully molded from the time of her youth. A delicate, long neck and small, narrow shoulders have inspired poets, but have done little more for Helena, who would rather they hear her words than write of her manufactured beauty.
  
  Face: A round face, with plump red lips that lack width, large, sharp blue eyes, and an inconspicuous button nose.
  
  Hair: Soft and thick, the blonde of her hair falls in waves down to the low of her back when let loose, but is more often braided and pinned to the top of her head, and covered by an embroidered wimple.
  
  Skin: Creamy white and plush flesh that is unmarred by scar or sunlight. Her cheeks are red with the flush of youth, which, when she is caught up in a fury, spreads its colour across her face and down to her throat.
  
  Voice: Clear and loud as a clanging bell, she cannot seem to manage a whisper, nor the demure and gentle tone that befits her station.

• Demeanor

  Attitude: Excitement brims beneath the cover of her demure exterior. Regal, unbending, her haughty stare and rigid stance may intimidate, or otherwise inspire assumption -- that she is a domineering and imperious woman without care for the wants of others. And this is in part true, for her first instinct is ever to exert her own will. But the want for it, the want for her wants, that is, has been trained out of her. It is far better to give than to receive, and far better to help others than to seek one's own wish fulfillment. Convinced of this, Helena manages restraint. So long as she remains in her right mind, at any rate.
  
  Habits: To always stand or sit in perfect posture, never to complain, nor raise her voice. Her irritation comes subtly. It is in the darkening of her eyes, the tightening of her lips, the clasping of her hands.
  
  Motivation: That all things should serve their proper purpose. Each man to his station, every bird to its tree, the sun to its sky.

• Background in Notes

  Family: One elder brother, whom she has lost contact with for the last three years. A father and a mother, since deceased. She loved them both dearly, her father tenderly, and she held her mother in the most intimate confidence.
  
  Dynasty: The Archent are the first and only royalty. Their family once extended throughout the city, and it was to the point that their blood ran all through their country. They had been elected by their tribe to rule fully in the olden days, and since then their rule was secured by generosity -- though this generosity was given primarily to nobility, who would not extend the same to their subjects. It is no secret that her father's more on-hand approach towards the common man is feared not only by those in power, but those that benefited, since they saw this as precedent for the next kings to greater extend their tyranny.
  

  • Never learned to use a weapon, nor has she ever been without an escort, nor ever has she found herself alone. There has always been someone to talk to.
    
  • As a child, she was as wild as her brother. No dress tailored for her lasted longer than a day, and it would be ripped to shreds and ribbons for the mischief of childhood. A cruel and spoiled brat she was, and she has been teased about it even while growing up.
    
  • Thanks to a dear friend, and lady noble, she was guided in the right direction. Once she had her taste of propriety, she pursued it entirely of her own volition. It seemed right to her to restrain herself, and she could see how it comforted those around her.
    
  • An awkward phase of early adolescence. She fell in with a small ring of gossipers, and found herself consumed by it. After she witnessed her own dear friend spurned by the criminal camaraderie, guilt struck the slander down, and Helena personally saw to it that no gossipers had any place in her father's court.
    
  • As she came into womanhood, troubadours and skalds proved her passion. To sing the old songs, to know the old ways, and to learn of the peasant's piety, this became her driving intrigue.