Arla Engarden

Arla Engarden is a Sevician politician and leading figure, who currently serves as both the Protector of the Heartlands and the leader of House Engarden, one of Sevicia's oldest and most illustrious noble houses. She is the daughter of legendary war hero Petr Engarden, who was the only man in over a century to be awarded Sevicia's highest military honour, the Grand Eagle with Wreath Crest and Cross.
== Background and career ==
Arla was born in the year 648 in the northern city of Galadael, the crown jewel of the Heartlands region of Sevicia, a House Engarden stronghold for hundreds of years. The eldest child of Lady Julia Barday and Petr Engarden, one of Sevicia's finest ever commanders, Arla was destined for greatness from a young age, as the next in line as head of the Engarden clan. The Heartlands had been exceedingly loyal to House Engarden for more than three centuries, and Arla enjoyed a quiet few early years. In 660, at the age of twelve, Sevicia would collapse into its greatest civil conflict in centuries - the Anaean Wars - where her father Petr would lead the pro-Sevician forces against the rebel Anaean League for almost seven years.
Alone in the household with her mother and younger siblings, Arla soon took a more assertive role, and by the age of sixteen had established herself as a strong young woman who could hold her own in both domestic and political matters of importance. When her father returned in 667, Arla - now nineteen - had taken a more leader-centric approach to House Engarden and the family, one that Petr allowed to continue. Though he would remain the leader and patriarch of the clan, and would guide Arla in affairs where her confidence waned, he nonetheless took a back seat in times of peace. As Petr's health declined in the 680s, Arla took even more of a hands-on approach to ruling the house. It was clear that her father would not recover, and in 691, at the age of 84, he passed away peacefully.
As his eldest child, Arla was left as the head of House Engarden. The same year, she was made Protector of the Heartlands, a role she has kept ever since. Three years later, her mother Julia passed away, and Arla was left as the sole responsible matriarch of one of Sevicia's most historied clans.
== Personal life ==
A wickedly acerbic woman with a sharp wit and clever sense of humour, Arla's reputation precedes her. Described by some as difficult to approach, and similarly as a woman to whom time is never wasted, Arla has dedicated herself for more than half a century to the betterment of House Engarden in Sevician society.
At the age of just 20, she married Rupert Cotte, a noble from the city of Gadat, in 668, with whom she has two children - Jane (b. 669) and Asher (b. 671). She has six grandchildren, one of whom - Sarsia Engarden - is the youngest person to ever be elected to Sevicia's ruling Senate.
== See also ==
Senate of Sevicia
House Engarden
Petr Engarden
Category:People