Torani Storm

300px 	300px
Biographical Information 	Biographical Information
Full Name 	Torani Morgana Storm Cade Theirin
First Name Pronunciation 	TOR-ah-nee
Nicknames 	Torani Storm, Tora, Queen of Storms, The Black Queen, High Queen and Protector of the Realm, Nanna Tea (by Clara), 'Woman' (by Panos), Toe Rag (as a child by her parents), Tee (by Gwaine)
Dragon Tongue Title 	Dāria Torani Jelmāzma (Queen Torani Storm)
Homeland 	Ealdor, the Elven Dominion
Born 	1193 AD - The Grand Palace of Elysium
Died 	(Temporarily) 1234 AD - aged 41
Occupation 	High Queen of the United Kingdoms of Ealdor.
Coat of Arms At Birth (1193 - 1211) 	
Motto 	Beware the Calm
Personal Coat of Arms (Gifted to her at 18) (1211 - Present)	
Motto 	Heart of the Storm
Coat of Arms: Marriage to Gwaine (1240 - 1247) 	
Motto 	Tale as old as time
Seal(s) 	
Physical Description 	Physical Description
Race 	Elendili (Half Elf, Half Human)
Gender 	Female
Height 	5ft 6in (1.68 m)
Hair color 	Dark Brown
Eye color 	Jade Green
Distinguishing Features 	Her fierce temper
Languages Spoken 	English, Greek, Quenya Elvish, Sindarin Elvish, French, Celtic, Dragon Tongue
Family 	Family
Parents 	
Queen Rose Storm of Elysium †
Prince (Formerly High Lord) Norin Cade †
Spouse(s) 	
Thalion Colevile - Ex Fiance †
Alistair Theirin - Husband †
Gwaine Calvierri - Ex Husband (divorced 1247)
The Guardian - Secret Crush
Siblings 	
Lorcan Storm - Brother      
Vesper Duane - Half Sister †
Seth Storm - Brother
Lyra, Daughter of Achilles - Honourary Sister †
Panos, Son of Achilles - Honourary Brother 
Children 	
Seifa Rose Storm Theirin - Queen of Ferelden and Crown Princess of Ealdor †
Flynn Ruadan Storm - Prince of Aydindril (Currently AWOL)
Eira Juno Storm - Princess of Logres and Former Queen of Camelot
Mithian Lyra Storm - Princess of Arendelle
Alyx Snow - Long Lost Daughter
Laini Torani Rose Storm - Adopted Daughter (Lyra and Eldin's daughter) and Princess of Valyria
Brandon the Druid - Ward
Grandchildren 	
Clara Storm - Daughter of Seifa and Princess of Rivendell
Torin Storm - Son of Eira and Prince of Skyhold
Zena Storm - Daughter of Eira and Princess of Arryn
Tala Blaez Storm - Daughter of Eira and Princess of Wolf Peak
Raiden Myron - Son of Laini
Daena Myron - Daughter of Laini
Visenya Myron - Daughter of Laini
Winter Denna - Princess of Tindobel and Daughter of Flynn (though this is unknown, and everyone assumes she is just the adopted daughter of Seifa)
Phoebe Storm - Daughter of Mithian
In-Laws And Other Family Members 	
Rosalie Storm - Niece
Percival Storm - Son-in-Law
Natham Myron - Son-in-Law (sort of)
Ector Calvierri - Father-in-Law
Kyra Spyros - Honourary Aunt †
Achilles, son of Peleus - Honourary Uncle †
Eldin Sunweaver - Cousin (son of Hector)
Bellatrix Darcassan - Cousin (daughter of Keras) †
Samiyah of Myrmidon - Honourary Cousin-in-law
Keras Ksenia - Aunt
Hector Storm - Uncle †</span>
Lucan Storm - Uncle †</span>
Reinnete Storm - Aunt †
"If you think because she's dead, I am weak, then you understand very little. 
If you were any part of killing her, and you're not afraid, then you understand nothing at all. 
So for your own sake, understand this. 
I'm Torani Storm. 
I'm coming to find you. 
And I will never, ever stop."
From "Heart of the Storm: The Reign of Torani" by Samson Arigiros
Torani Morgana Storm Cade Theirin - known more commonly as Torani Morgana Storm following her coronation - is High Queen of the United Kingdoms of Ealdor (a realm that includes the kingdoms of Elysium, Gedrefed, Mercia, Essetir and Tregor as well as several other small kingdoms, all under the one banner).
She took over the roles of power and responsibility as Queen from her mother , when she was 21, after her mother was killed in battle, and has since then built up the realms and united the other Kingdoms under her banner. Technically she is not the rightful heir to the thrones she has inherited, but as the rightful heir is happy to remain out of the spotlight, Torani has inherited them instead - and although this was something she thought she'd wanted, pretty much all of her life, now that she's got it, the novelty has worn off. Time and time again, she's found herself wishing she could just go back to being the irresponsible, carefree young princess who could do what she liked, when she liked, without the added pressures that come with being a Queen. 
But no-one person, no matter how great or small they may be, can ever choose their destiny. And neither can they escape it. Tora's destiny is as yet unclear, but it would seem that becoming Queen is all a part of whatever fate has in store for her.
Sig 2.jpg|Torani's official signature
Sig 1.jpg|Torani's less formal signature, used on letters to friends and family
==Personality and Traits==
Torani possesses a spirited, quick-witted, feisty and sassy personality, inherited mostly from her mother. She is considered by many to be very beautiful and has attracted the attention of numerous men over the years, though she herself has only ever expressed an interest in three particular individuals.
She can also show great compassion and kindness towards others, and isn't above adopting members into her family as either siblings or children, offering them love and a family like they otherwise would not have known, for whatever reason.
She is much more than just a pretty face, however. She’s fiery and independent and won't hesitate to stand up for what she believes to be right, regardless of whom it is she is actually standing up against. 
She always takes issue with cruel and unjust persecutions of the innocent, believing that many punishments are unfair and unfitting. When necessary, she also displays her courage and ability as a fighter, always intervening to stand up for what she feels is right. Like her mother, she too is very stubborn, and when Lorcan once told Rose that he had lost a bet against Torani, Rose told him that he should have known better than to mess with her.
However, as a servant of Siro of Arcadia, following two and a half years as his prisoner - a time that completely corrupted and broke her both physically and emotionally, Torani's attitude changed considerably.
To begin with, the changes were small, and people excused them as the after effects of her imprisonment and the tortures she'd suffered. Soon, however, it became clear that she had changed more so than anyone had first thought, as she was now much more vengeful, ruthless, embittered, cold and calculating. She even started turning against her closest friends and even her own family. 
It became clear that she was now a highly isolated and darkened character who had suffered greatly on an emotional level and was unwilling to let go of past suffering. Additionally, Torani continually sought to avenge her losses, but ultimately failed to achieve satisfaction, which doomed her to be perpetually unhappy, a fact first pointed out by Lord Ector , much to Torani’s ire. In spite of her apparent callous antipathy, on rare occasions, Torani did show a sorrowful melancholy that she herself did not expect to feel, such as upon discovering River Swann's battered a bruised form, locked away in her uncle's dungeon, breaking up with Gwaine and her confrontation with Shaina , shortly before her death. Despite being motivated by her disagreement with Siro's tyrannical regime, and her desire to bring peace to the land because she was 'sick and tired' of fighting, Torani herself lapsed into a reign of cruelty during the few short years that she ruled for before her death by Shaina Storm's hands. 
She executed innocent people in the kingdom of Mercia to force King Nantes to submit to her, she threatened to burn peasants' crops in Caerleon in order to force a similar submission and she also took a sadistic pleasure in tormenting and willingly torturing those who stood against her. 
Despite her vindictive and unforgiving personality, however, Torani remained a powerful, arrogant, intelligent, overconfident, and ferociously determined individual. Her darker characteristics were largely the product of the external influences of Siro, however, whilst her truer nature was portrayed as one of immense compassion.
This nature had arguably not disappeared completely during her 'Dark Reign', due to the melancholy she sometimes showed. She also sometimes revealed a vulnerable side of herself, such as her shock and hurt on hearing of Gwaine's departure (having assumed after their arguement that he would return), her deep conflict at seeing Shaina again, shortly before her death, her fear at being rendered powerless and her elation at seeing friends and family again, despite unwillingly turning them against her over time.
This vulnerable nature of hers was expressed more after her liberation from her prison. The time she spent with Aithusa made her more vulnerable and at times she showed her softer side to the young creature. Even to her enemies, she shows acts of kindness from time to time, as shown when she ordered her men to burn Queen Finna's corpse after the suicide of the Queen who was trying to escape Tora's tyrannical rule.
She also displayed a caring, loving side, like a mother figure towards River Swann and Laini Storm in particular, as well as favouring Natham Myron , depsite him being the son of the man who had broken her. 
Following her death and ressurection, this darkness in Torani vanished completely, and although she still had a cold, cruel streak to her, she only displayed this once, when exacting revenge upon Siro - killing him in a rather slow and very painful manner, following a duel between the pair. After this, she returned fully and completely to her warm, kind and compassionate manner, and never dared to lift a finger against anyone in anger or hatred, ever again. She was also the first to forgive Shaina for her deeds, and even thanked the girl for 'saving' her from herself. Torani's forgiveness of Shaina and her willingness to trust in her completely, soon prompted others to do the same, thus redeeming the 'Elfsbane' in the eyes of the Storm family.
==Abilities and Skills==
Torani: Bring back memories of when I used to beat you?
Nantes: That NEVER happened!
Torani Storm to Nantes Brennidon as they fight alongside one another
===Swordsmanship===
 Torani is a skilled swordswoman and even before mastering her magical abilities, she managed to hold her own against a number of men attempting to raid Elysium. She even managed to later on overpower a knight who had insulted her and easily disarmed him twice. In the end, the knight only defeated her by using his own hidden magic, of which she was unaware. 
She also proved herself capable of effortlessly fighting her way through several knights in Siro's castle in order to find and ultimately defeat him, and during an attack on the Grand Palace by Nantes and his men (attempting to rescue Nantes' kidnapped wife), Torani fought against them with more skill than any of the men had given her credit for. One knight did manage to inflict an injury, but it should be noted that he caught Torani by surprise and she still struck him down with a single blow despite being stabbed in the side. She also quickly defeated Nantes' wife Guinevere in a sword fight despite being wounded at the time. 
===Magic===
Along with her skills with a sword, Torani also has magic on her side. She has not always possessed it, but thanks to extreme dedication and the teachings of her mother (and more than a little help from Callandra's crystal), she has now become a rather able wielder of magic with a wide repertoire of spells and enchantments at her disposal, that can be used with or without magical incantations.
Such magic includes....
*Breaking open locks
*Lighting fires both small (e.g: candles) and large (e.g: ten foot walls of flame)
*Lifting people off their feet and slamming them backwards into objects
*Enchanting objects to become unnaturally heavy or feather light
*Giving inanimate objects lives of their own for short periods
*Grabbing and gripping things with her mind (very useful for choking someone)
*Summoning small tornadoes that can be guided in any chosen direction
*Causing solid walls of rock (such as canyon walls, ceilings etc) to collapse
*Telikinesis (moving objects with her mind. Nothing bigger than a suit of armour, however.)
Torani is also a seer like her mother. However, unlike Rose who could only see small glimpses of images occasionally, Torani sees visions often, usually in the form of prophetic nightmares, which leave her deeply disturbed, or cause her to suddenly wake in a panic. She has not had a proper night's sleep for over a decade because of these dreams.
The most profound and disturbing prophecy Torani has ever had, however, came to her ironically on the eve before her wedding and shook her so deeply that she seriously considered calling off the entire ceremony - until Gwaine talked her round in the early hours of the morning and convinced her that the vision she'd seen of him drowning would never come to pass, mainly because he hated boats and refused to even go on one unless he absolutely had to. Considering they now had two (soon to be three dragons) and a pegasus who could fly him places instead, he really saw no need to even go on a boat ever again.
To this day, however, the prophecy still lingers at the back of Tora's mind because she knows it wasn't just a dream. It was truly a vision of the future. But how far into her future she saw, not even she can tell.
TrídAnStoirm_01.jpg
Storm dream.png|The strange 'dream world' version of herself
TrídAnStoirm_04.jpg|A creature she assumed to be a witch, but was in fact a banshee. This prompted Tora to personally research the banshee myth for months after, although she continually hit a dead end, not realizing that the Banshee myth had not yet been created in her time and wouldn't come into existence for the next hundred years or so.
tridanstoirm_05_950px.jpg
tridanstoirm_11_950px.jpg|A hell hound? Would Tora venture to the realm of Hades again? Or perhaps even the Elven Underworld of Nan Dongaroth?
Storm dream 2.png
Storm dream 3.png
Storm dream 4.png|Trapped
Storm dream 5.png|Strange clothing told Torani that the prophecy would not take place in the near future as she had never seen clothing like it before. It must be from further into the future, which at least gave her some hope that perhaps if she could work out what was going on, she'd have plenty of time to make sure it never came to pass.
TaS_Stone_CarvingsD_02.jpg|The strange symbol Tora remembers being carved into several large pillars of rock. As soon as she woke, she sketched it onto a scrap of parchment as much as she was able and then set every scholar and historian in the kingdom onto the task of finding out the significance of the symbol and it's meaning.
===Acting===
In addition to her magical abilities and combat skills, Torani has also proven to be an extremely convincing actress, most notably during sitations where she dons her 'Queens Mask' - betraying no emotions at all, despite whatever she may be feeling inside, and acting as though situations do not affect her, when in reality they do.
She has also used her acting abilities for more trivial matters, such as hiding her amusement behind 'annoyance' whenever her cousin Eldin does something foolish, or by insisting to Lyra that she does not have any feelings for certain men who have caught her eye. No matter how great her acting skills are, however, she was never able to hide 'the look' from Lyra, who often saw right through her. Lyra, Rose and Seifa are, to date, the only ones who have ever been able to see the 'true' Torani.
==History==
===Wars and Bad Omens===
The first war Tora can claim to be a part of, is in fact the War of Midas, as her mother was pregant with her whilst she  fought in the battle. Of course, Tora was not born until several months after the battle, but she likes to believe that she was there on the front lines, right alongside her mother, all the same.
Several months later, she was born during the midst of winter in Elysium - snow had fallen for the first time in over twenty years, and people were taking that as a sign. The fact that the Queen's daughter, and future heir to the throne, was born during this freezing, unforgiving climate was seen as a bad omen, as it was a widely held belief by many in the Elven community that the weather on a person's birthday was a symbol of the temperment they would someday have.
Rose Storm, for example, was born on a summer's day with the warm sun in the air, but a sharp breeze blowing from across the seas. This suggested she would turn out to be a kind, compassionate and warm ruler, who had a cold streak about her, whenever danger presented itself. This turned out to be true.
Just as Torani was born during a bitter, harsh winter's afternoon, with a cold chill in the air, but a warm sun on the horizon. This suggested that she would turn out to be cold-hearted, cruel and bitter, but with a warmer nature towards those she loved and cared about.
Unfortunately, just as the predictions about her mother turned out to be true, so did the predictions about Torani. She took after her grandfather, Proctor, though it would take several years for anyone to actually realise this.
Of course, the fact that she was baseborn did not help to ease the minds of those who feared for her future. It was seen as an insult that a baseborn child would stand to one day inherit the crown, so people petitioned for months on end, begging the Queen to be married before her daughter was born. Rose, stubborn as always, refused to believe the 'omens' that had been predicted, however, stating that it was all a bunch of superstitious nonsense, and that she would believe the 'bad luck' her daughter was supposed to bring, when it happened, and not a second before.
When Torani was eventually born, Rose was delighted with her beautiful baby girl, and even those who had protested that the 'child would bring doom to the Elven race' were silenced by Torani's placid nature and huge, innocent emerald eyes. One look at her and even the hardest of hearts melted in an instant.
Little did anyone know that, as predicted, bad luck would shadow Torani for pretty much the rest of her life.
===Kidnapped===
"Such bright, healthy children. The little bad tempered girl, she would be yours I assume?"
Callandra to Rose about her daughter. Tora developed her reputation at a very early age, and never grew out of it.
It all started a month or so after her birth. During a visit to Elysium, Kyra, Lyra and Panos were all kidnapped and transported to the Isle of Midas, along with Rose and Torani. The three infants were kept in a skeletal cage beside 'Empress' Callandra's throne, and Torani quickly asserted herself as the 'bad tempered' member of the group, much to Callandra's amusement. Rose and Kyra were taunted with the prospect of their children being turned against them and raised by their enemy, and for Rose this was her worst nightmare. She loved Torani with all her heart, and to know that her daughter had been turned against her would have destroyed her.
Luckily it never came to that, as Achilles and Norin came to the rescue. For many months after that, the families were in a state of paranoia about the safety of their children. Constantly moving from one place to another, they lived as commoners, blending in with the ordinary peoples of the city, and for a time Rose felt free to just be herself.
Eventually the responsibilities of her kingdom, and the lack of an appearance from Callandra in over several months, finally prompted Rose to return home to Elysium. Tora was seperated from her best friends again, but only for a time. They would often visit, or Rose, Norin and Torani would go to them, so she was never alone for very long.
And when she was alone, she contented herself with annoying Lorcan or playing with her other Elvish friends instead.
===Partners in Crime===
Growing up, Tora had no shortage of fellow troublemakers to rope into her mischievous schemes. Lorcan the tiger was often a target, she and her 'brother' sharing a love/hate relationship. One moment they'd be best friends, the next they'd be at each other's throats. The fact that Lorcan was a fierce tiger who could kill her with one swipe of his claws, or a snap of his jaws - never even crossed Tora's mind. She knew he'd never hurt her, so to her, he was just a big pussy cat.
Panos and Lyra of Myrmidon were her officially designated 'partners in crime' however, and the trio often stuck together like glue whenever their families visited one another. They got up to all kinds of mischief together, including, amongst other things, putting a bar of soap into the fountain of Myrmidon and playing hide and seek in the masses of bubbles that were produced as a result.
===Playing the Bridesmaid===
On the way back from Myrmidon one afternoon, Rose, Torani and their Greek friends were diverted to a small island just off the coast of Elysium, led there by a strategically placed trail with every clue pointing to a celebration of some kind. And what a celebration it was to be!
Norin had used his wife's absence to make preparations for their wedding, and by the time the group arrived at the isle, it was sundown - making the perfect setting for a beautiful ceremony. Tora, being five years old at the time, was incredibly awed by the scene she saw, and was delighted at playing the bridesmaid for her parents as they married. But soon after the ceremony, she was up to mischief with Pan and Lyra once more, the three of them finding the secret stash of champaigne that Norin had brought to the isle in order to toast the ceremony. Tora quickly discovered that champaigne was not to her liking, and even years later when she was a grown woman, she refused to go near the stuff, because of the memory of drinking it when she was younger and the nasty taste it had left in her mouth.
Not only was the surprise wedding a huge success, but it also put an end to the continued misgivings of those who were still uneasy about Tora being 'baseborn'. She was now officially a Princess by law, and being the Queen, her mother held the right to remove her 'baseborn' status. She could have done it before the wedding, but people would still have insisted that Tora was illegitimate because her parents were not married. By waiting until after the wedding, however, Rose had ensured that nobody could protest.
Finally, the people of Elysium welcomed and accepted Tora as the rightful heir to the throne. Being only five at the time, however, Tora had no idea that she'd even been the subject of much discrimination in the first place.
===Keras Attacks===
For five years after this, the Storm family lived peaceful lives, and even welcomed a son into the family. Tora doted on Seth and adored him just as much as she adored Pan and Lyra. She taught him to be a prankster just like her, although being so young, he never fully developed the skills needed to join the ranks of the 'three amigos' as Rose had affectionately taken to calling them (though never to their faces, because Tora kicked up a right fuss if she did).
Norin settled well into the role of Prince Consort, and for Tora, it seemed like the world was her oyster. She could literally do what she liked, when she liked, and she was happy! She had the love of her family and her friends, the wealth of the royal treasury to provide her with whatever luxuries she might fancy, and the power to have servants jumping at the snap of her fingers. What more could a ten year old ask for?
Like everything in Torani's life, however, this happiness was destined to be short lived. Her aunt, Keras Ksenia, older sister of Rose, had been missing since before Rose was born and many presumed she was dead. Until she showed herself as the leader of the Dark Elves, however. The Dark Elves had always been at odd with their lighter counterparts, although during Proctor's reign he had always managed to drive them out of the kingdom before any real harm could be done. Rose had never had to deal with the Dark Elves before, and after a prolonged period of inactivity on their part, she foolishly believed that perhaps they had finally given in.
She relaxed her guard, giving them the opportunity needed to strike, and led by Keras, they stormed the Grand Palace in the dead of night, catching everyone off guard. Rose was seperated from Norin and her children, and desperately fought her way through the palace, trying to find them again. By morning, the Dark Elves had been succesfully driven back, but a heavy price had been paid.
A very heavy price.
Because as Rose ran into the throne room, she saw a sight that would haunt her forever more. Tora was cowering beneath the golden throne, sobbing in terror, her eyes squeezed shut against the carnage in the room around her. But it wasn't the hundreds of bodies that she was terrified of. It was the fact that if she dared to open her eyes, she'd see the lifeless eyes of her little brother staring back at her, blood running down his face from his smashed skull. And behind him, his head seperated from his body, lay Norin. Tora had not seen them die - she'd had the sense to look away and close her eyes. But she knew they were both dead, and she knew that if she opened her eyes, she would see them. So, despite her sheer terror at the situation, and the fact that she was scared to death, she'd refused to open her eyes and subject herself to even more haunting nightmares.
It took all of Rose's strength to keep her voice from breaking as she gently coaxed her daughter out from under the throne, and carried her away from the grissly scene, keeping her head held firmly to her shoulder, as Tora sobbed uncontrollably. In that one evening alone, Tora had lost both her father and her brother in the surprise attack, and this would soon become an emerging pattern in her life - losing those she loved in the blink of an eye, most often whilst she stood by helplessly, unable to do anything to help.
===The Evil Step Father===
Some time after Tora's sixteenth birthday, Elysium was visited by King Richard of England, also known more commonly as Richard the Lionheart. He failed to impress Torani, upon meeting her, but was more succesful with her mother, as the two had a history together. Richard had once fought Tora's father, Norin, for the chance to court Rose, but in the end Norin had won. Richard had the sense, at least, to wait until several years after Norin's death before he tried again with Rose, but Tora was wise to his plan and warned her mother.
Rose did not heed her daughter's warning, however, and went with Richard and a small detatchment of Elven soldiers, back to the Holy Lands to aid him in his battles. Whilst there, Rose found herself falling for Richard, and when she returned back home one month later, she informed her daughter of the whirlwind romance and explained that she and Richard were not only getting married, but were expecting a baby together, too. She assumed that Tora would be delighted at having a new sibling, although she expected that Tora would not take too kindly to Richard.
What she never expected was Tora's volatile reaciton to the whole situation. The pair had a blazing row - the worst they would ever have, and their bond was never the same after that. They had lost the connection that they had had before, as mother and daughter. Now Tora merely tolerated Rose, and respected her.....but there was no love. Perhaps friendship could have been a better word to describe their relationship now - and a strained one, at that.
Tora quickly dubbed Richard the 'Evil Step Dad' and did everything in her power to annoy and provoke him, even roping Lyra and Pan in to playing pranks on him - one such prank involving painting his horse pink and tying bows into it's mane and tail. 
Richard refused to rise to her taunts, however, and never gave her the satisfaction of seeing that she was actually annoying him with her antics. This, however, only irritated Tora more, because of the lack of a reaction, and she'd try even harder to force one out of him - but to no avail.
===Summer in Mercia===
To aleviate the tension between Torani and Richard, Rose sent her daughter away to spend the summer in the neighbouring kingdom of Mercia, under the pretence of 'building relations' with King Uther and his son, Prince Nantes.
Nantes' mother, Ygraine, had recently passed away and Nantes was in need of a distraction to take his mind off of her. Torani was already good friends with him - she'd known him since childhood - and it was the hope of King Uther that not only would she provide a distraction for his son, but that he and Torani would some day marry, permanently uniting the two kingdoms through their union.
It was his idea, therefore, that Torani should spend the summer living with him and his son, in the hopes of sparking this 'romance' between them, though Torani's stay was soon extended to last an entire year instead of just the few months as originally planned.
Although loathe to the idea at first, Torani soon began to enjoy herself and integrated well into life at the Mercian Court, becoming like a daughter to Uther and a sister to Nantes. Although the pair of them may have briefly flirted from time to time and entertained the possibility of a future romance, ultimately Nantes' heart was set on another - Guinevere of Dombrech, the maid assigned to Torani during her stay. Torani didn't mind. She was relieved in fact, because as much as she had grown to love and care for Nantes during her stay, he was still like a brother to her. Nothing more.
Tumblr n430otbQ4W1qet6nvo7 r1 250.gif|Teasing Nantes over dinner
Tumblr n430otbQ4W1qet6nvo6 r1 250.gif|The two were fond of one another, but not in a romantic way. 
Tumblr n430otbQ4W1qet6nvo5 r1 250.gif|Nantes comforts Torani when she reveals she's homesick.
Tumblr n430otbQ4W1qet6nvo4 250.gif|Offering advice to the future king
Tumblr n430otbQ4W1qet6nvo1 250.gif|Nantes and Torani try their best to help everyone they can during a particularly harsh winter
Tumblr n4fjy4pPwb1sqirt2o4 250.gif|Seeking fashion advice from Guinevere
Tumblr_n3ohj8PVvF1qes96io6_250.gif|"Sometimes you've got to do what you think is right. And damn the consequences."
Tumblr_n3plooGxEO1qii97qo3_250.gif|On her best behaviour as she and Uther greet a guest.
Despite her good relationships with Nantes and Guinevere, however, Torani found that Uther could be quite a difficult man to get on with. Despite being an Elvish Royal himself - the Brennidon family being yet another family like the Storms, though perhaps not as large or well known - Uther personally hated and despised magic of any shape or form, because he blamed it for the death of his wife, Ygraine. 
He therefore constantly persecuted, tormented and ultimately executed a large number of magical practitioners, which put him constantly at odds with Torani, not only because she herself had recently discovered her own magical talents, but because she saw his persecution of magic folk as unfair and unjust.
Elves were magical creatures by their very nature, so she insisted that by declaring war upon magic, he was declaring war upon the entire Elven race. 
He saw this as nonsense however, and refused to listen to her each time she reprimanded him on his cruelty towards anyone who was 'different' from him.
Despite this, Uther was either unaware, or simply chose to ignore Tora's own magical talents - perhaps in order to keep the peace between the two families, as he continued to hope, even up to his death, that Nantes would 'see sense' and choose Torani over Guinevere.
Things remained strained between them during her entire stay in Mercia, and only worsened when a young boy named Brandon came into Torani's life.
===Brandon, The Druid Boy===
Young Brandon, a druid boy who lived in the forest with his father and a group of benevolent druids, was visiting the city one day with his father as they purchased supplies from the marketplace. However, they were recognized as druids and were forced to flee from the city guards. Bran was wounded across the arm and his father, seeing no escape, sent Bran into hiding in the courtyard of the castle whilst he gave himself up, in order to ensure his son had time to escape.
Bran, terrified and hurt, tried to find his way through the castle and to another exit, but became terribly lost and ended up running into Torani's chambers in fright when he heard guards coming, and panicked.
Torani was sitting at her desk, writing a letter to her mother, whilst her maid Guinevere tidied the room for her mistress. Both women jumped in alarm at Bran's sudden entrance, but it took Torani a mere fraction of a second to notice the blood on the boy's arm, hear the guards shouts to one another from down the corridor, put two and two together and make her decision. 
Whilst Gwen hid with the boy behind a wooden screen, Torani was able to fool Nantes into giving up the search of her room by using reverse psychology on him.
She told him that Bran was behind the screen, which made Nantes assume that she was mocking him, because Tora loved nothing better than to wind him up most of the time, and he simply assumed this to be another of her pranks. After a bit of banter between the two about him being made to look a fool, Nantes left without searching her room, and Bran was safe once more. Torani hurried to him and promised to stay with him, whilst Gwen went to find some bandages to tend to his arm.
 
King Uther, meanwhile, had already sentenced Bran's father to death, for the simple fact that he's a druid, and the druids openly practice magic, thereby defying the law that outlaws such practices. Nantes protested that the druids are a peaceful people but Uther could only see their use of sorcery as a threat. He wanted to make an example to the druid people and ordered the city to be searched until the druid's 'accomplice' was found.
Bran had remained hidden in Torani's room during the trial, as he had caught an infection from his wound, and therefore did not know the outcome, or the fate that had been decided for his father. Torani stayed with him the entire time, feigning illness herself so that she did not have to leave her room, and could stay with Bran whilst he recovered. After his father's death, she took it upon herself to become his 'guardian' and 'protector' until he was well enough to be returned to his people.  
However, when Uther came to check on his 'poorly' ward and inform her of the situation with the boy, Torani struggled to fob him off as she'd been surprised and unprepared for his visit. She eventually managed to convince him that whilst she was 'feeling much better', she had not seen or heard anything of the druid boy who was supposedly hiding in the palace.
After Uther had left, Torani decided that it was too close, and she and Gwen formulated a plan to get Bran back to the other druids later that night. He was still weak from the infection he'd caught from the wound to his arm, but that was a risk they had to take. Plus, the druids would be able to give him better care that Tora could, under the circumstances.
Borrowing one of Gwen's dresses and cloaks, Tora disguised herself as a castle maid and attempted to sneak Bran out of the castle. They managed to avoid the guards all the way to the stables, but were then spotted and had to flee as the alarm was raised.
Nantes cornered them in the stables and tried to arrest them, not realising that it was Torani he'd just caught. Despite her pleas to let Bran go, Nantes was torn by his duty to uphold the laws of the kingdom and obey his father, and refused to let them escape.
Tumblr_n3q1egQE3a1shwaswo3_250.gif|Hiding from the guards
Tumblr_n3q1egQE3a1shwaswo6_r1_250.gif|Nantes has no idea it's Torani he's just caught.
Tumblr_n3q1egQE3a1shwaswo5_r1_250.gif|Trapped, with nowhere to run
Tora was taken before Uther whilst Bran was thrown into a cell to await the King's "justice".
Torani admitted her guilt at hiding the boy in her chambers, making Nantes feel even more of a fool for not believing her when she'd told him as much, the day before. Uther was furious with Torani, telling her that if she were not the daughter of Rose, she would have shared the boy's fate, and only her royal blood and his promise to Rose were keeping her alive. Tora begged him to spare the boy. She pleaded with Uther to punish her instead and let Bran go, but Uther was stubborn and refused to listen. He ordered Bran to be executed at dawn, and a reluctant Nantes was forced to agree to the order. 
This sparked an outburst from Tora at the injustice of the order, which in turn caused Uther's anger to rise out of control. He lashed out at Tora, promising her that the next time she defied him, promise or no promise, he'd have her executed as well.
Shocked by his actions, Tora was rendered speachless, and even Nantes was horrified by his father's behaviour. This, added with Tora's passionate pleas for mercy prompted Nantes to formulate his own plan for helping Bran to return to his people.
He called Tora to his chambers a few hours later, to explain his plan to her, and she readily agreed.
So whilst Arthur went to the cells and freed Bran, sneaking him out through the catacombs beneath the castle, Tora went to Uther and apologised for her behaviour, even managing to summon a few tears for added effect. Uther took pity on her, because deep inside, he felt terrible at lashing out at her as he had done. He invited her to dine with him, and Torani readily accepted, eager to keep herself well within his sights.
This way, she had an alibi for the entire evening, and when the alarm was eventually raised that the boy had escaped, she could not be held accountable, as she had been with Uther the entire time, and couldn't possibly be in two places at once.
Nantes and his manservant, Merlin, had meanwhile managed to escape the castle and reunite Bran with the rest of the druids whom he and his father had lived with. Both returned to the castle to find Uther in a fit of rage, ranting and threatening Torani with death. Despite the fact she'd been with him the entire evening, he still assumed her to be responsible, until Nantes jumped to her defence, pointing out that it was physically impossible that she could have had anything to do with it. She might have been guilty of helping the boy once, but she wasn't stupid enough to defy Uther twice.
Besides, Uther had no proof that she was involved this time, and he couldn't punish her for something she hadn't done especially as she'd been with him the entire time.
In the end, Uther was forced to admit defeat, and Torani, shaken by the experience, quickly hurried from the room before he could change his mind. Later, she went to Nantes and thanked him for helping her, and Nantes told her that in this instance, she'd done the right thing, and it was his father who'd been in the wrong.
For the remainder of her time in Mercia, Tora did not see Bran again, and found herself wondering if she ever would see him again, or not, but she needn't have worried.
When she was seperated from her escort of guards, on the way home to Elysium again, she was attacked by scorpion-like creatures called Serkets. Bran, who was nearby with the druid camp, was able to sense her distress, and sent the druids to rescue her. She was brought back to the camp and welcomed to become one of them. Bran also told her that this time, it was his turn to care for her.
However, their reunion was short lived, because the escort guards had doubled back on themselves to try and find the missing princess, and had informed Nantes that she was missing.
Nantes and a search party headed out and attacked the druid camp, believing they'd kidnapped Torani and were holding her against her will.
Tora tried to run with the druid leader, Aglain, and Bran, but her wounded leg prevented her from getting very far, and in the end begged them to leave her and go before they were caught. Bran and Aglain reluctantly left her and Tora was 'recued' by Nantes, who took her back to the castle so that she could recover.
A few days later, he personally escorted her home to ensure nothing further happened to her.
But despite Tora's fears at never seen Bran again, he ensured this never happened, as he, Aglain and a few of the surviving druids crossed the borders and took up refuge in the Great Forest of Silmataurea in Elysium. 
Every now and then, Bran would come to her in the Grand Palace of Elysium, or she would go to him in the woods and they would share some quality time together, Bran looking up to Tora as a mother or sister figure, whilst she looked to him as a son.
Even when she didn't see him for extended periods of several years, whenever they reunited, the bond between them was not lost. If anything, these extended absences only made their bond even stronger, even when Bran had finally grown into a strong, handsome young man, he still remembered the woman who had saved his life, and whom he loved dearly (though in a familiar way, rather than a romantic way).
===Thalion===
After her return from Mercia, Thalion Colevile finally decided to make his presence known to the young princess. He'd been a squire to Torani's Uncle, Lucas, and had fought valiantly beside the doomed prince in the War of Midas. This had earned him a knighthood from Rose, and as a result he was catapulted from obscurity into the world of royalty and nobility - and firmly into the sights of one very stroppy young teen. 
After denying her feelings for him at first, Torani was eventually encouraged by Lyra to 'go for it', so she reluctantly let her guard down and allowed Thalion to become closer to her. She did not know it at the time, but Lyra's 'meddling' would in fact save her life, just one year later.
Because just a week after she and Thalion finally became an official couple, the moment came when everything changed. Panos, son of Achilles, had disappeared whilst looking for his lover, Samiyah. Tora volunteered to go looking for him, and with the approval of her mother and her aunt and uncle, she journeyed to the Mother and Child Isles. Catching a brief glimpse of Pan, she barely had time to call his name, however, when she was transported to a whole other place entirely.
Quickly concluding that she was now on the Isle of Midas, Tora was understandably nervous and more than a little suspicious as she was greeted by Samiyah, who went on to beg Torani for help, stating that her mother was weak and dying, and needed Tora's help.
Against her better judgement, Tora listened to Sam's pleading and for some reason, found herself believing everything that Sam was telling her - not realising that Sam was in fact being controlled by Callandra, whilst the real Sam was trapped in Callandra's body. The pair had switched bodies (unwillingly, on Sam's part) and now Callandra was using Sam to trick Tora, who foolishly fell for the trap.
Using what Rose had often called and 'inch of truth' - just enough truth to a lie to make it seem plausible - Callandra showed Tora visions of Achilles turning Callandra and treating her cruelly, then turning on Tora's own mother - even going as far as beheading her. Tora found herself falling further and further into Callandra's grasp, yet did nothing to stop it, and by the time Callandra sent her back to Myrmidon, she was well and truly prepared to turn on those she had once called her friends and family.
Attempting to kill Achilles in his tent, after deciving him to be alone with her, Tora was incapacitated by Achilles (who knocked her out before she could bring harm to him, or anyone else) then locked in the dungeons of Myrmidon, where she angrily hurled abuse at Achilles and tried to warn her mother that he was dangerous. Rose would not hear of it, of course, which only drove an even bigger wedge between mother and daughter.
When Tora was rescued by Callandra's phantoms and taken back to Midas, she was now well and truly a servant of the evil Queen, having believed to have seen Achilles' "cruelty" first hand - considering how he'd knocked her out and locked her away in his dungeon.
So, when the group came to Midas to rescue her and Sam, they were not prepared for what they found awaiting them in the throne room - Tora standing protectively in front of Callandra, ready to defend her and kill any of them if they got too close.
Rose tried to reason with Tora, but to no avail, and after a short, brief sword fight, Tora bested her mother. When Rose refused to join Tora and Callandra, Tora angrily lashed out and stabbed Rose to death with a knife to the heart. Rose died at her daughter's feet.
Instead of blaming herself for what had happened to Rose, however, Tora blamed Achilles and swore she'd have her revenge on him, before she used Callandra's phantoms to spirit her away from the Island, which was collapsing after Callandra's defeat at Panos' hands.
===Redemption===
Tora ventured back to Elysium just once, after that, for her mother's funeral. She kept to the shadows and the rooftops, to watch the procession as Rose's body was ceremoniously drawn through the streets so the people could say their final farewell to their beloved Queen. Afterwards, when there was no-one else about, she picked up a single rose from the thousands that had lined the road, having been throwing in front of the horse drawn carriage carrying the Queen.
Tucking this rose into her belt, she stole a horse and fled from the kingdom, travelling through France, Italy and a few other countries, until finally she found herself in Greece. Unsure why she'd come to Greece, she kept to the outskirts, refusing to go anywhere near Myrmidon or Elis. With her phantoms, who needed feeding if they were to survive and continue serving her, she began to reap havoc amongst the smaller villages. As her phantoms started to uncover some truly weird and wonderful objects during that sacking of each town and village, Tora was finally struck with an idea that would give purpose to this chaos. She could look for magical items that might be able to bring Rose back, and therefore redeem Tora, who was utterly miserable and lonely, hating this lifestyle with a vengeance, and hating herself even more.
All the valuables she and her phantoms collected were transported to a cave on the outskirts of Elis, where she began her own secret treasure trove of items. But nothing was of any use in bringing people back from the dead.
Her foraging for such an item soon came to an abrupt halt, however, when she discovered that a party from Elysium, lead by her Aunt Keras, was hunting her. Keras clamed it was so that she could either redeem Torani, or bring justice to Rose's killer. In reality, she merely wanted Tora out of the way so she could claim the throne. Tora had provided her the perfect excuse to make that happen.
However, Keras had not counted on Thalion, who was a part of the small party of knights she'd brought with her. When he saw Tora, he and the other knights gave chase, but he was lucky enough to catch her first, and instead of turning her over to her aunt, he helped her to escape. He knew Keras' true motive, and knew that no matter what Tora had done, she would make a much better Queen than Keras, any day. So he helped her to escape the pursuers, then encouraged her to hide in the derelict catacombs beneath the Palace of Elis. They waited there for several days and slowly Thalion began to turn Torani away from the darkness that had consumed her. He gave her purpose again, had her remember all the good things in her life and generally reminded her that she used to be a much better person. He also told her that redemption was not impossible for her, and he would help her to find it, if she was willing.
Torani livened up at this prospect, and glimmers of her old self began to show through the cracks. Finally she agreed to return to Elysium with Thalion, but along the way they were caught by Keras, who had still been pursuing them, unknown to them.
Both Tora and Thalion were thrown off a cliff edge by Keras' magic, and whilst Thalion's body was never recovered and he was presumed dead, the soldiers of the kingdom they had been in at the time, found Tora's body and took her back to the palace for medical treatment.
===Vesper===
It was here that she met her half sister, Vesper Duane, who was a talented healer and druidess. After learning that Torani was in fact her half sister, and hearing what had happened to her over the past few years, Vesper took over Thalion's role in escorting Torani home to Elysium, and although they only knew one another for a short time, the two sisters became incredibly close, and virtually inseperable. Vesper taught Tora how to become stronger, both emotionally and physically, and she taught her how to harness her magic and control it, effectively making Torani a more powerful individual, which would serve her well in her later life.
So, gathering a few followers on the way, they finally returned to Tora's homeland and declared war upon Keras, who had virtually destroyed the kingdom in her arrogance and her greed. Realising that her people needed her and were suffering terribly, the last of the darkness fled Tora and she became the champion of the people once more, rising up against Keras and fighting her brutal regime.
Fully redeemed, in the eyes of her people, Tora found that more and more joined her cause every day. The civil war lasted only a week, but it was brutal, none-the-less. Tora proved to be an effective leader, however, leading from the front lines and always being the first into battle. This was how come she ended up meeting Alistair Theirin, after sustaining a heavy wound, during one particularly intense battle.
Tumblr_n4i5zovjbL1r0tlxpo3_250.gif|Vesper runs to Tora's aid after she's wounded in the battle to reclaim her kingdom from Keras.
Tumblr_n4i5zovjbL1r0tlxpo6_r1_250.gif|"We have to stop her, Vesper!"
Tumblr_n4i5zovjbL1r0tlxpo5_r1_250.gif|Seeking comfort from her sister
Tumblr_n4i5zovjbL1r0tlxpo4_250.gif|Tora's not in the mood for Vesper's sisterly show of affection.
Tumblr_n3qgu1AgyW1qes96io4_250.gif|Devastated by Vesper's death.
===Alistair===
Torani was badly wounded when she first met the Grey Warden Alistair, and he helped her to a nearby tavern where he took her to the room he'd been staying in, and bathed her wounds. To take her mind off the pain, he explained to her about the reason for wearing a griffin on his armour and shield - he was a Grey Warden, part of an elite order of warriors who fought evil creatures known as darkspawn. 
He explained to her all about Ferelden, the Chantry and his Warden Brotherhood, and Torani was fascinated to hear his tales. She was also exhausted from battle, however, so he left her to sleep in his bed whilst he busied himself elsewhere, helping the other wounded individuals from the battle, down in the main hall of the tavern. 
When Torani woke, Alistair was back in his room again, sitting in a corner, cleaning his shield of all the blood that had accumulated upon it during the battle. A little embarrased that her clothes were ripped, blood stained and no longer 'decent' to wear in front of a stranger, she reluctantly asked to borrow some of his clothes. He gave her a shirt and a pair of shorts, though they ended up looking more like trousers and a dress upon her tiny frame. Still she was grateful and promised to return them to him once she was able to get some of her own clothes, once more.
Seeing Alistair's skills in battle, Tora decided to keep him by her side, during the storming of the Grand Palace to try and liberate it from her Aunt. So whilst Lorcan led the diversion through the main gates, Alistair found himself creeping below the Palace in secret tunnels, alongside Torani and her half-sister. He defended Torani against all attacks that came their way, and the pair found that they were a formidable team. He even bravely threw himself between Aunt and Niece when Keras unleashed a powerful lightning attack, and it was only his trusty shield that saved both he and Tora from more serious harm.
Keras was soon vanquished, however, and whilst Tora set about making amends with her recently reincarnated mother, Alistair helped to 'clean up' the city. During this time he admitted to Vesper that he had very strong feelings for the young Princess, whilst Torani admitted similar to her mother, Rose.
Not long after, Alistair plucked up the courage to ask Torani on a date, and from then on, for the next six months, the pair were inseperable. And despite it being only six months, Alistair knew that this was the woman he wanted to marry.
He asked, Torani accepted immediately, and the pair began to plan the rest of their lives together, only for this dream to be shattered a mere hour later.
===The Fire and Decimating Gwaren===
A neighbouring King, who was bitter enemies with Rose, sent two assassins dressed as grooms to infiltrate the Palace. In the dead of night, they set the place ablaze. With Alistair and Lorcan leading the evacuation, everyone was seen safely out of the Palace through Tora's bedroom window, into the courtyard below. Only one serving maid remained unaccounted for, so Alistair went to look for her whilst Lorcan was helping the last of the other servants out.
Watching from the streets below, Torani waited anxiously for Alistair to appear, but he never did. There was a terrifying crash as part of the Palace collapsed, and all the breath was knocked from her. Somehow, surreptitiously, she'd known what had happened. The floor of the room Alistair had been in had collapsed.
Several hours later his body was gently carried from the ruins and laid by her feet. Realising that he was still alive - barely - Tora crouched and cradled his head in her lap as she said a final, tearful farewell to the man she'd loved. He began speaking the vows of marriage, and Tora joined in, the pair of them marrying one another in the sight of her family.
He remained long enough for her to kiss him for the first and only time, as his wife. Then he passed away in her arms, leaving Tora devastated.
She sought immediate revenge for his death, and killed King Bayard in cold blood, with Alistair's own sword. But somehow that wasn't enough, and she fell into a state of grief so deep that she became an empty shell of the person she'd once been. Nothing could touch her, nothing could rouse any emotion from her - she was like a zombie.
Until she discovered some amazing news, that literally shocked her back to life.  
===Seifa===
"If ever there was a definition of beauty, it is the relationship you have with your daughter."
Seifa was born four months after the death of her father, although the fact that Torani was even pregnant was unknown to most (even her best friends and family). The only people who even knew were Queen Rose and Lorcan. Alistair never found out that he was to be a father, and even Torani had no idea she was even expecting until four months into the six month pregnancy. To say that Seifa was a surprise to everyone was probably the understatement of the century.
Three Generations of Storms......
Mother-and-daughter-1.jpg|Rose with baby Torani
Tora_and_Seifa_2.jpg|Torani with young Seifa
Legendoftheseekers01e22720phdtvx264crsmmkv 001412994.jpg|And Seifa with baby Clara
After Seifa's birth, the Queensguard and Torani's handmaidens were informed, but sworn to secrecy, with their very lives forfeit, should they break this promise. Torani worried greatly for her child, as all those she had ever loved had been taken from her by death, and she was terrified that the same would happen to Seifa, too, not only because Seifa was her daughter, but also because she was the very last reminder that Torani had left of her beloved Alistair.
That was why Torani kept Seifa hidden from the world. To protect her.
However, as she grew older, Seifa began to grow more and more curious about her surroundings and the outside world, and eventually Torani realised that she could keep her daughter sheltered no longer. She slowly lifted the protective shroud she had placed over her daughter and allowed her out into the world a few steps at a time.
===The Wolf and the Princess===
"Oh please! Must you flirt with everything in a skirt?!"
Torani is not too impressed by Gwaine's antics.
As a Knight of the Queensguard, it was Sir Gwaine Calvierri's duty to accompany the Royal Family as one of their bodyguards, and it was during this time that he and Torani became good friends. He understood that she was still grieving over the recent loss of her husband, and would often offer her a shoulder to cry on, or a sympathetic ear to listen whenever she wanted to just talk about something or other - even if it was not important and she just wanted to rant or ramble about nothing in particular. He was also one of the first people she trusted enough to tell about her pregnancy, after finding out that she was expecting Alistair's child.
He swore to protect the child with his life, just as he protected her mother, and promised to keep the news of Tora's pregnancy a secret until she was ready to tell the world.
He kept true to his word, and even after Seifa was born, he kept her a secret from the entire kingdom, as per Torani's request. But it was not just because he was loyal to the Royal Family that he did as she'd asked. He'd always known, right from the moment he'd first set eyes upon Torani, that she was the woman he wanted to some day marry. Of course, being the son of a high ranking noble, this dream actually wasn't that far out of his reach. But something always held him back. Nerves, perhaps. Or the fear that Torani would reject him and see him as just a friend, nothing more.
If only he'd known that Torani also secretly harboured feelings for him, but was ashamed to act on them so soon after Alistair's death, as she felt that she would be betraying his memory. She was also worried about what others might think. Already, a vicious rumour had been circulated about her 'casual' attitude towards men, and Torani really did not want to do anything to add proof to these ludicrous rumours.
===Death of a Queen===
Torani should have learnt to appreciate the time spent with her mother over the next couple of years, but like all things, she had no reason to believe that this time would be cut short, until it was too late.
The Dark Elves, now led by Helikaon Drake, constantly hounded the elves of Elysium, and towards the end of her reign, Rose was getting rather fed up of it all. So, in what turned out to be a rather foolish move upon the Queen's part, she challenged Drake and his elves to one single and violent confrontation that would see the end of the attacks one way or another. If Drake won, she would hand over a portion of Elysium to him and his army. If Rose won, Drake would call off the attacks and no Dark Elf would ever again set foot in Elysium. 
The following battle was brutal and bloody - both sides just as determined as the other to emerge the victor. 
Rose and Torani fought alongside their men, despite Rose's insistence that Tora remain with her daughter, safely hidden in the Palace. Torani argued that the people would think her weak, and if she was to be Queen one day, that was a reputation she could not afford to gain. So by fighting alongside the men, she was showing the world what kind of a Queen she one day intended to become.
Rose couldn't argue with that - she'd done exactly the same, many years earlier during the battle of Midas, for exactly the same reasons.
So, with their Queen and their Princess at the head of the army, the Elves of Elysium fought their Dark cousins, right on the very steps of the palace itself, for most of that afternoon, the entire night, and most of the next morning as well, when, exhausted and bloody, Drake finally pulled his remaining men back and admitted defeat.
He had severely underestimated Rose and her army, and considering he was a man of his word, he did as promised and withdrew from Elysium, banning all Dark Elves from ever setting foor there again.
However, Elysium did not celebrate this victory, because Rose had fallen on the battlefield shortly before Drake's withdrawal, and news soon spread that she had died of her wounds, right there on the battlefield where she had fallen.
Torani later confirmed this to be true, having been with her mother as she'd died. So, what should have been a celebration for the kingdom turned into a week of mourning instead.
They had won the war, but lost their beloved Queen in the process.
At first, Tora did not want to believe that this was the case. She was adamant that her mother had come back once, and would do so again. So she continually put off her own coronation and refused to become Queen for the next six months, in the hopes that her mother would return.
When Rose did not, however, Tora was finally forced to admit defeat, and with great sadness accepted the throne of Elysium, becoming its next Queen.
===Lyra joins the Storm family===
Seifa's first public outing outside of Elysium was to Queen Lyra's wedding, where she stunned everyone with her shock appearance, but soon won the hearts of many.
Torani thought that maybe her family might hate her for keeping such a huge secret from them, and begged their forgiveness, but they assured her that everything was fine. They adored her daughter, and completely understood what had happened. No forgiveness was needed, as in their eyes, Torani had done no wrong.
Even though she was just two years old at the time, she behaved perfectly, with beautiful manners, making friends with her extended family quickly and seeing them not as strangers, but as family, right from the very beginning.
This was obvious when she allowed Kyra Spyros (Lyra's mother) to pick her up and hug her within just a few moments of meeting her, and expressing distress at the thought of Lyra being a cousin-once-removed (mistakenly believing that this meant Lyra was being 'removed' to somewhere else, and not wanting her to go). 
Tora, meanwhile, had decided that this was a time for celebration - something she had not done much of in recent years - and initiated a drinking contest between herself, Lyra, Pan, Sam and Eldin. As Torani had not touched anything even remotely alcoholic since before Seifa was born, she succumbed to its effects much sooner than she would normally have done, and began to do all kinds of foolish things - though she was spared from being crowned a lightweight by her cousin Eldin, who won that title when he could no longer stand, after just two drinks. Tora still managed to get up to mischief with the others, however, and her antics included being offended by a woman who was in her drink (which was in fact her own reflection), stealing drinks from other nobles, dragging Gwaine across the dancefloor, sitting on chairs that weren't there, claiming there was a mutiny to her Queensguard, laughing at inanimate objects and tipping her drink over Eldin who spent most of the evening on the floor.
The next morning, Tora had a very, VERY bad hangover, as was to be expected after a night of such heavy drinking, and whilst she sent Seifa off for a ride along the beach with Kyra, she and Lyra sat on a balcony together, catching up on gossip and trying to quieten their pounding heads. It was during this time that Tora accidentally let slip her attraction for Sir Gwaine.
===Third Time Lucky===
Gwaine: What is it?
Tora: Just laughing at how pathetic I am.
Gwaine: You're not pathetic! Granted you're stroppy, and paranoid, and moody and -
Tora: Yes thank you, Gwaine!
Gwaine: So what makes you think you are?
Tora: Well, I've been with you one evening, and now the thought of not being with you is unbearable.
Gwaine: That's not pathetic. That's adorable!
Torani finally admits her true feelings, during her first 'date' with Gwaine.
Sir Gwaine, meanwhile, was secretly satisfied that it had Torani who had broken the ice and done all the hard work for him, with her drunken antics from the night before. She didn't realise it, but she'd just made things so much easier for him, because now all he had to do was charm her with his wit, and she was his for the taking. Torani, of course, fell right into the trap, entering into verbal duels with him and giving just as good as she got whenever he taunted or provoked her.
His taunting finally went too far, however, when he assaulted her cousin Eldin, then accidentally got him drunk as he took him out to the local tavern afterwards, by way of an apology. Unamused by her husband's behaviour, and quickly reminded by Torani who had gotten him in that state in the first place, Lyra was quick to deal out punishment to Gwaine - although it was in fact no punishment at all. She'd seen the way that he often looked at Torani, and how she'd look at him in return, and had correctly put two and two together.
The pair were in love, but both were as stubborn as each other and both refused to make the first move. So Lyra did, on their behalf, sending them on a date together to the beautiful crystal caves, under the pretence of Gwaine 'escorting' Torani as his 'punishment' for what he'd done to Eldin.
Finally alone for the first time ever, the pair relaxed and began to truly enjoy each other's company. By the end of the evening, the two were inseparable and both had finally admitted their love for one another.
They officially became a 'couple' a few days later, after Torani had asked permission from her daughter, Seifa. Seifa adored Gwaine and had no problems with him joining the family, although she refused to call him 'father'. Gwaine respected her decision wholeheartedly, stating that he'd never dream of replacing her real father.
The Tournament
For Seifa's third birthday, a tournament was held in Elysium, with competitors from all over the world coming to patricipate and win the honour of being crowned Tournament Champion (the Champion earning himself a hefty fifty thousand gold reward as well as this title). The tournament began three days before her actual birthday, and one event was held, per day, presided over by Seifa, her mother, and the Royal Guests from Myrmidon and Elis. Other royal families were also present, but did not share the luxury of Queen Torani's royal box, as they were not related to the Storms in any way, unlike the Myrmidons and Elisians.
Round one, held on the first day, was the single combat competition, won by Panos of Myrmidon (Seifa's Honourary Uncle), although it was a close call between he and Sir Gwaine of Torani's Queensguard. Seifa was disappointed that her personal favourite, Sir Percival, did not win this round and begged her Uncle Panos to let her be escorted to the feast that night by Percival instead. Panos agreed, and this made Seifa a little bit happier, until she saw the ghost of her father in the corner. None of the others could see him, and she and her mother had a slight fall out over his ghostly presence. Eventually Alistair told his daughter that, for the time being at least, he should just be her secret friend and she shouldn't tell anyone else about him - least of all her mother. 
Seifa was happy to do this, and was happy to have a secret finally. It made her feel important.
The next day was the melee, and this time Sir Percival did not disappoint her. He won, much to her delight, and presented her with his ribbon from the competition, as a trophy of his success. She tied the emerald ribbon round her wrist and swore never to take it off again.
Again, that evening he escorted her to the feast and this time when Alistair appeared, she kept her promise to keep him secret. She also made Sir Gwaine promise to win the joust tomorrow, as her mother was not feeling too good and not even one of Seifa's special magic roses had made her feel better. Gwaine promised that he would try his hardest, although he pointed out that Percival had never been unhorsed.
Seifa fixed Percival with a steely glare and made him secretly promise to lose the joust. He was not happy about cheating in this way, by fixing the results of what should be a fair contest, but Seifa pulled a very low blow by telling him that if he truly loved her, he'd lose to Gwaine and let the other man win.
From then on, Percival had no choice. He was furious with himself for allowing a three year old to dictate his every move, but was at the same time relieved that Seifa was quickly learning that the world is not all 'rainbows and sunshine and pretty colours' as she had so naively believed until then. Of course she was still innocent and naive, but she was learning to get tougher, and he respected her even more for that.
So the final day of the tournament - Seifa's actual birthday - came, and Percival dutifully lost to Gwaine, although it was a close call. Gwaine simply did not have the strength to unhorse Percival, so the huge mountain of a man had needed to throw himself from the saddle in order to give Gwaine the victory. Gwaine suspected foul play, but nobody else did, and Percival swore him to secrecy.
That evening, Seifa's birthday presents were presented to her, and Panos was named overall tournament champion, much to his displeasure after he realised that he would forever more be known as a champion amongst the Elves.
Torani also had one other surprise for Seifa - one that she herself had only that morning discovered for herself. Seifa was to become a big sister!
Seifa excitedly declared that it was the best birthday ever, not only because of Tora's news, but also because Samiyah, Panos' wife, had given birth to her son Dante.
It was also partly to do with the fact that this was also the first birthday Seifa could actually remember, but it would likely be one she'd never forget, either.
===Aithusa and Saphira===
Three years later, it seemed that finally Torani had found the peace and the life that she had so desperately craved. She had four beautiful children, a man who loved her, friends all around, her steadily increasing family who all loved her dearly, and a kingdom that was happy, content and at peace. She'd befriended the neighbouring rulers, and Ealdor was now surrounded by allies rather than enemies as they had once been.
If truth be told, Torani could not have asked for anything more - except that her mother could have been there to see it. But that was not possible, and Tora knew that wherever her mother was now, she'd be proud of the things her daughter had managed to achieve.
About four months after the birth of Tora's third daughter, Eira, the family were invited to Elis for one gigantic party, to celebrate the birth of Lyra's twins, Laini and Thayn. The Palace of Elis was turned into one gigantic playground, and even the adults had fun, playing hide and seek with the children amongst the hundred of balloons that filled the throne room, eating chocolate and holding tin tray races down the stairs. For once, however, Tora did not join in the fun and games. She chose to stand back and observe as her children, Gwaine and Percival had the time of their lives. She'd never seen any of them laughing and giggling so much, and in turn, she'd never felt happier.
During this time, her three year old son, Flynn, somehow managed to earn himself the nickname "Cavalier War Child" by terrorising her cousin Eldin with a wooden sword, her one year old daughter, Mithian, greatly improved her speech (so much so that she was beginning to say whole sentences, instead of just a few words to express her needs and desires), her four month old daughter, Eira, developed a habit of blowing raspberries, and thoroughly enjoyed watching and giggling at everyone else as they made fools of themselves, and her six year old daughter Seifa befriended Lyra's eldest daughter, Aurele. Watching Seifa and Aurele, Tora was reminded of herself and Lyra, and found herself hoping that the friendship between herself and Lyra would be mirrored in their daughters.
During the huge party, visitors came to Elis, insisting upon seeing not just Lyra, but Torani, Panos and their families, also. intrigued, the entire family assembled to greet the visitors and hear what they had to say.
The strangers revealed themselves to be the Sisters of the Shade, a subterranean people from the far off lands of Drakofel. There they told the families of an ancient warrior known in their tongue as Rutzma Drako or Hartwin Ritter by name. He was an infamous character, and not only possessed the loyalty of dragons, but blood also. The Sisters went on to explain that Torani, Lyra, Panos and their children, were all the descendants of this legend of Drakofel, and so too were known as the blood of dragons.
They then presented each house with two petrified dragon eggs: 'One for the crown and one for the heir', with Torani, Seifa, Lyra, Auréle, Panos and Dante receiving one each. The Sisters promised, that though for normal men and women the eggs would remain stone outside of Drakofel, and without a dragon mother, for those of Dragon Blood, the eggs would birth real live dragons once placed into flames by their masters.
As mysteriously as the Sisters had arrived, they left and were never heard from again. Naturally, the adults dismissed the legends as simply that, with no substance to it whatsoever. To the children, on the other hand, the dragon eggs had sparked their imaginations and their belief in such magic was as real as it could be. They were each determined that one day they would give life to their dreams, and to their dragons.
===Tragedy in Elis===
A few weeks after they had returned from Elis, Torani had been watching Seifa practicing with her sword tutor, Master Wyvern. 
Seifa was getting a lot better with a sword now, and soon, Master Wyvern had promised to teach her how to use other weapons, too. As Torani watched her daughter practice, there was a distant crack and rumble of thunder, and the lesson was quickly abandoned as Seifa ran outside to see where the storm was. Tora followed, but they could see nothing for miles in all directions, but blue sky. Wherever the storm was, it wasn't over Ealdor.
Flynn and Mithian, having never seen or heard a thunder storm before, panicked that something terrible had happened. Tora reassured them that storms could not hurt them, because they ARE Storms, themselves. They should embrace the storm, not be scared of it. 
A few hours later, however, the skies darkened and Tora assumed that the storm had finally arrived. Until she saw the dark skies. She knew then that it was not a regular storm, and began to secretly worry that perhaps something had happened that she was not yet aware of.
Three days later, the skies were still dark, and Tora had been watching from one of the palace balconies, trying to figure out what was going on, when a small group from Myrmidon arrived, carrying a message for Torani. 
She took one look at the dishevelled messengers and knew then that whatever had happened, had happened in Greece. Immediately she began to fear for the safety of her Grecian family, and this fear only increased when she read the letter from Samiyah, Queen of Myrmidon. Samiyah NEVER wrote to Tora, and she refused to mention exactly what had happened in the letter. Tora knew then that it was bad.
Calling Emrys, her daughter's winged stallion, she leapt onto his back and after a quick farewell to Gwaine and Percival, asking them to pass on the news to her children that she was leaving for a few days, she set off for Myrmidon.
Flying over Greece soon proved almost impossible. The whole place was covered in smoke, ash and poisonous gases. She couldn't get anywhere near Elis, so in the end diverted round, and went to Myrmidon instead. And it was here that she finally learned the awful truth. A volcano had erupted and destroyed Elis, along with the surrounding areas. Achilles, Eldin and the twins, Laini and Thayn had escaped the destruction, but Kyra was killed by falling debris and Lyra and Aurele had gone missing. Tora wanted to believe that they would be alright, but as time went on, she was forced to accept the fact that they had been lost too.
Once again, Tora was forced to endure the agony of losing those she loved dearly.
===Laini===
(coming soon)
===Hatching Aithusa===
(coming soon)
===Captured===
"You're a young elf, aren't you....... Yes, I can see that you are. You could live a thousand years in this cell of your own making."
Siro to Torani, after tricking her into imprisonment in his dungeons.
Years passed by, and whilst on the outside, Tora appeared to have moved on from the deaths of her Aunt Kyra and best friend/ sister, Lyra, inside, Tora wasn't coping so well at all.
In fact, she became obsessed with discovering the truth about Lyra's fate, because nobody had ever found her body, and the cause of her demise was still unknown. Everyone else thought that she and her daughter had simply perished in the freak volcanic eruption, which had been completely unexpected and completely unavoidable, but Tora wasn't so sure. She smelled a rat.
After years of secret investigations, Tora overheard a rumour that Lyra was a 'guest' at Siro's palace. She knew there was more going on than everyone had first assumed and took it upon herself to investigate, fearing that perhaps Lyra was a captive of Siro, but at least hopeful that Lyra was still alive. Her first decision was to pay a visit to King Siro and Queen Dione of Arcadia to find out what they knew about this rumour.
Dione and Siro denied all knowledge of ever seeing Lyra on that fateful day, but Tora's instincts were screaming at her that this was all a lie. She threatened Siro, demanding that he tell her the truth, because one way or another she'd find out anyway, and Siro reaised that he needed to do something about this troublesome young woman who was asking exactly the kinds of questions that would expose the truth eventually. She was getting far too close to the truth, without even realising it, and he could not have that. Torani, her bodyguard and Aithusa were tricked into accompanying Siro down into the very lowest levels of his palace, on the pretence of inspecting each cell to prove that Lyra was not there. As they reached a round room with a small water-less well in the centre, however, Siro and his wife sprung their trap. Tora's bodyguard was mercilessly killed - crushed beneath a vicious spiked gate that also crashed down upon Aithusa, trapping the dragon as it slowly crushed and crippled her broken body. Tora was wrapped in chains that she could not break free from, despite her magic, and after exchanging a few heated words with Siro about his actions and the revelation that he'd killed Lyra, Tora and Aithusa were thrown into the pit and chained to it's walls - in a grave of their own making, as Siro cruelly reminded them.
He assured Tora that because she was still young - by elf standards - she could easily live for a thousand years down there, suffering day after day in eternal torment and torture. He and his wife then left her and Aithusa to nurse their wounds - Tora's shattered ankle causing her to eventually pass out from the pain.
As the weeks passed, Tora was able to use her magic to re-set her ankle so that it would heal correctly, but she could not escape the enchanted restraints that held her to the wall of the pit. Even if she had been able to escape, however, Aithusa was badly wounded, and Tora refused to leave without her. So, Tora sacrificed her freedom and allowed herself to remain captive until Aithusa had healed enough for them both to escape.
During this time, Tora also willingly starved herself, giving most of her food to the dragon, so that Aithusa could rebuild her strength and heal faster. By the time Aithusa's wings were healed enough that she could finally fly them from the pit, however, Dione had discovered the secret to Tora's special crystal, and how Tora's spirit was tied to it. She took the crystal from Tora, removing the young Queen's spirit and effectively subduing her.
For two years after that, Torani was kept a prisoner of the two Arcadians, and with no will or fight left in her, she stopped trying to escape, and simply endured, instead.
Siri the Mord Sith would later compare Torani's ordeal to the 'Breaking Ritual' that created Mord Sith women. The captive would be introduced to so much pain and agony that in the end they would do anything they were commanded to do, just to stop from receiving any further pain. Elements of 'Stockholm Syndrome' could also be used, wherein the captors appeared to show great sympathy and empathy for their prisoner and lull them into a false sense of security. Without her spirit, Torani was unable to resist any of the techniques employed to 'break' her and fell quickly under the spell of the Arcadians. She was broken even further by both mental and physical torture, so that by the time she was 'rescued', she had willingly given herself to Dione and Siro, if only to stop the pain. She was now their slave - their servant of evil - and would do anything they commanded of her. 
And as time went by, and her spirit returned, she found that her lust for power and her joy at being 'pure evil' had returned. She was now completely and utterly lost to the darkness that had consumed her.
===Baby Lost===
Unbeknownst to Torani, when she'd first set foot in Carrion Castle, she was in fact a few weeks pregnant, though as it was still very early days, she had no idea and neither did anyone else, that she was even expecting. Not until it was too late.
Alyxandra was born in the worst possible circumstances, and due to the neglect she'd already suffered at Siro's hands, Torani was far too weak after the birth to prevent her daughter from being taken from her. Even Aithusa couldn't stop it from happening, though not for lack of trying. 
Tora was told that her daughter had been thrown from the battlements of the castle by the guards, and considering everything else Siro had done - including murder Lyra - Tora had no reason to doubt that this was indeed the case. She was devastated by the 'death' of her little girl, and this became the very first crack in her defences - the first time she showed any sign of weakness or giving in to Siro's torture and corruption. It would take another two years for her to break completely, but this pivotal moment was certainly the start of that breakdown.
What she didn't know, however, was that she'd been purposefully fed a lie in order to break her. Because little Alyxandra was not dead at all. She'd been given to one of Siro's obscure relations, to be raised as an Arcadian. If Tora failed to be of any use to Siro, then her daughter would be trained from birth to take her place instead, and grow up hating her family simply because she would know no other way.
In theory this would have worked, and when Torani eventually crumbled and succumbed to the darkness within, becoming Siro's loyal puppet, the plan was to reunite her with her daughter so that she could train her, herself. This being Siro's 'reward' for Tora's loyalty to him now. This didn't go to plan, however, as mother and daughter would never actually get the chance to meet.
===Evil Is As Evil Does===
Over the next year, Torani worked tirelessly to expand the Arcadian Empire for her Masters, and declared war upon several kingdoms who had once been her allies. One such victim of Tora's brutal campaign was the Kingdom of Mercia, ruled by King Nantes and his wife, Queen Guinevere of House Brennidon. When Nantes refused to allow Tora to bully him into joining her, Torani set her men upon him and beat him to within an inch of his life.
She then took Guinevere hostage, dragging her all the way back to Ealdor with no food and little water, along the way. Queen Guinevere was exhausted, dehydrated and delirious when she was finally thrown into the dungeons of Elysium, and left there to enjoy the company of the rats until her husband changed his mind and allied with Tora instead. Nantes was a stubborn man, however, and refused to join, even after Tora had two of Guinevere's fingers removed and sent back to him as 'incentive', stating that she'd send his wife back to him a piece at a time, if he wanted to play her game the hard way.
Nantes gathered his men and although his army could not hope to match the size of Tora's army, he led a daring raid on Elysium regardless, using stealth and surprise to his advantage, as Tora had foolishly not expected such a bold, brazen manoeuvre on the King's part.
His attack was in vain, however, as unbeknownst to anyone, Guinevere was no longer in the dungeons. She had been secretly freed by Gwaine, and had taken to hiding in the nearby forest, amongst a group of refugees fleeing the city. When Guinevere learned that her husband had attacked the Grand Palace in order to rescue her, however, she insisted that she go back to save him.
Encountering Torani in a corridor, Guinevere realised that Tora had been severely wounded by one of Nantes' knights, who had somehow managed to stab her in the side. It was only a shallow wound, but was still enough to cause Torani severe pain and discomfort and a fair amount of blood loss too. She could not take her hand from the wound, for fear that she would lose even more blood, and so was severely handicapped when it came to fighting.
The two women traded insults briefly, Guinevere wondering what she and her husband had ever done to deserve Torani's hatred, before Guinevere engaged the Elven Queen in a sword duel instead, confident that because Torani was wounded, she could be beaten.
This was not the case, however, as Guinevere had severely underestimated Tora's skill with a sword. Tora easily beat her, despite being handicapped by her injury and only able to fight one handed - compared to Guinevere who was using a two handed grip. Torani briefly apologised to Guinevere for what she was about to do - a small spark of her old self emerging for a fraction of a second, before she was lost to the darkness once more.
Guinevere was saved from death, however, as Lady Valerie - secretly the Elven Goddess Valisilwen in disguise - used her powers to throw Tora backwards into a wall, rendering her unconscious. This gave Nantes, Guinevere and their men time to escape. When Tora came round, everyone who had worked against her during the attack pretended to be on her side, so as to avoid suspicion, and asked what should be done about the rebellious kingdom.
Torani insisted that the Brennidons be brought under her rule, or be crushed. She sent half the entire army of Ealdor - which outnumbered Nantes' own army five to one, and forced Nantes and Guinevere to surrender. After Guinevere was executed, Nantes fell to his knees and begged that Torani let him have his wife's body to give her a proper funeral (Torani had threatened to behead Guinevere and throw her body to the crows).
When he agreed to join her and submit to her rule, Torani returned Guinevere's body, still in once piece and unharmed, save for the wound that had killed her. Nantes gave her a proper funeral and reluctantly bowed to Torani's reign from then on, although he did not like it for a single second, and continually looked for ways to bring down the 'Dark Queen' once and for all. Once Mercia had finally been brought under her reign, other kingdoms quickly fell, also, and soon Torani had an army of half a million strong, and no less than ten kingdoms under her control.
===Torani Storm - High Queen, Protector of the Realm and Servant of Siro.===
"I have told you the way it will be. Until you all surrender, you are potential enemies and will be treated as such. Each of you will return to your homelands now and consider my words. But do not think to try my patience - delay could cost you everything. And do not think to wile me out of any special conditions. There will be none. Each land, whether large or small, will be treated the same and must surrender. If you choose to surrender, then I will welcome you to the Realm of Ealdor with open arms and consider you a friend and ally. You will be expected to contribute to the whole, however. Contribute to our survival, or leave the Realm as known enemies."
Torani's ultimatum to the kingdoms of France as she names herself High Queen and demands their surrender.
During her service to Siro, Torani conquered several kingdoms, both large and small, and declared her rule over them all, as their High Queen. She merged the lands into the realm of Ealdor and declared herself as 'Protector of the Realm', stating that everything she did, she was doing for the safety and protection of the people.
Some willingly followed her lead. Others needed 'persuasion'.....and not always the friendly kind.
Torani's Bannermen
16.jpg|King Tustevic Clancy of Gwaren
11.jpg|Prince Regent Lancelot Du Lac of Brittany
Stephen McCole is Ragnor in Merlin season 5_thumb.jpg|King Verner of the Loire Valley (executed by Torani)
merlin504anotherssorrow2012-4.jpg|King Odin Tallos of Essetir
Immortals-rm05.jpg|Sir Thalion Colevile
helios.jpg|King Helios Seaward of Bregdan
River.jpg|River Swann - future Queen of Essetir
Cypher.jpg|Benjamin Cypher, Torani's 'hostage' and son of King Verner.
alator.jpg|Lord Alator of the Catha Tribe
valiant.jpg|Prince Valiant of Tregor (Executed by Sir Percival)
===Thalion vs Gwaine - Round 1===
Now a Lord, Thalion's surprise return to Elysium caused quite a stir amongst the Royal Family and ruffled many feathers, but none more so than Gwaine's - who saw right through the Lord's 'facade' from day one. And Thalion loved the jealous reactions he could stir from the knight, so things could only go from bad to worse between the two men.
It all started when Thalion and Gwaine found themselves alone together one evening, and Thalion took great pleasure in insulting and provoking Gwaine, even going so far as revealing that technically, according to the laws of the land, he and Tora were still engaged, because she never gave him back his engagement ring. Therefore her marriage to Alistair didn't count, but as the guy is dead and died saving Tora, Thalion was willing to 'let him off'.
He told Gwaine to get lost, however, and take his bastard children with him, which of course didn't go down well with Gwaine. The pair ended up brawling in the courtyard and when they were finally dragged apart by the Palace guards, both were hauled before Tora to explain their actions.
Tora refused to hear a bad word against Thalion because of her past with him and would not even entertain the idea that the head wound he sustained many years previously had in fact caused him to lose all his memories, so that even though he's slowly regained most of them, he's a completely different person to the man he once was.
Gwaine tried to talk sense into Tora but she wouldn't hear of it, although she did tell Thalion that Gwaine and her children were not going anywhere. He then proceeded to flirt with her, to try and sway her to his side, and whilst she openly flirted back and did not deny his advances (which only angered Gwaine even more) she still refused to send the knight and her children away, so in the end Thalion relented and went back to simply tormenting Gwaine, instead.
===The Beginning of the End===
Just when things seemed to have calmed down again, however, poor Laini happened to stumble across something that would bring the Storm family crashing to its knees in one devastating blow that would haunt certain individuals for years to come.
Torani had been in regular correspondence with Siro by this point, informing him of her progress 'claiming' kingdoms in his name and suggesting further countries that she could invade, with his permission. No-one knew about these letters, except for Torani herself, and Natham Myron .
So when Mithian and Laini went snooping in his room, it was inevitable that they would find things that they shouldn't - in this case a letter from Torani to Siro.
Laini, wanting to spare Mithian from any harm that the discovery of this letter may cause, hid it from her best friend and went to Gwaine instead. Gwaine, furious after reading the letter, went to confront Torani, and the couple had a blazing row - the worst they had ever had - resulting in Gwaine leaving and calling an end to their relationship.
Laini also showed the letter to her twin brother, unsure what to do. Thayn took the letter back to Greece with him and alerted Shaina Storm to their aunt's treasons. Shaina planned to act as though nothing had happened, until suspicion had passed. Then she would strike.
Tora, meanwhile, had slid down a very steep and rapid slope, causing many to believe that she had lost her mind. Her temper tantrums were becoming so great that she would often trash the entire room, and everyone scrambled to get out of her way when they saw her approach.
It didn't help that she was also now seeing ghostly visions of Lyra, appearing just as she had the night she'd died, complete with a gaping gash across her throat and crimson blood staining her dress. At first terrified by this vision, Torani soon became accustomed to it, and would often try to spark conversations with Lyra, unable to truly comprehend that she wasn't able to communicate back.
A few months after the discovery of the letter, Torani had foolishly assumed that she had escaped Shaina's ire. When her niece called a banquet in order to 'bring the family together', she was of course suspicious, and also more than a little put out by the invite, but was soon talked into attending the feast, in the hopes that she would be able to convince Shaina to side with her, therefore giving Siro complete control over Greece and ending the war once and for all.
Most of the family was present at the banquet, though a few individuals stayed away for one reason or another, yet despite this, Tora found herself constantly watching the shadows for assassins, thinking that someone would plunge a knife into her back, or perhaps shoot her from across the room.
What she never expected was for Shaina to serve her with a poisoned chalice, after the meal was over. Everyone was happy and merry, the night had been a lot of fun (for everyone except Shaina) so when Shaina proposed a toast, Tora was not expecting anything sinister about it.
Until she felt the first effects of the poison that now coursed through her veins, killing her slowly.
Knowing the she was dying and there was nothing anyone could do about it, Tora could only utter one word "Why?" before she died - this question aimed at Shaina, even though Tora knew why. She knew in her heart why it had happened, and she knew why Shaina had done what she had.
She died at Shaina's feet, her murder witnessed by the entire family. 
419.jpg|Knights, nobles and commoners alike gather to pay their respects
420.jpg
funeral.jpg|Lying in state, before her funeral
===Trials of a Queen===
====The War of Midas.====
Torani was not expecting to wake at all, after being poisoned by Shaina, so when she did, she at first assumed that she was in Hades. Or Hell. Valhalla. Anwynn. The Underworld. The Afterlife. Whatever name you wanted to give it, they were all, at the end of the day, the place where the dead would find themselves.
So when she awoke on a blood soaked beach in the middle of a bloody war, she was stunned.
Especially after realising that this was the War of Midas. For whatever reason, the Gods had sent her to a vision of her past, from a time before she was born. She knew it was a vision, and yet it felt so real, that she found herself drawn into the thick of the battle, with little regard for her own safety.
Especially after she spotted an incredibly young pair of women, fighting side by side - Rose Storm and Kyra Spyros - one of them a mother to Torani, the other an aunt (and later, a secondary mother figure during the absence of her real mother).
Now Torani was torn. Did she stay and protect her mother (who was unknowingly pregnant with her at the time)? Or did she go with Kyra to the Isle, to confront Callandra?
Remembering the stories that she'd often been told of this battle, it wasn't hard for Tora to make up her mind. Rose was destined to survive the battle. Kyra was not. 
Not unless Tora had anything to say about it, that was. She insisted on accompanying Kyra to the Isle, and despite not knowing who this young stranger was, Kyra agreed, and the pair rowed out to the isle together.
When they finally confronted Callandra, Tora knew she had the advantage, because she knew things that Callandra didn't - namely the future and what it had in store for them all. She used this to toy with the Golden Queen, insulting her and taunting her, trying to buy enough time for help to arrive in the form of Achilles and Rose. Callandra was furious, however, especially after being choked by Tora's magic, and engaged the two women in a duel, though it quickly became clear that she was intending to take Kyra out first, assuming her to be the weaker of the two.
As she struck out at Kyra, Tora quickly reacted by pushing her aunt out of the way, taking the fatal blow herself, and ending up with a golden sword through her chest. As she collapsed into Rose's arms (her mother and Achilles arriving in time to deal with Callandra), Tora felt like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. By saving her aunt, and sacrificing herself instead, she was sure that she had redeemed herself in the eyes of the Gods, and would therefore be able to rest in peace.
Little did she know that they had much more in store for her before they were finally satisfied.
====Rematch on Midas====
Following her first trial on the Isle of Midas, Torani was not expecting to reawaken in the same place she had only just died. Only now, instead of the blinding golden surroundings, the place was covered in grime - as though it had been submerged beneath the oceans for decades and only recently risen from the watery depths once more.
And actually, this wasn't far wrong, because Torani had been propelled forward in time to the evening when she had made possibly one of the worst mistakes of her lives. It was the evening she'd killed her mother.
Of course, once Tora realised where and more importantly 'when' she was, she immediately began to form a plan in her mind for how to get out of this mess. She was momentarily distracted, however when, after ranting at the gods for the unfairness they were inflicting upon her, she was then forced to overcome the shock of seeing not only her mother alive again, but Lyra as well. She wanted nothing more than to run to Lyra and embrace her, having missed her so much since her death. But Tora knew this simply wouldn't be possible. She had a role to play, and it had to be convincing, if this plan of hers was to work.
She provoked what everyone assumed to be an angry argument between herself and her mother, though in reality the two were not hurling angry words at one another in Elvish, Tora was using their native language to communicate her plan to her mother. In appearance, she was against them, just as she had been back in the real world, back when this had all happened for real, but once she'd explained her plan to her mother, Rose was ready to help her daughter in any way she could.
They fought, and Rose bested Tora, just as she'd done in the real world, but unlike in the real world, Tora did not turn on her mother this time. Instead she turned on Callandra's lifeless body, which housed Samiyah's soul as it sat in the throne. This, in turn, provoked Callandra in Samiyah's body to attack her, and the two fought furiously across the room, until finally Torani lunged for Callandra with what should have been a killing blow.
She'd forgotten that killing Samiyah's body would not kill Callandra's soul, but in a bitter twist of irony, she was prevented from actually doing this by Panos, who run her through with his own sword. Torn between his sister and the woman he loved, he'd turned on Tora in order to spare Sam, though it had obviously caused him great pain to do so. 
Tora wasn't angry at him though - she'd have been a hypocrite to judge him for his actions when she herself had done exactly the same, turning against those she loved and hurting them deeply.
Pan's actions jolted Tora's memory, however, and with her last breath, she managed to break the crystal that was trapping Sam. Callandra's body, with Sam trapped inside, came to life as it had done when the original spell was broken and Callandra had been defeated.
Tora's last actions in the trial were to beg Panos to give his sword to Sam, so that she could kill her mother once and for all.
Tora would not know of the outcome, however, as she once again died in her mother's arms.
====Out of the Frying Pan, into the Fire====
Torani woke for a third time in what she would quickly realise to be a very familiar environment to her. However,  this trial would be very much different to the first two, because the first two trials had made themselves clear to be visions very early on. Torani had been confused at first, but quickly realised that she was either in a vision, or a memory of sorts, and that helped her to keep a clear enough head to do what needed to be done - in other words, to save those she loved from death.
But this vision started off differently, because it started with her waking up from a dream - or what she'd assumed to have been a dream.
She'd suffered with nightmares for pretty much her entire life, and so now she was confused. For the first time, she wasn't able to work out if this was real or not, and this inability to tell the difference played heavily on her mind. Was it all just a dream? Had she dreamt it all? Where was she now? How much was real and how much was just in her imagination?
She assumed that the man asleep beside her in the bed was Gwaine - of course it wouldn't dawn on her until much later that his hair was cropped short, and wasn't long and scruffy. This should have been her first indicator that something was wrong, but in her confused state, she missed what was potentially a very easy clue.
It wasn't until she took herself out onto the balcony for some fresh air and was joined by Alistair Theirin, her dead husband, that she realised something was amiss. But as this vision felt so much more real than either of the previous two, she found herself believing that perhaps, just perhaps, this was the real world after all, and everything up until that moment had just been a dream. She even considered the possibility that the fire and everything that had happened after had never, in fact, happened at all. This would have meant that Seifa, Eira, Flynn and Mithian had never been born, and Gwaine was just a fleeting fancy who would be forgotten by morning. 
She never had a chance to really consider how she felt about this idea, however, because Lorcan charged into the room, shouting about a fire.
As Tora ran to get the bedsheets, in order to make a rope so the Palace's occupants could climb safely from the window to escape, she was struck with a strongest sense of Deja Vu and that was when she knew. This wasn't reality.
This was another vision. She knew that now, and she angrily berated herself for not seeing it sooner. But then fear took over, followed by determination. She'd changed the course of events during the past two scenarios and saved the lives of her aunt and her mother, so why should this time be any different? She could save Alistair, if she acted quickly enough. 
So act, she did. Knowing that Alistair had gone alone up to the top floor and been in one of the rooms when the floor had collapsed, Tora quickly helped to evacuate everyone else - it would be a terrible waste if by saving Alistair, she let everyone else perish. She then ran up after the Grey Warden and helped him to stagger across the room to the window. The maid he'd gone up to rescue originally was beyond saving, so Tora made the decision to leave her and get Alistair to safety instead.
Just as the floor was seconds from collapsing, she pushed him from the window, praying that he'd be able to reach the rope that dangled from the room directly below.
Thankfully he did, and she knew then that he was safe. She had just enough time to call down her apology to him, before the floor finally gave wasy, as she'd known it would, and she plummeted to her death in the blazing inferno.
====The Doom====
*Coming Soon* 
====The Poisoned Chalice ====
*Coming Soon*
===Redemption===
===Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold===
===Thalion vs Gwaine - The Epic Finale===
===New Beginnings===
===Snowdrop===
==Jewellery==
Torani doesn't just wear fancy jewellery for the sake of it. Each piece she wears bears a significant meaning for her and each piece is unique and personal.
The Seal of Elysium - A royal blue sapphire set into a golden ring that has been passed down from one Elven ruler to the next for over four thousand years. There is a legend amongst Elves that the day a King or Queen fails to pass the ring on to their successor, the line of Elven royalty will fall, and the kingdom will follow shortly after.
Callandra's Crystal - A blood red crystal shard given to Torani by Queen Callandra after she became her servant of evil. Callandra told Tora that the crystal could be used to control an army of a thousand unbeatable phantoms who would obey Tora's every command. What she didn't tell Torani was that the crystal would capture her very soul and bind it  to the crystal. Now Tora's very life depends on the tiny object, and if it should ever be taken from her or destroyed, Tora's spirit is destroyed with it. She would become an empty shell of her former self. Torani keeps the crystal on her at all times, these days, so that she can keep an eye on it and prevent it from falling into the wrong hands.
Her mother and Alistair's wedding rings - She wears both because when she is afraid or lost, she finds comfort and reassurance within them. By gazing into the sparkling crystals of the ring Alistair gave to her before he died, she finds peace and comfort during times of stress or hardship. By running a finger over the engravings of her mother's ring, she finds courage and strength.
Tiger's Eye Gemstone Ring - A gift from Lorcan on her tenth birthday because Tora's name means both 'tiger' and 'thunder'. The gemstone is a tiger's eye - namely a yellow gemstone with streaks of brown running through it.
==Gallery==
<tabber>
Gallery=
Queen_T.jpg
Tumblr ml1nruo5Cl1qhxoeio1 500.png
Tumblr_mr671ztdfu1rwm2e6o1_r1_500.png
Tumblr_mqk80twA3J1qatsroo1_500.png
Tumblr_mqx8je426R1sn9dmxo1_500.jpg
Tumblr_mr2tqn2bQC1sy2bg0o1_500.jpg
Tumblr mizly42Tyc1qe9ucso1 500.jpg
Tumblr mb64163Mfc1qgfscco1 500.jpg
tumblr_mphrx1zIPg1qe3cxyo1_500.png
tumblr_mpkuz9OLd71qazlk1o1_500.png
tumblr_mpne7zsjJe1qe3cxyo1_500.png
Tumblr mqaqz4qONI1rvaf29o1 1280.jpg
006.jpg
morgana_promo.jpg
furcoat.jpg
12_zps2517aa08.jpg
Tumblr mk9hkriaoe1qmqx3oo1 r1 500.png
Tumblr mk4sx9SGaK1qakxgeo1 500.jpg|On a balcony of the Palace, overlooking the courtyard.
Tumblr mjnu0ptlxS1qcaiajo1 500.jpg|Just chilling, in her throne after a hard day.
Blackdress.jpg
Tumblr ml0n4ofADZ1qm6umfo1 500.jpg|Like mother, like daughter.
Tumblr mjj43apLvW1qg9p6ao1 500.png
Morgana-series-4-4-07-morgana-26844177-500-282.png|Following an argument with Gwaine, Tora runs to a nearby cavern to be alone for a while. Whilst there, she contemplates the tiny little crystal that is the cause of so much grief.
With an old friend.jpg|With good friend, Queen Guinevere of Mercia, in the marketplace.
Colour matching.jpg|Both Queens shop for silks to make new dresses.
Shopping.jpg|Stopping for a chat.
Armour 5.jpg|Tora's armour.
Snow Queen.jpeg|Watching her children having fun in the snow.
Young 5.jpg|Not liking the conversation being had over dinner.
Young 1.jpg|As a young girl, long before she ever became Queen.
On a horse 2.jpg|Out riding.
On a horse.jpg
2079462-1357581313.jpg|With granddaughter, Daena Myron.
45.1.jpg
Merlin 1409.jpg|Entering the throne room of the Grand Palace
65.jpg|Tora's anger is legendary. She lives up to her name 'Storm' perfectly at times.
cap-00058.jpeg|Not impressed with Flynn's 'explanation' for why her horse has turned blue and green.
knife.jpg|The last gift Torani's father would ever give to her. She treasures it dearly and carries it with her, wherever she goes.
636.jpg|Night time wanderings.
637.jpg|Bad dreams keep Torani awake most nights. She's been plagued with them for as long as she can remember.
661.jpg
662.jpg
Tumblr_n2k8hmmLqr1s0pv9lo1_500.png
ToraniBlonde.png
43.jpg
41.jpg
Tumblr_n2xaooPSfI1s2nw0ho1_500.jpg
Tumblr_n32arvuvUv1qhavszo1_500.png
Tumblr_n22zunGhla1qhavszo1_500.png
Tumblr_n3pyuflJmU1qao3hco1_500.png
Tumblr_n2yfk6jooz1qazlk1o3_r1_500.png
Tumblr_n3mn0xp2Re1r26oado1_500.png
Tumblr_n3oemruAjh1tqhyu2o1_500.png
Tumblr_mtfeyqFuLk1qamhzro1_500.png
Toraparty.jpg
Tora party 2.jpg
Tora Party 3.jpg
46 (1).jpg
350e4fd9a5b7.jpg
merlin3_septembre_033_bis.jpg
Katie_McGrath-83.jpg
Merlin1133.jpg
Queen 1.jpg
Queen 2.jpg
Gif2860.jpg|With young Maric
Gif2917.jpg|A mother's love
Gif3070.jpg
abstract 1.jpg|Enchanted Waltz
tumblr_nytzm2L7X61s933slo2_500.jpg
tumblr_o5fgdrf6IG1uehb3mo1_500.png
katie_mcgrath_png_by_turuncupokemon-d7ldvdm.png
toraelfarmour.jpg
armour with helmet.jpg
|-|
Gifs=
Tumblr_mktlsieQLR1qd3no2o3_500.gif|The Dark Angel
Tumblr_mktlsieQLR1qd3no2o2_500.gif|"I'm the bloody Queen! Basically, I rule!"
Tumblr mj8523Rl8y1r4gs08o6 250.gif|The Infamous Storm Temper
Tumblr mjtq1ciSsS1qes96io3 250.gif|Tora's lighter side
Tumblr mkj8k9s2nY1qgslj0o2 250.gif|Asserting her authority as Queen
Tumblr mkj8k9s2nY1qgslj0o5 250.gif|Ambushed
Tumblr mknqkobGaJ1qii97qo5 250.gif|Making an entrance
Tumblr mknqkobGaJ1qii97qo9 250.gif|Receiving some distressing news
Tumblr ml67tvML7B1qbuxf7o6 250.gif|As cold as ice....
Tumblr ml6iewzL0Z1r4gs08o6 250.gif|Swords Part 1
Tumblr ml6iewzL0Z1r4gs08o7 250.gif|Swords Part 2
tumblr_mpl6bakLxi1snqz75o3_250.gif|So NOT impressed!
tumblr_mpsbz4bldC1qexvubo5_250.gif|A predator, observing her prey
tumblr_mpw5q9HkWa1qgh970o3_r1_250.gif|Hatching a plan
tumblr_mpw77cpd8d1r8t4mjo3_250.gif|"Seriously?!"
tumblr_mpy2wykeHj1qcxu03o6_250.gif|"Jerk!"
tumblr_mqhvu2xZCn1qazlk1o4_250.gif|"Oh for God's sake....."
evil____morgana.gif|She's a real diva sometimes.
147643.gif|"Oh for fuck's sake!"
Tumblr_n48xhhSKSl1rhs5nco1_250.gif|Taking time out to watch her children play, before it's back to work, for the Queen.
Tumblr_n48sh3hzLR1rhs5nco2_250.gif|Torani can be sarcastic to the extreme when she wants to be. And she has a pretty evil smirk, too.
Tumblr_n0lcram6h41qbuxf7o8_250.gif|Galloping through the woods
Tumblr_n45hnwDaTT1rwm2e6o5_r1_250.gif|Unable to find what she's searching for
Tumblr_n1vnp1Kb6s1qes96io2_250.gif|Running for her life
Tumblr_n40z1ym80s1saps9do3_250.gif|Disoriented and confused
Tumblr_n0vygqGh9a1s3cboeo1_250.gif|A terrible nightmare
Tumblr_n4pckgwo1Y1txssr2o3_250.gif|And another
Tumblr_n43sl8xVfd1s7rb5lo6_r1_250.gif|Temper tantrum
Tumblr_n0p6ltjHTJ1shwaswo1_250.gif|"What the hell is going on back there?!"
Tumblr_n0p6ltjHTJ1shwaswo2_250.gif|"Seriously, what the fuck?!"
Tumblr_n4p72eSu6S1qg9dxyo3_250.gif|Inspecting the reforged blade of her father's dagger, after it was broken in battle.
Tumblr_n4pckgwo1Y1txssr2o4_250.gif|"Yeah? Well, I'm daughter of that woman over there. She's the Queen, you know?"
Tumblr_n4oxvuAggG1qcv6i8o8_250.gif|Having trouble with her horse
Tumblr_n48sh3hzLR1rhs5nco6_250.gif|"Gwaine and I are just friends. Of course there's nothing more to it.......yet."
Tumblr_n4k2rbn9ts1rm5tsvo10_r1_250.gif|"Problem, Merlin?"
Tumblr_n4k2rbn9ts1rm5tsvo9_r1_250.gif|Torani makes it no secret that she doesn't like Merlin
Tumblr_n4cdbb2mUz1r0tlxpo6_r1_250.gif|"What's the matter, Merlin? Didn't you know I'm coming with you?"
Tumblr_n4cdbb2mUz1r0tlxpo5_r1_250.gif|Face off - who will back down first?
Tumblr_n3m467j7Br1qbuxf7o8_250.gif|Torn between staying or leaving
Tumblr_n3m467j7Br1qbuxf7o6_250.gif|Self doubt
Tumblr_nlvysyySjp1qbzoizo6_r1_400.gif|With young Maric
|-|
Videos=
Evil is as Evil Does|Torani's Fall From Grace
Beware the Calm-0||Women of the Storm Family
|-|
Music=
Queen of Storms|Torani Storm's Theme
Torani's Coronation|Torani's Coronation
Eques Crystállum - Crystal Knight|A piece commissioned by Lyra for Torani & Gwaine.
Torani & Gwaine's Theme|Torani & Gwaine's Theme
I Love You Forever|Torani and Gwaine's Alternate Theme
Beware the Calm|The Dark Side of Torani Storm
Beyond All Hope|Shaina decides on Torani's fate...
Poisoned!|The poisoning, from the Storm family perspective.
Elfsbane|Elfsbane - Torani's Poisoning
"I'm Sorry..."|"I'm Sorry..." - Torani's Poisoning
Camille Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre|Visions - part of Torani's Trials
Fountain of Life|Conversing with Hera/ Return to the Mortal Realm - Torani's Second Chance
The Road to True Love|"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. Please......forgive me?" - Torani's redemption and apology
The Reunion|Gwaine and Torani reunite after her return from the Afterlife
How to Train Your Dragon Soundtrack - 11. Test Drive|Torani and Aithusa's first flight together
A Fronte Praecipitium, a Tergo Lupi|A precipice in front, a wolf behind - Torani confronts Siro on the roof of Carrion Castle.
How to Train Your Dragon - Romantic Flight MV (HD)|Romantic Flight - Gwaine proposes to Torani
Wedding Dance|Morning of the Wedding
Pachelbel - Canon In D Major. Best version.|Torani and Gwaine's Wedding
Dance With My Father-0|Tora's wish finally comes true on her Wedding Day
Goodbyes|Tora says goodbye to her parents one final time
|-|
Artwork=
Ghosts of reckoning by chaosserene-d5ok3je.jpg
Torasketch.png
Torani.jpg
Tora.png
Qween morgana by venikova-d5qikyk.jpg
Morgana the witch by venikova-d5ypncw.jpg
Morgana by whiskers on kittens-d5o39kb.jpg
Lady morgana by art imaginations-d5vtbs8.jpg
Morgana-poster-morgana-25407958-500-630 copy.jpg
Katie mcgrath by veilaks-d5nhxv1 zpsa673c185.jpg
Katie-mcgrath-by-wu-wei.jpg
Ice queen of camelot by twilightxgirl-d33kgs8 zps9872bf38.png
Ce235b767c0904fe43005e48d70e710d-d5e7v7o.jpg
Tumblr mlbnetvk4l1r5ge6no1 500.jpg
Tumblr lzq61gs4CW1qfs1jqo1 500.jpg
</tabber>
Category:Royalty
Category:Female
Category:Elendili
Category:Dragon Blood
Category:Storm
Category:Second Generation
Category:Sorcery