Captain Marley

Marley is the leader of the Akeela Guard during King Kevin's reign, they were briefly out of a job during the takeover and afterwards decided to join Charlie aboard his ship.

## Abilities and Weaknesses

### Abilities

Sword fighting, tracking, horseback riding, battle strategy, archery

## Affiliation

### Occupation

Captain of the Akeela Guard, Head battle strategist,

## Biography

Marley is introduced as head of one of the faction of King Kevin's guard. They are sent to search for Princess Maya and end up finding Nina, Sophia, and Amelia at Anna's cottage. And attempt is made to arrest the three, as Marley wants to find the princess. However, with the intervention of Anna, Nate and Tyler, the group manages to escape and Marley and their guards retreat for backup. They persist after the group, somehow tracking them through the mountains where they once against lose the crew. Marley nearly catches them when they are on a small island in the Pearly Sea. They grab Maya and put Tyler in magic binding shackles. Just as Maya is about to be taken away, Marley is once more confronted by Charlie. They are surprised to see their former friend, and gets angry at him for leaving them. The two exchange a few blows before Bel and other pirates help Tyler and Maya escape. Charlie reminds them that the princess is just a kid who want to be free. Marley is then separated from Charlie by a wall of fire and watches as he boards his ship again. The knights question Marley about the next move. Marley, recognizing that its wrong to keep chasing the princess, announces they will continue the search the following day, intending to give the group a good head start as they cannot stop chasing the princess due to orders, but hope she can get far away enough.

### Early Life

Marley grew up in a village of Akeela, burdened by poverty. In order to save the family, they began training, before securing a position as guard. It is unknown exactly when or how Marley joined the guard, although it is estimated to be when they were quite young seeing as how quickly they climbed the ranks to be a Captain. At some point they developed a friendship with fellow guard Charles, and Queen Maureen (likely through interactions with her when traveling with the monarchs. At some point their friendship with Charles was severed, as he abandoned the guard, unable to commit acts against magic users of the kingdom. Marley, despite not agreeing with the new laws, remained at the kings side, feeling a twisted sense of obligation due to their upbringing.

## Appearance

   Marley is a tall lean solider who is very strong despite appearance. They have a closely shaved, almost bald head with light brown hair. Their head is often covered by their helmet though, revealing only fair freckles skin and narrow blue eyes. They are only ever seen in their traditional Captain of the Guard armor. It's silver and green metals with the Akeela tree symbol displayed on the chest plate. Their sword is sheathed at their side.

## Abilities and Other Skills

* **Swordfighting** - Having trained vigorously for years, Marley is a master with combat, specifically when it comes to the use of swords. They are a fearsome opponent and unrelenting in a fight. They are best equipped with both long and short swords.
* **Tracking** - Marley as a child was extremely good at tracking already, having to head into the woods to find food when money was low. Becoming a guard only heightened their ability. Their tracking skill proves troublesome to the group as they must keep moving while Marley works to find Princess Maya. Marley manages to track them as far as possible, until a portal prevents them from going any further.
* **Battle Strategy** - Being a Captain, they are taught in the planning of battles and have grown to be quite competent at it.
* **Horseback riding**
* **Archery**

## Relationships

### Unnamed Parents

It is suspected Marley didn't have a good relationship with their parents, having to take on fending for themselves and being the main source of keeping the family alive throughout the years.

### Charlie (former best friend)

When Charlie was still part of the guard, he and Marley were very close and fought alongside each other happily. When the magic ban was enacted, it drew a rift between them. Charlie was unable to stand the hurt it was causing people. While Marley did not agree with the new law either, leaving the guard was not such an easy choice to make, especially since they were possibly in line for the Captain's position around then. Marley was angry and hurt when Charlie left. They harbored this pain for years until the two reunited when Charlie was rescuing Maya and Tyler. Charlie expressed remorse for their damaged friendship, though unapologizing for leaving the guard. He eventually made Marley realize that they had to cease the chase against the Princess. Marley forgave him silently, understanding why he left.

### Queen Maureen (best friend)

It is unknown how exactly Maureen met Marley and Charlie, although the likely answer is when they accompanied King Kevin on a visit to Candia. From what Charlie says it seems the three of them were best friends when they were younger. The amount of contact between the now Queen and Captain of the Guard is also unknown.

## Quotes

* "Parker, I want you and Sir Jake to search the house. Restrict any contraband or magical artifacts."
* "Search the woods! Find them! I'm heading back to gather more forces. This was clearly a trap."
* "'Marzipan. It's been a while,' he murmured. Marley's grip on their sword tightened and their face turned angry. 'A while since you left,' they snarked." - Marley and Charlie reuniting
* "We are all tired, aren't we? Let's rest for a day or so, and then, then we can go on."
* "The king wouldn't want his fleet to collapse from exhaustion, would he? How many of us have died on this journey thus far? Between the storms, and the monsters, and that boy's fire magic?" They fought back a small grin. "If we are to go on, we must rest for a bit. I don't suppose any of you have an issue with that?" - Marley, allowing the group to get a head start of getting away
* "You and Maya, are my crew too," they whispered to the wind.