Delphine

Born in Lorath in 284, Delphine is the daughter of a minor family of note in that City-State. From an early age, she showed an interested in plants. Her family nurtured that interest, letting into the glass houses that they had in order to grow some of the more exotic foods that were delicacies this far north, rather than the common items that they were in warmer climates.

Her interest in plants has grown with her, and is her area of specialism. It helps her in a number of different ways. She is an excellent cook, thanks to her knowledge of different herbs, and how preparing different plants help bring out the flavours and textures that she wants in the dishes that she serves. Equally, she knows about which plants have notable side affects, and how to prepare them to the degree needed for whatever her Mistress has in mind.

## Appearance and Character

Like most Lorathi, Delphine is blessed with pale skin. Her horizon blue eyes are also fairly typical of the city. Conversely, her hair is exceptional, being ashen. It is said that it came to be by the combination of a Valyrian silver haired Lyseni great-grandfather and her Lorathi grandmother. Its presence in their descendants varies, almost as if it chosen at the flip of a coin.

Her breasts and buttocks are not large, but her figure is fine and shapely, with long, elegant limbs. However, she tends to use them for reaching for fruits or herbs rather than wrapped in gloves & stockings at a ball.

Delphine is softly spoken, with little trace of her Lorathi heritage being evident. However, when roused to passion or anger, it becomes much more prominent. That is rare, however.

She is dedicated to her craft, and to her Mistress, who has been able to show her so much, and allowed her to come so far, in both terms of herbology and herself.

## History

Aside from her love of plants, Delphine's childhood was fairly typical. She was taught her lessons. She played. She brawled in the dirt with boys until she was about ten, when she was started to be taught more womanly arts. Whilst she was perfectly capable of doing such things, they didn't really interest her. Plants still captivated her, and she spent much of her time in the glass houses that her family was fortunate enough to own, and their gardens. It was to them that she dedicated her time, rather than boys, artisan crafts or embroidery.

That changed at the age of 16. She had always been fascinated by the tales of her Grandfather, and what had brought him to Lorath. What could be found in Lorath amounted to little, so she decided to cast her net wider.

Her journey took her to Braavos first. Being more prosperous and better connected, she learned more there about the wider events that had led to the rise of Baelon and the Leviathan, as seen from the dispassionate and largely balanced eyes of the Braavosi. Rather than satisfying her itch as her family had hoped it might, it only drove her to find out more.

To that end, she sailed to Lys via Pentos. Some of the events that had transpired were still sore in the minds of the Lyseni, so success was not total. She also learned more about the plants that grew in warmer climates. She also took to indulging herself in the ones that were a delicacy in Lorath, but common down south. Her search for the descendants of Saera the Siren turned up nothing, however. With no dragons in Lys to question, her eyes inevitably turned to Westeros.

Thus, at the age of almost 19, Delphine traveled by ship to King's Landing. She did not linger there however, but soon went to Dragonstone, seat of House Targaryen since before the Doom. It was rare to see Lorathi in Essos, and even moreso in Westeros. Consequently, she didn't have much trouble getting into the castle. She was a curiosity to many, with her accent and strange manner of speech.

It was just after lunch on a mild day in the year 403 when Delphine met *her*. It was in one of the gardens; Delphine was admiring the variety of flora, and enjoying the warmth that there was, without a glass house. It was unlike the baking heat of Lys, but neither was it the chilly weather of Lorath. Since arriving on Dragonstone, the Princess had taken no small amount of curiosity towards the older woman. When they did meet on that day, Rhaenys inquired as to her marital status, her virginity, and whom she was serving. When Delphine made her reply, the Princess shot back with her own, asking if she would like to be part of a retinue of ladies that would one day serve her without question. First she challenged her to name all the plants in the garden, and some of their uses: she pointed at random, not knowing half the answers herself, having to rely on the certainty with which the Lorathi replied. Secondly, she tasked upon Delphine the making of a potion, that to this day, has not gone used, it's properties unknown.

Delphine has served Rhaenys since day.

## Recent Events

### 408

Delphine did not accompany Rhaenys to the Tourney of the Red Comet, and was thus distraught when she found out and saw what happened to her arm. She blamed herself, at least in part, for how useless the arm was, thinking she might have been able to salvage a little more of it. When the arm regained use, through less natural means, she was rewarded for her metaphorical self flagellation.

With Rhaenys now based in King's Landing, Delphine has moved into rooms within the Red Keep. She can often be seen in the Godswood, or amongst the small plots of cultivated land that the castle has.

Tasked with creating the Black Princess' Wrath, Delphine was unable to complete this task before the end of the Mummer's War, due to a period of illness. Fortunately for her, Rhaenys never had needed the substance, so she survived with a chastening. Quite what that involved remained a secret shared by the participants.

### Up to 418

With the marriage of Rhaenys to her brother, Rhaegar, the distance between the four remaining Dragonmaids and the Black Princess grew: they were not taken on the couple's tour of the Seven Kingdoms. She did, however, allow them to move into Summerhall in the meantime, albeit in rooms further away than they were used to from their Mistress.

To fill the void that Rhaenys left behind, Delphine took to preparing how the Gardens of Summerhall would look after the expansion that began at the behest of the Queen herself. It was this work that would save her from the disillusionment and death that would befall Jiang and Aurelia. It also obliged Rhaenys to talk to her, as much as the former may not wish to at times.

Much of the work that followed the plans did not start taking place until the plans for the expansion were finalised, and deemed by the Black Princess to be set in stone, at least in terms of outline. Under the Lorathi's gaze, however, work started apace, starting with the trees, hedges and water features outlined in the plan. A path was left through the gardens for the materials of the expansion to travel down. Any and all deliveries had to go this way, the Sacred Way, as it was referred to, and failure to comply ended poorly for the instigator responsible. Safe to say, after a few incidents, there were no more.

Planting would be finished by the time that the expansion of the buildings finished in 417. In the time since, the flora had been allowed to thrive and grow, in anticipation and preparation of the spectacle that was in the offing. To preserve the strength of the blooms, those cut flowers for the event were brought it from other places, being grown at the Lorathi's request in the name of the Black Princess.

## Family & Household

Despite the significant loosening of the ties between Delphine and the Black Princess, the former has never married, nor borne a child. She has, however, taken in a number of orphans from the locale of Summerhall.

* Davos (b. 400)
* Argella (b.403)
* Robar (b.406)
* Jocelyn (b.408)
* Arlan (b.408)
* Cassana (b.411)
* Orwyn (b.412)
* Joy (b.415)

Delphine shares the responsibility of raising these children with many of the other servants of Summerhall, particularly those without children of their own to care for.