Rhy Maresh

* ToP
* SoM

**King Rhy Maresh** is the current reigning King of Arnes. He is the biological son of Maxim and Emira Maresh and the younger brother of Kell.

Rhy is married to both Nadiya Loreni and Alucard Emery and has a daughter, Ren, with them.

## Physical description

Rhy has curly black hair, honey-colored eyes, and tanned skin like his parents and most Arnesians. Despite being a year younger than Kell, Rhy is "built like a statue" and physically stronger than his *Antari* brother.

Rhy often wears a ring of gold as a crown and enjoys to wear showy and, in Kell's eyes, gaudy accessories.

Because Kell bound their lives together with a soul seal, Rhy has a scar in the shape of concentric circles on his chest, right above his heart; Kell bears the same mark. Before the black stone's magic was dispelled, the mark was black.

## Personality

Rhy can be quick-tempered and frustrated easily, but at heart, he is fun-loving and endlessly kind and generous to those around him which is why he is well-loved by most citizens of Arnes. Furthermore, Rhy is rather reckless as his antics have often gotten him and Kell in trouble in the past, resulting in Kell having had to save him.

Rhy struggles with feelings of inadequacy to reign over Arnes due to his lack of magical prowess—something some Arnesians excoriate him for. Though he has some ability with fire magic, his restless nature and lack of focus, not to mention a lack of natural-born talent, prevent him from mastering the dedicated art of magic as Kell does. His frustration with his inability to use magic and the feeling of powerlessness is the reason why Rhy carelessly accepted a necklace from Holland Vosijk which was said to give him the strength he desired but, in reality, only allowed Astrid Dane to take over his mind and body. Rhy hates to be the source of someone else's suffering, often blaming himself and feeling immense guilt for the sacrifices that others make for him.

Despite his shortcomings in magic and his personal fears, Rhy shows himself time and time again to be a good king and leader. He cares deeply for his people, just as his father did before him, and took command quickly after his death, proving his devotion by wandering the streets of a fallen London and gathering those who he could save.

Additionally, in his private life, Rhy tended to enjoy a variety of sexual partners; at least, up until he began a relationship with an old flame again.

## Biography

### Early life

When Rhy was four years old, he met Tieren Serense in the palace and escorted him to the Rose Hall. On the way, Tieren told him about the Origin of the Magician. The tale delighted Rhy because he loved hearing Tieren narrate stories and because he always wanted a brother.

To Rhy's surprise, no one was in the Rose Hall but his parents, Maxim and Emira Maresh, and a boy he had never seen before. Emira informed Rhy that the boy's name is Kell; immediately understanding that they were like the brothers in the story—opposites like summer and winter—, Rhy happily reached out to Kell, his new brother.

### The Shadows

In 1812, when Rhy was thirteen, he was kidnapped by a rebel group the Shadows and kept hidden on a ship. When Kell found him, Rhy was lying on the ground and not breathing. Kell slit his palm to heal him, but when the spell did not work immediately, he cut his wrists, believing that more blood might make it work. Rhy was horrified by the scene and cried when he finally woke up.

The brothers returned to the palace, and the guards eventually found all members of the Shadows. Despite what happened, Rhy had sympathy for the rebels and pardoned them.

### Secrets

In 1817, Rhy began a relationship with Alucard Emery. They kept it a secret, and although they were happy, Alucard suddenly ended their affair at the Summer Feast party. This broke Rhy's heart. That year, the *Essen Tasch* was held in Vesk. Rhy went there to spectate with his mother, and was terrorized by Cora Taskon.

Sometime later, while Rhy and Kell were drinking on one of the palace's balconies, Kell told him about his illegal inter-London trades and that he feels like a possession rather than a true family member. For his words, Rhy gave him a black eye.

### Gifts and smuggling

In October 1819, Holland Vosijk visits Rhy in his chambers to deliver an early birthday gift to him from his sovereigns, Athos and Astrid Dane. Rhy reminds Holland about the strict transfer laws; only when Holland reassures him that he purchased the gift in Red London does Rhy accept it.

Later that day, Rhy discusses his upcoming birthday with his parents while having tea with them in the palace courtyard. He suggests to extend the festivities and turn his birthday into either a birthweek or birthdays; his parents refuse. Kell then returns from his errand to Grey London and joins them. Not long afterward, the brothers excuse themselves and leave. On the way to their rooms, Rhy confronts Kell, wanting to know what he smuggled across Londons this time; Kell tells him he brought nothing back. Although he knows that Kell is lying, Rhy does not inquire further, only warns him about the dangers of his actions before he goes to bed.

The following day, Rhy has a magic practice lesson with Kell. Rhy tries to change the subject to his birthday party and convince Kell to go out to the city with him. Kell is adamant that he should focus on the lesson but promises to end the practice for today if Rhy manages to contain a flame. He fetches the needed items—a metal dish, a piece of chalk, a vial of oil, and a small wooden cross—and gives them to his brother. Rhy begrudingly draws a binding circle with the chalk and pours the oil into the dish and ignites a flame with the cross, a firestarter. While he succeeds in growing and containing the flame, Rhy quickly loses focus and accidentally smears the binding circle. The fire springs free, and Kell needs to use blood magic to dispel it. The brothers then agree to go drinking to soothe their nerves, but their plans are thwarted by Maxim who needs Kell to deliver a letter to White London.

### The Black Night

A day later, Rhy waves to the crowds during his annual birthday procession through Red London. When he spots a woman wearing his brother's coat in the masses, he frowns at her before he smiles again and pretends nothing happened.

That evening, Rhy wears the necklace Holland gave him a few days before and gets possessed by Astrid Dane. While the masquerade ball starts in the Rose Hall, Astrid—in Rhy's body—attacks Kell, who she captured earlier by enchanting the royal guards, when he does not tell her where the black stone is. After Lila Bard arrives with the stone, Astrid throws the necklace to her—though Lila dodges it—and makes Rhy stab himself.

Kell rushes to his brother's side and removes the knife. When he is about to cast a healing spell, Kell is attacked. It takes a while until Kell and Lila manage to defeat the guards, one of which is controlled by Astrid; by the time, they are done, Rhy has lost a considerable amount of blood. Kell repeats the blood command for healing—*As Hasari*—multiple times while Rhy apologizes.

Lila reminds them that they need to go, and they escape to Kell's room. There, Kell opens a door to the London Sanctuary. There, Kell places Rhy on a cot and, refusing to let his brother die, creates a soul seal between himself and Rhy with the black stone's power. The seal intertwines their lives; as long as Kell is alive, Rhy will be too.

Tieren Serense then finds them and says he will look after and tend to Rhy. When Kell fights against the magic within the black stone and dispels it, Rhy's body momentarily becomes still; both brothers ultimately survive.

Three days later, Kell visits Rhy who is bored and confined to his room until he has fully recovered. On Rhy's insistence, Kell tells him that their lives are now bound which horrifies Rhy because he does not know how his brother could bear this weight. Rhy then apologizes for accepting the necklace from Holland and nearly destroying everything. The temptation was too strong because Holland stated the charm would give him strength—something Rhy always desired.

Lila joins the brothers, and Rhy takes a liking to her. Kell quickly ushers her out and leaves as well.

### Restlessness

In the months after the Black Night, Rhy becomes increasingly restless and plagued by nightmares. In February 1820, he, thus, convinces Kell to head out into the city with him to drink and divert his thoughts; Rhy has also been busy organizing the upcoming *Essen Tasch* and wants a break.

First, Rhy brings Kell to Splendor, a place he knew his brother would hate. When Kell realizes his scheme that they are only at Splendor to make him more willing to agree to their actual destination, he says that he will stay at the leisure palace and be miserable rather than indulge Rhy's plan. Rhy then mingles in the crowd while Kell remains in a seating area.

Eventually, Rhy sneaks with a waitress to a darker part of Splendor to make out. When the waitress digs her nails into Rhy's flesh, Rhy's pain echoes in Kell and calls him to them. Angry and annoyed, Kell drags Rhy out, and they head to their actual destination for the night: the Blessed Waters. There, Rhy bets that a man, Kamerov Loste, will reach the nines in the *Essen Tasch* before ordering a horribly strong drink for Kell and himself.

They then find an empty booth; Rhy leaves Kell there while he fetches more drinks. He does not return to their table though. Instead, Rhy goes outside and starts a fight with a few men who he and Kell had earlier overheard insulting the prince for his lack of magic. Alerted again by their shared pain, Kell finds Rhy behind the tavern and saves him from the men. However, he loses himself in the fight and nearly kills everyone; Rhy manages to get through to him in the last minute. Kell calms down and lets the men go. Afterward, Rhy and Kell return home.

At the palace, their new guards—Staff, Hastra, Vis, and Tolners—are waiting for them. Kell helps a drunk Rhy into his room, and when Vis and Tolners do not stop bothering them, Rhy orders them to leave. He then tells Kell he only wanted everything how it used to be before he falls asleep.

The next day, Rhy has lunch with his parents, Lisane, and Parlo in the sunroom. They are going through the preparations for the *Essen Tasch* again and try to find fitting suites for their foreign royal guests to stay. Kell briefly joins them before he heads to Grey London for a letter delivery. Afterward, Rhy oversees the construction of the arenas he designed for the *Essen Tasch* from his balcony. He has been chosen to host the tournament, a task he takes it very seriously as it will be a chance for him to prove himself.

When Rhy finds a letter from Tieren in his room, he heads to the royal baths where he is supposed to meet him. There, Rhy and Tieren discuss the *Essen Tasch*. Tieren also asks Rhy one last time if he is sure to proceed with his plan; Rhy is adamant that Kell needs to participate in the *Essen Tasch*. The head priest then hands him the final list of competitors, surprising Rhy with the fact that Alucard Emery will compete as well, before he leaves.

Later, when Kell retreats to his room after having returned from Grey London, Rhy already awaits him there. He gifts him a silver helmet and admits that he arranged for him to enter the *Essen Tasch*. Kell is appalled—as an *Antari*, he is prohibited from participating—and refuses to accept his brother's proposal; he only relents after Rhy insists that Kell needs to do this to ease his—their—restlessness. Rhy then calls Kell's guards, Staff and Hastra, inside, and informs them that Kell has to enter the tournament for an undercover mission to investigate a potential threat. For that reason, one of his guards will have to pose as his second, his attendant. Hastra happily volunteers.

When the envoys from Faro and Vesk arrive, Rhy greets them in the Rose Hall, along with Kell and his parents. Having had a bad experience with Cora Taskon before, Rhy dreads to meet her; he is, thus, rather amused and relieved to see that her attention has since shifted to Kell. Rhy also impresses Sol-in-Ar with his flawless Faroan.

## Relationships

### Romances

* Alucard Emery

 —*A Gathering of Shadows*VII: Intersections, II

Alucard and Rhy have a long and rather complicated history. Rhy fell for Alucard when he was a young seventeen, and they appeared to have a period of steady courtship and romantic and sexual interactions before Alucard "left" for the high seas. Rhy was allegedly devastated, Kell describing the action as "breaking his heart." Kell himself banished Emery from London.

However, when Alucard returned for the Elemental Games, Rhy seemingly forgave him, at least at first. He later showed mistrust and asked that he complete his quest before pursuing a relationship again. Despite that, Rhy has a great deal of love for him; he even endangered himself looking for Alucard when the city was under attack. The two are currently lovers.
### Family

* Kell Maresh
* Maxim and Emira Maresh

### Friends

* Lila Bard
* Tieren Serense

## Skills and abilities

* **Magic:** Rhy possesses almost no talent for magic and is only able to summon fire to a small extent.
* **Polyglotism:** Rhy is fluent in eleven languages, including English, Arnesian, Faroan, Veskan, and Kas-Avnes.

## Possessions

* **Possession charm:** A necklace made of glass with blood-red edges. Holland gives it to Rhy for his 20th birthday on behalf of Astrid and Athos. Astrid owns the necklace's twin; she can control the other pendant's wearer, even if they are in another world because the necklaces were prepared with *Antari* blood.

## Appearances

* *Brothers*
* *The Consequence of Triumph*
* *A Royal Affair*
* *A Darker Shade of Magic* (first appearance)
* *A Gathering of Shadows*
* *A Conjuring of Light*
* *The Fragile Threads of Power*

## Gallery

*See more here*
*Brothers* by Malesha Essner.Rhy and Alucard, seven years later.
## Titles and styles

* **November 4, 1799 – March 1820:** *His Royal Highness* Prince Rhy of Arnes
* **Since March 1820:** *His Majesty* The King

## Trivia

* General
* Etymology

* Rhy is bisexual.
* Before his resurrection, Rhy did not fear the dark because it felt "empty" to him. Now, he feels something in the dark.
* His greatest fear is "being the source of someone else's suffering."

### Out of Universe

* Despite his birthday officially being November 4, *A Darker Shade of Magic* implies that it is on October 17. *A Gathering of Shadows* also states that the Black Night happened in October.
* Rhy is one of the characters V. E. Schwab relates to the most as he shapes himself to other people's expectations but feels "lost inside his own skin." Also, if she could have lunch with any of the characters she has created, she would choose Rhy.
* Schwab once described Rhy as "equal parts Prince Harry and Jack Harkness."
* Rhy's favorite tea would be spiced chai.
	+ Rhy's Starbucks order would be iced caramel macchiato. Apart from that, he would also order fancy drinks with overly long names.
* If Rhy had to live through lockdown, he would work on a puzzle with Alucard.

- Rhy's name is pronounced "Rhy" as in "why" or like "rye," not "Rhy" as in "Ree."

## References and notes

1. ↑ File:TFTOP Teaser 21.png
2. ↑ "Nov 4/Scorpio"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
3. ↑ *A Conjuring of Light*, III: Fall or Fight, II
4. ↑ *The Fragile Threads of Power*, III: The King's Heart, VII
5. ↑ "How tall are the characters?" — "Rhy: 5′10″"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, II: Red Royal, III
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XIV: The Final Door, I
8. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XII: Sanctuary & Sacrifice, II
9. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, Bonus short story: "Brothers"
10. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, X: One White Rook, II
11. ↑ *A Universe of Wishes*: "A Royal Affair", I
12. ↑ *A Universe of Wishes*: "A Royal Affair", III-IV
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 *A Gathering of Shadows*, V: Royal Welcome, IV
14. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, II: Red Royal, I
15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, IV: White Throne, I
16. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, IX: Festival & Fire, I
17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XI: Masquerade, II
18. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XI: Masquerade, IV-V
19. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XII: Sanctuary & Sacrifice, I-II
20. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XIII: The Waiting King, VI
21. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic*, XIV: The Final Door, III
22. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, II: Prince at Large, I
23. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, V: Royal Welcome, II
24. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, II: Prince at Large, I-IV
25. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, III: Changing Tides, I
26. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, IV: Londons Calling, I-III
27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 *A Gathering of Shadows*, IV: Londons Calling, I
28. ↑ "Prince Rhy is canonically bi"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
29. ↑ "Rhy is canon Bi"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
30. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, IV: Londons Calling, III
31. ↑ *A Gathering of Shadows*, II: Prince at Large, III
32. ↑ *A Darker Shade of Magic (Collector's Edition)* — Interview between author and editor
33. ↑ "if you can have lunch with any one of your characters who would it be??" — "Rhy Maresh"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
34. ↑ "A royal who is equal parts Prince Harry and Jack Harkness"
(V. E. Schwab on Wordpress)
35. ↑ "What kinds of tea would the characters of ADSOM like?" — "Rhy: Spiced chai."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
36. ↑ "Rhy would want an iced caramel macchiato [from Starbucks]."
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
37. ↑ "Rhy: Orders fancy drinks with long names"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
38. ↑ "I've found myself wondering how my characters would handle [lockdown]. [...] Authors, what you got?" — "Rhy and Alucard would work on a puzzle"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
39. ↑ File:Rhy's name.png
40. ↑ "Rhy is pronounced RYE"
(V. E. Schwab on Twitter)
41. ↑ "Rhy = rye, like why or sky"
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)
42. ↑ "Rhy is pronounced RYE."
(V. E. Schwab on Tumblr)

	* Kell visits George III and George IV on October 15; Holland visits Rhy on the same day to give him a present.
	(I: The Traveler, I-II; II: Red Royal, I)
	* Kell delivers a letter to White London the day afterward, on October 16. Kell visits Olivar on the same day
	(IV: White Throne, I; V: Black Stone, II)
	* Kell meets Lila and fights against Holland in the night from October 16 to 17.
	(VI: Thieves Meet, II-IV; VII: The Follower, I-II; VIII: An Arrangement, I)
	* On October 17, Lila and Kell travel to Red London, and Lila watches Rhy's birthday procession.
	(IX: Festival & Fire, I)