Delaney Dodatrad

Fanart by Deajoraty19

**Delaney Dodatrad** was named as the heiress of Clan Dodatrad by Queen Eilat. She is addressed as Lady Delaney or Heiress Dodatrad.

## Appearance

Like most people born into the Dodatrad family, she is very tall for Ashby, about two meters. She has light brown, dark brown eyes, and curly black hair that she prefers to keep long, although it was cut short by Eilat. It is said that she looks like Awilda, although not as tall, lighter skin tone, and according to Alon Suma-Dodatrad, her lips are different.

### Early Life

Although Eilat claimed Delaney was her daughter, and Delaney believed this for 16 years, she is actually the daughter of Awilda and Alon Suma-Dodatrad. A mute midwife delivered her in the lowest dungeon of Castle Dodatrad, where Awilda had been held prisoner for nine months. Awilda named her Delaney. As soon as the baby was wrapped up in swaddling, Eilat killed the midwife, stole the baby, and left Awilda to bleed out.

Queen Eilat arrived at the main gate with baby Delaney and heralded her as a miracle child, a late-life daughter for the barren clan chieftain. Delaney was raised mostly by her nursemaid, Betulla Itamar. She learned reading, writing, history, and religion from Stejar Dodatrad, politics from Betulla, and she received extensive training in the art of war from Field Marshal Kalina Aitil.

When she was 6, she saw Kalina's son Savy getting beaten up, saved him, and they were close friends ever since. Although she saw him as a brother, Savy had a crush on her. Delaney had her first kiss with him when they were children, but later regretted that this solidified his crush.

Being the heiress-to-be, she was not allowed to leave the castle grounds, although she escaped a few times. She met with Myristica Topola many times through her childhood, but the slightly older girl was more like a role model or big sister than a friend. Delaney preferred Myristica's little sister, Keelty Topola. Keelty once helped Delaney in an attempt to escape Castle Dodatrad. It was the farthest the Dodatrad heiress ever got before getting captured.

When she was 11, a plague swept through Ashby and killed Stejar's eldest daughter, who had been one of Delaney's best friends. This left her with a fear of death that Eilat tried to break.

To that end, Delaney made her first kill at age 15, first only meant to witness an execution by beheading, but when Darrah Kezzia decided to only slit the man's throat, Delaney managed to steal Darrah's knife with inhuman speed and tried to finish beheading the suffering man. When she realized it was too agonizing, she snapped his neck as a mercy kill. Prompted by Kalina, Delaney used the knife to fully behead the man. She spent the rest of the afternoon vomiting, and the experience would haunt her for years.

### Daughters of Ashby

#### Heiress Dodatrad

On her 16th birthday, Delaney was named heiress of Clan Dodatrad in a party that was attended by most of the clan representatives, even Roanne Glitrós and Queen Verbena Sadira.

She attended the Hunter's Moon Ball at the Pink Palace, where she met Hazel and Linden Sadira, quickly becoming friends. She was instantly smitten by Linden, despite some miscommunication due to Delaney not knowing the intricacies of Clan Sadira's culture.

She also met Lorrella Glitrós, who immediately mocked Delaney and tried to humiliate her, only for most of it to backfire. She raised questions about Delaney's heritage, if Eilat's story that sorcerer druids from the Albizia Mountains used magic to heal Eilat's womb.

Delaney returned to the Pink Palace in the winter, only to arrive just as Lorrella was leaving and got into a battle of words and insults with her, calling her a foundling and insulting Betulla as . After she left, Linden warned Delaney not to have a killing intent in front of Hazel, as her empathy was too strong, and dark emotions like that could drive her mad. Delaney spent a week in the manor, after which she and Linden began to write to one another.

Just before the Midwinter Ball, Linden visited Castle Dodatrad with the excuse that he wanted to inspect Stejar's male academy. He, Delaney, Quennel, and Savy went to the dungeon to see Clan Dodatrad's ancient weapons collection. However, Savy drifted away, distracted by a cat, and they met a dark, human-like creature that seemed to move with ghostly grace. Delaney was abducted, and when she awakened, she realized her abductor was Awilda. She answered some questions, but realized that some were too dangerous for Delaney to know the truth at that time.

This led Delaney on a quest to seek out the truth, asking Quennel, Savy and Linden to ask around about Awilda and the history of Clan Dodatrad. This uncovered political and personal agendas by Betulla, Stejar, and Kalina. Delaney also finally got Garnock to speak with her, and he revealed that he was not her father. Heartbroken, Delaney rode to the Pink Palace to grieve away from her family, and Hazel comforted her. Linden offered to bathe her, and he showed her the elaborate bathing ceremony of Clan Sadira's hot tubs. There, he confirmed Garnock was not her father. They flirted, but Linden forced himself to be a gentleman.

#### Bandit Attack

Delaney attended Clan Suma's Midwinter Ball, riding in a carriage with Quennel, Stejar, and Betulla. They were attacked by Anargul of the Green, leader of group of bandits. The nobles fought the bandits, but they captured Quennel. Alon Suma-Dodatrad arrived and shot all the survivors with his bow and arrow. He was cold when Delaney tried to thank him.

Their outrider was too injured to continue the trip and was taken to the Shrine of Arnemetia. Delaney and the rest traveled to Castle Suma, although Betulla suffered a head injury and was laid up in her room. Delaney met the Suma triples, and Quennel attracted the attention of Cedrela Islwyn.

#### Courting Linden

That spring, Delaney began to court Linden, but due to ancient tradition, she had to pass many challenges set up by his clan to ensure she was worthy of him. These included a naked foot race with Hazel where Delaney first displayed open use of magic (although since it was only enhanced speed, no one but Stejar fully realized it), a duel with Field Marshal Gordonia Aitil that Delaney barely won, and an archery contest open to all clans, where Delaney beat Erdore Aiken, Thorn Arava, Adoette Glitrós, Ritva Petaja, Ivet Suma, Quillaja Topola, and she barely managed to beat Morie Kimura.

#### Midsummer Grand Ball

Delaney visited Castle Glitrós for the first time to attend the biggest ball of the year, the Midsummer Grand Ball. She met Dowager Lord Alon Suma for the second time. He acted strange, wanting to dance with her and speak with her privately. She began to think he was confusing her and Awilda, but he explained that he and Awilda had finally managed to meet together. He warned her to beware of Eilat, that her desire to have another generation was dangerously obsessive. She and Linden spent much of the evening together, including some intimate time after the dancing.

In preparation for the wedding, and to give Delaney even more security, Eilat officially adopted Savy as her son, with his mother Kalina's blessing, so that he could attend her as a protector-brother. Eilat then demanded that Delaney marry Linden as soon as possible, and urged her to get started on trying for a baby even before the wedding. Delaney grew distressed, especially after Alon's warning.

The following day, Linden rode to Castle Dodatrad, panicked because Hazel was having an episode, and she kept asking for Delaney. Delaney and Quennel rode off with him, and Delaney managed to have some lucid conversation with Hazel before she seized up and healers pushed them out. To take her mind off of Hazel, Linden offered to bathe her in the Sadira hot tubs. They growing closeness plus being close and naked, led to them having sex for the first time. Two days later, Delaney was hit with a lot of pain and "an illness of the flesh" in her vagina (yeast infection) which affected her fight the following day.

#### Marriage

The final challenge was a 2-on-1 fight against Melia Sadira and Linden himself. Just before the fight, Eilat and Verbena decided to test the engaged couple, telling Delaney that if she lost the duel, she would not be allowed to marry Linden, but telling Linden that if he could not prove himself in battle against Delaney, he would be deemed too weak to be her husband. This led to a huge misunderstanding, with Delaney believing Linden wanted out of the engagement and was both betraying her and trying to humiliate her in front of all of the clans. Brokenhearted and enraged, while he felt miserable and depressed for losing, Delaney raised her sword to kill him, seemingly at his own request, but the sword was magically stopped by Stejar. Eilat explained the deception, which infuriated both Delaney and Linden. However, this meant they were allowed to marry.

They got married shortly after the Harvest Moon Ball on Delaney's 17th birthday. Before the ceremony, Alon pulled Delaney and away, where she realized Awilda had sneaked into the Pink Palace. They began to tell her the truth about her heritage, but as they waffled about, Roanne appeared through the same secret passage Awilda had used. She helped to explain the situation, including details Awilda did not know. Delaney struggles to accent the truth about who her parents are, except she is able to turn to Alon for emotional comfort.

Awilda disguises herself and attends the wedding with Alon, although they cannot do any part of the ceremony. As a druid priest, Stejar officiates over the ceremony.

After the wedding, while Delaney was supposed to be on her honeymoon, she, Linden, and Stejar (working as her protector-brother) met Alon and Awilda at Port Espinaye before they sailed off to the land across the sea.

### Dodatrad Heiress

On the way home from their honeymoon, Delaney, Linden, with Stejar as guard, were attacked, leading to worsening tensions with the Glitrós.

Despite befriending Willow and Avalbane, Delaney was unable to stop a war when she was nearly assassinated again in Castle Glitrós. She comes up with a plan to have all the younger heiresses and pregnant women stay in sanctuary in Castle Islwyn.

In the Spring, she discovers she's pregnant.

She is struck with a curse from the dying Eilat, and although Stejar's sorcerer druids manage to protect her baby, she is left barren.

Lorrella confronted Delaney and told her that Eilat and Ileanna were dead, making the two of them queens. They fought, Delaney wounded Lorrella with magic, and Lorrella escaped.

Roanne arrived in Islwyn to declare she has ascended to the throne and surrendered to the new Queen Delaney.

In a move mostly to help Thorn openly become the Arava chief, Delaney abdicates and makes Stejar king. He still makes her heiress, since Alonia will be queen of Itamar Island and Quennel is marrying Hazel.

Delaney offers to stay on Itamar Island helping Alonia until the baby is born.

## Personality and Traits

Education: Highly advanced even for an heiress, she is at an advanced scholar level. Betulla trained her to be an amiable lady. Stejar taught her tolerance, particularly toward men, Kalina trained her in battle tactics. She began strength-building exercises very young and began practicing with wooden swords at age 8.

Defining moments: Delaney gives birth to Jasen on Itamar Island and remains there for five years while Stejar solidifies his leadership in the Winterlands. She helps Alonia reestablish the Itamar Empire and travels to other islands, including a few months in Feijoa to make sure her magic never lashes out like it did with Lorrella. She returns to the Winterlands and begins to host the Mead Moon Balls. On the second year, all the rulers of Ashby gather for a rare oath-taking to guarantee Delaney won't use magic in battle. During this, Stejar makes her a sorcerer druid without her knowledge, giving her a pendant of Ekluga. Lorrella arrives after years of exile in the desert, having been pardoned and invited by Delaney.

Questions of who will rule after Delaney arise. Stejar named her as heiress, and his eldest are twin boys, which makes picking one a challenge. Some believe Stejar's eldest twin should rule, others feel Awilda's daughter Brina should be next, others think since Delaney is heiress, Jasen should follow her. Stejar declares he won't pick who follows Delaney, and Delaney decides to wait until the children come of age so she can see who is most fit to rule.

As Jasen grows more powerful with magic, Stejar and his tutors warn Delaney to send him into hermitage to help him gain emotional control, and Awilda suggests sending him to schooling in Feijoa. Delaney refuses, afraid of losing her only child. However, when he is 15, Jasen accidentally kills a girl, marking him as a warlock. Delaney decides not to use her magic to force Jasen to stay and face punishment, but lets him go.

Four years later, she takes Willow's daughter Licaria under her wing, supposedly to toughen her up into a proper woman in the Winterlands, but Delaney pities the girl. She lets Licaria live as a boy. Soon after, Jasen suddenly returns to give Licaria a jar of medicine that will stop her menstrual cycle to help her continue pretending to be a boy, and as birth control. Delaney asks him to stay, but he knows he'd be killed.

The following year, Roanne dies and Licaria must take her place as heiress. Delaney catches her trying to run away but knows losing the girl on her watch could lead to war. She convinces Licaria to pretend she's a tough woman now, go through the ceremony to be named heiress, and then she can head to the desert like Lorrella did. Licaria vanishes, and Delaney returns to the Winterlands, unaware that Licaria went north, not south.

In the months to come, tensions rise in Clan Myrsina as a civil war breaks out. Since the opposing side is supported by the Abellio, Delaney is requested to lead small forces of Dodatrad troops to ensure Queen Catalpa's side wins. She takes a break from this only to attend the Grand Ball, where she is stunned to see Jasen disguised as a Feijoan merchant. They share a dance, where she gets to talk to him, mostly to warn him against doing something so dangerous.

Mere weeks later, Delaney is back in battle and again meets Jasen when he openly uses magic to capture dozens of rebels, but still pretends to be a merchant who doesn't know the rules for magic in Ashby. After talking with him in Feijoan, Delaney decides to throw her support in him once he figures out how to exonerate himself. She starts by sending her captain Canella to seek out any soldiers who would accept Jasen as a Dodatrad despite the laws calling for his beheading as a warlock.

Delaney seems to win the fight with the Myrsina and tries to relax in the rebuilt Castle Suma for their Harvest Ball. Linden arrives, much to her surprise and delight. He did not find much to help Jasen. Laws about magic have swayed with the political climate of the isle. Magic users would have to convince the clan chieftains to change the laws. He has no idea how Jasen could manage to pull that off.

While there, the castle is attacked by a combination of rebel Myrsina, Abellio, Buxenus, and disgruntled Winterland soldiers. Delaney gets an arrow in her leg, and Linden is hard-pressed to protect her. Jasen freezes the rebels, heals the injured including Delaney, and offers to end the fight and protect the heiresses if they and their head sorcerers will hold counsel with him on Itamar Island. They agree to talk, and he beheads all of the attackers before leaving.

Delaney and Linden bring Stejar's sorcerers to Itamar Island. Jasen casts of spell of honesty. He begins to question all the sorcerers, who are forced to confess that they have committed acts that define them as warlocks. He then turns on his mother and gets Delaney to confess she gave Lorrella the scar on her face due to magic. His ultimatum: change the laws or face a war.

Delaney is now unable to return, so she sends Linden to convince Stejar. She and Awilda decide to use the downtime to visit Feijoa. Word comes back and Stejar has changed the laws, which means both she and Jasen can return. He is off fighting pirates with Tali, so Delaney goes home to find Stejar was attacked by one of his own sorcerers who was angered by the change in law. Delaney is by his side when Stejar says he's glad she can be united with her son. He passes and she is enthroned as clan chieftain, naming her sister Brina as her heiress. Her first task is the public execution of the sorcerer who attacked Stejar. She gives a speech that although laws against magic users were changed, one thing will never change: the laws about murder. Accidental killings will still be tried fairly and justice will be doled out. For sorcerers, all the new law means is that if a person uses magic to protect themselves but kills their attacker, that is self-defense and legitimate, and if the death was caused by lack of training, just like a squire who accidentally kills with a wooden sword because they haven't learned control, the sorcerer will be sent to mandatory classes, and so rather than serve time in prison followed by hard drilling like that squire might, the sorcerer will be forced to remain in the magic school's prison followed by possibly years of training to gain control. Premeditated murder will always be punished by execution or enslavement. That law has not changed.

## Relationships

Family: Mother: Awilda Dodatrad; Father: Alon Suma-Dodatrad; Siblings: Royd Dodatrad-Topola, Brina Dodatrad, Caven Dodatrad-Aitil; Grandparents: Eilat and Garnock Gyrtréow-Dodatrad, Miki and Celyn Greenwood-Suma; Niece/Nephew: (Royd) Berkeley and Moringa Topola, (Brina) Zeder and Clusia Dodatrad, (Caven) Marley Aitil; Aunts/Uncles: Stejar Dodatrad, Oren Suma-Aiken, Eglé, Lina, Kasy, Ivet Suma, Acer Suma-Petaja, Shaw Suma-Itamar; Cousins: (Stejar) Quennel Itamar-Sadira, Alonia Itamar, Elwood, Dagwood, Reynir, and Bodock Dodatrad, (Oren) Glen Aiken-Glitrós, (Lina) Kiri and Dita Suma, (Kasy) Birk Suma, (Acer) Hárah Petaja, (Shaw) Talipariti, Melochia, Mareer, Kou and Tou Itamar; Cousins-once-removed: (Quennel) Ashleigh, Bróncoill, Lyonia, and Oleander Sadira, (Glen) Garrán and Raffia Glitrós, (Hárah) Platáni Petaja, (Talipariti) Nikau Itamar; Ex-Aunt: Betulla Itamar; Adopted aunt/uncles: Savyile Aitil-Glitrós, Javor Aitil, Nyssa Aitil

Significant other: Linden Sadira-Dodatrad

Children: Jasen and Erica Dodatrad, Grandchildren: Linnea and Kellyn Glitrós

Friends: Quennel Itamar, Savyile Aitil, Hazel Sadira, Myristica Topola, Nikki Kimura, Willow Glitrós, Avalbane Arava, Fidanka Aiken, Canella Itamar

Personality

Habits: enjoys early morning brisk walks

Attitude: hates formality, can immediately take control, playfulness that some consider to be naughty. She is not too keen on the idea of being an heiress; it's simply something she is. She hates to fight but does it because she's good at it and wants to do it so others don't die.

Likes: games, hanging out with friends, playing violin, wassail, archery, roasted bison.

Dislikes: killing things outright, drunken brawls, haughty nobles.

Strengths: leadership, forthrightness, quick resolutions to conflicts, a fast mind, rarely holds grudges, eager to keep peace between people.

Weaknesses: a bad dancer, low self-confidence, a quick mouth, short temper, high pride, fearful of being forced to abandon her son the way Awilda was forced to be separated from her, which she later regrets may have been detrimental to her son.

Ambitions: to continue the peace she helped to create.

Fears: losing her family

Secrets: hides that Linden is telepathic and she is legally a warlock but was simply not caught

Beliefs: A woman's greatest power is the ability to protect her loved ones. If a woman can't even do that, it doesn't matter how strong she is, she has failed her family.

Skills/talents: natural leader, considered at scholar level, a highly competent archer and swordswoman (she managed to defeat a few field marshals). Plays violin. A natural genius of politics.

Athough most of her childhood, Eilat barely acknowledged her except to ask about her sword skills, and Garnock refused to even speak with her, trying to avoid her if at all possible. This cold behavior emotionally traumatized Delaney.

Behind the Scenes

The name Delaney is Gaelic for “dark challenger or offspring of the challenger” or Old French for “from the alder tree grove.” Awilda chose to this dual meaning to both comply with Ashby tradition of tree names, and her own hopes that Delaney would challenge Eilat and the oppressive system. Her second name Liora is an English name meaning “laurel tree.” Her third name Oakenflower is made up from the English words oak and flower. Her last name Dodatrad comes from the Swedish *döda träd*, meaning “dead trees.”