Kelsa Arendelle

## History

Charleston and Kelsa Arendelle were born
two sides of the same coin—indistinguishable but for a light grey freckle
against the deep blue of Charleston’s left eye. Born at the family’s chateau in
Seaside, perched on the oceanic cliffs north of Ocean's Meeting, the night was
alive with one of Seaside’s vicious squalls, yet it is said that the boys never
cried once. They were as serene as the storm was violent. This legacy followed
them into childhood, a consummate set of princelings, exemplars of their elite
breeding and decorous grooming.

The mighty Arendelle family
is one of the oldest families of Ellesmere, with estates that dominate the
northern reaches of the territory. The boys’ mother, Lady Violet Wellington Arendelle,
daughter of Sir Diebold Wellington, is a notorious socialite—abreast of the
latest fashion, trends, and gossip—exuding a nearly preternatural charm. While
the pedigree of the Wellington family short compared to the other nobles of
Ellesmere, their skillful maneuvering socially and politically has made them
legends for what has been called “the Wellington Smile,” codified in the
family’s words: “Never spare a smile.” What the Wellington family may have
lacked in bloodline, the boys’ father, Sir Louis Arendelle XIV, made up for a
thousand fold—but that was close to the only contribution he made to Charleston
and Kelsa’s lives. While Louis Arendelle’s pedigree descended deep into the
annals of history, his inbred elitism had rendered him an incompetent hedonist.
As such, Violet was the de facto head of the household, while Louis used his vainglorious
laurels towards epic philandering quests and not much else. His relationship
with the boys was distant—his attentions focused mostly on his next fling—and
only scornfully turned to the boys when they had not lived up to the Arendelle
name. “Our blood,” the family words of the Arendelles, was about all Sir Louis
Arendelle XIV cared about besides his sex life.

Growing up Charleston and Kelsa were
inseparable. They practiced their letters together, history of the great houses
and wars, and when they came of age, trained at arms together. To their
servants and caretakers, the sum of their skills and mischief always seemed
greater than the two parts—winning them the nickname “the twin terrors.” As
they grew older however, their paths began to diverge. As the eldest,
Charleston was the heir to the vast Arendelle estate and as such was expected
to conduct himself in a more proper manner with each passing year. While this
pressure grew, the distance and lack of approval from Sir Louis Arendelle XIV
remained constant. Charleston, now insisting the name “C-dog,” began to act out
more and more violently. When his earnest efforts at conducting the family’s
affairs were met only with apathy from his father, C-dog turned instead to epic
fornications as a way of winning attention from his disapproving father. Rather
than share his burden with his brother, C-dog began to victimize Kelsa. It
wasn’t fair that Kelsa should be spared the incessant scrutiny. Even more
infuriating, Kelsa bore his brother’s attacks with a vaneer of unwaivering good
humor. “Never spare a smile,” Kelsa would repeat to himself. “Never spare a
smile.” “The twin terrors” were no more, only rarely would the boys drift into
their complementary forms—seamlessly acting: arguing with a servant, flirting
with the young noble ladies, or fighting an opponent in the yard. As time
progressed C-dog acted out more and more and Kelsa became more and more
decorous, eventually treating C-dog as a formal acquaintance rather than his
life-long companion.

On the fateful day now known as
“the Accident”—spurning his duties at court—C-dog and his friends wandered deep
in the woods with Kelsa at their heels. Legend told of a cave haunted by
creatures of a realm beyond that of men. The rumor among the children of the
Arendelle Estate was there was old magic in this cave. If you went into the
cave, you never came out—the same that is. Only one boy had ever survived the
cave—Crazy Max Merewether from the Merewether Farm—and the story went that he
came staggering out screaming and tearing at his eyes. His friends had to hold
him down to keep him from blinding himself. He died a few days later as a
result of the intense sedation they had given him to calm his fits. Nobody had
been to the cave since. It was forbidden.

They found a cave. Their skin
prickled and an unnatural cold set in as they approached the entrance. Kelsa insisted
that they turn back, but C-dog marched forward, disappearing into the darkness.
C-dogs friends followed him in, but one by one they trickled back to the mouth
of the cave where Kelsa was waiting. Finally, the last boy came running out. “There
is something else in there with C-dog” he panted, “I swear there is something
alive in there.” Kelsa stepped into the darkness to find his brother. They
needed to leave. At first he thought his eyes were adjusting to the darkness,
but then he realize that the cave was growing lighter. Faint blue light danced
across the walls, making the shadows sway and seem to follow after him. Or were
they following him? Light and shadow seemed separate enteties in the depths of
this cave. Old magic lived in these walls. Deep in the recesses of the cave
Kelsa found C-dog, staring transfixed into a different kind of light—a
blinding, swelling light. The hair on the back of Kelsa’s neck bristled: C-dog
was talking to something.

*After entering the cave C-dog felt an icy chill run*
through his body. He urged himself forward, but soon it felt as if another
voice besides his own was willing him deeper into the cave. The cave came alive
with a light as he as he continued and soon he found himself staring into a
blinding light. Strangely he felt no need to shield his eyes. In the light he
saw everything he had wanted at home: his father’s acceptance, power, women. He
spoke to the light, but simultaneously had the strange sensation of hearing
himself talking—hearing his words filtered through the shimmering radiance. The
light was almost part of him—all he needed to do was reach out and take it and
it would be part of him. It consoled him—wordlessly promised him power and
magic. He understood that by reaching into the light he would be making a pact,
binding himself to it—and it to him—and it together they would achieve the
things he desired.

Kelsa saw C-dog reach out his arm.
“Wait, Charleston—” C-dogs fingertips touched the light and a deafening roar overwhelmed
the cave. Light exploded from C-dogs eyes. Kelsa was lost in the light. Blind. The
roar filling his ears and driving him to his knees. C-dog disappeared into the
light. Silently, the shadows that had followed Kelsa through the cave reached
for him, pulling him back from the light. The fear left his body instantly with
their soft touch. These were old shadows. They were old friends. He lost
consciousness.

Both boys awoke back at the Arendelle
Estate having been retrieved by C-dog’s terrified friends. Kelsa felt the
strange sensation of having had a dream, but was seemingly unharmed. However,
C-dog was blind. After a terrifying 12 hours of blindness and confusion, his
sight began to return, but with the return of his vision, his already blue eyes
now took on an eerie blue glow. The family hid both boys away at first to avoid
scandal, but soon Kelsa was free to roam the yard while C-dog was kept under
lock and key while the best doctors and wizards in the realm were hired to
remove the terrifying light from C-dog’s eyes.

Shortly thereafter, on his 16th
birthday, C-dog ran away—in part because of the heartbreaking rejection from
his parents who didn't want to deal with the scandal of his appearance and
because he now knew he could accomplish what he wanted. He had a power that his
family couldn’t even begin to understand.

**Following the scandal precipitated by**
his brother’s departure Kelsa Arendelle became the lone heir to the Arendelle
family. While his esteemed grooming had prepared him from a young age in art of
decorous socializing, he now had to shoulder the burden that Charleston had
once carried as the future head of the household.

**In spite of the scandal Lady Violet**
Wellington Arendelle secured a marriage to the heiress of another great family
in a neighboring region, the Tempton family of Direwood. Lady Elizabeth Tempton
was all that Kelsa had ever dreamed of in a marriage. She was clever,
beautiful, and underneath her polished decorum there was always sparkle in her
eye as if everything she said had a joke behind it.

**Although exasperated by the demands of**
his family, Kelsa willingly tried to fill his brothers shoes and he was eager
for his marriage to Elizabeth Tempton. But something strange began to happen. Magic
began to torment the Arendelle estate. At first it wasn’t clear that Kelsa was
to blame, but as he matured it became apparent that the events were revolving
around him. Kelsa’s emotional outbursts were often correlated with bizarre and
often embarrassing magical consequences. As with C-dog, the Arendelles began keeping
Kelsa under a close supervision. The best wizards in the realm were sought in
secret to help him to control his unwieldy powers, but even with his earnest
effort it seems that no matter what he did he was always freezing somebody’s
soup, turning well-quaffed hair metallic green, disappearing servants, or
turning Louis’ prized Arabian horses into corgis or corgis into unicorns. It
was frustrating and embarrassing. How could he cause all of these things and
not have any sovereignty over his sometimes profound ability?

**Finally a social event arrived where**
Kelsa could not be hidden away—his own marriage to Lady Elizabeth Tempton
following his 20th birthday. It was the celebration of the
century—it would have gone down in the annals as yet another glorious noble
wedding, full of pomp and circumstance, but with Kelsa’s emotions at a high,
something was bound to happen. After sealing their marriage with a kiss, the
smitten Kelsa’s skin began flashing between a deep blue and bright red. He
opened his eyes to find his new wife smiling in wonder at him. Not scared in
the least. He could tell what was happening to him, but it didn’t matter. For a
second, everything was all right. He was sure they would figure this out. However,
cries of alarm began to stir from the crowd and his family’s servants quickly
pulled him away from the ceremony. A flush crept over his already scarlet
cheeks. Sir Louis Arendelle XIV seemed vaguely amused, but Lady Violet
Wellington Arendelle’s embarrassment and anger were palpable. “Don’t come back
until *this* is gone,” she said, gesturing
to his now mauve skin, but Kelsa understood that she meant more than his
temporary polychromatic appearance. He was sent from the estate the next day
with provisions and a horse. His parents did not appear again. One of his
wizard instructors offers him the advice that Maeve of Lockwood Lake could help
him find a cure. Alone for the first time in his life Kelsa set out for
Lockwood Lake.