Bessily Edwards

**Bessily Edwards** was a horsemaster's apprentice who travelled to Essegena as part of the Eia Valley colony. A Foresleeper - one of those to possess the rare talent of prophetic dreams - Bess soon attracted the attention of some of the colony higher-ups, among them Governor's wife Caroline Ballard.

## Biography

Bess was born in Lakestable and named, as far as she can tell, after the Princess of the same name. She had a younger sister, Elly, who disappeared when Bess was nine. In the aftermath of this, her parents blamed her for Elly's disappearance, making her life miserable. The more Bess insisted that Elly still lived, the more her parents grew disgusted with her. Her mother hit her, and her father called her a murderer.

In her youth, Bess began to have dreams that felt more real than real - notably including a dream of aqueous lilies and a tower full of jackdaws.

When she was thirteen, Bess came to be apprenticed to a horsemaster, Speke. When Speke decided to join the Essegena colony, Bess travelled with him.

Not long after her arrival, Bess drew the attention of George Prendergast, the colony's third-in-command, who identified her as a Foresleeper and arranged for her to meet with Caroline Ballard, the Governor's wife and herself a Foresleeper. Bess met with Caroline at the Tavern. There, Caroline informed her that the dreams meant she was a Foresleeper, and just how dangerous that might be for her. Caroline later disclosed Bess' identity to Tema Caerlin, so that she wouldn't be alone should something happen to Caroline.

Bess was among the support personnel who left the Eia Valley to establish a settlement at Plateau Watch, reuniting her with Macel Donea and her housemate Adela Rice. This proved to be fortuitous: Macel's friend Sam Preston hurt his leg on the journey, requiring Bess to carry him on horseback to the hospital. A few weeks later, having had a dream, Bess led Macel to the Lake, having been told by the Moonlight Woman that she would find a carving of the Willow Queen there. Despite telling Macel that the search had been fruitless, Bess *did* find the idol. She took it to Caroline Ballard. When, in the same meeting, Bess expressed her loneliness, Caroline advised her to find someone she could trust to reveal her secret to.

Caroline advised Ian Fitzhenry, the Corrack, to speak to Bess, and Ian approached her at Plateau Watch, asking to see the Willow Queen. Bess reluctantly showed it to him.

Bess sought Macel out to confide in. While working up the courage to tell him she was a Foresleeper, she spotted a ghost light in the Easterwood. She had to insist to prevent Sam Preston and Eric Scobie from going to the Easterwood to investigate, which prompted distrust from Macel until she confessed. On their next day together, they kissed for the first time. At that instant, Bess had a vision, and led Macel deep into the Easterwood, where they found the body of the missing Corporal Robert Bartley. After Bess mentioned Corporal Bartley's name, but before finding the body, Macel accused her of attention seeking, though they made amends once Macel apologised for calling her a liar. Bess raised the possibility of running away together. Although Macel declined, until they could do things properly, they did officially become a couple.

That night, Bess had a particularly vivid dream which left her moaning in the night. As soon as she woke, she led Macel away from Plateau Watch on a course she seemed to know innately, refusing to stop even for water except at Macel's insistence. Ultimately, they arrived at a set of strange black obelisks nearly a day's walk away. As soon as she approached the obelisks, Bess was struck with a horrible feeling, and refused to go any closer. After they'd made a camp for the night, Macel was able to cajole her into going for a closer look. She led him into a narrow canyon where more statues stood, but collapsed in pain as soon as she walked past a pair of stone sentinels. Macel rushed to her aid, and sent her away to sleep. As it turned out, though, her dream *had* been of importance. That night, the missing Eilidh Cailie appeared on an altar amidst the obelisks. Macel tricked Bess into entering the obelisks to carry Eilidh out, by making her think he'd found her missing sister. The following day, Macel left Bess to take care of Eilidh while he went for help. By the time Macel returned, Bess had gone, leaving behind a cryptic note: "Light of the moon called. Don't follow. Bess."

Oddly, Bess was present - and dead - in the purgatory that Eilidh had been trapped in for several months. Eilidh claimed that Bess had been dead a long time.

## Description

Bess had black hair and bright emerald-green eyes. Her job working with horses meant that she was often dirty, which made her stand out in certain crowds. She had fragile self-esteem which was exacerbated by having a small social circle. In spite of this, she could be forceful at times - especially when spurred on by one of her dreams.

She enjoyed a drink sometimes, to take her mind off that fact. Whenever she looked at the stars, she was saddened by them, feeling sorry for them.

Bess had a deep love for both her horses and her stories. She named horses from Speke's stables after characters from the stories - Bersam, Fennia, Adelina and Claine. Indeed, she had a habit for naming things, such as calling mettysnatchers *solliers*. To make ends meet, she sold off all of her Books of Lightness - heirlooms from her nan - apart from the Béasin, which she connected with.

Owing to her upbringing in an isolated village, Bess had a naïve view of the world in some ways. She was shocked to learn that in some places, criminals were executed.

## Relationships

#### Caroline Ballard

Both Bess and Caro were Foresleepers; Caroline served as something of a mentor to Bess, who came to her for advice and comfort.

#### Macel Donea

Bess was introduced to Macel Donea at the party to celebrate the colony's arrival, by her housemate Adela Rice. After spending the night out on the hills together, they quickly became a pair. By happenstance, both ended up at Plateau Watch, and it became habit for the two to meet up at night.

## Appearances

* On Virgin Moors
* Shadows Breaking

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 *On Virgin Moors* - In Dreams
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 *On Virgin Moors* - She With Emerald Eyes
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *On Virgin Moors* - Vatié
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 *On Virgin Moors* - Conditions of Departure
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 *On Virgin Moors* - We The Foresleepers
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 *On Virgin Moors* - To The Watch
7. ↑ *On Virgin Moors* - In Whom You Trust
8. ↑ *On Virgin Moors* - The Figure of a Queen
9. ↑ *On Virgin Moors* - Witness
10. ↑ Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `OM 30`
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 *On Virgin Moors* - Bloody Rainfall
12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 *On Virgin Moors* - The Obelisks
13. ↑ *On Virgin Moors* - The Rescue Mission
14. ↑ *On Virgin Moors* - The Kindling Shed