Astrid Lykaios

Portrait of Astrid circa 2022

Astrid Lykaios, or Astrid born 15 March, 2000 is the seventh Grand Duchess of Olympia, taking the throne at age eighteen, becoming the youngest ruler in Olympia's history, though she has presided over several political flashpoints within Olympia, particularly the ongoing June Crisis, bringing the future of matriarchy into question. Astrid stands at the center of this constitutional issue, with many advocates among the Progressive and Liberation parties calling for her abdication, over her partisan involvement in the national debate.

## Biography

### The Grand Duchess' Early Life

Astrid Lykaios was born to an upper class family within House Lykaios. Little is known about her father's role within her upbringing. In contrast, it was known that her mother was more active in her upbringing, only because women personally teach their young ones their House's history from an early age. Her dedication to her academic studies led her to attend the Humanities School of Darkwell University. During her third year, Astrid caught the attention of the Dean of Humanities, Pelagia Vassakou. Astrid's dedication to academic success led Vassakou to help arrange her studies and tutored her in public speaking. During her last two years at university under Vassakou's tutelage, Astrid received a Certificate of Achievement in Cultural History and Certificate of Mastery in Political Science. She soon returned to House Lykaios after graduating.

### Return to House Lykaios

After her graduation, Astrid returned to House Lykaios with the intention of further developing her private political goals. Once she returned, she discovered her mother was gravelly ill with a severe lung infection, which was made public throughout the state. Despite her family's personal tragedy, Astrid seemed unfazed and composed in public. She was often seen, heading into the parliament building, where she met with an old family friend, Aleka Loroti, who was a member of parliament and the Conservative Alliance Party. After three years, Aphrodite Cosmeli passed away due to severe lung inflammation and cardiac arrest. Two months after her mother's death, rumors dispersed through local papers reported that Astrid suffered a major episode of depression that prompted her relocation to the royal residence of House Lykaios.

### Kalomira's Care

Astrid's three years at the royal residence transformed her public persona and official status within House Lykaios. Even with Astrid's composed manner in public, several members of House Lykaios leaked information that Astrid continued to find it difficult to separate memories of her mother from her extreme grief. There are few details about Astrid's time in the royal residence because of fewer public sightings.

#### The June Crisis

On 18 January 2022, the June Crisis began to unfold. For a number of years, the universal healthcare system, Universal Medical Care, was underfunded by the government. The lack of funds to pay quality doctors and medicinal equipment resulted in poor service with too many medical needs being left untreated. The Conservative Alliance was satisfied with the current budget and status of the state-wide health program. The Libertarian Front disagreed and vied for eliminating the healthcare system entirely and implementing privatized healthcare into Olympia. As it was widely known that healthcare costs were so expensive for the poor quality care received, the Conservative Alliance realized the public would not back them no matter their argument. This resulted in the Conservative Alliance allying itself with the Libertarian Front, forming a coalition.

The legislation was easily passed as the two parties were able to gain the two-thirds majority vote. However, Astrid withheld her approval by issuing a veto. Furthermore, she allied herself with the Progressive Movement, who wanted to reform the current healthcare system and expand social welfare services. However, this political move alienated her from the Conservative Alliance, which she previously supported since the beginning of her reign. Astrid's new political stance changed the public's view on her personal politics. She began to have tense confrontations with both Conservative Alliance and Libertarian Front politicians. Both parties began to distrust her or deepen their lack of faith in her in public interviews. According to some government rumors that have been leaked to news magazines, there have been Progressive Movement members who have questioned Astrid's backing of the party as no one knows her personal thoughts on the crisis.

### Personality

To Olympians, Astrid is a woman who displays confidence in her decisions. She is seemingly unfazed by others' opinions of her when confronted in public or private settings. Astrid is known to be a cynic when meeting foreign state officials. She is skeptical of their intentions and does not share much about herself in such situations. Within parliament, Astrid is bold in meetings with Conservative Alliance members, presenting requests firmly. However, she is shortsighted when it comes to long term outcomes and is headstrong when emboldened to take action. For this reason, she received the moniker, 'Astrid the Bold'. Although she often acts without fully seeing the whole picture, Astrid is difficult to manipulate or seduce. She gives little trust to others unless they consistently demonstrate loyalty to her or the state.