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Lady Ortensia Istivean, was born as yet another daughter, the fourth, when her parents Duke Siegfried and Lady Iole were badly longing for a son. In her young years she was said to be born with the hot blood any aspiring knight could wish for, hours over hours were spend riding through the woods and ruining her fair complexion in the sun. For quite a while she seemed to prefer the company of horses and falcons to the company of her sisters. When she reached her thirteenth her mother attempted to tame her, to get her to spend her time nurturing talents a lady of her birth should perfect before marriage. And indeed, she seemed to be successful - chained down by the silken ribbons of her gown she soon became an often admired maiden. Her wild temperament found another way through, however. The more time she spend inside solars and in the company of her sisters, the more acrimonius her words got. Often didn't want to fit with her soft features - a trait that soon granted her the byname 'Embertongue' of which se seemed to be quite fond of. Only her youngest brother, Alajos Fennim seemed to be able to lure soft smiles and silvery chuckles from her lips, when he quoted his verses and practiced to dance with her.
Soon her betrothal was announced, and it was a rather unlikely one. The young heir Adlard Brais had been sent some little painted portraits of the Fennim sisters and had been told, without their knowledge, that he was to pick one of them as his bride. His choice fell upon Ortensia, probably because she was closest to his own age. The girl herself was as astonished, her sisters everything from furious, to bluntly jealous and disappointed. Suddenly there was a tension between them, especially between the youngest and her oldest sister Pierette, who was slowly getting into an age where finding a good match was becoming more and more challenging.
Their courting has been a short one - the day Adlard Brais visited the Fennims, not more than an hour after he met his betrothed, not more than a few exchanged sentences of conversation and he left with flying colours, persisting that he would never marry a girl like her, or one of her sisters.
It was a year later, when Solinus Istivean coincidentially found the portrait, it was not more than a fortnight later when he married Ortensia. This time her parents took care that she would not have the possibility of engaging in conversation with her groom, before their marriage was bound.
At first it seemed they could not be more different, the wild young lady and the distinguished, scholarly heir to the Duchy of Granville, but in the end they seemed to have grown quite fond of each other. More and more Ortensia learned to use the embers of her tongues to their political benefits, when her husband shared his knowledge with her.
Over the last few years a certain bitterness has conquered the fair features of Lady Ortensia, the death of two of her brothers and her younger daughter, leaving traces in her mien. Word is she never has been seen shedding a tear in the years of famine and sickness.
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Quirks:
- Sharp Tounge
- Ambitious
- Wealth: Well-To-Do
- Unscrupulous
Description:
Soft freckles are speckled over this woman's face and even seem to conquer her neck and back in summer, as much as she seems to avoid the sun. Often a sweet, but sardonic smile lingers about the edges of her mouth. Her golden hair falls in a thick braid down to her hips, her clear, blue eyes are sharp and attentive. She moves energetically and carries herself with a certain boldness that, some say, stains her grace. Her attire is elegant and well-chosen. She seem to prefer thick, red sammet these days.
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