Gwen Maneherder's Voice

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Gwen Manherder, daughter of Morgan Terrashaper and Alistair Maneherder. My parents serve King Jarrod Hallowfang of Trellion, so the three of us live in his palace. My mother is his Royal Magus, so she and I reside in the Royal Magusâs Tower. Her bed chamber is the larger, meant for the Royal Magus. Mine is the smaller chamber, intended for the apprentice. I do not mind it though. King Jarrod was kind enough to provide me with the elegant furnishing of a princess. He is wonderful to me, treats me like the daughter he never had. My mother is not a fan of that. She worries I will forget my place as the daughter of the Royal Magus.

My father does not worry about such things. He is the one who taught me how to ride a horse and how to use a quarter staff to defend myself. I wanted to learn the sword but my mother felt it would be inappropriate for me to learn to use a blade. My best friend Matrim, the Crowned Prince has been teaching me to use a sword in secret. We have been friends since before we can remember and we always find ways to get ourselves into trouble. As long as we are not caught by our parents Matrim can usually use his princely charm to get us out of trouble. He and I have become so close we are intending to find a way to be married in spite of the foolish law that prohibits me from being Queen due to my ability to cast magic. It is an old law passed by one of the early Kings of Trellion and in my opinion is in need of revision.

I met my other friends during my first season of Litha at the elemental coast. One is a half Minator boy named Taurus Longhorn. His father and mother are friends of Matrimâs father and my parents. Our other two friends are a twin dwarf brother and sister pair named Biarric and Cortan Stonemason. Their father is a traveling story teller. He always tells an entertaining story after the evening meal. Our vacations at the Elemental Coast are my favorite times in the whole world. There I get to do as much magic as I like and just be myself. I donât have to adhere to any sort of palace propriety or official schedule. As long as I make progress with mastering the elements I am free to do as I please. Of course this free and easy going time has also led me into trouble.

During the Litha of my tenth solar cycle I met a merman named Pisces. He kidnapped me and took me to his home in the cliffs lining the shoreline of Bastion. He kept me trapped there with a large see monster whose mouth was filled with rows of sharp pointed teeth. When my friends and family came to rescue me he sent the beast to sink the ship they sailed on. After defeating the monster my father guided the ship into the mouth of the cave leading to Piscesâs home. Matrim was the first to gather me in his arms after dismounting the ship. Taurus fought Pisces when he attempted to attack my family. His father Virgo had to physically pull him off the poor merman before he beat him to death. Matrim attempted to place Pisces under arrest but his father Aquarius argued his innocence based on his ignorance of who I am. I never did tell Pisces I was the daughter of Trellionâs Royal Magus.

After the encounter with Pisces, I was hesitant to enter the ocean again. I spent my eleventh solar cycle embroidering the pink silk ribbon my mother passed on to me on the eleventh anniversary of my birth. On the twelfth anniversary of my birth my mother entwined it into a thick braid of my hair to signify my readiness for courtship and marriage. During Litha of that solar cycle Taurus confessed his romantic interest in me. Sadly, I turned him down because I was still stuck on my fantasy of being with Matrim. I hated to hurt his feelings but I just did not feel the same way for him as he did me. I did not see Taurus for a few years after that. He went on a mission with his father who died on the mission.

His fatherâs funeral was held on the thirteenth anniversary of my birth. I wanted to attend with my parents and King Jarrod but they all insisted I needed to remain at Trellion Palace. Matrim treated me to a feast and wine. After the meal we returned to my room where he seduced me in sharing my bed with him. We continued to share a bed in secret after until the fourteenth anniversary of my birth. I left the palace and spent a year on the Elemental Coast in seclusion. I used that time to master all five elements and returned a full mage on the fifteenth anniversary of my birth.

During my time at the Elemental Coast my mother visited me in my dreams to inform me of Matrimâs betrothal to Brianne Starmane of Adoren. I awoke from the dream in tears over the loss of the man I loved. A few months later I was surprised when he arrived at the Elemental Coast to be with me. We shared my tent in the evenings and he stayed out of my way during the day while I continued to master the elements. He tried to convince me to remain on the coast with him. We could live out our lives together as a normal couple. I convinced him he could not run away from his duties and he returned to the palace a month before me.

Shortly after I returned to the palace I discovered I was pregnant. I knew it was Matrimâs because he was the only man who shared my bed. When I explained this to my mother she made me swear not to tell him. She and Evelynn Stromsong, Taurusâs mother and the Grand Enchantress of the Trellion Tower of Magi, made plans to have me settled in the Tower of Magi before anyone knew I was with child. I was to leave with Evelynn and Taurus after the ball to celebrate Matrimâs sixteenth birth anniversary. Sadly, it did not work the way they planned. During the ball Matim and I were caught sharing a private moment by Brianneâs hand maid Ella. The hand maid facade melted away and we were face to face with Empress Demona Blackreaver of Reaven. Matrim tried to protect me but he was no match for her magic. I attempted to fight her but my magic was nowhere near her level of power and experience. She trapped us in a life draining vortex which destroyed the baby growing inside me and our physical bodies. While her vortex did its work she cursed us to be reborn in the same life time every hundred years. During each life time we would grow to love each other and yearn for each other. If we made an attempt to be with each other in an intimate way one of us would die in a horrible tragic way.