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From the desperation of golden crowns and born of mortal flesh, a great primal power rises as the heir to the lands and seas, to the skies and all the realms. A shadow in the ember, a light in the flame, to become a fire in the flesh. When the stars fall from the night, the great mountains crumble into the seas, and old bones raise their swords beside the gods, the false one will be stripped from glory until two born of the same misdeeds, born of the same great and Primal power in the mortal realm. A first daughter, with blood full of fire, fated for the once-promised King. And the second daughter, with blood full of ash and ice, the other half of the future King. Together, they will remake the realms as they usher in the end. And so it will begin with the last Chosen blood spilled, the great conspirator birthed from the flesh and fire of the Primals will awaken as the Harbinger and the Bringer of Death and Destruction to the lands gifted by the gods. Beware, for the end will come from the west to destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between.

Things of note regarding the prophecy:

~ Alastir tells Poppy the prophecy was written in the bones of Poppy’s namesake.

~ The first glimpse of the prophecy is only this: “With the last chosen blood spilled, the great conspirator birthed from the flesh and the fire of the Primals will awaken as the Harbinger and the Bringer of Death and Destruction to the lands gifted by the gods. Beware, for the end will come from the west to destroy the east and lay waste to all which lies between.”

~ I introduce Cas as the King of Blood and Ash, and Poppy as the Queen of Flesh & Fire to the people.

~ The Priestess called Poppy, “the one whose blood is full of ash and ice.”

THE BLOOD FOREST

Click here to see a full-size image of The Blood Forest by Jemlin C.

CORALENA “CORA” BALFOUR †

From all appearances, Coralena was an incredible mother. Despite becoming Poppy’s guardian under orders from her Queen, she eventually went against Isbeth to try to save her daughter, likely knowing the punishment would be swift and severe if she were ever discovered.

Eyes: Brown (we later learn that they’re very pale like all Revenants but were darkened with magic).

Background: Third daughter. Handmaiden/Revenant.

Family: Husband = Leopold Balfour †. Son = Ian Balfour †.

CORALENA’S JOURNEY TO DATE:

The story goes that being a third daughter, Coralena was a Lady in Wait, given to the Court at the Rite. Before her Ascension, she met Leopold—which they say was an accident, though we know it wasn’t since Leo was a viktor and knew who his charge was, thus seeking out Cora before Poppy was even born. They fell in love. That much is true, at least. It’s said that Coralena requested to forego her Ascension so she could be with Leo—something that had never been done before. It’s not one hundred percent clear whether or not that part is true. What we do know is that they ended up married and had a son together.

The real history is that Cora was a Revenant, one of the Queen’s personal guards, and very close to Ileana—whom we now know is really Isbeth. Coralena was the Queen’s favorite.

After Penellaphe’s birth, Isbeth gave her to her most trusted Handmaiden—Cora—so none who sought to gain what the Queen had could use her child against her. But Cora had a change of heart when she discovered Isbeth’s plan to marry Poppy to Malik in a bid to bring the kingdoms together. She disapproved, so she and Leo stole away with Poppy and Ian.

Having befriended Alastir before that night, the couple asked for his help. Little did they know that he had ulterior motives for getting close to them, and once he learned the truth about Poppy, he decided to kill her.

Alastir let Malik—the Dark One—in that night, believing the Prince would do what he hadn’t accomplished yet. The trail of blood that Malik left in his wake on the way to the inn drew the Craven, thus resulting in Poppy’s injuries. Cora tried to save her, pleading with Malik and telling him her daughter would usher in great change and be the end of the Blood Crown, not the end of the realms. She went on to tell him that Leo was Poppy’s viktor. It did little to sway the Dark One, and Cora ended up stabbing Malik in the chest as Alastir looked on.

It was believed Cora died that night at the inn, overcome by the Craven. However, the Blood Queen later revealed that she did not perish in Lockswood. She lived. But she didn’t survive Isbeth’s wrath afterward.

She made Cora ingest draken blood, thus killing her.

LEOPOLD “LEO” / “LION” BALFOUR †

Leopold is an interesting subject. As a viktor, he was born—or reborn, I guess—to guard someone the Fates believed was destined to bring about significant change or serve great purpose. But unlike most viktors, Leo figured out what he was, as well as who he was sent to protect and why.

Hair: Coppery red.

Eyes: Pine green.

Body type: Tall.

Facial features: Square jaw with several days’ worth of beard growth. Straight nose. Dark brows.

Personality: Caring. Stable.

Habits/Mannerisms/Strengths/Weaknesses: Called Poppy “poppy-flower” and “baby girl.”

Background: Viktor. Firstborn son. Wealthy but not a Lord—merchant family involved in shipping and friends of the King.