Meet LENORA BAKER. They are SEVENTY-THREE years old and hail from SZEGED, HUNGARY. Lenora embodies the constellation, CYGNUS. They use she/her pronouns. Their faceclaim is FLORENCE PUGH.
Cygnus reminds me of high heels click-clacking on hardwood floors, perfectly pretty tiaras atop perfectly curled hair, lifting half your body through the sun roof of a car as it speeds down an open road, baby pink lipstick, the weight of a family name you never asked to bear, black coffee simply for the aesthetic, rumpled bedsheets, winged eyeliner so sharp it could cut glass, and the sheer, unbridled anger of an interrupted youth.
(Trigger Warnings for abuse and talk of arranged marriages)
The concept of kingship has largely died down in Western magical culture, but among those who reside in Europe and can trace their roots back far past the witch trials of old, there is still a small yet prevalent society of royals. Nowadays, the terms King and Queen, Prince and Princess, only mean something in terms of social standing. In their hay day though, magic folk practically ruled Central and Eastern Europe from behind the scenes. The Péks clan had a strong hold in Hungary that faded as more and more of their kind died out, but their aristocratic role in magical society is still strong to this day. When Eleonóra Péks was born alongside her twin brother only a few years after the end of the seven and world war, every witch and wizard in Szeged shares in the family’s joy.
Eleonóra was as much of a princess as one could hope to find. With her money and status, she never wanted for anything material. And people often remarked that even if she wasn’t their princess, her looks would be enough to warrant the royal treatment all on its own. And Eleonóra ate that attention up. It was better than the treatment she received behind closed doors. Her father Irme Péks, who was the main reason Szeged held steadfast to it’s magical monarchy to this day, vividly recalled a time where their people had lived openly and freely, only to later be persecuted by the mortals who feared rather than respected them. He wanted nothing more than to return to those ways, and made it known to his children that their mission was to help make that happen. Her brother was raised to eventually be ruler, and Eleonóra was raised to some day marry one of the few remaining “princes” still around to strengthen their family. When her constellation mark took the form of the Swan, she was viewed as even more of a prize. Irma was very clear that he viewed his children as chess pawns more than anything else, and any hint of falling out of line was met with physical disciple as he saw fit. On the other hand, their mother was everything Eleonóra feared becoming: cold and disengaged, complicit in their father’s abuse.
instead, Eleonóra turned angry. At her parents, at the people who treated them like they were on some sort of pedestal rather than in pain, at herself for being so goddamn ready to just take everything that was doled out to her. She could play nice in front of the public eye, but once home, she was constantly throwing harsh words at her extended family (never her parents — an insult at her father was a death wish waiting to happen). To know your existence is just a trophy for someone else is a horrible way to live, and it’s the only thing Eleonóra knew for decades. The breaking point came in the early 2000s, when her father’s increasing age made him more volatile than ever. So when he came to Eleonóra one day, still a child for all of her fifty plus years, to tell her she was to be married, things escalated quickly. One angry, uncontrollable comment fueled by her anger, and that was it. The altercation that followed between Eleonóra, Irme, and her brother who came to his sister’s aide was loud, painful, and ended with Eleonóra and her brother quite literally fleeing the home. Eleonóra’s years of anger overflowed and she told her brother, in tears, that she refused to go back. So they didn’t
In the Péks family, and truly among the magical society in Szeged overall, their abilties were viewed as power. Magic wasn’t a gift, and while the “children” had been given the best education possible, it was based in history and combat and control rather than respecting it. When the Péks left Szeged, it took a few months of making their way through Europe before they considered Polaris. They’d heard of it, of course. It was one of the best training grounds for magical being in their world. But Irme had always insisted that his children could be taught the best at home; they didn’t need anything else. More than word of Polaris’ renown, they had also heard whispers of the current Ursas — strong and kind, willing to open their doors to anyone. Eleonóra was hesitant at first. Going to Polaris would mean following their rules and ideologies. Why should she run from one prison to what may very well be another? Eventually though, with her brother’s urging and the realization that they had nowhere else to go, the Péks headed towards Vermont.
She’ll tell you that changing her name was a means of creating her own identity. — Eleonóra to Lenora, Péks to it’‘s anglicized form Baker, all of it a new version of her that she had control of. That’s not entirely true, though. In reality, Lenora changed her name because she was scared. If her father found her, she knew that he could very well kill her or overpower her. His fire magic, although not based in a zodiac, was fueled by rage she’d long since learned to fear. Changing her name didn’t guarantee she’d be safe forever, but it gave her some sense of security. At the very least, it put some distance between her and her life back in Hungary.
Although she’s been at Polaris for decades now, Lenora is still slow to warm. By now, it’s more out of habit than any prior need to protect herself. The hardest adjustment has been in how she views magic. Back...well, not back home, but back in Szeged, her status as Cygnus (always a beauty) was more prevalent than her actual abilities. Here, she’s come to learn what she’s truly capable of. Lenora can often be found up in one of Caeli’s towers, sat beside an open window and feeling the wind on her face. Her element may be air, but Lenora feels as if that has always been misplaced. Air is meant to be wide-open and freeing, always circulating. But Lenora has never quite felt that level of freedom. Even now, she still can’t help but feel trapped. In her anger, in her fear, in her memories. She won’t admit to that, though. It’s easier to pretend to not care rather than admit how much there is to you.
Much like the swan that symbolizes them, Cygnus possesses a charm unlike few others. Some have described them as ethereal, others simply find themselves at a loss for words in their presence. While physical beauty does tend to be a common trait among it’s sponsees, their natural ability to entice and entrance can be chalked up to the stars as well. Their magic tends to reflect this, with a knack for glamor spells and charms. This can lead to an inflated ego which may or may not be warranted, but Cygnus rarely cares about that aspect. In addition, as the air that commands them and the swan that embodies them, Cygnus tend to be able to learn levitation much easier than others — they just need to be aware of keeping their heads out of the clouds.
Twin Brother: Lenora’s anchor, truly. This is the only person who Lenora trust completely, because he’s the only one she’s ever felt cared for her without any ulterior motives. He’s also the only person who can get away with calling Lenora out on her nonsense, and likewise, he gets a version of her that’s as close to nice as she’s capable of.
Jilted Fiance: Another member of the small, old-school aristocracy that still lives sprinkled throughout Europe. In the early 2000s, Lenora was told that her father had promised her hand to this character (or rather, this character’s family), and she quickly fucked away after that. Maybe they never met prior to this, maybe he and Lenora had been childhood friends. Either way, he was left dealing with the fallout of their broken engagement while Lenora seemingly disappeared off the face of the planet.
Calming Presence: Lenora isn’t kind to anyone other than her brother, but this person does have a somewhat uncanny ability to ease some of her typical frustration. And Lenora, for all of her arrogance and short-tempter, can’t find it in herself to be a true bitch to them. She’s blunt, yes. Tactless, sure. But somewhere in the little black box that is her emotional storage container, she holds some care for them.
Filling the role of Eloise Delaurentis’s polarizing force.