Next set of Parents to cover, Princess Autem’s “dear” Mom and Dad~
Elken Formonte (age 46) is the current reigning king of Efornia, an Earth Mage and firm perfectionist of a man with the grandest ideas for his kingdom’s legacy. Stemming from his shame of having been exposed to his parents’ less-than-savory reputations as rulers (sleeping around, hosting many drunken galas, forgeting important royal duties in favor of “fun”)... Elken was determined to “right” the wrongs of his bloodline to something that Efornia would surely be proud of. This led to the boy developing a cold sense of “superiority” over everyone, making it easy for him to befriend some fellow egoists like Elyvia White, Lachlan Crane, and Sienna Rossero during their school years.
Graduation gave Elken the chance to enact his plan of revamping Efornia’s image; first by taking up the throne from his parents deciding to travel the world instead (alongside their lil “commune” of followers). The next few steps of planning was bound to be trickier without someone else to back him up... and thus, Elken decided to go looking around for a queen to stand by his side during his “glorious” reign. Given his high standards, of course, Elken wasn’t a man to settle for just any pretty face... he looked for one who could match him in both strength, poise, intellect, and beauty. And soon, he found that perfect match in the form of the local Elven researcher and Sun Mage, Ceraeza Fernas.
Now, the two had actually met eachother beforehand, back when they were small children and Elken was among the first Efornians to treat her kindly when her and her family first moved into the capitol city. But with the days of childhood innocence behind them and Ceraeza being a much more confident, mature young woman... she actually turned down his first few proposals as she preferred to invest in her studies over settling down. A challenge that actually intrigued Elken more than he expected... his persistence would continue through trials of wit, joined expeditions, and promises to aid Ceraeza’s work in helping others like herself who didn’t have as many rights growing up.
At last, Ceraeza accepted his offer of marriage after all this time bonding together, with Efornia now welcoming their first Elven queen to look up to. Elken’s royal plan was looking better than ever... and soon, it didn’t take long for him and Ceraeza to welcome their first child, Princess Autem.
While Autem may not have been “exactly” what Elken expected in a child at first (being much more delicate and timid than himself), sensing that her magical aura matched his own Earth magic, he found enough potential in her to make into his eventual crown heir anyway
Soon began the royal family’s influence in reshaping Efornia... overtime it became alot more of a fortified stronghold that rivaled that of Graystone’s and Nydor. Even the royal family “flourished” in more ways than one with the arrival of many more daughters... something Elken didn’t exactly plan on himself (admittedly, he could never quite “tempt” himself away from Ceraeza for long...), but it still filled him with a sense of pride that all was going his way, for once. Nothing could stand in his path now...
...Or at least, that’s what he kept telling himself... until an unfortunate tragedy hit once his dear Ceraeza fell gravely ill over a span of months, something that an optimist like herself often tried to brush off like no big deal. Still, Elken did what he could to gather as many Efornian doctors (and Autem coming back home from her traveling Mage adventures to try and help her family)... yet with a heavy heart, Ceraeza ultimately passed away just a short while later when all efforts failed. All of the kingdom mourned for their fallen queen... with Elken being especially crushed that the one person who understood him as he hoped for was just... gone.
In the months that passed by... Elken’s heart filled with bitterness as he ruled on his kingdom with an firmer grasp on life, with his own daughters being given countless restrictions from straying too far from his sight. This didn’t leave him with as many “loyal” followers as his wife in comparison... but that didn’t matter to Elken anymore. If his harsher ruling and increasingly cold brand of smugness meant turning a few heads... well, so be it. This is his kingdom now... and he was determined to not only leave his permanent mark on the world, but to ensure that Autem herself would carry on his vision as well during her eventual rule as queen...
Ceraeza Formonte (age 43, deceased) was the former queen of Efornia, and one of the last of the pureblooded Elves living among the main Efornian populace. Her family lived for many generations as a traveling band of pilgrims, their original home land being far too inhabitable to stay for very long. And given how Elves were renown for their natural magical prowess and mystique, it took a toll on Ceraeza’s folks to try and ward off those who wished to manipulate them or their children.
Ceraeza herself was a particularly gifted child... being blessed with being a Sun Mage, one of the rarer forms of Celestial magic among Terra. With this gift she was sure to be capable of many great things, combat or otherwise... but for the sweet, humble Ceraeza... her true life passion lied within research. Studying and learning all she could about the surrounding world, to better help those like her family that struggled with having fair treatment compared to the majority.
It was this ambitious mindset, along with her breathtaking beauty and intelligence, that would do more than attract a fair amount of suitors vying for her hand when she became of age. Flattered as she was though, Ceraeza would continue to turn most of them down as she went back to her studies... all, except for one that took her rather by surprise. The then-crown prince himself, Elken.
True to her current mindset, she still turned even Elken down as she did not wish to be pursued as some “prize” to be won... but to be treated as an equal partner to join her in her quest for bringing equality. In time, however, Ceraeza grew to be charmed enough by Elken’s maturing pursuit of her that she ultimately couldn’t resist his final proposal to her. With their union, Efornia was looking to a newer era of peace for not just Ceraeza’s sake, but for the rest of her family and other neighboring Elves were might’ve been too wary to approach Efornia’s borders.
Her time of marriage to Elken was that of a passionate, dutiful one... both to the crown and their own home life too. In Elven culture, daughters were said to be quite revered in a household... so for Ceraeza to be blessed with six of them made her life all the more brighter. On the days when she wasn’t in her studies or attending to the court, Ceraeza would often be found spending time with her girls in the great outdoors... singing them songs, telling stories, and teaching them all there is to know about the world around them.
On her field of research, Ceraeza became well acquainted with Elianne Grayle, a fellow researcher and queen who often traveled together in their pursuit of scientific endeavors. They uncovered many discoveries in their time of knowing one another... which hurt Ceraeza all the more when she caught word of Elianne’s passing sometime later. This drove Ceraeza further in her work to honor her late friend’s memory... in a hope to perhaps uncover the truth of what took away such a beloved queen from Graystone.
Still... a queen and mother’s duty had to remain steadfast nonetheless, so this goal had to stay on the sides to Ceraeza tending to her beloved subjects. Watching as the oldest of her little girls grew into strong, capable women... things were looking up for the Formonte household. So much so... that Ceraeza couldn’t find the heart to bring up much of her steadily weakening condition to her family... wanting to keep the atmosphere at peace during a time in which her oldest daughter (Autem) was finally gaining some independence to travel on her own. Something that in the end... proved to be the humble queen’s downfall, as eventually, the truth of her worsening illness came too late for much help to aid her...
Bidding her deepest goodbyes to her loved ones, Ceraeza’s memory would carry on to be a symbol of hope for both them and the rest of Efornia following her passing... for with every darkening night blanketing the kingdom, a shining sun would always pass over to begin the day anew...
