They were always very close, ever since they were kids. Vandree is three years older, and she always felt protective of Eliza, but Eliza has had to defend her sister multiple times as well. Their parents are lower class simple people, wanting their children to have as normal a life as possible, and while they want to be supportive, sometimes they don’t manage. So they were planning to get both their kids married to people from a better class so they wouldn’t suffer the same fate in poverty as they did, and they had spent ages making their dowries, and when Vandree was ten and announced she was transgender they didn’t deal well with it. They had to spend all the money they’d saved for her for her transition, and while both she and Eliza helped as soon as they were able, they’re still in a bad place, and they’re worried nobody will actually want to marry their daughters, penniless as they are; it’s a tough world out there. But Eliza and Vandree have always had each other’s backs, and they have has only felt jealous of each other once or twice in their lifetimes; sometimes they have felt they only have each other. When Vandree was sixteen, she was chosen to be Blessed; which means, her fighting potential and devoutness were recognised by government officials who took her to be a part of the holy army in her country. It’s a well-paid position that she disliked at once, but took because it would offer security to her family. At about the same time, they met Rohana, and Eliza was taken to be an apprentice of the dragon breeders in Rohana’s academy, per our lovely princess’ request. It was the first time they were separated, and Eliza is still trying to find a way to contact her sister; the order of the Blessed is extremely strict. Part of her is worried that something has happened to her, and it’s her purpose to find her.
As you have read, Rohana has always felt like an outsider. She finds it difficult to make friends, because most people see first her status, then herself, which she despises and feels extremely uncomfortable with. Vandree and Eliza both treated her as an equal from the first moment they met her, to the extent that she thought they didn’t know who she was. She loved them immediately, and has always felt humbled by them; she considers them both strong role models and wishes she had more power to contact Vandree in some way. She has tried asking for her several times, but none of her royal relatives will give her an answer; it’s not her business, according to them. She’s determined, though. She feels that she owes them both, for helping her get out of a dark place of loneliness without asking for anything in return; that’s why she’s willing to give everything she’s got. She hopes someday they’ll be able to hang out together again, all three of them.
