Magdalene Gothel || Ninety-Seven || Library Archivist & Historian || Magical
She looks good for her age, doesn’t she? Magdalene Gothel’s history is not a simple one. Born to an old but noble family back on the outskirts of Corona, Magdalene learned early on that love was a fickle thing. Her parents were older, but you wouldn’t have known it, having such an emphasis on physical perfection to the point of vanity. Appearances were everything to the Gothels, and it was a smothering concept to Magdalene until she grew to embrace it, finding the power that beauty and charm awarded her. Upon her parents’ deaths, Magdalene inherited not only their wealth, but also their properties, including a cottage in a clearing nestled in the woods and a secluded estate where her family had gardened rare herbs and flowers. But Magdalene wasn’t interested in planting or wasting her time watching her family’s properties. She used her newfound wealth to travel, and to learn the things that she herself was sheltered from. Stumbling upon archives which detailed information on a source of magic in Corona, Magdalene devoured the knowledge. becoming aware of a special flower, the Sundrop, which could grant the power to heal, and even reverse elements in time. Determined to have the power for herself, she traced it down and, with her new found knowledge, was able to reverse the clock on her physical appearance, retaining a youthful look. Using the flower for a great many years, Magdalene went back to tend to the secluded cottage, after selling her family’s ancestral home. She preferred the solitude, and traversed the outskirts of Corona to use the flower’s magic, afraid of what might happen if she uprooted it. She waltzed through life, going into neighboring kingdoms to learn more. She was voracious in her desire for knowledge on magical sources, and her hunger for power and control grew insatiable.
In terms of love, the road for her was tricky. An affair or two along the way occurred, typically with traveler’s she came across and grew close with. But her need for control drove her from any lasting relationships, and she spurned any shows of long lasting affection. Magdalene had grown too used to her solitude, and even too used to the naivety the men she met would exhibit. Until one soldier travelling home from a foreign guard caught her eye. He was charming, kind, and clearly interested in her. The two got on fine, spending time together in a way that Magdalene had never opened herself up to. But when she fell pregnant, her mood soured. She wasn’t going to settle down or get married. Refused to, even, when the question was proposed. And so she selfishly broke the soldier’s heart and retreated back to the familiarity of her family’s cottage, hidden in the forest. She had the child, and raised her in isolation, though Magdalene found it hard to have affection for her, the memories of her own struggle with the girl’s father a stain in her mind. She named the girl Cassandra, whimsically picking the name from a book. While Cassandra stayed in the cottage, Magdalene would vanish for days to return to the flower and restore her youth, as she had for decades. One particular day, however, she discovered to her horror that the palace guards of Corona were searching for it, to heal the ailing Duchess, struggling with childbirth. Empathy long gone from Magdalene’s mind, she attempted to hide the flower, to now avail. It was taken by the guard to heal the queen, the flower destroyed, but the powers being passed on to the duke and duchess’s newly born daughter. Planning to steal the child for herself to hold the powers as long as possible, the plan hit a snag when she was discovered and chased into the woods to the cottage. The result was Magdalene’s greed and vanity severing her ties with Cassandra as she was taken to safety by the Guard while Magdalene fled into the night with the infant Rapunzel.
Raising the child as her own with the strictest of guidelines to follow, in the guise of care for Rapunzel’s safety, Magdalene took her own parents’ example and sheltered the girl beyond reason, allotting her only what could appease her boredom, but not her intellect. Often speaking down to her and insulting her self confidence, Magdalene’s style of parenting was manipulative, masked with soft words and sweet falsehoods. The isolation was even more damaging, Magdalene forbidding the girl any friends. The worst occurred when Rapunzel was spirited away by a group associated with Corona, and when she finally returned, a confrontation over Rapunzel’s family and history ensued. The confrontation grew to conflict, and in the struggle, Magdalene stabbed Rapunzel’s new companion Flynn in the side, in what should have mortally wounded him. However, Rapunzel’s ability to heal him prevailed, despite Flynn Rider’s actions in cutting her hair. With the loss of the source of her magic, Magdalene threw herself into her books and archives, searching desperately for a new way to retain her youth. The answer, she found, was in Arendelle. Books detailing whispers of yet another flower, a rose, which might grant magic to the one who wielded it. And Magdalene desired control of it above most else. Inserting herself into the position of Mona Elise Gaertner, an archivist and historian in Arendelle’s royal library, Magdalene set to work finding a way to acquire the rose for herself. Fortunately for her, not just one flower, but two, appeared in her Arendelle circle. With Rapunzel’s relocation, Magdalene found that it was quite easy to manipulate the girl into an alliance, even making good on a promise for information on what she knew about Rapunzel, the Sundrop, and the Rose. Her feelings towards Cass, however, are conflicting, and while Cassandra seems not to recognize Magdalene, Magdalene surely recognizes Cass. Though Magdalene is overall pleased that her new station gives her an influence over any scholarship one might find in the archives, she’s just as pleased to witness the different parties of Arendelle vying for it.
Magdalene is heavily in favor of magic, especially as it has been her ticket to prolonged youth. While she isn’t fond of others with power over her, this mostly stems back to her unappeasable need for authority and autonomy. In an academic sense, she finds satisfaction in learning about magic, especially if she can find a magic to use of her own.
Anna Ardelle: While searching through the royal archives, Magdalene stumbled upon a history of the royal family, hoping any ledgers that historical aristocracy had may hold secrets to the rose. Instead, Magdalene found an interesting secret relating to Anna, and guards that secret close should she ever need to hold it over the young socialite’s head.
James Ratigan: A co-conspirator of hers. Magdalene would be remiss to call him a friend; she hasn’t had one of those in decades. But he’s someone she’s able to talk to about her life and her exploits. Someone she can put just a sprinkling of trust into.
Hubert Duck: A young man who often comes into the library, always asking more questions than she thinks is necessary. But for as much trouble as he seems, he does seem to have a respect for learning new things as he tries to find his path in the world.
Faceclaim: Michelle Gomez
Faceclaim Change: Not Allowed
Availability: Taken
