Character Introduction: Ivanya

Welcome to the third character introduction for my WIP, The Descendants of Drasia: The Prequel. Let's get right into it.

Character Introduction:Ivanya

First of all, I will say (since some people have asked) the pronunciation of her name is "ee-VAHN-ya."

1. What does she look like?

Ivanya is a bit of what I would call a raw beauty. She has extremely long, wavy light blonde hair and blue-grey eyes (fun fact: blonde hair and blue eyes were considered a height of beauty in the medieval ages, which is when this story is based). She is around 5'6" with a feminine figure (as in certainly not anorexic but by no means overweight). Her jawline is soft with fairly defined cheekbones, and often carries a very resolute demeanor.


2. How old is she?

Ivanya is around 21 years of age.

3. In three words, describe her personality.

Strong-willed. Rebellious. Passionate.


4. Who IS Ivanya?

Ivanya de Monfort is the only living relative of King Ewan of Drasia; she is his niece, the daughter of Ewan's sister who died in childbirth. (For such a powerful family, they were small, having been plagued by deaths of sickness and war.) Her father, Amis de Monfort, was viceroy of Caeron, a smaller land barely within the boundaries of Drasia, and he fought alongside King Ewan in the great battle against Oedria, where he was killed. King Ewan then took Ivanya to his kingdom to raise her himself, for she was only a year old, and his own wife was dead, leaving him childless and without an heir to his throne.

Ivanya was accessible to every pleasure and comfort of the highest royal family, but she had the wild spirit of her father still within her heart. Her strong will provided to be a nuisance to the king, for she proved to share none of his views on the way the lands worked. Opinionated, Ivanya often spoken when she was to be silent and defied the boundaries the king had set for her.

She was not simply a rebellious, high-spirited child; she was lonely, for to be the only child in a castle of which she must remain meant hours on end of keeping her own company. Ivanya was also plagued with nightmares of her father's death, for though she did not have much memory of him, she had an active imagination and often wondered how he died. The one person that held her up in this time was a young man, Frederic, who was a squire on the journey of becoming a knight. He was nine years her senior, but always paid special attention to her, and they became like brother and sister. He was a sensible person, but he too secretly encouraged her to have opinions and understood her loneliness and frustration.

5. Does she have any habits?

Basically her only habit is doing the opposite of what she is told.

6. What are some things she treasures?

She treasures any moment she can sneak away from the castle and spend time in solitude.

7. What does she passionately hate?

Restrictions. She is also against the harshness of the king's decrees on the fire breathers and dragon riders, though having never met one herself causes curiosity and uncertainty towards them. When you have been consistently fed with words of hatred towards them, one can't help but judge at least slightly.

8. Any special markings, treasured items?

Her sapphire hilted dagger was her father's, and she as a small silver box that was her mother's.

9. Would I describe Ivanya as a likable character?

Definitely. I believe Ivanya is a very relatable character. Though the average person may not face not being able to freely leave their home or an arranged marriage, at some point or another, everyone feels trapped. Ivanya is someone trying to discover who she is, and she is faced with many challenges and choices that will affect her life. Also, not only does Ivanya stand strongly for her beliefs, she has wit, courage, and spirit (a.k.a. yes, I mean attitude) which makes her a fun character to write.

10. If she had one quote to describe her, what would it be?

"Hurt me with the truth but never comfort me with a lie." (credit to whoever said this.) This quote is Ivanya exactly. She despises being lied to and would much rather suffer the pain of the truth than live a lie. Her own speech is comprised of plain speaking, and she'll never sugar-coat anything, no matter how offensive it may be to the recipient.

Here is Ivanya's pinterest board: http://pinterest.com/wildwestfantasy/character-board-ivanya/

One more main character (of the girls) to go! Please come back!