Leyla Toland

Leyla is the middle child and eldest daughter of Lord Anders and Lady Lorna Dalt. Twenty one years old, she was born in 418AC, two years after her brother Andrey and two years before her sister Larra. Leyla has been a resident of Ghost Hill for the past year, since her arranged marriage to Mors Toland came to fruition in the early months of 438AC.

Appearance and Character
Leyla is a very beautiful woman, with gold-brown hair and matching eyes that catch the light and shine like honey, and a light tan on her skin. She is just as comfortable in the wisps of silk that pass for Dornish gowns, as well as the leathers worn for the outdoors. She has a passion for archery, knives, riding, and parties, both attending and hosting. By nature she is a willful and passionate person, outgoing and outspoken, clever and cunning, well loved by her household and known for her happy and sunny disposition. This can change dramatically when she is crossed, and is prone to lose her temper spectacularly and in volatile fashion, though this is quickly cooled. Her husband Mors knows how to calm her with a look and a quiet word, and his calm and logical temperament balances the couple perfectly.

She is flirtatious by nature, toward both men and women, and is good at using her outgoing social skills and her looks to achieve her goals. On the other hand, she is also deeply jealous and possessive of Mors, and fiercely loyal to her husband and loves him wholeheartedly, despite the rocky start to their marriage. She has no issue with taking action against those who she thinks will harm her loved ones, and will do whatever she thinks is necessary to protect them, and will do so without remorse.

She dabbles in botany and has a grasp on basic poisons through her studies, and with her affiliation with her brother in law, Ulwyck. She nearly always carries a small blade in her bodice, and another strapped to her calf under her gown.

Childhood
Leyla had a fairly normal upbringing as the middle child and eldest daughter. Her brother Andrey was born two years before her, and Lord Anders' pride and joy. Larra was born two years after Leyla, and while she tolerated her sister as they grew up, Leyla did not have the time of day for her, preferring not to have her little sister following her about and being a nuisance.

Leyla was a beautiful baby, who grew into a beautiful toddler and young girl. As an infant and small child she was loud, and would scream half of Dorne down when she wasn’t placated immediately. This habit was ingrained in her for most of her life. She had a way about her though, of shrieking until she was red in the face and the nursemaids or septas were going mad with distress, then turning on a beautiful, sweet smile that gave her caregivers a lurch of the heart and made them forget that she made their lives hell.

Leyla was charismatic and charming, when she felt like it, and demonic when she felt like it. She could capture an audience with her storytelling or singing, even as a small child, and was the center of attention at almost any social gathering. Again, this was to be a useful asset for her as she grew older.

Her education was taken seriously, as her parents realized at a young age that she was a particularly precocious child. Her mother tried to tame it, to teach her self discipline and to behave more ladylike, but her father would indulge her spoiled behavior, laughing when his daughter was cheeky or argumentative, and excused plenty of her transgressions under the guise of youthful curiosity or play.

Adolescence
Her brother Andrey was a typical heir, learning weaponry and accounts and ledgers, and Leyla joined the same lessons at her own insistence. Her father allowed it, knowing that she was clever enough, and finding the notion useful as she would no doubt end up as the lady of a house of her own, though more sessions were set aside and prioritized for Andrey. As far as weaponry went, Leyla learned the art of dagger wielding and throwing, and how to passably use a bow. She was by no means a warrior in any sense, but could hunt well enough and found small blades to be a useful weapon for a young woman. From age 12, she took to hiding a tiny blade down the front of her dress.

Her lessons were also something she excelled in, and though she preferred the outdoors, she found her studies to be fascinating, especially ledgers and accounts. She also spent plenty of time with the house maester, learning botany and the uses of not only the plantlife found in Dorne, but all of Westeros and some in Essos too. She learned what the plants looked like whilst growing, and the sight, smell and properties of them when dried or otherwise preserved. This worked well with her love of riding and hunting, and would often accompany her brother, father and various other parties from Lemonwood, leaving their company to scour the countryside alone and meeting with them later on.

When Leyla was thirteen, she was sent to foster with House Toland, with Anders Dalt wishing to keep ties within Dorne strong. Leyla arrived at Ghost Hill and was placed under the care of Lord Symon Toland. Leyla took this cheerfully in stride, and quickly won over the household at Ghost Hill with her easy charm and flirtatious mischief. She quickly bonded with the youngest Dalt daughter, Ysilla, and they became fast friends in the two years that Leyla spent there. Leyla's self absorption kept her from caring about anything that happened beyond her own nose and her friendship with Ysilla, and they spent most of their time with their heads together or riding out on their own with a guard in tow. There were other Toland children - Ulwyck, Jynessa, and Mors - but they were never a fixture in Leyla's periphery. The other Toland siblings were several years older than Ysilla Toland, and the brothers especially were absent for long periods as they trained at being a lord or traveled with their father.

Upon her return home at age fifteen, life resumed with no real change. She continued to study, and took up small duties as the daughter of a lord, even going so far as organizing and hosting events, including a tourney at Lemonwood to mark the anniversary of her parents twenty fifth wedding anniversary when she was nineteen. It went well, and once again Leyla was the life of the event, charming all who traveled within their borders to attend the games and the feast as she drifted through the crowds, enrapturing men and women with her flirtatious nature and good looks.

During this event, Leyla's father received several offers for marriage to Leyla, now that she was of age, and her father turned them all down except one. After several months of ravens traveling back and forth between the lords of Lemonwood and Ghost Hill, a match was made with Mors Toland, the second son of Lord Symon. Leyla was summoned into her fathers solar and informed that within the month she was to prepare for her journey back to House Toland along with her handmaiden and her sworn shield. The terms, and even the reasoning for why this match was made, is still unknown to Leyla. Her father and Lord Symon do not speak of the agreement made when they matched their children. Leyla again took this in her stride, and while not ecstatic over the idea, she obliged good naturedly, consoled by the fact that at least she would be with her friend Ysilla again.

Recent Events
The wedding of Leyla Dalt and Mors Toland was held in the second month of 438AC, and for the first time Leyla felt herself feeling low. Mors was quiet, stoic, and logical. The opposite of the vibrant personality that Leyla was. As she said the words and was bound to him forever, she wondered how she was possibly going to stand being married to him forever. They had barely spoken before, and when they had, she had been dismissive and she was fairly sure he found her annoying.

The wedding feast was a grand event for everyone bar the wedded couple. Visually, they were a great match - Mors was dark and handsome, and she was golden and beautiful. They sat stiffly side by side, not making eye contact or speaking to each other, and when the time came to consummate their wedding it was merely an act of duty on both their parts. Any marital duties since their wedding night were performed in much the same way and were extremely rare. Both were aware of expectations required of them, but most of the time they did not even share a bed.

Their days were spent keeping as much distance from each other as possible, and when they were forced to interact it was stilted. Leyla expressed her unhappiness by being moody and sarcastic, and making sure that others knew she felt so. This continued for four months into their marriage. The atmosphere between the two was growing more tense, and the household could feel it also.

A storm blew in one day from the Sea of Dorne, one that brought howling winds and driving rains, so loud and heavy that one had to almost shout to be heard. Everyone was driven indoors for a day and a night, and Leyla found herself bored in her solar and trapped with her husband in their marital suite.

What happened that night together, only Mors and Leyla know. But the transformation of their relationship was like an ember had suddenly come to life, flaring up into a strong flame between them. The members of staff and household commented quietly to each other that it was like some magic had been conjured over them. Suddenly the married couple were tolerant and loving, compassionate and kind to each other, and shared a bed and every moment they could, with each other. And for the rest of their marriage to date it has grown stronger. They do not speak of the event that changed their dynamic, but the passion and love in their marriage is now evident to all, and they are a force to be reckoned with.

Leyla now staunchly supports Mors, and is an asset to the running of Ghost Hill, of which Mors is castellan for his brother Ulwyck.

Family Tree

 * Anders Dalt
 * m. Lorna Dalt
 * Andrey Dalt (Brother, 23 years)
 * **Leyla Dalt** (OC)
 * m. Mors Toland
 * Larra Dalt (Sister, 19 years)