Emberlei Prester

Emberlei Prester is the Lady of Feastfires by her marriage to Lord Abelar Prester. She is the only daughter of Ser Robar Russart, a landed knight and bannerman to House Prester. She has two elder brothers, Willem and Polivar, and Lady Alys, her mother. Emberlei knew an unremarkable childhood at Beacon Tower, the seat of House Russart, and was a ward of Lady Olenna Upwind, her aunt, from the age of ten until she was seventeen. In 431, at the age of twenty, she was married to Abelar Prester, then the heir to Feastfires, to whom she is still married and has a daughter and son by. Since 438 AC, Emberlei has been a lady-in-waiting to Tysane Lannister, and has become a bedmate and lover to the Lady of the Rock. Presently she is accompanying Tysane in King's Landing, in the aftermath of King Aegon VII's passing and the hazardous transition to King Daeron III's reign.

Appearance and Character
One might think the Lady Prester to be a quiet, perhaps somewhat aloof figure upon first meeting her, but such assumptions can seldom last more than a half hour in her presence. Emberlei is sociable and courteous, with a dry wit and an honest charm that has endeared her to many before and continues endearing her to this day. Though not especially intelligent, outside of her capabilities as a healer, Emberlei is more than capable of keeping herself in conversations even as they turn towards more esoteric matters - until an opportunity to subtly retreat is given. Though often dry and sarcastic, even a little cynical at times, Emberlei is a far more passionate woman than she gives herself credit for, especially in matters of desire and affection. For years, these passions have been ignored or suppressed, and often they have thus fueled anxiety in herself and further hostility towards her husband for his far less heated approaches to intimacy. Only recently has she truly begun to explore them, eagerly guided by Tysane Lannister, her liege and occasioned lover.

Emberlei had never been a pretty child, portly and plump like most women of House Russart with blotchy pale skin and features that lacked definition. But as she grew into maidenhood, and eventually womanhood, Emberlei's form and bearing matured much to her benefit, and eventually made her quite fetching among other maids and young women. There is a softness to Emberlei's countenance, and a lively glint in her eyes, which has often given her an edge in charming or calming those she is around. She can appear aloof and haughty when she so desires, but far more often she is bright and warm, her expressive brown eyes at once soothing and exciting. Her form is fleshy and womanly, boasting a voluptuous bust and motherly hips that were already taking form even when she was a maiden still. Her hair is a dark shade of chestnut, with a natural tendency to curl. She wears it long, though braided or pinned up so as not to seem unkempt.

History
Emberlei was born to Ser Robar Russart and his wife, Lady Alys, on the 17th Day of the 9th Moon in the year 411 AC. Emberlei was a healthy child from the start, of good stock from both her father's and mother's sides of the family. Her childhood was unremarkable, given some instruction with regards to reading and writing, and far more instruction on the typical subjects of a highborn girl; dancing, singing, playing of instruments, courtesies and proper behavior. Emberlei was always close with her elder brothers, Willem and Polliver, who were guided firmly by their father to be kind and protective towards their little sister.

At the age of ten, Emberlei was sent to be warded with her aunt, Lady Olenna Upwind. Olenna was a boisterous and bold woman, unlikely anyone Emberlei had until then encountered, and the young girl was tutored further in the ways of the world - some vulgar and many of them ribald - as she grew into a maid under her aunt's guidance. Around the age of thirteen, Emberlei developed a fascination with the work of healers and maesters, and her aunt instructed - with some twisting of arms and ears  - the maester of Upwind Castle to teach her all he could about the healing of wounds (of the sort her husband and sons might know) and the curing of sicknesses or pains. These are among the few scholarly pursuits Emberlei has ever truly felt compelled towards, preferring to spend most of her time in song, dance, riding, or gossiping with other ladies. Or, increasingly in those years of her youth, flirting with boys. Having been plain and crude in her childhood, as Emberlei matured into beauty she began getting far more attention than had ever been known, but her aunt was not a woman to be trifled with and was quite effective at keeping potential suitors on their best behavior, lest her niece be seduced or defiled.

Olenna may have done too good a job, for Emberlei eventually found herself nearing the age of twenty and still without any serious suitors for her hand in marriage. It was then that, partially through the will of her parents and aunt and partially through her own pressing, she was presented to Ser Abelar Prester, the heir to Feastfires, to which her father and aunt were both sworn. From the start, the Heir to Feastfires and the daughter of Ser Robar felt a profound connection, their minds being similar and their behaviors complementary. Only a few weeks after their first meeting, Abelar announced his attention to marry her. Emberlei had been thrilled by such a match, and pleased by her new husband. Soon the pair of them had a daughter, Sansa, whom Emberlei has always doted after. But the machinations of others would put the couple's happiness into question, with the coming of The Bleeding, and The War of Three Banners.

Emberlei had been reassuring and affectionate towards Abelar, when first he rode east to aid House Lannister in putting an end to the rebellion by the Reynes among others. While Abelar and the hosts of Feastfires were away, the Hold was descended upon by the forces of House Westerling, eventually forced to yield. Emberlei spent those long months in a state of constant fear, imagining a hundred awful circumstances she might find herself in, at the mercy of occupiers in a civil war the likes of that one. It was not until Abelar returned, with the remnants of Feastfire's battered hosts, from the Battle of Three Capes, that Emberlei felt herself at ease once again, finding comfort in her husband's arms even as his mind wandered away from her.

Abelar's later decision to ride east with Lady Tysane caused a rift in their marriage which has only recently begun to be mended. With the war still far from over, Emberlei had pleaded for Abelar to follow his father's advice and remain at Feastfires, where all felt he was needed more than on the warpath. But Abelar would hear none of it, disregarding her entirely and speaking harshly to her for the first time in their marriage. Emberlei's dread grew into despair, and that despair quickly twisted itself into resentment. Though she would give him a son after the war, and would never truly forsake his embraces, Emberlei and Abelar lived three long years in a bitterly cold state.

Recent History
With her husband's appointment as overseer of Lannisport's reconstruction in 438 AC, Emberlei joined Lady Tysane Lannister's retinue as a lady-in-waiting. Emberlei found herself awed by the Lady Lannister, her lively and bold demeanor, her beauty and sensuality, and above all her boldness. Not even Olenna Upwind had been as bold as Tysane Lannister, and that boldness was contagious and exciting. Emberlei has, since joining Lady Tysane's retinue, become the Lady of the Rock's occasioned lover as well as her Lady-in-Waiting. She has even, recently, begun to increasingly desire Lord Jon, Lady Tysane's husband, as a lover. A desire which Tysane has fueled, and arguably planted the seeds of to begin with. Emberlei has awoken passions in herself that she never fully understood, and these passions have been directed towards her husband as well as her lovers - potential and actual. Both she and Abelar, despite her inclinations towards infidelity which he remains unaware of - have begun slowly to reconcile, or at least learn again to live together.

Stats & Info
Attribute: Gregarious [+2CHA, +1REP]

Allotted Points: 14

Social Status: Bannerman (Consort to Lord Abelar Prester) [+2REP]

Skills: Diplomacy, Diversion, Healing