Andrea of Castrov
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Andrea Laila de Castro also known regally as Andrea of Castrov or Andreja of Asterleigh was the Queen consort of Norland as the wife to King Jevan Ruric, for a mere two years from 1640 - 1642 before the Siege of Vjorhelm and his later disappearance. She was the last Queen consort of the Eiriksson Ruric bloodline, with Jevan's brother and successor, King Jory Ruric, having no consort of his own.
Biography
Early life
The exact birth date of Andrea of Asterleigh is not known, but speculated to have been in the month of the Sun’s Smile, 1614, in the Castrov, Courland. She was born to parents Gonzalo de Castro and his wife, Pearl de Savin. Gonzalo’s notorious nature with women left her as one of his many children and a lack of early education as a child, save for the tutelage under her relative, the Baron of Castrov and Grand Knight under the reign of Tobias I of Courland.
Well-respected and finely mannered, Sir Elias remained adamant on the young girl’s education in etiquette and horse-riding. A year following her birth, however, in 1615 the Kingdom of Courland dissolved to the Principality of Evreux. Uncertain of their future as potential vassals under the sixth empire, led by Emperor John V, the loyal House de Castro looked upon their leader, King Joseph I, with favor and hopes of guidance. There was none, as it was alleged that the king had been overthrown by his son, Prince Henry Richard (a five year old boy), while other historians claim Joseph I left with only a writ of abdication to his son and nothing else.
Andrea maintained a quiet life under her mentor, Sir Elias, whilst occasionally seeing her father upon his occasional appearance in her life. Her mother had almost never been seen, and instead there were many other women accompanying her father who attempted to fulfill a motherly role for Andrea– but swiftly did one leave and another gave a hand at the same tactics. These estranged relations with her paternal figure came to a halt as his focus, as well as Sir Elias’s focus, had been moved towards rebellion with the dissatisfaction of being under rule of the Holy Orenian Empire and the young Prince-Regent Henry.
Sir Elias left Andrea in the early morning to leave for the palace of Aleksandria where he had been summoned. When he returned, news had spread across the land that the houses of de Savin and de Castro had drawn swords after a heated argument regarding their vassalization under the empire, leading to the death of numerous Evreuxian guards and the Archchancellor Prince Frederick. Although Andrea had been far too young to understand the consequence of these actions that inevitably led to the Santegian Rebellion in 1617, she had spent the rest of her childhood in and out of hiding. Her family’s actions were denounced as traitorous and Emperor John V demanded Sir Elias, Baron of Castrov, and her grandfather Abdessamad de Savin, Duke of Savinia, relinquish their titles and lands. The refusal led to war, and a coalition had been formed against the empire supporting her family. Although the Kingdom of Santegia had begun in its beginning formations, the House de Castro, including Andrea, remained in Castrov until the conclusion of the war. They were made vassals for only a few months’ times under the Kingdom of Norland, having been allies with them during the war, but with the ascension of Abdessamad as King Abdes I of Santegia and his wife, Lady Susanne de Castro, the family relocated again to the newly formed kingdom.
The de Castros remained in Santegia where they were treated akin to royals, lavishly dining with their de Savin relatives and garnering multiple council positions. It had been the first time Andrea had seen a full meal in years with several shortages throughout the war. There, she received a proper education as the granddaughter of King Abdes I and was pulled into court life. She adored the flowing dresses and the hundreds of brightly worn colors or orange and red painted ceilings of the palace. Thus began a crave for more and a constant need for the lifestyle that had never truly been her own; having been raised in war and constant change, and moving frequently throughout her life due to her family’s controversial allegiances. The Barony of Asterleigh was granted to the de Castros late in 1617 with Sir Elias at the head, where Andrea was attended by several servantry, handmaidens, and tutors. Life remained peaceful and practically untouched for the young de Castro isolated by a small portion of land surrounded in water.
Marriage
It was not until the mid 1620s that Sir Elias brought Andrea to a feast in Vjorhelm to introduce her to the young Prince Jevan– the eldest son of King Javier. Although there had been no assurance of his ascension to the throne succeeding his father, it had often been rumored he was the primary candidate for when the Kingsmoot was to congregate. After the initial introduction, Andrea was given a house in the city and offered to visit the palace frequently. Sir Elias later cautioned Andrea, albeit being the one who brought her to the Highlander kingdom, that should she find herself in a marriage with Prince Jevan, she may be seen and treated akin to an outcast. Against her mentor’s warnings, Andrea left the Barony of Asterleigh and entirely relocated to Vjorhem around 1631.
To honor the previous alliance between the de Castros and the Kingdom of Norland during the Santegian Rebellion, their brief time as vassals, and the alliance made during the ongoing Third Crusade, a betrothal was arranged between Prince Jevan and Andrea in the late 1630s. However, before the marriage could occur, an elaborate conversion of faith occurred in the throne room where Andrea’s religion had been henceforth declared in the Red Faith over her Canonist roots to showcase her defiance against the crusade and desire to be a princess, moreover a queen (something that, since her exquisite and lavish experiences in Santegia, she had desired greatly). Sir Elias struggled to support the future marriage, although he did not stop it and allowed (quite unusual for the time) for Andrea to choose her own path. The relationship between Andrea and the rest of her family had taken a great blow as she left the Canonist Faith in order to marry the Norland prince.
In the first month of 1640, in a private ceremony with only Norlandic courtiers and members of the Red Faith, Andrea was wed to Prince Jevan. She hadn’t worn a traditional gown that she had often seen at weddings, instead donning an entirely crimson dress. However, immediately following the short wedding, the cautions in which Sir Elias had warned his careless apprentice of– began to show in full. At the hand of the prince, now her husband, an enemy to the Kingdom of Norland was beheaded before her eyes. It had been said that the prince laughed at the beheaded woman, leaving Andrea in a state of horror. Andrea kept to herself for weeks following the bloody execution, locked in the confines of her royal apartments.
As Queen consort of Norland
On the 12th of the Deep Cold, 1640, Jevan was crowned as the King of Norland upon his father’s abdication after the loss at the Battle of Rochdale. In the midst of the throne room, Javier declared he was no longer to be the king and that his eldest son would follow. Swift preparations for a coronation were made. Andrea remained in quietude at his side throughout the procession, and henceforth along with her husband ascended to the position as Queen consort. It had been a role long since desired by Andrea, but her own impulsive decisions to be married into royalty left her terrified of the future– alone in a foreign nation, with her homeland no longer as allies in the ongoing crusade. In the year that she had been deemed Queen, almost the entire defending coalition against the crusaders disbanded.
Her first cousin, Leoiarizaltzu Salbatzaile de Savin, more commonly known as King Leo I of Santegia declared allegiance against Norland after having previously been their allies. With all of her family supportive and fighting for Santegia, save for herself as Queen of Norland, Andrea fell into bouts of depression and refused visitors. She often had been seen dwelling on her actions, lamenting on the price of the thorn crown of her husband– particularly as the Third Crusade drew to a close in 1641.
Moreover, signs of rebellion and unrest began to show amongst the people. The dreams of queenship and endless dining in the feast hall was all but that– a dream, for Andrea. Her time as consort turned swiftly into a nightmare as her husband attempted to quell the uprising in the kingdom led by Arthas and Exander Ruric (as a result of his declaration that the Red Faith had no longer been the official religion of Norland). Jevan refused any invitations to a moot, which might question his rule (as several people had attempted to do), further leading to a common dislike of his rule. The ruling pair could not outlast a fate that was soon to arrive them, however, as Renatian Crusaders and their allies were on their way to the capital city. Thus began the five-month Siege of Vjorhelm.
On a multitude of occasions, Andrea attempted to flee the city in fear of her life but found herself unable to either by citizenry, her husband ensuring she remained behind city walls, and the enemy forces outside. Terrified of what was to come and having no choice but to remain in the city, Andrea attempted to write a series of letters to her family in the final moments of the siege. She had grown hungry, as whilst the commoners starved so did she (having been used to a fairly exquisite diet as well). The desperate queen begged numerous men and women to act as peaceful couriers to send out the letters, pleading for help from her cousin (who had turned on Norland) and his wife, Soraya. The letters never left her own hands, as all citizens panicked whilst the crusaders drew in nearer and nearer to overtaking Vjorhelm– none desiring to act as couriers in their moment of deepest fear for their lives.
Death
In the final moments before the city was overtaken and ransacked, Andrea attempted to find her husband and other members of the court. Jevan had fled the city, leaving her behind in the aftermath and for what was to come. Knowing the nature of the Renatians, and their utter hatred for the Norlandic people, Andrea took her own life by a knife to the throat before the Crusaders could reach her apartments in the palace.
Issue
King Jevan Ruric and his consort, Andrea of Castrov were said to have never had any children before the end of Jevan’s reign with the Siege of Vjorhelm. There were rumors of potential children, although never have been officially declared or written in proper history.
