Aileana Ashlan*

Contents 1 Aileana Ainsley Iva Rose Ashlan 2 Summary of things Known 3 Her Younger Years 4 Coming to Court 5 Solo Duchess 6 Peace Time

[edit] Aileana Ainsley Iva Rose Ashlan

Aileana Ashlan is a very layered character. She's one of the most well known in court for her down to earth attitude and frequent parties, but there is a more dangerous side that few really get to see or know. Some may simply blame the darker side on her spouse, but whatever causes it is a secret kept deeply hidden -- maybe for her own protection.

[edit] Summary of things Known

This is the abbreviated version of things that are available for general public knowledge with inquiry about Duchess Green Fields. The more detailed tale follows this list:

• She was betrothed shortly after birth to Lord Phineas Forester, the thirteen year her senior second son of a Baron.
• Her older brother, Aaron, died in June, 494 in a riding accident after his horse spooked. This left her the heir of the Duchy when she was 10.
• One year later her little sister Emily was born.
• From the death of her brother until the death of her Mother from a fever in 498, Aileana spent the majority of her time doing anything she could in mischievous measure to try to prove that she wasn't appropriate Duchess material. Her schemes merely ended in enough trouble that she finally resigned herself to her lot in life. Some credit her Mother's death to the change in attitude.
• She studied dutifully from the age of 13 until 16 when her marriage contract was finally executed in September, 500. One week later the couple was dragged away from their honeymoon with the news that her Father died of apparent heart failure. The couple was soon raised to Ducal leadership, and Aileana took to her role rather well by openly showing affection for her lands and the people that live on them.
• On the year anniversary of her Father's death, the Duchess managed to get a confession from her husband that he was responsible for her Brother and Father's death. Events transpired soon after that had the Duke stripped of his title, branded, whipped and put into servitude to her for 10 years. The marriage stayed intact. She now has to take on the solo role of Duchess.
• On February 22, 502 a new role was given to the Duchess when she became Mother to the next Duke of Green Fields, Marquis Sheriden Ashlan.
• The young woman loves animals of all exotic and traditional varieties. She had a menagerie in her tower that later moved out to the village near the University for all to enjoy.
• On May 20, 503 she gave birth to twin girls, Ivari and Iphigenia or more affectionately called Ivy & Fig.
• The saga of the Ashlan Duchess continued in October, 503 when her husband attempted to kill Duke Raziel of Mists and shortly after accusations of him being a demon worshiper were made public. He escaped capture, but rumors have spread through bards on Green Fields that are contrary to other Isle's popular opinion. Sightings of him in the presence of Aileana are also rumored.
• On April 1, 504 she gave birth to her second set of twins on a ship outside of the barrier, Caedmon and Cedric.
• Can't get enough Ashlan drama? After the Emperor took a leave of absence, the Empress pardoned all of Phineas's crimes and reinstated him as Duke.
• On June 3, 505 she gave birth to her next daughter Ainsley, this one named after her Mother.
• On July 7,506,she gave birth to her next set of twins: Jobediah and Jillian. She claims she's done with babies.
• In November of 506, her husband left on a ship with very little details to his destination. Since then, the Duchess has been ruling alone again, but this time with a far more serious perspective than in the past. In general, she's seemed more withdrawn with people and not likely to change it.
• In May 507, Phineas returned with his brother Phoenix during the spring festival looking very orange and smelling worse than any two men could possibly smell. Really. Despite the stench and claims of being done with having babies, the Duchess turned up pregnant shortly after the Duke's return.
• November 15, 507, Aileana lost the baby boy she was carrying due to preterm labor. This happened at the beginning of the Harvest celebration, and the Ducal family kept it very quiet to the point of continuing to make brief appearances at events and the Duchess still wearing her maternity clothing. Reasons behind the silence have not been disclosed.
• On June 29, 508 rumor crept out of the Green Field's tower that Aileana actually killed her husband. When she was later seen in public, she was bruised as if beaten and not denying the killing. No charges were made against her at that time, so a claim of self-defense seems logical.
• October 22, 508, was the day Aileana Ashlan breathed her last. Though it wasn't certain at first where she was when the great shaking of Gateway Isle happened, it soon came out later that she was one of those that presumably attempted to sealed the Gate from the threat of demon kind. Without anyone being certain it's true yet, it's possible she had the finest hour of heroism, or maybe just her greatest deadly deed. Death numbers and property damage difficult to count made up the tragedy that swept across the Empire because of the affects of what was done at the gate. Hero or villain? Everyone has an opinion, but without a doubt, the woman lived as fully as a life ever could.

[edit] Her Younger Years

Her childhood was spent near exclusively on the Fields, particularly the capital city of Asheart. There was an occasional trip to Gateway with her parents, but her happier times were spent out in the fields picking wild flowers, learning how to hunt, getting a brawling lesson or ten from her older brother, and dealing with just enough schooling to prove her noble heritage. She does not remember far enough back to the time before she was betrothed to Phineas, and grew up looking at him as much as a brother as her own sibling.

All of that changed when she was ten, and her brother tumbled from his normally calm horse and did not survive the accident. Suddenly, the young girl that had always been content to play in meadows and attend parties all of her days found herself a Marchioness. This is not a place she wanted to be. Though she may have had some bouts with mischief prior to this change in her history, it was nothing like the wild creature she became after. Clearly, her way of handling grief was to reject the title she was expected to take, and did everything in her power to be disinherited from it. The antics only grew when a year after her brother's death, her younger sister Emily was born.

There was no doubt rumor to the sad state that Green Fields would become if Aileana ever took the leadership role, but her parents insisted publicly that she would be ready when the time came. Privately, they were pretty sure they (or anyone else available) could paddle her enough or have her kneel on corn kernels enough that her behavior would change before they died. Older Green Fielders and especially those around the noble houses could easily recall an event or ten that made notable gossip when she was younger.

Her rebellion did end though, and it happened as abruptly as it started. In her thirteenth year, her Mother and extremely beloved Green Fields Duchess died of a sudden fever. The chip was left on the girl's shoulder, a ghost to constantly whisper in her ear that her Mother never knew she could be a good leader of Green Fields. Now, she had something else to prove. For the next two years, she poured herself into learning the position that would one day be hers.

[edit] Coming to Court

Aileana came to court a few months before turning sixteen when the newly crowned Emperor reinstated the Ducal council. She was accompanying her Father to step in at points where he needed assistance, and to get her feet wet in the newly forming Gateway political structure. At that time, the biggest plan for young Marchioness was a wedding being planned shortly after she turned sixteen on September 10. There were a few mildly controversial events hosted by the young woman prior to the execution of the long held marriage contract. One was a birthday party for herself with no permission from the one to pay the bills -- her Father! Rumor has it that she was going to have to get a job to pay for her own wedding after that. Her second controversial party was a Bachelorette party for herself where the Keeper showed up in the Tepidarium to bride shop among the naked girls. Duke Lazarus's sister was one of the girls among the party, and to vindicate his sister's honor, he punched the Emperor landing him in the water and landing Mists in a bad state of trade for the currents being stopped to the Isle. Though none of the smaller controversies were anything like the grand tower hoe-down where guests got a little too friendly on the hay covered Green Field's tower floor. There is still talk of this event among those who were there and the mechanical bull introduced at this party soon found its way to the local taverns until it came to rest in the Isle of Ale.

On September 22, 500 Phineas and Aileana finally married after a fifteen year betrothal period. The marriage celebration was a grand affair with a massive groom price of all things Green Fields from silk to livestock paid to the Forester family.

The first trial of their marriage came on October 1, 500 when Aileana received word on her honeymoon that her Father died of heart failure. The couple cut off their festivities to mourn and take on the mantle of Duke and Duchess Green Fields.

Aileana always felt she was too young for the role, but with an older husband, the team managed to beat odds of age differences, major personality differences, and a forced union to surface as a strong couple that everyone knew was very much in love. Of course, the fact of the affection could be helped by the way the couple blatantly mentioned how frequently they found time to tumble each other, and soon started bringing their bed play out to the village, a new tradition starting for the newlyweds. The Emperor did playfully try to stop the new behavior by sending knights to watch them in an alley once, but that may have backfired with how much the couple loved being watched.

Oddly, with the Green Fielder expectation of their Duchess proving to be fertile immediately and this not being the case, there was plenty of talk about the couple being unable to get the job done. Eight months into the marriage, the rumor was broken by the announcement of Aileana's first pregnancy.

Four months after the happy announcement, on the first anniversary of their wedding and after a rather adventurous evening of christening the crow's nest of the newest Naval ship -- the Alleyrose, everything changed...

[edit] Solo Duchess

No one really knows what happened when the Ducal couple returned from their overly affectionate display in the Crow's Nest that night, but by morning things had drastically change. What started out in whispers through the Imperial level of court soon ended up in the arrest of Duke Phineas.

There was no trial. Very few details were released. Many still do not understand how or why the marriage remained in tact, but it did. After the Duke endured a public sentencing of title stripping, branding, and ten year servitude into the Ducal household, the Duchess was left to shoulder the responsibilities of the Isle alone though many knew that the Duke was still heavily involved in helping with the books and the same solid support he'd always given. Though in all of the pressures brought on by extra responsibilities, Aileana grew in her role and soon was able to depend less and less on the knowledge the Duke held towards the position. This transition led to some rather colorful arguments between the couple that seemed to erupt without warning and in any venue. Sometimes it left in them going to make up, often...it didn't.

In the years between Oct, 501 and January, 505 when her husband was reinstated as Duke, Aileana became a mother five times over. Her sixth came a few months later, so clearly the couple couldn't have been fighting too much. The controversy is that two pregnancies occurred when Phineas was a wanted man for demon worship and another murder charge. Getting Aileana to talk about the truth of all of the rumor may prove challenging, but no doubt there are some interesting stories there.

One thing that has marked the Duchess of Green Fields is her generosity to people in need. Even when the most dirty of rumors may have been circulating about her husband and demon worship, she continually offered a helping hand to those in need.

[edit] Peace Time

Since January, 505, the Ducal couple may seem to be a little different. Aileana in particular has a harder time adjusting than some might expect. Perhaps it's natural that after the thrill of trial and making decisions on her own, that peace would come more difficult -- almost dull in its day to day activities. There aren't huge fights like the servitude days between she and the Duke, but more quiet distance creeps in on occasion. Obviously, it's not all distance since another pregnancy has been announced.

It also seems as if the party animal Duchess has quieted to a casual attender of events now and again. Some may attribute that to just growing older. Either way, things change, and the story of this young woman continues.