Elena Skylock

Elena Skylock was born to Erran and Daniella Skylock, former King and Queen of Skylock. With Daniella being 47 when she got pregnant with Elena, the whole kingdom had waited with fear as she carried the royal family’s second child. Elena was born without complications. Her only sibling was Niall Skylock. She was born Princess Elena Skylock. Elena was born two months after her father Erran had died unexpectedly, and her brother Niall had been crowned King. There was a twenty-two year gap between Niall and Elena. She lived in the family wing of the caslt in the bedroom next to her mother, down the hall from her older brother and his wife, Queen Kier.

Niall ensured his sister had access to the best tutors and all the books she could want. When Elena was six, her brother and sister-in-law had their first son Layton. In Skylock tradition, the grandfather of the first child would name them and give them their middle name, but since Erran Skylock had died, the family let Elena choose the name of Niall and Kier’s first son, and she is the one who chose the name Layton. That same year, Elena’s mother Daniella decided she no longer wanted to be in the public eye, and left the castle to ride and explore the rest of the world. She offered Elena the option to come with her but Elena was young and didn’t feel ready. So Niall offered for her to stay with them, and she accepted.

Elena lived in the castle with her brother for another two years. When she was eight, she realized that it did not feel like the place she was meant to be, so she decided to go and live with the Skylock’s distant relatives in Tunngas. Moving and living in Tunngas gave Elena her first taste of both independence, and adventure. In her time at the castle, Elena had become very close to her sister-in-law Kier, and the two kept up their friendship by sending letter correspondences multiple time a week. Tht friendship, and that correspondence, kept up through the rest of their lives. She also became very close with Layton, having spent the first two years of his life playing with him in his nursery, and eventually they became extremely close friends, also sending letters back and forth as often as they could.

The first time she returned to Skylock after moving was for the birth of her niece Amir, who was born when Elena was nine, and continued to return for all of her nephews births. She also returned for her mother’s funeral, Daniella dying when Elena was thirteen.

When Elena was fifteen, she made a choice few had made before, but something that just felt right: she gave up her royal title, no longer Princess Elena, but able to just be Elena.

A year later, along with her best friend Nuna, they took to horses and decided to spend the rest of their lives travelling, as adventurers, following in her mother’s footsteps. She always made sure to appear every few months at the Skylock castle and see her family, especially her nephew Layton and niece Amir. When Layton died, word didn’t reach Elena until three days after his funeral, and she rode home to find her grieving family. Elena sat with Amir every moment until her oighre coronation.

After Layton died, she made a commitment to keeping a closer eye on her family, getting copies of every newspaper from Skylock, and the surrounding Kingdoms, having them sent to her by secret messengers. She was most excited when the serial about her niece Amir started appearing in the papers sent to her. She didn’t make it back for her 17th birthday, but she sent gifts from her travels and a long hand written letter, and made sure she was there at Amir’s 18th birthday.

When her brother got sick, Elena was notified immediately, and she came home. She was angry at Kier and the advisors for choosing to keep the truth of Niall’s condition secret from Amir, throwing her into the acting-sovereign position without all the details. But she agreed to keep her mouth shut, staying at the castle to keep an eye on her niece. When the Summons was put in place to officially make Amir the queen, Elena was there to support her family. She continued to stay, helping with the plans for Amir’s coronation, taking part as one of the people to escort her to the throne. And she stayed and helped plan her niece’s wedding, watching her walk down the aisle and smiling the whole time.

Elena was often questioned why she never had any relationships with people of any gender, why she had never gotten married. She hinted to Amir that she didn’t feel romantic or other feelings for other people, and she preferred her own company and her own adventures, with the few friends she surrounded herself with. She also hinted that she knew Layton, whom she had been extremely close to, was the same way.

Elena was admired across the realms and by her niece and nephews for her spontaneity, adventures, charm, and the excitement she brought with her wherever she went.