Bethsaida Emil Galare

The former heir to the Eldritch throne.

Pronounced beth-SYE-dah.

Physical Appearance

Sea-green eyes . Heart-shaped face, with a peak in her hairline in the center.

Biography

At some point after leaving Escutcheon, Bethsaida was captured and enslaved by the Chatcaava, earning favor for Third-Who-Was, who arranged it. She was delivered to the Emperor's palace on the Throneworld. There, a pair of fellow alien slaves, a Malarai and a Tam-illee, attempted to shield her from touch; they placed themselves between her and Chatcaava, and slept in the doorway of the closet where Bethsaida slept to guard the entrance. They were ultimately unable to do so, and Bethsaida was presented to the court in a white shift and a silver collar set with opals. Bethsaida developed a strong touch sensitivity, ultimately resulting in a comalike unconsciousness. Nevertheless, the Emperor planned to rape her before the entire court, which would undoubtedly kill her.

Lisinthir Nase Galare and the Slave Queen hatched a plot, with assistance from Fleet, to help the slaves escape. The plan required the Queen to Touch Bethsaida and take her pattern, and then Change to impersonate her for the presentation. Bethsaida was unable to tolerate her touch for long enough for the Touch to be completed, so the Queen took Lisinthir's pattern instead.

The rescue was successful and Bethsaida was returned to her home, traumatized but intact. She later sent a message of thanks to Lisinthir and the Queen.

After the war ended, Bethsaida had recovered enough to go on a tour of Escutcheon's convents. She was accompanied by Jahir's brother Amber, and her writings about her experiences were published in the broadsheet's "Letters to the Editor" section. The tour and the writings were generally believed to be a plot against the new heir, Sediryl Nuera Galare. She was also grooming Amber to provoke a duel with Lisinthir at the investiture (which failed because Lisinthir refused to rise to the bait), possibly by using previously-unknown mind powers.

Died, killed by Amber.

Family

• Mother: Doriel Emil Galare
• Father: Shaliver Jesa Galare

Timeline

• Recovered from the Empire in late 480 BA by Lisinthir and returned home.
• After Baniel's death in Feb (or Jan?) 481 BA, got curious about how he got involved with slavers, which is what led her to uncover the code to communicate with them. She spent nearly a year in sporadic communication with them, something she revealed during Lisinthir's second visit to Escutcheon.
• Died in April? May? of 482 BA, during the events of Lisinthir's second visit to Escutcheon, post-war.

Quotes

• "But tenants do not rule this world. Their lieges do."
• "When the sun's up it's so hard to see the stars, isn't it?"
• "But he would have died nobly, advancing my cause. And become a martyr, thereby. So much fame and glory and romance in martyrdom, isn't there?"
• "I've already got the 'right' person at my side. And unlike you, Sediryl, I didn't need to marry him to keep him. Fortunately, because it means when I'm done with him, I'm done."

Trivia

• Her official palace portraits depict her with a sweet, simple style, free of cynicism.
• Her investiture gift was a gem-encrusted book that was designed to appease the political stance of all noble families. The heading portrait of each chapter's House was painted with her image, which later had to be painted over with different eye colors, as the painter was enamored of her, according to Liliarana Delen Galare.

Names

• Many people call her Beth, including Amber and Sediryl. It's unclear whether this is a true milk name or just a particularly natural shortening of her full name.
• Called Sediryl "cousin" in a derisive tone: "So... cousin... Game on. May the best woman win."
• Calls Amber "my ardent knight" and "my single, faithful knight"