Braeldia Hjorth/Handmaiden

Character Name: Braeldia Hjorth

Name Meaning: 'Daughter of the Wind'

Age: 19

Date of Birth: June 15

Race: Human.

Residence: Rohan

Profession: Lady's Maid

Appearance:
Braeldia carries herself well, for the most part projecting confidence when she is in a setting in which she is comfortable. Quick with a smile, her expression is open and bright, hazel eyes twinkling with a touch of gold. While she isn't slovenly, she has better things to do than put a lot of time into her appearance -- her hair is worn in simple twists, pulled back or just down, and she tends toward 'earth tones' and simplicity in her clothing.

Personality:
Tomboy! That sums Braeldia up in one word. There is pretty much nothing frail or fragile about her, she has always had a sense of adventure, wanting to learn and explore, learning best by doing hands-on, often with dubious results. More than once, her big brother had rescued her from trees or the roof of the house. She's good at going up, but freezes trying to come down! But she trusted her brother, Aidmon, idolized him, and was devastated when he was killed in battle.

Dreamer...Like Aidmon, her head is often in the clouds, playing out scenarios or creating worlds that are better than this one. Unlike her brother, though, she has the heart and passion of a writer and actress, using her free time to write her own stories or act things out, dancing her way through life.

Caretaker...Braeldia has a quiet, gentle way about her that seems to put beasties at ease and make them trust her. And she likes peace and order in her world, as much as she can, so she tends to try to organize things when she is able. And if someone is hurting, be it physically or at heart, she wants to do what she can to make them well again, or at least to dull the hurt, often finding that action a catharsis for her own pain. If she is busy helping, healing or dreaming, there is little time to fret over her own trouble.

Bold...tomboy that she is, she will stand up to a bully and isn't one to back down from a fight, especially in light of what she has been though.

Scared Little Girl...Underneath it all, she is still a child, a little girl who yearns for the safety and security of family, who just wants to be able to play and dream without worrying that her world is going to be torn apart by battle.



Parents:
Julius Hjorth, deceased, was the Keeper of the Horse for the Mark
Mathea, deceased

Sibling(s):
Aidmon, 28, Ranger of the Mark, Keeper of the Horse

Spouse:
NA

Children:
NA

History:
Only daughter of the Mark's Master of the Horse, Braeldia was born into a Noble family whose station was inherited through a long line of Horse-keepers, the men who saw to the breeding and early training of the magnificent animals for which Rohan is so well known. And because her mother died from a fever when she was but six, Braelida was left to the care of her brother, eight years her senior, who found amusement in teaching the girl unlady-like things, and encouraged her to work with the horses. Oh, there were governesses, but she found creative ways to dodge them and escape to her own whims.

A natural with the animals, Braelida spent a lot of her childhood in the family's estate stables and fields among the horses, learning to ride, to care for and train the beasts.

Still, she was a lady of noble birth, and when she turned twelve her father sent her away to be schooled in the proper ways, in needlework, calligraphy, music...but she had little talent or interest for those things, and was utterly miserable. Finally, when she was fifteen, her father gave in to her pleas and sent her to the village of Edoras, where she was betrothed to Malkis, a young man who had inherited a small farm. Shortly after she turned sixteen they were handfasted, but lived with his family on their farm and the union was never finalized nor consummated.

Malkis was a good man, hard-working and well-meaning, providing a roof over her head, food for the table, but it didn't take long for her to figure out that there was no spiritual connection, no common interests, and he wasn't a soul-companion. When the trial-time ended a year later, Braeldia chose to return home, but shortly after, her father was killed in a fall from the barn loft. Despite their grief, she and her bother had to carry on, and Aidmon took over the role of Master of Horse and had little time for her, and besides, she was nearly a grown woman. He made arrangements for her to become a handmaiden for one of the Court ladies, a role that Braeldia is doing her best to embrace.

After a time it became evident that Court life didn't really suit her, and she has returned to the ranch to help her brother run the place and handle the foals.

With the establishment of a Rohan ambassadorship in Annúminas, her brother has been sent there to design and approve the stables where the fine steeds of Rohan will stay, and Braeldia is accompanying him.

Although she has been to Rohan's Court occasionally through her life, recently she has had several encounters with Prince Eomer, first at a wedding, where he 'rescued' her from some upper noble ladies who were teasing her -- the encounter was casual, light, and, at least for her, breathtaking at the same time, as they danced alone in the garden. Later, he rescued her again when she and her guard were set on by Orcs on their way home. After that, there were several 'accidental' encounters that have left her flushed and happy, even though she realizes that her chances of being anything but a friend to a Prince are nil.