Character Name: Elise Dubois
Age: 19
Appearance:Class (thieve, lord/lady, royalty, merchant, prostitute, things like that): Upper class, granting her the title of Lady.
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Personality:On the exterior, Elise is a sweet tempered woman who obediently falls into her role of ladyship. However, regardless of her lack of education, she has a quick mind, easily able to measure up her fellow women or men. During the last years of her husband’s life, she had been required to take on some of his responsibilities, which meant she was required to mature quickly, especially when it came to duties of defending the castle. Generally, conversation with the Lady is polite, her voice taking a kindly and gentle tone. However, when it comes to taking leadership, she can quite easily be as loud and sharp tongued as any man.
Raised like many girls were during the period, Elise was taught the feminine practices, including song. During these years, she did not live with her family, instead receiving education at another castle, meaning interaction with her own parents was minimal. From her learning, Elise grew a great passion for song and a love for music which continued long after her education was completed. When not performing her duties, she can often be found wandering the grounds singing. Her passion was then passed to her own children, whom she hoped enjoyed it as much as she did.
Although easily able to mask her distaste, Elise has a strong disregard for those who look down upon her for her sex. Being a capable woman of intelligence, she takes any such comments with a grain of salt, although is pleased to know that most men were able to show respect to her regardless. A woman of nineteen, she is still relatively young, however life has given her experiences that quickened her maturity from young girl to woman. Being a widow, her responsibilities are equal to that of her former husband, inheriting his wealth and estate. She is in no hurry to remarry, quite content with being an independent woman.
Background:Like most young ladies of the medieval era, Elise took her education away from her family’s estate, living at another castle for a majority of her childhood. During these years, she was educated in the feminine practices including; sewing, reading and writing in Latin, and singing. Although she did enjoy everything studied, there had always been a soft spot in her heart for song and music, which soon grew to a love for dance. At the age of seven, Elise was engaged to a Lord, the marriage arranged by her parents to benefit both of their families, sealing the political. Her education at the castle continued for a further seven years until she turned fourteen. As common practice was, upon turning fourteen Elise married her fiancé. Her husband was quite a few years her senior, and there was very little love on her half for her husband, which led to a very unhappy marriage.
The first year of their marriage had been filled with failed attempts to produce a male heir, or indeed any child. The blame for the failed conception was placed fully on the head of the young Lady. Over the year, Elise grew a thick skin, giving her the ability to ignore or brush off any insults to her person. When they felt all hope was lost, however, Elise became pregnant with the couple’s first child, nine months later giving birth to a baby boy. Her Lord husband had been thrilled at having a male heir to his fortune and estate. During the boy’s first few years of life, his father had been taken away to defend the territory of one of their allies, leaving Elise responsible for the day-to-day duties that her husband would usually perform. Although somewhat reluctant and easily intimidated at first, the support of her advisor led to her confidence building quickly, able to eventually do them entirely on her own. In this time, she gained an education in things that she had never learnt in her childhood, including how to pick out a liar and to carefully mask annoyance in the face of some less-than-delightful guests.
Upon her husband’s return, a large majority of her duties were once again taken from her, given to her husband instead. For a while, Elise resented her husband for her sudden lack of responsibility, feeling somewhat degraded. However, she always made sure to at least in some way be part of discussions with other lords and ladies, occasionally accompanying her husband to court. Elise’s first time in court teetered on becoming disastrous, accidentally calling the then King Francis the Prince. With great embarrassment, she had been quick to apologise, her husband blaming it on her young age.
The following winter brought with it a wave of sickness over their castle, a deathly cold that later took the lives of her husband and young son. During this period, Elise herself fell ill, the last of her family to be hit by the illness. With the aid of the castle’s doctor, she was soon returned to health and her duties. The death of her son hit her hard. However, the death of her husband, who had been absent for a quite a large portion of her marriage, did not bring her much grief.
Being a widow, and her husband having no male heirs, Elise inherited the estate. A majority of her time is spent living at her own castle, although occasionally she will travel to court, particularly during Christmastide. There had been attempts to remarry her, but Elise is slightly reluctant to remarry for anything less than love, her first marriage a harsh lesson in unloving and arranged marriages.
Subject: Lady Elise Dubois 
Mon Sep 17, 2012 10:56 am
