Kelsa Arendelle

History
Charleston and Kelsa Arendelle were born two sides of the same coin—indistinguishable but for a light grey freckle against the deep blue of Charleston’s left eye. Born at the family’s chateau in Seaside, perched on the oceanic cliffs north of Ocean's Meeting, the night was alive with one of Seaside’s vicious squalls, yet it is said that the boys never cried once. They were as serene as the storm was violent. This legacy followed them into childhood, a consummate set of princelings, exemplars of their elite breeding and decorous grooming.

The mighty Arendelle family is one of the oldest families of Ellesmere, with estates that dominate the northern reaches of the territory. The boys’ mother, Lady Violet Wellington Arendelle, daughter of Sir Diebold Wellington, is a notorious socialite—abreast of the latest fashion, trends, and gossip—exuding a nearly preternatural charm. While the pedigree of the Wellington family short compared to the other nobles of Ellesmere, their skillful maneuvering socially and politically has made them legends for what has been called “the Wellington Smile,” codified in the family’s words: “Never spare a smile.” What the Wellington family may have lacked in bloodline, the boys’ father, Sir Louis Arendelle XIV, made up for a thousand fold—but that was close to the only contribution he made to Charleston and Kelsa’s lives. While Louis Arendelle’s pedigree descended deep into the annals of history, his inbred elitism had rendered him an incompetent hedonist. As such, Violet was the de facto head of the household, while Louis used his vainglorious laurels towards epic philandering quests and not much else. His relationship with the boys was distant—his attentions focused mostly on his next fling—and only scornfully turned to the boys when they had not lived up to the Arendelle name. “Our blood,” the family words of the Arendelles, was about all Sir Louis Arendelle XIV cared about besides his sex life.

Growing up Charleston and Kelsa were inseparable. They practiced their letters together, history of the great houses and wars, and when they came of age, trained at arms together. To their servants and caretakers, the sum of their skills and mischief always seemed greater than the two parts—winning them the nickname “the twin terrors.” As they grew older however, their paths began to diverge. As the eldest, Charleston was the heir to the vast Arendelle estate and as such was expected to conduct himself in a more proper manner with each passing year. While this pressure grew, the distance and lack of approval from Sir Louis Arendelle XIV remained constant. Charleston, now insisting the name “C-dog,” began to act out more and more violently. When his earnest efforts at conducting the family’s affairs were met only with apathy from his father, C-dog turned instead to epic fornications as a way of winning attention from his disapproving father. Rather than share his burden with his brother, C-dog began to victimize Kelsa. It wasn’t fair that Kelsa should be spared the incessant scrutiny. Even more infuriating, Kelsa bore his brother’s attacks with a vaneer of unwaivering good humor. “Never spare a smile,” Kelsa would repeat to himself. “Never spare a smile.” “The twin terrors” were no more, only rarely would the boys drift into their complementary forms—seamlessly acting: arguing with a servant, flirting with the young noble ladies, or fighting an opponent in the yard. As time progressed C-dog acted out more and more and Kelsa became more and more decorous, eventually treating C-dog as a formal acquaintance rather than his life-long companion.

On the fateful day now known as “the Accident”—spurning his duties at court—C-dog and his friends wandered deep in the woods with Kelsa at their heels. Legend told of a cave haunted by creatures of a realm beyond that of men. The rumor among the children of the Arendelle Estate was there was old magic in this cave. If you went into the cave, you never came out—the same that is. Only one boy had ever survived the cave—Crazy Max Merewether from the Merewether Farm—and the story went that he came staggering out screaming and tearing at his eyes. His friends had to hold him down to keep him from blinding himself. He died a few days later as a result of the intense sedation they had given him to calm his fits. Nobody had been to the cave since. It was forbidden.

They found a cave. Their skin prickled and an unnatural cold set in as they approached the entrance. Kelsa insisted that they turn back, but C-dog marched forward, disappearing into the darkness. C-dogs friends followed him in, but one by one they trickled back to the mouth of the cave where Kelsa was waiting. Finally, the last boy came running out. “There is something else in there with C-dog” he panted, “I swear there is something alive in there.” Kelsa stepped into the darkness to find his brother. They needed to leave. At first he thought his eyes were adjusting to the darkness, but then he realize that the cave was growing lighter. Faint blue light danced across the walls, making the shadows sway and seem to follow after him. Or were they following him? Light and shadow seemed separate enteties in the depths of this cave. Old magic lived in these walls. Deep in the recesses of the cave Kelsa found C-dog, staring transfixed into a different kind of light—a blinding, swelling light. The hair on the back of Kelsa’s neck bristled: C-dog was talking to something.

''After entering the cave C-dog felt an icy chill run through his body. He urged himself forward, but soon it felt as if another voice besides his own was willing him deeper into the cave. The cave came alive with a light as he as he continued and soon he found himself staring into a blinding light. Strangely he felt no need to shield his eyes. In the light he saw everything he had wanted at home: his father’s acceptance, power, women. He spoke to the light, but simultaneously had the strange sensation of hearing himself talking—hearing his words filtered through the shimmering radiance. The light was almost part of him—all he needed to do was reach out and take it and it would be part of him. It consoled him—wordlessly promised him power and magic. He understood that by reaching into the light he would be making a pact, binding himself to it—and it to him—and it together they would achieve the things he desired. ''

Kelsa saw C-dog reach out his arm. “Wait, Charleston—” C-dogs fingertips touched the light and a deafening roar overwhelmed the cave. Light exploded from C-dogs eyes. Kelsa was lost in the light. Blind. The roar filling his ears and driving him to his knees. C-dog disappeared into the light. Silently, the shadows that had followed Kelsa through the cave reached for him, pulling him back from the light. The fear left his body instantly with their soft touch. These were old shadows. They were old friends. He lost consciousness.

Both boys awoke back at the Arendelle Estate having been retrieved by C-dog’s terrified friends. Kelsa felt the strange sensation of having had a dream, but was seemingly unharmed. However, C-dog was blind. After a terrifying 12 hours of blindness and confusion, his sight began to return, but with the return of his vision, his already blue eyes now took on an eerie blue glow. The family hid both boys away at first to avoid scandal, but soon Kelsa was free to roam the yard while C-dog was kept under lock and key while the best doctors and wizards in the realm were hired to remove the terrifying light from C-dog’s eyes.

Shortly thereafter, on his 16th birthday, C-dog ran away—in part because of the heartbreaking rejection from his parents who didn't want to deal with the scandal of his appearance and because he now knew he could accomplish what he wanted. He had a power that his family couldn’t even begin to understand.

'''Following the scandal precipitated by his brother’s departure Kelsa Arendelle became the lone heir to the Arendelle family. While his esteemed grooming had prepared him from a young age in art of decorous socializing, he now had to shoulder the burden that Charleston had once carried as the future head of the household. '''

'''In spite of the scandal Lady Violet Wellington Arendelle secured a marriage to the heiress of another great family in a neighboring region, the Tempton family of Direwood. Lady Elizabeth Tempton was all that Kelsa had ever dreamed of in a marriage. She was clever, beautiful, and underneath her polished decorum there was always sparkle in her eye as if everything she said had a joke behind it. '''

'''Although exasperated by the demands of his family, Kelsa willingly tried to fill his brothers shoes and he was eager for his marriage to Elizabeth Tempton. But something strange began to happen. Magic began to torment the Arendelle estate. At first it wasn’t clear that Kelsa was to blame, but as he matured it became apparent that the events were revolving around him. Kelsa’s emotional outbursts were often correlated with bizarre and often embarrassing magical consequences. As with C-dog, the Arendelles began keeping Kelsa under a close supervision. The best wizards in the realm were sought in secret to help him to control his unwieldy powers, but even with his earnest effort it seems that no matter what he did he was always freezing somebody’s soup, turning well-quaffed hair metallic green, disappearing servants, or turning Louis’ prized Arabian horses into corgis or corgis into unicorns. It was frustrating and embarrassing. How could he cause all of these things and not have any sovereignty over his sometimes profound ability?'''

'''Finally a social event arrived where Kelsa could not be hidden away—his own marriage to Lady Elizabeth Tempton following his 20th birthday. It was the celebration of the century—it would have gone down in the annals as yet another glorious noble wedding, full of pomp and circumstance, but with Kelsa’s emotions at a high, something was bound to happen. After sealing their marriage with a kiss, the smitten Kelsa’s skin began flashing between a deep blue and bright red. He opened his eyes to find his new wife smiling in wonder at him. Not scared in the least. He could tell what was happening to him, but it didn’t matter. For a second, everything was all right. He was sure they would figure this out. However, cries of alarm began to stir from the crowd and his family’s servants quickly pulled him away from the ceremony. A flush crept over his already scarlet cheeks. Sir Louis Arendelle XIV seemed vaguely amused, but Lady Violet Wellington Arendelle’s embarrassment and anger were palpable. “Don’t come back until this is gone,” she said, gesturing to his now mauve skin, but Kelsa understood that she meant more than his temporary polychromatic appearance. He was sent from the estate the next day with provisions and a horse. His parents did not appear again. One of his wizard instructors offers him the advice that Maeve of Lockwood Lake could help him find a cure. Alone for the first time in his life Kelsa set out for Lockwood Lake. '''