Laurent

• Lord Holder of Keroon for more than a quarter of a century
• Rumoured to have a roving eye, but does anyone know any of his supposed conquests?
• ... well, aside from that rumour that the Nabolese heir is his son

The only child of Lord and Lady Keroon, Laurent had a lonely sort of childhood. His father was a domineering man, more interested in his horses and races than in his wife and son; his mother was frequently unwell, often capable of no more than a kiss to the forehead and a faint instruction to 'be good'. As a young child, Laurent had nannies but few playmates, and later, his tutors and few peers.

At fourteen, Laurent was fostered to Telgar Hold where he was expected to learn something about being a Lord alongside the holder and his heir. Lord Telgar was more driven than Laurent's own father, and his wife warmer and more cultured. It was here that Laurent learned to express himself: fine words, as well as firm action, mattered, he discovered.

He also fell in love for the first time, and briefly imagined marrying young Eisha, his host's daughter.

His letter home to suggest the match to his father lay unread for weeks, characteristic of Lord Keroon but inconvenient for Laurent. His timing was bad: initial negotiations were already underway with Fort Hold, and dutiful son that he was, Laurent found himself agreeing to meet pretty little Sevyli, still just a child.

His time at Telgar at least gave him the tools to engage with her, and he did his best to present himself as a marriage partner worth having-- duty, after all, meant putting aside one's own desires. It was difficult to imagine marrying her when Eisha, all soft curves and blonde curls, was already practically a woman grown by comparison. Still. Sevyli showed promise.

Laurent returned to Telgar, destined to spend another half turn there before he would move back to Keroon. His relationship with Eisha reached a predictably teenage pinnacle in this time: her engagement to the heir of Nabol was confirmed, and the star-crossed lovers broke all protocol and consummated their forbidden love in desperation before their parting.

It remains an open question whether Nabol's current heir, born early but healthy, is of Nabol's Blood at all.

Laurent returned to Keroon, and did his best to forget Eisha and focus his attention on his own home, his own future wife. Home was difficult: his mother's health faded day by day, his father remained remote and complicated. Laurent pursued control over his own destiny in every way he could though, to his surprise, Eisha faded more more in his memory as he and Sevyli became closer.

His mother died when he was nineteen and his father a handful of turns later, having fallen from his horse. Now Lord Holder, Laurent married Sevyli, and set to making his mark on Keroon. The marriage was volatile, and to be honest, he had no idea what to do with her half the time; how could this Fort-born woman know anything about what was needed for Keroon?

Does he love her? He has no answer for that.

He does, however, love Keroon.

Such a traditionally handsome man, Lord Laurent: those dark waves now greying aristocratically, those green eyes and that sharp jut of a nose. He was built for charm, and clearly knows how to turn it on at will.

He dresses to impress.