Katreia
- Full Name: Princess Katreia of Cedan
- Nicknames: Kat
- Position: Princess of Cedan
Katreia is the only daughter of King Arten and Queen Istra of Cedan, though at times it seems she was born for a life beyond the castle walls.
She was attracted to danger well before she understood why she could not have it. She enjoyed watching swordfights and once raced into a burning building to save a boy when she was seven.
Though Katreia's life was always orchestrated by her parents, she began learning to resist, first in small ways, then in grander ones. Despite her mother's assiduous warnings, she is sociable and has a tendency to befriend people with little caution. She is impulsive, unable to sit still, and derives great enjoyment from physical activity.
Katreia usually wears her long brown hair in a braid or a ponytail. She has brown eyes and tan skin from many a day spent in the sun (against her mother's wishes). She favors functional clothing over opulent dresses, though she often has no choice on the matter.
Most of her art is her x Herien because. I mean. Look at them.
From her childhood, Katreia has felt like a pawn to her parents' wishes. Just before she turned eight, they arranged her marriage to the Prince of Kerade in a bid to secure an end to their ongoing war. She was forbidden from learning to fight, falling in love, or pursuing any other such whims that might be afforded to any other girl her age.
But she was always a rebel at heart, missing her Blessing ceremony at seven years old to save a boy from a burning building. That boy, Akherien, was taken into the castle when it was discovered his parents had perished in the fire (which he had started with his own unrefined powers). He was soon added to Katreia's circle of friends, which included her-ever joyous cousin Sariell, and the musician Cendreile.
It wasn't until her demands to learn swordplay were shot down by her parents that Katreia truly began to chafe at her bonds. Then, late one night, Akherien knocked on her room door, and in his hands was the Sword of the Palaces—a stolen gift.
With the stolen sword, Katreia began learning swordsmanship from Lord Esrias, undertaking years of training without uttering a word to anyone else.
- Akherien: Katreia's closest confidant and the person she trusts most, their relationship is founded on a decade of reciprocal favours and shared secrets. He is perhaps the only one who admires her wildness rather than disapproving of it, and they tend to spur each other to go above and beyond.
- Sariell: Her cousin and best friend since childhood, Sariell and Katreia often undertake harmless capers, like pastry theft, together. To the rest of the castle, the two are an inseparable pair; they cannot imagine life apart.
- Cendreile: Being perhaps the wisest of the bunch, Cendreile often helps ground Katreia's oftentimes fiery demeanour. Katreia thinks she's talented as anything.
- Parents: Istra is a conventional and even stifling parent, seeing Katreia as a political asset rather than a person with her own desires; Arten is distant, consumed by his royal duties. Both genuinely believe they are doing their best with their difficult duty as both parents and royalty, without noticing the harm they may have caused.
- Her name is pronounced /kəˈtrɛja/
