The Seventh and Eleventh have a close relationship, Owain is the High Queen's stalwart supporter.
Centre of Female Power
This was presumed by the Eleventh to be the Temple of the Moon, which resembles a cathedral of the Last.
Not so. When casting The Sword of Destiny, the Shaman dowsed to discover the true location, and at the end of the catacombs, revealed the secret way down to the most revered centre of female power.
Ælthrelntheine and Kay were dumbstruck; they presumed the ancient legend of a hidden underground chamber to be myth; yet there they were standing in it.
Queen of The Eleventh is called High Queen because the Eleventh do have other, and minor, Royal Houses, which have little real power.
Introduction and Backstory
Ælthrelntheine's father was a cultured man who ruled his Tribe, and his household in an authoritarian manner. He seldom delegated, having the final word on all matter, big or small.
Ælthrelntheine was his only child, and a union of political significance, ensuring she would become the next ruler.
The High Queen Elect grew up in this atmosphere, being taught the arts of leadership and monarchy from a very early age. She lived an almost cloistered existence, proving herself to be highly intellectual. She learned all she could
at school, and was the first to be sent to the lands of the Last for further and University education.
Attending Harvard, she excelled in many subjects, both Arts and Sciences, receiving her Doctorate in Anthropology some years later.
The years abroad had a profound effect upon her, because she realised Elvenholme did not contain all the knowledge of the world at large; one she was sworn to protect. At Court she was full of authority, like her father, but
saw the value of delegation. In her free time she wandered alone, contemplating the world of the Eleventh she would one day govern.
By chance, she stopped by a distant stream to take water and rest. As she pondered the questions of life, another joined her. He was a young, but eminent Mage, who had just had an altercation with the Elder Mage's. They talked
about their own, and each other's concerns, coming to admire and respect one another as both friends, and gifted potential leaders. The young mage was determined to focus on learning ancient powers of the Mage's, which were all
but lost; they were written in Ancestor, in all but forgotten tomes, not practiced as of old. The current elders were searching for the Tablet of Enlightenment, and he was winning over the younger and most learned, except for a
hard core of elder devotees to the quest.
They met secretly, and often for a while, and fell in love. The result was Ælkræleinnoire. She hid her pregnancy for a long time; her father was livid when he found out, and threatened many fates worse than death. By
this time the baby's father had been promoted to Magus Elder, the youngest ever to hold the title. The King wanted him executed, and to prevent the upheaval of their known society, Ælthrelntheine brokered an agreement. She
would produce a second child with her father's choice of male consort, and by return, the community of Mage's would be banished; she promised she would never see her true love again, a vow she kept.
Her father was much older than she was, and died a few years later. By then she had given birth to her second child, Angkrelguer, whom her father had wished to become the next ruler. It was not to be, because being slightly prescient,
Ælthrelntheine saw something unique and purposeful in her daughter, something that would change the whole world, not just the bit of it the Eleventh inhabited.
On becoming High Queen, she had to fight the Elven High Senate, but succeeded in having Ælkræleinnoire installed as High Queen Elect. Thereafter, she became an ominous monarch, one whose words became law, and the Council
lost much power to her.
High Queen
Ælthrelntheine is a very principled person, one who takes her duties very seriously. She sees herself, her race, as the benefactors of all deserving humanity, and in particular, they maintain exceptionally close links with the Seventh
and Second. Nevertheless, she does have a sense of humour, if a little strange, as the Fourth will testify to.
The Elf Queen steers her people to protect the Earth from various threats—the Great Ogre being, to her mind, the least of them. She is the first to raise the alarm concerning the immanent Wrath of Gaia, and has her daughter track
a potential and greater threat, from the stars. Ælthrelntheine considers it her personal responsibility to protect the Earth, and its peoples, from all of these threats.
During book two, she comes to understand her daughter's true ascendancy, and becomes Kay's staunchest supporter. She is relieved to be vindicated for making the right choice of heir.
The determination that inspired that act, has led her to lead at all times, and this becomes a burden when the Twelve Tribes are reunited. She instigates the Council of Tribes, and as Chairwoman, realises all must have a say, but
she presumes the final decision will be hers; sometimes it is not. She gets her way with the Tribal Council, but not with outsiders, such as Jack and Kay, when they resurrect the Ancestors; albeit something she was in favour of.
Hologram
The reason for Ælthrelntheine's appearance to Jack and Jien Noi atop the sentry rock, was removed from the text. She was aware of an anomaly, that somebody was trying to enter the Island. Finding means to half-transport using the
same anomaly, she appeared as a holographic image, to deliver a warning of immanent attack Thus pre-warned, the Islanders held out until reinforcements arrived.
Information
Pronounced:
Ail-threl-n-thene
Stats
Sex: Female.
Born: 1910.
Human related age: 45.
Eyes: Green with gold specks.
Hair: Shoulder length blonde.
Height: 7'2"
Marital status: Irrelevant; the Eleventh seldom marry.
Dress
Flowing dress and robes of ground length. She would never consider dressing casually, even in battle.
Jewellery
The Ring of the Protector.
Golden Torc of the Ruler.
Fine, filigree crown of white metal.
Elven Return Bracelet.
Intricate and delicate jewellery.
Languages
Elvenhua, Ancestor, Seventh, Second, English, and Spanish; telepathic.
Titles
[The Eleventh love long-winded titles]
Queen of the Eleventh,
(The Elf Queen)
High Lord Protector of Gaia,
Benefactor of Humankind.
Weapons
• Long slender sword that was specially made for her by the Ddwyrth and Magus Elder.
• Short sword.
• Ancient dagger, a gift from her Mother.
• Bow and arrows.
Skills
Ælthrelntheine is a master of Ancestral language and technology, as is her daughter. However, excepting the Community of Mage's, few others understand much of either, excepting research specialists.
Therefore, she appears wise beyond her years, but remains fallible to those who know more about life.
Ælthrelntheine
Tends to micro-manage everything, before needing to delegate; something Kay knows of all too well.
