Hello friends,
As it turns out, I’m not quite done talking about this latest volume, or the series in general, so you can expect a few more of these posts over the next couple of weeks. This time in particular I want to talk a little bit about Salandra Fevezar, our lovely scribe who helps Cobal quite a bit during his stay in Marsolin.
When I first introduced her into the story I kind of surprised myself. I had no real intentions of putting any sort of romance into my story this soon. With Cobal being a prince and Mana being either asexual or not very inclined to romance (I haven’t decided what feels right for her yet) I thought Eliana was the only one who would get any sort of romantic endeavors going. With her long lifetime and experience it wouldn’t be strange for her to enjoy messing around from time to time, which she did a fair bit with Clara, the owner of the Phantom Homestead. Salandra on the other hand was an accident. I had someone on my mind to be Cobal’s first partner, but this is a part of the story I didn’t plan to breach for another couple volumes at the very least. It’s only after I introduced the character and they started spending time together that it suddenly made perfect sense for them to have a short-lived romance while Cobal was in Marsolin.
Salandra is everything Cobal hasn’t seen around the capital city. Where the court ladies and nobility often looked dazzling in their dresses and makeup, and their corsets holding their bodies into painfully thin figures, Salandra was a scribe that likely had baggy eyes and was a little bit overweight. Not exactly who you’d think to be the partner of a prince, but we’ve already learned that Cobal is very down to earth. And who you are on the outside isn’t the only thing that counts. Salandra is smart, funny and kind, and those are qualities that Cobal appreciates. I mean, everyone should appreciate those qualities, right? As for Salandra liking Cobal, he’s a dashing prince with a heart of gold, who wouldn’t fall for him. He’s humble – at least by this point of the story – but still confident in the things he’s skilled in. And what do you think his body looks like after all the running and training he does. He’s like a younger Henry Cavill. Maybe not quite that cool, but you get the point.
What am I trying to say with all this? Right, romance. I really wanted this to be a self contained story. As much as the two enjoyed their time together, I knew it wouldn’t feel right for the story to continue with Salandra accompanying the group. For starters, I wouldn’t know how to write that in a way that would feel well done and I think it just wouldn’t fit the sort of story I was going for. For that reason both characters had to be aware that this was only a short romance. Cobal is still a prince after all and Salandra has her dreams here in Marsolin, and wouldn’t want to just travel far away to stay around a guy she only just met. So the two knew that after a date and some time spent together they would have to part ways again. I’m sure we’ll see Salandra again at some point and perhaps she’ll have found another partner by that point. Who knows.
I’m going to bed now, I’ve been fairly sick the past few days and I’m just now starting to feel a bit better. I have around 3 weeks left to figure out the story for volume 4 and I’m starting to sweat (although I do have some ideas already). As always I appreciate you reading this and I hope to see you here again very soon!
Opal Kaharis 