Prince Nácil Blog Tour! Day Five | Character Interview: Müriel (feat. Kerry Goodwill)

We have a special guest here on the Rambling Rose today—two, if you count our Character Interview subject—namely, Mrs. Kerry S. Goodwill … who also happens to be my mother. (Hi, Mum. ;-))

KSGoodwill:
I would like to join in the fun of your blog tour even though I don't have a blog.

We’re glad to have you!

My mother will be interviewing Lady Müriel, the female protagonist (what I call a protagonista) of Prince Nácil.

Lady Müriel:
I am honored to be a part of this grand celebration. *Blush* It is nothing short of wonderful that Nácil’s story will be known to so many in your world now.

And we’re honored to have you, my lady.

[via Pinterest]

Müriel is an Elven Enchantress with some serious emotional baggage … and more power and courage than she gives herself credit for. She lives in the Forrest of Árabah by the Southern Sea in Arboria, raising her ten-year-old Human ward, Harold Spencer, while keeping Prince Nácil’s memory alive and awaiting his return.

Sit down and be comfortable, ladies, and let’s begin the interview!

1. When did you begin to pull away from the influence and teachings of your mother? *Ponders* I am unsure how to answer, without giving away more than my Anka* wishes … I believe it was a combination of my nurse’s influence—she taught me Elyon’s Law, and the role of the Fae among His other creations—and Prince Nácil’s reputation among our people. These were so at odds with what my family practiced, that eventually I found it intolerable to remain among them.

* Anka = Originally referring to the (female) keeper of a magical piece of jewelry that brings the imagination to life, coined in Kendra E. Ardnek’s The Ankulen. Male form Anku, gender-neutral/collective form Ank’. I have adopted the term when referring to my fellow scribblers (and when my Characters address or refer to me), but give full credit for its creation to Kendra.

2. What do you think was the main reason that you turned from following her evil influence? The main reason? It was the lengths to which she would go for the sake of her infernal feud with the House of Othniel. I began to see it when she deliberately left my father—*shudder*—behind in the World of Men, but her obsession did not fully come home to me until the Revolution. When I saw that she and my sister had lied to me—that they were bent upon bloodshed and revenge from the beginning—and especially when I saw what their actions did to Nácil … I realized I must separate myself from them, else I would be held accountable for their crimes, myself. I realized I could only make amends for their wrong if I was no longer under the same roof with them.

3. When did you realize you truly loved Nacil and what made you realize this fact? From a young age—even ere my family left the World of Men—I admired Prince Nácil for his kindness, compassion, selflessness, and desire to be of service. I patterned my life after his example. But it was not until I saw him face-to-face, and realized what my family had done to him, that I knew he was my soulmate, and that I must save him, somehow.

4. When did Harold come to live with you, and can you share a little bit about the circumstances that brought him to you? *Nervous musing* I can say but little touching Harold’s origins, and still less concerning his adoption. It is not my secret to tell, and I gave my word to his mother that I would keep it until his twelfth year. Suffice it to say … the reason his mother left him with me—at barely one year old—was rather extraordinary, and while by no means ideal, it was necessary … a matter of life and death, you might say.

5. What were the most dramatic changes to your life when you took him in? When Harold was born, Prince Nácil had been in exile for ninety years, and I had begun to loose hope that he would ever return. Raising Harold provided somewhat of a distraction from my sense of loss. *Indulgent half-smile* It also proved quite the challenge, as I had no experience with babies aforetime, and precious little with Adam’s Race. I thank Elyon for my neighbors in the Red Forrest, and shall be forever grateful for all their advice upon that head. Harold was incredibly curious about the world around him, and must needs explore everything therein … wherefore I learned quickly to put anything I did not wish him to “explore” out of his eager grasp.

6. Describe how you felt when you first learned that Prince Nacil was back in Ydara? A curious mixture of panic and elation. I had longed and prayed for his return for the better part of a century, but now that it had happened, I was terrified of the prospect of watching him die slowly every day. And yet … deep in my heart … I looked forward with eagerness to seeing him again after so long.

7. Knowing of the curse on Nacil's life, did you try to figure out a strategy to save him? All I could think to do at that point was to alter my sister’s curse so that the love of an Elven maiden—any maiden at all—would free him therefrom. I dared not hope, by that time, that he would ever love me … but I reckoned mayhap some other Elf-maid would learn to love him as I did … and we all know that not even the blackest of Black Arts can withstand the power of love.

Thanks to my mother for participating today, and to Müriel for agreeing to this interview.

Be sure to check out all the other fun stuff going on today:

July 4th

Rambling Rose: Interview – Lady Müriel

Knitted By God's Plan: Interview - R.R. Goodwill

Until next time, Gentle Readers,
God bless,
~ℛ~