Amaranthae (Relationships)

Aran/Relationships

❮ Aran (Information)

Love Interests

Viren

Although initially scholarly, Aran’s relationship with Viren became intimate during her first year in Katolis; the two shared much in common, but nothing was stronger than their sheer desire to learn from one another. Aran was an open book into the world of Xadia and its magicks and history, whilst Viren, to her, offered a greater look at dark magic, an art that Aran was proficient in, but one for which she never received any proper training.

Viren never really seemed put off by Aran’s species or homeland, just as she never really seemed to mind the fact that he was human; despite the latter having dwelt under the same anti-human rhetoric as the rest of Xadia, she never seemed to have any reason to buy into it. Said propaganda didn’t forge her view of Viren, nor any of the humans in Katolis; only his actions and words, and their combined curiosity for the arcane was able to do that. Viren was the first to offer her refuge within the castle walls, clearing out one of his secret chambers to make room for her; whilst not exactly an ideal living situation, Aran was very happy to dwell in the series of rooms below ground, and received Viren and Harrow as visitors several times each day. Whilst Harrow's visits became fewer and further inbetween, Viren's did not, and they eventually grew close enough so that he introduced Aran to his young daughter, Claudia, and she swiftly took her under her wing as her student alongside Viren’s own tutelage. It was not long after this that her relationship with Viren swiftly became something a little more than platonic; seeing a softer side of him with his daughter in the picture caused Aran to fall deeply in love with him, and, in exchange, he confessed his own feelings and the two began their affair.

Aran is a supportive partner to Viren, always offering to help traverse difficulties rather than discourage him from trying to overcome them; in exchange, Viren does his best to never let any of his own issues overshadow hers, whenever indeed it is rare enough that they don’t share said issues. This is shown when he allows Aran to interrogate Runaan of her own accord, knowing she will question him on the binding on his arm; when she fails to extract any information, she apologises to Viren for her failures, and he agrees with her that they are their own, not just hers. However, the opposite occurs during the invasion of Lux Aurea, when Aran discovers a connection between her bindings and the ones adorning the Sunfire High Priest’s staff; determined not to become distracted from their quest to conquer Xadia, Viren gently talks her down and promises to return to the matter when the current one is dealt with, effectively prioritising their individual needs in his favour.

As pure as their relationship might have appeared, Viren did intentionally exclude Aran from certain elements of his life and plans, knowing when she would potentially protest his actions. For instance, he never once revealed to her that he had ordered Soren to dispose of Harrow’s sons so he could take the throne; up until Soren later confessed this to her, Aran truly believed that they had perished out in the wilderness, and as such, had been happy when Ezran returned alive. The reasoning for hiding this from Aran was simple; she had a kind heart, and would never have agreed to Viren ordering the assassination of defenceless children, especially the children of a man Aran considered her friend. She later questions him over this, to which he responds that; ‘what she didn’t know couldn’t have possibly hurt her,’ effectively admitting he took it upon himself to make her decisions on her behalf.

After meeting Aaravos, Viren’s dependence on Aran wanes slightly; when she insists on accompanying him to Lux Aurea, he initially refuses, preferring to march ahead with the other and leave her in the safety of the army encampment. Whether or not this was actually a matter of her preservation remains to be seen; it is only after Aaravos admits that Aran’s presence could be useful that Viren agrees to her accompaniment, although he makes it clear he is less than happy about it.

During The Final Battle, Aran, now Amaranthae, betrays Viren, choosing instead to stand against him. Viren is initally overjoyed to find her alive, but the joy quickly turns to disappointment, and then fury, when he realises that she has turned against him. Amaranthae tries to explain that she is not standing against him, but against Aaravos, but he doesn't give her time to make her intentions clear; the two duel briefly, and it is obvious that the act breaks Amaranthae’s heart. It is unclear whether or not she would go to any lengths necessary to stop him, but Viren, fuelled by Aaravos’s will, does not stop short of what needs to be done. He impales her on his staff, and, for a few seconds afterwards, seems genuinely remorseful and shocked at his actions as he cradles her gently; it is unkown who was in control of Viren's body at this point, himself or Aaravos. Regardless, he then abandons her on the ground to continue enacting Aaravos’s plan, and seemingly forgets about her when victory is close at hand. When he is foiled by Rayla, Amaranthae makes no protest as he falls to his death, but it is shown to affect her greatly as she weeps afterwards at the foot of the dragon Queen.

2 years after the Battle of the Storm Spire, with Viren's resurrection and Amaranthae's awakening, it is currently unclear how the couple would act upon their now-inevitable reunion; Viren's reaction to Claudia informing him that she'd woken her from her coma is that of hesitation, unsure of how he should feel considering their previous encounter, and as such, is all too keen to journey away from the Storm Spire and put distance between himself and the newly-revitalised elf. Amaranthae's reaction is far easier to gouge; though weak from her awakening, there is visible relief on her face when she's told by Claudia that Viren is alive, but the lack of response when she is totally lucid could be indicative that she only responded positively due to her weakened state. When confronting her brother, Aaravos, for the first time since her betrayal, he directs a jab her way at the number of dead lovers she leaves behind in her wake; it is clear she’s affected by this from her reaction, leaving it reasonable to assume that she still cares very deeply for Viren, no matter how much she may try to deny it.

Amaranthae is finally reunited with Viren as he, (albeit unconsciously,) Claudia, Terry, and the Being journey to the Sea of the Outcast to locate Aaravos’s prison, where she saves him from drowning after his sleeping body is knocked from their raft and into turbulent waters. Despite the circumstances of the last time they were together, Amaranthae doesn’t hesitate to save Viren’s life, much to the relief of the distraught Claudia. She acts genuinely concerned for Viren and is as gentle with him as she is with his daughter, but there is wariness to her actions now, enough so to be noticed by the afore-mentioned Claudia, who questions Amaranthae on why she came back to them. When asked if she is going to help them save Viren’s life, Amaranthae responds positively, promising her that she isn’t going to let anyone else get hurt. When she explains the events of the Final Battle to her, Amaranthae admits that no pain in her long, long life has ever come close to turning her back on Viren atop the Storm Spire, but it was what needed to be done.

Before parting ways once again, Amaranthae kisses Viren’s cheek, confirming that her feeling for him are still far from averse.

Zagreus

Not much is known of the relationship between Aran and the mysterious Zagreus; he is mentioned briefly in a conversation between her and Viren about their pasts, with Aran describing him as; “the only kindness I’d ever known before you found me.” She goes on to explain that, several times under her service to Avizandum, she would be left alone over the winter at a small miners cabin somewhere in the south of Drakewood in order to mine ore for her work, and would spend several months a year living in total isolation. Those months, she said, were the closest thing she had to freedom, and, whilst it was difficult to survive the snowy winters, she enjoyed her time there. She met Zagreus during one of these stints out in the wilderness, and it’s implied their relationship was romantic; however, after several years of coming and going, one day Zagreus left and never returned, with Aran never having any answers as to what became of him.

Relatives

Aaravos

There could never be a relationship more complicated than that between Amaranthae and her twin brother, Aaravos. It is apparent that, once upon a time, the two were very much loyal to one another, with the younger adoring the older, and vice versa. It can be assumed, however, by comparing how much one remembered and the other didn’t after the application of the memory charm, that Amaranthae relied on Aaravos much more than he did on her; with all memories of Aaravos erased from her head, she forgot the majority of her magic and past, whilst he still maintained his identity and connection to the Primal Sources.

Despite having loved each other once, there is a clear disdain between the twins now; Aaravos was more than willing to cruelly puppet Amaranthae’s lover, Viren, into impaling her on his Relic Staff, simply for standing in his way when trying to capture the dragon Prince, Zym. In doing so, Aaravos shown absolute proof that he was more than willing to spill his sister’s blood in pursuit of his own goals, even after her powerful memory charm shattered and freed them both; he was more than aware of who she was at the time, and still chose to harm her.

Before the events of the Final Battle, Aaravos didn’t show any active dislike of Aran whatsoever, although he seemed ultimately unconcerned about her fate. The exchanges between Aran and Aaravos are few and far between, only occuring twice before the march on Xadia. When his presence was first discovered on the other side of the looking-glass, Aran's memory charm overrode the recognition on both ends, meaning that the two did not recognise or remember each other, despite directly confronting each other for the first time since the charm was activated. Aran’s initial response to Aaravos was that of discomfort, stating that the looking-glass, and, in turn, he himself, had been in the Storm Spire "the entire time" she had been, and he had been witness to her mistreatment. Aaravos later confirms this to Viren; he confessed he has indeed seen her often throughout the years and pitied her situation, even going so far as to say she seemed like a totally different person with the happiness Katolis has brought her.

After Viren’s failure to unite the Pentarchy, Aran took it upon herself to speak to Aaravos through the looking-glass. It is unknown exactly what they discussed. The only other interaction that the two shared was during a brief moment in her imprisonment following the failed Pentarchy Summit. To keep the two mages apart, Aran was imprisoned beneath the castle in the same cell as the enchanted mirror whilst Viren remained in the dungeon; when left alone in the darkness, she could see clearly into Aaravos’s prison. In a moment of connection, Aaravos offered her a sympathetic smile; Aran returned it in a gesture of solidarity. After that, she only ever once saw him in the mirror again, moments before her liberation from her imprisonment.

Even with these small moments between the two, Aaravos seemed to see Aran as nothing more than another potential button to push to keep Viren on the desired path. He referred to Aran as a ‘symbol’ for the march on Xadia, spurring an angry response from Viren; he also didn’t protest when Aran expressed her wish to join the two of them on their dangerous journey into Lux Aurea. In his eyes, at the time, her loss wouldn’t greatly impact him, and so had no reason to deny her; it was his blasé attitude towards her that lead to the destruction of the memory charm that bound the two of them, and thus, his bitter failure at the Battle of the Storm Spire. Despite all of this, Aaravos was never openly cruel in regards to Aran; he questioned Viren on their relationship and on how an elf came to be the partner of a human, even expressing his admiration at her betrayal of Avizandum and her part in his death.

It is heavily implied that, many centuries ago, Aaravos did something so terrible to Amaranthae that she betrayed him on behalf of the dragons and conspired to imprison him; whilst it has not yet been revealed what this ‘thing’ was, it can be assumed that it was personal, as politics alone wouldn’t have been enough to separate the two once-loving siblings. Despite all of this, Amaranthae seems to still love Aaravos as much as she fears him; she still tries to plead with him atop the Storm Spire, and begs him to spare Viren if he would only speak with her. Aaravos does not outwardly communicate with Amaranthae at all whilst using Viren as his vessel, so it is unclear whether he still has love in his heart for his sister, but he does, however, allow Viren to cradle her body momentarily after dealing the mortal wound. It is not known if he was in control at the point of the injury, or during this act of intimacy, but if he was, then it points to him still caring for his sister deeply despite their obviously conflicting interests.

Amaranthae, after her memories return, does not speak outwardly of Aaravos and never uses his name. Whilst her injuries, exhaustion, and unravelling memory charm is more likely than not the reason for this, it can also fall down to the fact that she is deeply afraid of her brother and his now inevitable retribution; before she is in any physical or mental state to consider passing what information she has on him to the rest of her allies, she falls into a deep, unshakable sleep after resurrecting the slumbering dragon Queen, Zubeia.

After being awoken from her coma by Claudia over 2 years later, Amaranthae finally confronts Aaravos after their centuries apart; the two are undoubtedly weary of one another, but trade insults and barbs over their short interaction, implying a returning familiarity. During this time, Aaravos refers to Amaranthae as 'Mara'. The Startouch elf taunts his younger sister, claiming not recognise her without "one of her dead lovers hanging off of her arm", implying there are more to that list than just Viren; in exchange, Amaranthae commands he sever the strings tying him to his current puppet, Callum, less she do it herself. In this moment, Aaravos seems to believe his sister willing and capable of killing an innocent child, and subsequently frees him from his puppetry; this in itself implies a massive difference in personality between Aran and Amaranthae, and how Aaravos knows her now better than anyone else.

Before departing the Storm Spire, unbeknownst to Team Zym, Amaranthae took a shard of the broken looking-glass from Zubeia’s Lair. Although not explicitly seen, it is obvious that she is still somehow using it to communicate with the imprisoned Aaravos. Unlike before, however, there seems to be very little malice; during the single conversation overheard by Claudia, Amaranthae speaks softly, almost exasperated, as opposed to the animosity atop the Storm Spire. During her time travelling between the events of The Great Gates and Nightmares and Revelations, something appears to have changed between the siblings, perhaps even amicably.

Allies

Claudia

Her self-appointed ‘stepdaughter’, Claudia is as close to her own child as Aran could possibly have; they share a caring and personal relationship, with the girl being able to bring out a mischievous side in the woman that no one else could. Aran served as Claudia’s mentor alongside Viren during her teenage years; she instructed her both in the arts of different magicks, as well as other, more personal matters. They were described by Viren as being; ‘just as bad as one another,’ much to Claudia’s delight; to her, Aran is a motherly figure in the absence of her own, someone to look up to as well as a close friend.

Aran and Claudia got along very well from the moment they met; despite being an elf, the young girl showed almost no signs of fear around her, which was no doubt due to Aran’s gentle personality and desire to connect with her. When questioned by Soren, Claudia described Aran as; ‘the mom that stuck around,’, and implied that she was the one to help her through stereotypical ‘girl problems’ as she grew older.

It's unknown how Claudia reacted to Amaranthae’s betrayal of her father, as it appears she has never been told. Claudia believed Aran to have died during the Eclipse of Lux Aurea, and was never told otherwise, even after the Battle of the Storm Spire. During the subsequent 2 years that followed, whereupon she adhered to the instructions of Aaravos to resurrect her deceased father, she was never told that the woman she dubbed her own stepmother had betrayed Viren, and had been killed atop the Storm Spire. This in itself is indicative of a much larger play on Aaravos’s part; to not tell Claudia of Amaranthae’s betrayal, nor of her surviving Lux Aurea only to die atop the Storm Spire, implies he knew his sister had survived the events of the battle. Whatever the reason for his keeping secrets, Claudia’s reaction upon finding Amaranthae comatose in the vault of the Spire is one of utter joy; despite being atop the mountain to retrieve her fathers’ staff, she takes precious time to rouse her with dark magic, and is overjoyed when she awakens. Amaranthae, however, is drowsy and weakened from her coma; whilst she is undoubtedly happy to see Claudia, she is unable to follow or attempt to protect her when engaged in battle by the Skywing mage, Ibis.

After Ibis’s death, Claudia, now accompanied by Terry, is unable to return to the now-closed vault to retrieve Amaranthae, believing she would return to her and Viren. Upon returning to her father and joyously telling him of her discovery, she is confused and saddened at his hesitation upon the reveal that his former partner is alive and well; believing it to be due to his limited life expectancy, she eventually accepts that he simply wishes to free Aaravos and complete his resurrection before returning to her. After the opening of the chrysalis and the emergence of Aaravos's guide, Claudia makes one last attempt at convincing Viren to let her return to the summit of the Spire to retrieve Amaranthae. It is evident that, between the pair, no love has been lost whatsoever; Claudia still looks up to Amaranthae as a motherly figure, whilst Aran still loves and adores Claudia in the way she would her own child, despite all that has since come between them.

The pair are finally reunited a few weeks after Amaranthae’s awakening during Claudia’s journey to the Sea of the Outcast. Claudia is overjoyed to see her again, and Amaranthae returns the sentiment tenfold. Claudia defaults to Amaranthae’s authority swiftly, and their relationship becomes similar to how it was before they left the human kingdoms 2 years prior, with Amaranthae resuming her position as de-facto “stepmother”. She eventually has a heart-to-heart with Claudia and finally confesses her betrayal during the Final Battle, explaining that what she did was simply what needed to happen and it was the most painful thing she ever did. When Claudia presses for further explanation, Amaranthae assures her that her priority now, her priority forever, would be protecting her family. Claudia remarks that she sounds just like Viren, and Amaranthae agrees. When Claudia asks where he loyalties lie, Amaranthae firmly promises her that she will; “only ever be on your side”, much to Claudia’s relief.

When Amaranthae is forced to part ways with the group as they approach the Sea of the Outcast, Claudia is understandably devastated, but accepts Amaranthae’s departure as the effects demanding such a necessity become more and more obvious. Amaranthae promises to remain as close as she can, and she will be waiting for her to return once her mission is completed; the pair embrace, and Amaranthae waves the raft off into the open ocean before removing the looking-glass shard from her tunic once more.

Soren

Despite her having lived beneath the castle for over eight years, being in a relationship with his father, and tutoring his sister in the magical arts, Soren didn’t seem to have a particularly personal relationship with Aran. Whilst they appeared together many times, occasionally sharing a joke or a short conversation, there was always a certain disconnect between the two when compared to the relationship between her and his sister, Claudia, with whom she was undeniably close. It is entirely possible this disconnect came from Aran being an elf, or even a reluctance to accept another motherly figure into his life after his biological mother, Lissa, demanded an intense ultimatum of him when he was merely a child; whatever the reason, despite knowing of her and spending plenty of time with her, the two never formed a particularly strong bond.

After Viren was crowned King of Katolis and the invasion of Xadia planned, Soren complained to Claudia about being constantly left out when it came to important things; in context, it is clear that he meant Aran. This implies that Soren’s disconnect from her came simply from being left out; it cannot be denied that Claudia and Viren were certainly much closer to the woman than he was, but, in Claudia’s own words, Soren "never made an effort" to bond with her in the way that she had. She then reveals to him that his own sword had been made as a gift for him by the elven Forgemaster, but she had been reluctant to present it to him herself less she be trying to force her company on him. This obviously impacted Soren, who approached Aran of his own accord once they departed Katolis to cross into Xadia; unperturbed and undoubtedly charmed by the sudden interest Soren had in getting to know her, Aran bonded with him almost immediately during the march from the Human Kingdoms to the Storm Spire. As such, Soren was assigned as her personal bodyguard en route by Viren due to the hostility much of the army had towards elves, and it was a position that Soren took seriously.

Before Viren and Aran departed for Lux Aurea, Soren asked to accompany them; despite his request being immediately declined, Soren persisted, citing his position as Aran’s bodyguard in an attempt to get his way. He was, inevitably, rebuffed, and when Viren returned from Lux Aurea alone, he was shocked and saddened to hear of Aran’s demise. Even worse to him, however, was his fathers’ willingness to move on and press ahead even after losing someone so precious to him merely moments before; that, coupled with the spell he used on his army to turn them into fire resistant monsters, lead to Soren abandoning his father and fleeing the encampment.

Somewhere on the ride to the Storm Spire, about halfway between Lux Aurea and the mountain stronghold, Soren stumbled upon Amaranthae. Having thought her to be dead, he was initially weary; it was only the pressures of time that spurred him to listen to her, and the two completed the journey to the Storm Spire together. On their ride, Soren questioned Amaranthae on several things, including why she was ‘suddenly shiny’; this made Amaranthae slightly irritable, but only due to her injuries sustained in the fall of Lux Aurea. It is on this journey together that Amaranthae learns that Viren’s corruption didn’t solely stem from Aaravos’s influence; she is told by Soren that Viren ordered him to assassinate the two princes even before discovering the mysterious elf in the mirror.

The two bonded over their pain of those they had lost, and Soren spoke on her behalf against General Amaya and Janai when they arrived at the Storm Spire; after entering her coma, he then petitioned the dragon Queen, Zubeia, to intern Amaranthae’s resting body in the Arcus Vault beneath her lair to keep her safe until she awoke.

Soren and Amaranthae’s interactions have been limited since her awakening; Amaranthae is decidedly colder than her memory-less counterpart, shown when she seems more than willing to kill Callum to sever Aaravos’s puppet spell. When questioned by Soren whether she would have actually done it, Amaranthae decidedly avoids answering, simply stating that "no punches can be pulled in a battle against (Aaravos)". Despite this, the two seem to be on decent terms; before Amaranthae’s departure from the Spire, they are seen embracing, implying that she cares as deeply for him as she did before her long sleep.

Terry

Terry is initially weary of Amaranthae, as Claudia had confessed to him what Soren had told her in regards to her betrayal of Viren atop the Storm Spire. This, coupled with the fact that it took almost a month for her to join them after Claudia had woken her from her coma, makes him uneasy in regards to the woman. Amaranthae does not share the same sentiment; she is instantly accepting of Terry, and is understanding of his hesitancy towards her. Unfortunately, this leads to the disclosure of the location of Aaravos’s prison being withheld from Amaranthae until it is far too late for the necessary steps to be taken to allow her passage into the Sea of the Castout, and she is forced to let them continue without her; Amaranthae does not, however, blame Terry for this, whilst he is far less kind to himself.

Once convinced of Amaranthae’s loyalties, Terry grows very comfortable around her almost immediately; when she sleeps, he insists on the Being leaving her alone to let her rest, and she does the same when he later falls asleep against her shoulder. His constant positive attitude is endearing to her, and, before parting ways, she pulls him aside and quietly thanks him for looking after Claudia and Viren. They embrace, and, later on, on the shores of the sea, Terry remarks how he would much rather prefer she be by their side, and once again laments his refusing to disclose the location of Aaravos’s prison to her.

The Being

The Being displays an immense curiosity and familiarity towards Amaranthae, constantly hanging around her, trying to touch her, and even comes close to saying her name, ("Mara",) on several occasions. Amaranthae, in turn, regards the homunculus wearily; she initially tries to avoid him, even referring to him as a "crude form of life" upon their first meeting, but eventually begins to soften towards him as time passes by. She seems to have some knowledge of the magic that created him, and what it entails; upon first hearing him utter his signature; "Blood of Child!, she gently tells him that he might not be so eager to speak the words if he understood what they meant. One night, whilst Terry and Claudia sleep against Amaranthae on the calm river waters, the Being expresses a desire to join them; she initially denies him, but, in an effort to keep him quiet, begrudgingly allows him to curl up against her legs and go to sleep, which seems to please him greatly. She is considerably softer towards him from that point on, and seems reluctant to leave him when she is forced to part ways with the group; she bids him farewell by resting her hand on his head, telling him that she; "hopes to see him later."

Rayla

Aran and Rayla had not previously had any interaction before the Final Battle, although Aran was more than aware of who she was. Having lived under the watch of her parents, Tiadrin and Lain, for a few months between the arrival of Azymondias’s egg and her defection to the Human Kingdoms, she had heard them speak of their far-away daughter and managed to connect her to the mysterious elf who’d ‘kidnapped’ the Katolian princes a month before. Despite making this connection, and having every opportunity to confess to her the fate of her guardian, Runaan, Amaranthae chose not to, mostly out of shame for her part in his grim fate.

For the brief time they spent together, Amaranthae and Rayla bonded fiercely over the mistakes of their pasts and their actions to right them. Due to her injuries and presumed-dead status, Amaranthae remained atop the Storm Spire to guard Zubeia and Azymondias by Rayla’s side where they discussed each other’s families; Rayla opened up about her relief of learning her parents hadn’t run from their duties, whilst Amaranthae simply stated that "families were tricky things for people like her". Assuming she was talking about Viren, Rayla didn’t push any further, instead remarking that she’d never met a Startouch Elf before. Amaranthae only replied that she still wasn’t entirely sure she had.

When Viren appeared to steal and drain the essence of Azymondias, Rayla, who was immobilised at the time, witnessed Amaranthae’s seemingly mortal wound by his hands; she was genuinely distraught at witnessing her supposed death, and relieved beyond compare when she revealed herself to have survived. Amaranthae then went on to tell Rayla that Viren needed to be stopped at all costs, and, knowing this to be true, almost sacrificed herself to send Viren tumbling from the top of the Storm Spire.

In the aftermath of the battle, Rayla was the first to reach Amaranthae before she slipped into her coma; although not understanding her pleas, she listened intently as she used her last waking breath to beg Rayla to; "seal it off." Although Rayla didn’t understand her final words to her, she mourned Amaranthae nonetheless at her pedestal and placed countless flowers around her sleeping form out of respect for her fallen friend.

When Amaranthae emerged from her coma 2 years later, despite having been amicable beforehand, her relationship with Rayla is immediately strained upon her seeming willingness to kill Callum in order to sever her brothers spell on him. The strain is marred by disbelief, however; Rayla seemingly accepts, or at least, convinces herself that Amaranthae's play was simply a bluff for Aaravos to free Callum, a bluff that worked. When Amaranthae telegraphs her intent to depart from the Spire, she tries to convince her to come with them to speak with Rex Igneous and learn of his clue to the location of Aaravos's prison; Amaranthae declines, stating that she is the last person who should be brought before the Archdragon, and that her time would be better spent attending to her own business in the South of Xadia. Rayla's insistence that she come with them implies that she is still fond of, and trusts Amaranthae, despite her seeming willingness to kill Callum.

Callum

Much like Rayla, Aran and Callum didn’t have any interactions before the Final Battle; she knew of him only as Harrow’s son, and as such, was protective of him in her own way despite never having met him. Their only interaction came on the night of Harrow’s death; during the skirmish outside of the King’s chambers between his guards and the Moonshadow assassin’s, Aran pulled Callum to safety and pushed him down the tower steps. It is unknown whether or not she would have done this if she’d known what had happened only moments prior between Callum and Viren, but her actions undoubtedly saved Callum’s life. She silently mourned his supposed demise to the wilderness when Viren stepped up to take the throne of Katolis, having been kept in the dark about his plan to have Soren assassinate the princes; she learned this only just before reaching the Storm Spire and meeting Callum properly for the first time.

Amaranthae was stunned to learn that Callum, a human, had been able to tap into one of the Six Primal Sources; immediately, she began to show signs of slight fear, as though she knew something he didn’t. She did not, however, elaborate on this, merely congratulating him wholeheartedly on having achieved the impossible before promising to do all she could to protect him and his friends. Their final interaction came on top of the mountain stronghold moments after Rayla charged Viren off the edge, taking them both to their supposed deaths; Callum gave her his sketchbook for safekeeping, and, after asking her if he would be able to perform the mage wings spell and survive the jump, she merely responded; "why don’t you find out?" which spurred Callum to leap from the mountaintop.

After the battle, when speaking to Rayla of Amaranthae’s sacrifice, he was told that her final words had been to; "seal it off." Despite not knowing the meaning to these words, Callum mourned nonetheless; he promised at her bedside that when she woke up, he would show her his mage wings in all their splendour.

2 years later, upon Amaranthae’s awakening, the reunion between the two was not as sweet as Callum had initially promised; their first meeting was during Aaravos’s possession of the young mage, whereupon Amaranthae threatened to "sever his strings" if he didn’t do it himself, all the while holding a blade to Callum’s throat. After Aaravos released Callum and destroyed the looking-glass, thus shattering the connection between his prison and the real world, Amaranthae took the time to rouse him from his blackout, checking him over for signs of continued possession. It is evident that his health is a concern for her, and she questions how he's feeling after her brother had such an intense hold on him. It is then that she admits that she feared this for him from the moment he revealed his connection to the Sky Arcanum; Aaravos preyed on mages, and Callum was one unlike any other currently living. It is clear that Amaranthae has a newfound concern for Callum, much more so than when she fell into her coma; it is revealed, before she departs for her quest South, that she believes that she has slept far longer than she intended, and feels responsible for what has, and what may, happen to him.

Almost a month later, in the Great Bookery of Lux Aurea, Callum and Kazi discover an old document with information pertaining to Amaranthae’s past, revealing her to have once been a great friend to the Sunfire elves before becoming known to them as “The Great Betrayer”. Callum voices his concerns to Kazi about her history of betraying those who thought her to be their ally, and how she was able to leave the Storm Spire upon her awakening to go who-knows-where to do who-knows-what without anyone trying to stop her. Despite their fairly amicable parting of the ways back in the dragons lair, Callum’s trust in Amaranthae seems to have waned slightly, replaced instead by fairly-reasonable suspicion on his part.

Ezran

Aran and Ezran met only once before the Final Battle, and quite by accident; the curious little Prince always did have a habit of crawling through small spaces and ventilation ducts all throughout the palace, and, a few years prior to the events of the show, stumbled into a space where he witnessed a hooded and cloaked Aran through a grate. Hardly being afraid in his own home, the little prince bade the mysterious figure hello, to which she responded positively. They spoke only briefly, with Aran telling him that he should hurry off or he’d get in trouble, to which he obeyed; he mentioned in passing to his father, King Harrow, later on that day about; "the lady in the walls", but never came back into contact with her as the grate was swiftly sealed off.

Aran and Ezran never actually encountered one another when he returned to Katolis for his brief stint as King; she and Viren were both imprisoned separately, so she didn’t even see him when freed from her cell. She was aware of his return and was, of course, overjoyed that he had not perished in the wilderness as she’d previously been led to believe. When Viren took the throne, she did question his whereabouts; he had returned, only to have mysteriously vanished again. She came to her own assumption that it had something to do with Opeli, who had also mysteriously vanished when Viren took power, and didn’t pursue the subject; it was only when voicing this train of thought to Viren that he confirmed it.

At the Storm Spire, Amaranthae pledged to protect Ezran and his family; whilst he seemed initially weary at first, he eventually recognised her as; "the lady in the walls" and decided to trust her, believing her to have watched over him since he was young. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that their encounter had been merely by chance; as such, after she fell into her coma, Ezran mourned her loss with Rayla and Callum.

2 years later, after awakening from her coma, Amaranthae’s relationship with Ezran immediately became strained upon her willingness to kill his brother, Callum, to sever Aaravos’s hold on him; although he didn’t confront her on her reason for her actions, it was obvious that Ezran’s trust in her had waned slightly. Nonetheless, he wished her luck on her journey south, and they departed as both friends and allies.

Zubeia

Over three hundred years ago, when Avizandum made a deal with Amaranthae to imprison her brother, Aaravos, in exchange for amnesty from her own unknown crimes, the dragon King went to strike her down once the deal was done. His mate, Zubeia, was the only thing that stopped him from committing this heinous act; whilst he truly believed the world would have been safer should she have died, Zubeia pleaded he uphold his honour and stay true to his word. It is because of Zubeia that Amaranthae survived; whether this was down to her pitying her plight or a simple matter of honour is not known, although Zubeia’s gentle nature can lead one to believe that the former played the biggest role in her mercy.

During her three centuries serving Avizandum in the Storm Spire, Aran received kindness only from Zubeia; during the rare moments Avizandum deemed to leave them alone together, the dragon Queen was incredibly soft-spoken with her, seemingly unafraid to treat her fairly without her mate watching. Whenever he was, however, Zubeia seemed very apathetic towards Aran, and they wouldn’t speak much at all.

Upon discovering her comatose form atop the Storm Spire, Amaranthae seems to genuinely mourn Zubeia’s condition; she apologises profusely for all that she’s allowed to happen, and her words imply she is speaking of events that predate her memory-loss. After receiving a serious wound in defence of Azymondias, Amaranthae sacrifices a huge amount of energy to awaken the sleeping dragon, effectively reversing their positions to bring her back to the land of the living whilst Amaranthae took her place in a deep slumber; an act that softened Zubeia’s opinion of her considerably.

Zubeia had Amaranthae’s sleeping body interned in the Arcus Vault beneath the Storm Spire for 2 years to protect her from the outside world whilst she recovered from her wounds; upon her awakening, she seemed relieved to have her back on her side in the fight against Aaravos, and stated that the amnesty for her previous infractions remained in place. When Amaranthae departs the Spire on her journey south, she goes with Zubeia’s blessing; the dragon Queen recognises her as a formidable ally with a strength all her own, and does not push for her to accompany her and the others to the lair of Rex Igneous.

Zubeia and Amaranthae undoubtedly have a huge amount of respect and grace for one another, but there is weariness between the two as well; Amaranthae has a drive and will behind her upon her emergence from her coma that Zubeia is unfamiliar with, but has to trust will be used against Aaravos when the time is right.

Sarai

For the short night in which they knew each other, Aran and Sarai got along very well. Aran’s story stirred pity in Sarai, and, learning of how Xadia had treated her, the two got along well enough so that Sarai offered her a home in Katolis should she chose to leave the torments of her own country behind. Whilst she initially turned this offer down, Sarai’s death at the hands of Avizandum spurred Aran to reconsider, and eventually, accept when presented to her once more by Viren, who wished to honour the Queen's final kindness. The death of Sarai haunted Aran for years; she was always certain there was more she could have done to prevent it.

Azymondias

Amaranthae seems initially weary of Zym, undoubtedly seeing his father in his features. She does not, however, allow this to deter her in her dedication to protect him from Viren and Aaravos; atop the Storm Spire, she forgoes fighting in the battle below to stand guard with Rayla and ensure he falls to no harm. Zym, in turn, seems unusually frightened of Amaranthae; it’s entirely possible he may be, in some way, aware of the part she played in the death of his father, but it is impossible to know for sure. Despite this weariness, Amaranthae is willing to go so far as to receive a near-fatal blow in her attempts to protect Zym; it is unsure of whether she does this to protect Zym himself, or to prevent Aaravos from getting his hands on what he wants. After Amaranthae collapses in the mountain stronghold, Zym attempts to revive her in the same way he attempted to revive his mother, Zubeia. Unfortunately, as was the case with her, Amaranthae remains unmoved by his efforts.

After emerging from her coma, Zym’s lack of trust towards Amaranthae seems to ease a little bit; older and stronger now, he even displays signs of happiness to see her on her feet, and Amaranthae in turn is relieved to see him alive and well.

Bait

Amaranthae is amused by the glowtoad and his unrelenting grumpy nature, and seems to recognise him as an intelligent being as opposed to nothing more than a pet. After suffering her near-fatal wound during the Final Battle, Amaranthae is able to light a brazier on the wall with magic and cause it to fall to the ground; Bait recognises what she wants him to do with it, and brings the lit torch to Rayla, who then uses it to free herself from her icy prison. Bait seems genuinely upset at Amaranthae’s comatose state, and, in turn, overjoyed when she awakens; even though she seems a little colder and more aloof compared to how she was when she received her wound, Amaranthae’s old personality shines through a little bit and she seems genuinely delighted when reunited with Bait.

Neutral

Ibis

As a Skywing mage who specialised in liaising between the dragons and his own kind, Ibis was more than aware of Amaranthae’s identity long before she arrived at the Storm Spire with her memories renewed. Like most Xadians, he knew of her reputation as an exiled enemy of the state and, initially, stood against her; however, Amaranthae simply walked past him and into the chamber of the sleeping Zubeia. Ibis’s attitude changed towards her when she didn’t swiftly strike down the slumbering Queen, instead asking what has happened to her. It is unclear if he knows of the part Amaranthae played in the murder of Avizandum; it can be assumed, however, that he does.

Amaranthae’s attitude towards Ibis isn’t one of resentment, nor amicability; it is far closer to indifference than anything else. His support during the Final Battle was, of course, invaluable to Team Zym, and for that she was grateful; however, when it came down to it, there was nothing he could do to assist in the rousing of Zubeia, which became her primary task after Viren’s defeat. After falling into her own coma, Ibis was the one to set Amaranthae atop a runed pedestal in the Arcus Vault, to be watched over by Zubeia whilst she rests; this could very well mean Ibis, in the end, considered Amaranthae an ally, despite all that had transpired before her arrival at the mountain stronghold.

Upon her awakening at the hands of Claudia, Amaranthae’s legs had atrophied, and her mind was addled; when Ibis stepped in to stop the girl from retrieving the relic staff for her father, there was no strength in Amaranthae to step in and stop the fight. Ibis attempted to close the vault on them both and give himself time to destroy the staff before returning for Amaranthae, but was killed by Terry before he was able to do either. In the brief seconds between retrieving the relic staff and sealing the vault, it was evident Ibis was pleased to see Amaranthae awake, but with Claudia’s pressing advance, the two never formally reunited.

Ibis’s death obviously affected Amaranthae, as she seemed downcast at his brief funeral ceremony; however, it cannot be said for certain whether it was his death that had hurt her so deeply, or the fact that his blood was on Claudia’s hands.

Gren

Despite being a close friend of Amaya, and, in turn, Viren’s prisoner, Aran’s relationship with Gren is surprisingly good. Jokingly referring to him as her “roommate” during the time he is imprisoned in the secret chambers beneath the castle, the two share a few moments together which could almost be considered amicable. Neither one is outright malicious towards the other, although sometimes Aran is irritated by his presence.

Gren’s opinion of Amaranthae after her awakening is unknown.

Enemies

Avizandum

Despite serving as his loyal Forgemaster for three long centuries, Amaranthae has nothing but hatred in her heart for Avizandum. When he made a deal with her all of those years ago to imprison Aaravos in exchange for amnesty from her own unstated crimes, it was very clear Avizandum would rather have had her killed than hold up his half of the deal; it is unclear whether he simply wished to wash his hands of the twins entirely, or if he had a personal score to settle with her. Regardless, he was stopped by his mate, Zubeia, and forced to uphold his end of the deal; whilst he agreed to let Amaranthae live, he did not allow Aran to live a life of peace.

Aran suffered at the hands of Avizandum, made to work tirelessly as a Forgemaster most hours and then forgotten about afterwards. His various Dragonguards' treated her like a criminal, and, by extent, she garnered herself a very negative reputation throughout Xadia, despite having no contact with anyone outside of the Storm Spire. The only fleeting moments of compassion she experienced over those three hundred years came from Zubeia, whenever Avizandum deemed to leave them alone together. Although it was never specified as the reason why, however, even those small crumbs of kindness did not last; Avizandum eventually released Aran from the stronghold of the Spire and set her up as a watchdog at The Border, to steer humans away from his kingdom in total isolation. Whilst she had more freedom in her new life living at The Breach, all of the comforts of her home before were gone, and she had to learn, very swiftly and without instruction, to survive in a hostile environment.

Despite his cruel treatment of her, Aran still, on some level, wished for Avizandum’s approval. She worked tirelessly under his order, never once failing to meet his quotas and performing his specifications to the highest quality, hoping for one day to gain some form of approval from him, but never once succeeding. As such, when it came to plotting his assassination, Aran was all in; whilst his death came at the hands of King Harrow, Aran was present to watch him suffer, and didn’t seem disturbed or moved whatsoever by his grim and terrible fate. When asked by Soren later on if she regretted her role in Avizandum’s death now that she could remember everything, she answered surprisingly, stating that she; “has many regrets, but removing him from play is not one of them.”

Despite his cruel treatment of her, Aran still, on some level, wished for Avizandum’s approval. She worked tirelessly under his order, never once failing to meet his time limits and performing his specifications to the highest quality, hoping for one day to gain some form of approval from him, but never once succeeding. As such, when it came to plotting his assassination, Aran was all in; whilst his death came at the hands of King Harrow, Aran was present to watch him suffer, and didn’t seem disturbed or moved whatsoever by his grim and terrible fate. When asked by Soren later on if she regretted her role in Avizandum’s death now that she could remember everything, she answered surprisingly, stating that she; “has many regrets, but removing him from play is not one of them.”

Runaan

Aran’s hatred for Runaan was never in any doubt; whilst her relationship with King Harrow may have soured over his final day amongst the living, she still considered him as one of her closest friends, and the Moonshadow assassin did himself no favours in her eyes by taking his life. She was the one who issued orders to bring him in should he be taken alive, having had her own experience with his kind in the past and thus knowing death would be preferable to surrender to one of his ilk.

Aran tried, and failed, to interrogate Runaan during his week-long imprisonment beneath the castle behind Viren’s back. She recognised the similarities between his assassin’s binding and her own, and promised him his freedom if he offered her information that would lead to their identification or removal. Runaan compared her to a dog multiple times during their conversation, stating that she was willing to bite Viren in freeing him before he could help him identify Aaravos’s looking-glass, so he should not expect any better. He also likened her to a pet, an exotic creature that humans could keep for their own entertainment; on her part, Aran simply responded that there was absolutely nothing wrong with a pet, if indeed they were well-kept.

Whatever bordered on condescending pity on Runaan’s part swiftly evaporated into open disgust when she revealed her bindings to him. He mused that unknown parties in Xadia wondered what had happened to her, and where should would strike next, but refused to divulge exactly who he meant. Instead, he turned to insults, claiming her to be a sickness that had addled their homeland, a sickness he was glad had spread to the human kingdoms and can no longer stricken Xadia whilst she remained there. He even taunted her over the death of Harrow, implying it was her fault. At this point, Aran lost her temper and smacked him across the face, never returning to speak to him again, and after being imprisoned in one of Viren’s coins by the High Mage himself, Aran seemed entirely satisfied by his disturbing fate.

Atop the Storm Spire on the eve of the Final Battle, she made no comment of Runaan to his ward, Rayla, during their conversation; it can be assumed through context, however, that she deeply regrets her role in his fate.

Harrow

Although initially good, Aran’s relationship with Harrow became a little bit strained over the years; she always suspected he resented her for surviving the events of their meeting whilst his wife, Sarai, did not, although he never fully admitted this. The two began their friendship as close, bonding from their shared grief over the death of the Queen, but her growing relationship with Viren pushed them apart. Eventually, Harrow began to regard Aran in the same way he that regarded his High Mage; so obsessed with dark magic that they could not see beyond their own desires, and willing to let others bear the burden of their actions. Shortly before his death, he asked Aran if she had always intended to exact revenge on Avizandum for her mistreatment by capitalising on his grief, which she fervently denied; whilst exonerating herself, this did, however, confirm that Harrow had suspicions of her from the beginning.

On the day of his assassination, Harrow outright blamed Aran in part for his predicament; he claimed she encouraged Viren to talk him into killing Avizandum, thus dooming his own life in exchange, and only just stopped short in saying she should have died in Sarai’s place. Despite knowing his words to be coming from a place of desperation and fear, this was the last conversation they had, and it permanently corrupted their friendship and, in turn, her memory of him. She did not, however, cease her protection of him that evening, and succeeded in fighting off four of the six attacking Moonshadow assassins.

Amaya

When Aran and Amaya first met, along the border between Xadia and the Human Kingdoms, Amaya was the first in the entire party to attack; whilst it was a reasonable action on her part, being in hostile territory, Aran had, up until then, harboured no obvious ill-will towards her people. She had been merely tailing them to that point before Amaya got the jump on her, and whilst she wasn’t seriously injured before being taken prisoner by the humans, their relationship never really recovered past that point. Despite this, Aran fought valiantly against both the Magma Titan and Avizandum to protect the humans, including Amaya, and she didn’t protest in any way when Harrow offered her sanctuary in Katolis following Sarai’s death.

During her time in her kingdom, Amaya’s attitude towards Aran was almost indifferent, a sentiment that the latter returned; they remained mostly silent in each other’s presence, and the animosity only really began to return when Amaya discovered Aran had become close to Viren, another magic-driven mage who had long lost her confidence. The two showed open hostility towards one another after Harrow's death, with Amaya, (perhaps rightfully so, claiming that Aran had only ever brought her family pain, a statement which Aran resented. With the exception of a brief respite at Sarai's grave later that day, any chance of a burgeoning relationship between the two was dashed completely after that; even at the Storm Spire, when Amaranthae had betrayed Viren and fled to fight by their side, Amaya made it very clear that she didn’t trust her in the slightest. There was, however, no love lost on Amaranthae’s part; at this point, she didn’t desire Amaya’s friendship, and was quite content with her obvious resentment.

Khessa

Considered cruel and arrogant, there was certainly no love lost between Aran and the Sunfire Queen. Whilst she was not made aware of Aaravos’s plan to have her killed, there was certainly no part of Aran that hoped for Khessa’s salvation; she watched as she tortured her partner, Viren, with a painful ritual first in the Palace, and then again at the Sunforge in Lux Aurea, and endured her patronising insults over their relationship. Despite the memory charm breaking shortly before her death, Amaranthae made no efforts to save her life; whether this was down to a conscious decision or not is not entirely clear.

Aanya

Having witnessed Aanya single-handedly steer the other monarchs at The Pentarchy summit away from Viren’s alliance, Aran holds nothing but contempt for the young Queen of Duren despite never actually having met her. This could perhaps be due to Aran being unfamiliar with the laws of human monarchy; the idea of allowing a child to rule a kingdom in such precarious times, regardless of their bloodline, is ludicrous to her. Moreso than that, she seems to harbour a natural dislike towards anyone who stands against Viren; whether this is because she believes absolutely in his idealism, or is simply down to loyalty alone, is up for debate.

Janai

The Knight of Lux Aurea obviously and openly resents Amaranthae for her role in the plot that killed her sister, Khessa. When she arrives at the Storm Spire to assist during the Final Battle, Janai does not hesitate in attacking her with the intention of avenging her fallen sister; despite having betrayed Viren and Aaravos, however, Amaranthae doesn’t seem particularly moved by Janai’s fury. When confronted by Janai, she offers neither apology nor explanation, implying that, even then, she didn’t regret her role in Khessa’s death. Janai and Amaranthae are at odds with each other right up until the end of the battle, with the former verging closer to hatred whilst the latter burgeons on absolute apathy. After Amaranthae enters her coma, Janai is mostly unmoved by her sacrifice; she does, however, accept that Amaranthae truly has turned over a new leaf, and that her betrayal of Viren hadn’t been for some ulterior motive.

Opeli

Opeli and Aran didn’t have a particularly personal relationship, although it could be assumed through what little time that they had spent together that the two could not be more different. Aran’s initial dislike of Opeli came from her ‘professional’ feud against Viren; whilst the latter had her loyalty, Opeli would constantly do all she could to undermine him, insisting on following the traditions of Katolis rather than take the decisive action that the moment, perhaps, called for. Her constant protest at Viren taking power after the disappearance of the princes did nothing to soften Aran’s attitude towards her, and she often described her as "meddling" when discussing her with Viren.

Following Aran and Viren’s imprisonment after the illegal Pentarchy summons, Aran made her hatred of Opeli much more verbally known; even after she and Viren were freed and the latter took the throne of Katolis, Aran questioned where Opeli had "slithered off to" in an attempt to have her punished for her stance against Viren. Opeli had, of course, fled Katolis by that time with Corvus to avoid facing Viren’s long overdue wrath, and never saw such a punishment.

It is unknown of the pair’s opinions of one another post-final battle.