Heylin and Tancred

"...Why do you insist on keeping me alive? I am useless without you."
"I've seen death before. I... simply do not wish to see it again."

Heylin is the bearer of Tancred, a possessed mask.

    Heylin used to be a hunter's prodigy daughter, until during a hunt with her father, a bear attacked her, slashing her across the face. This not only left scars on her face, but the resulting damage led to her no longer being able to talk, see, nor hear. Now unable to follow in her father's footsteps, she could no longer aid him as she once did. Although, despite her lack of capacity to reciprocate, he still took care of her, despite it becoming increasingly harder for him too handle. Barely making ends meet, he took on riskier and riskier jobs to continue support, but it was exactly that which led to his demise.
    Now, completely alone, Heylin figured he had abandoned her, as in her mind it was the most logical, sensible option. She waited until death's embrace, but she found the one of another. Tancred, a mysterious, floating mask had found her, and decided to aid her, both out of pity, and out of any other options. Now, he serves as her channel through the world, making her able to talk, see, and hear again.

    Tancred is a mask possessed by the soul of a counselor, in order for him to fulfill his contract, despite his premature death. Realizing the horror he was exposed to as a now disembodied mask, he slowly and methodically led the king to his personal fall, then abandoning the land completely. Wandering around much like a haunted spirit, he eventually found Heylin, a young girl who needed any guidance she could get in order to continue living. Though Tancred is noble at heart, he is not the most honest nor ethical, and remains a mastermind of manipulation when neccessary. He still may carry out his personal agenda, not rarely lying about his perception, without any way of Heylin knowing, thus leading her to unwittingly act out any of his plans.
    However, this began to change throughout the years, as she grew more "atunned" to Tancred's voice, a pure manifestation from his soul... and mind. This led her to eventually be able to slowly uncover from surface thoughts to even his deep subconscious through listening to his inner voice more and more attentively. While fully aware of Tancred's true nature and his desire to keep her as an extension of himself, she also learned of his past and how deep down he remains a truly good man, and so she still maintains the same façade of a naïve young girl, hoping not to shatter his world once more.

   The mantle of bear arms she coats herself with to this day was made from the same one who years ago had deprived her of so many connections to the world around her. Her father hunted it down and stuffed it himself, thinking of it as a way to try and comfort her and as a token of how he'd always be there for her. Despite his apparent abandonment, she still holds onto it, as much as it may feel like a curse lingering over her, reminding her of how the world had forsaken her.

 she/her