Sidhe Knight of the Kingdom of Apples
Sidhe Knight of the Kingdom of Apples
The daughter of a third-generation Irish-American police officer and a delicate, retiring Japanese mother, Valerie McSkeane grew up a curious mixture of athletic and intellectual. She excelled both on the playing field and in the classroom, but she always felt somehow like something was missing.
On Valerie's twelfth birthday, her parents gave her a copy of The Tree of Swords and Jewels by C.J. Cherryh. The girl eagerly devoured the book, and found that the tale of the lonely elf-queen Arafel struck a chord deep within her soul. From then on, she sought out all the materials she could on the subject of Faeries and elves, and by the time she reached high school she was an authority on the subject. Somehow, the tales reminded her of a half-remembered past where she had been a great warrior, leading her troops to victory in a land beautiful beyond any she had ever known.
In tenth grade, she joined the SCA. It was like coming home. She eagerly embraced the medieval trappings of the organization, learning how to fence and fight with rattan blades. She seemed to have a natural aptitude for such things, and was well on her way to distinguishing herself as a fighter. Noticing this, one of her instructors, a woman named Janet O'Shay, took her under her wing and taught her much more of the fighter's arts. Val learned quickly, and a year later she was one of the best fighters in the local barony.
While at an SCA event just after her sixteenth birthday, Val suddenly felt as though the world were changing crazily about her. Looking at some of the attendees, she saw pointed ears and long, lean limbs, their faces possessed of an unearthly beauty and majesty. The sight somehow unlocked a previously closed part of her mind, and she found herself remembering who she truly was: Valeria of House Scathach, one of the noblest of Kithain, the Sidhe. The realization so dumbfounded her that she almost lost the match; only her reflexes gave her victory.
After the match, she was approached by Janet, who revealed herself as the young Changeling's aunt, Baroness Janna of House Scathach. Along with the other Sidhe attending, Janna took the new Chrysalid to her Freehold, where Valeria learned the ways of the Dreaming. Val passed the Fior-Righ with flying colors, and was squired by one of the knights at Janna's court. She distinguished herself in his service, and was later knighted for her valor on the field against members of the Shadow Court.
Shortly after her knighting, Valeria swore fealty to Prince Darian ap Fiona, ruler of a freehold near Washington, D.C. When Lusiphur,an assassin of the Shadow Court, made an attempt on the prince's life, Valeria vowed to bring him to justice. Recently, his trail has led her to the city of Ashland...
Description
Valeria stands five feet seven in bare feet, with a slender frame. She moves with the grace of a trained fighter. Her hair is black and wavy, falling to the middle of her back; she ties it up in a braid for combat. In her human Seeming, she appears to be an attractive young woman with black hair and blue eyes, clad in black jeans, a silvery gray shirt, and a black leather motorcycle jacket that fits her like a shell. She carries twin throwing knives in wrist sheaths at all times.
In her Fae Seeming, she manifests the pointed ears and extraordinary beauty typical of her Kith. Her eyes are icy blue, and she has a clear, penetrating gaze. She most often appears in light, silvery Chimerical armor, with her daggers sheathed at both wrists and her sword hanging at her hip. The sword's pommel is cast in the shape of a unicorn's head, the blazon of House Scathach; she always wears a pendant with the same insignia no matter what form she is in.
Val’s sword is a Chimerical weapon, and her daggers are Faerie Treasures given to her by her aunt at her Chrysalis. Forged by the finest smiths of House Scathach, they will never miss their target, nor ever dull or break. Legend has it that anyone who holds one of the daggers can communicate with the bearer of its mate over great distances.
Here are a pair of letters written by Jenner and Valeria,
which explain some of the events referred to in Revelations: Part Five.