Accutina Usca Ulappi Tafka Vaaltanen, Princess of Medrodor and Queen of Bennvika, was born to King Spurvan and Queen Takapaea in Jalinna Palace, Medrodor in 1500 AU. This is her story up until the events of Vengeance of Hope.
Early Life Accutina had to fight for attention from an early age. She was the fifth oldest child and second oldest daughter within the Medrodorian royal family, with King Spurvan's eventual recognised issue extending to eleven children in all, of which Accutina was the second of four by Spurvan's second wife, Takapaea Dronnareidius, the niece of the Verusantian Emperor Greggasteidius.
Being the eldest daughter, it was Accutina's older sister Aravinda, and not Accutina herself, who attracted legions of male suiters vying for her hand. It was only after Aravinda died of a sudden fever in 1515 that any attention was laid at Accutina's door. Relationship with her father It is widely recognised that Accutina and King Spurvan have never been close. Not known for keeping her feelings to herself, letters sent from Accutina to her stepmother, the young Queen Demusta, after beginning her life in Bennvika reveal that she, at least at that time, thought of her father as ‘a pompous fool’ and ‘unworthy’ of her stepmother’s affections. It can only be assumed that these letters never came to the king’s attention. Marriage to Lissoll III of Bennvika The sudden death of Queen Gidrassa of Bennvika shocked the world in 1511, but it wasn’t until 1519 that King Lissoll agreed to the Congressate’s recommendations to remarry. Keen to keep the peace between Bennvika and their powerful western neighbour, Medrodor, Lissoll travelled personally to Jalinna. After extensive negotiations between Lissoll and Spurvan, it was agreed that Lissoll would wed Accutina. Accutina’s afor-mentioned letters to her stepmother brim with a petulant anger at her father for not being consulted about this, mixed with a resigned acceptance of her circumstances.
Image courtesy of Amir Taheri at Unsplash.