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Iliana Laurent was born the younger cousin of a lesser Laurent line and expected to be used in a number of ways: as a soldier and as marriage fodder. Life met up with her expectations in each of these ways, if not in the way she initially expected. She trained as a squire to a commoner knight in service to the Valardin, an unusual arrangement born in part from her family's practical, workhorse approach to life generally. She earned her military service the 'right way', so to speak. She was the subject of marriage negotiations with the Marquis of Leaholdt, where the brother of the sitting Marquis would join her in protecting her home and providing more Laurent heirs. Iliana didn't care particularly who she ended up marrying at that point; she was without romantic interests of her own, after having had only a few passing flirtations with fellow soldiers that never went anywhere dramatic or soul-filling. What came as a shock, however, was a few days before the ink was likely to be put to contract, the Marquis died, and her brother became, unexpectedly, the new Marquis of Leaholdt. Iliana prayed for guidance, not sure what else she could do. She dreamed of riding through the woods with her spear in hand, and took it as a sign -- whether it was or not -- that she should go through with it anyway, despite the dramatic overturn of her fortune and future. She had met Marquis Fairen Leary only a few times and found him quiet, not very military, and neither particularly interesting nor particularly objectionable. She married him for duty, and expected no love. What reality did not prepare her for was the shape of that middle ground. Fairen alternated between being aggressively competent (fine) and deeply annoying (not fine). She never hated him, but sometimes she wanted to hit him with a brick. They have yet to successfully create an heir, although not for lack of trying (on A SCHEDULE with CALENDAR DATES highlighted in COLORED INK are you even SERIOUS yes, yes apparently he is oh my god).

Clouds of dark hair, when loose, fall to the midst of Iliana's back; braided, she wears them in coils at the back of her head, out of the way. Tiny freckles dust across the bridge of her small, upturned nose. Her eyes are an intensely deep blue, large, round, and framed by thick, dark eyelashes. There's a cherubic, aggressively young-seeming fullness to her face and cheeks that she can't seem to shake no matter how many years she grows through. Inclined to fullness in her body as well, the tendency is undercut by just how active and energetic she is, leading to a stocky, well-muscled, broad-hipped frame. Her lips are full but pale, sometimes painted darker when she remembers that makeup is a thing that exists.

Forthright, bright, and clever, with a quick tongue and a readiness to apply sass in any given situation, Iliana is a quick thinker with an impatient energy to her. Her sense of humor is dry and sharp, and she is unafraid to scathe when necessary. She is a doer, not a prepper; she would always rather take an action than wait, once there is enough information for a plan to be formed. She's not reckless or foolish, but she is 200% done with an abundance of caution. This brings her into frequent clashes with her husband the detail-oriented. Restless energy drives her towards action and decision. She has a practical, no-nonsense approach to a number of things in life, and tends to rain on the parades of the sentimental and idealistic.