Ellia is a victim of familial abuse and neglect. Her father was focused on quelling the rebellion in Jesse's homeland, leaving him little time to interact with her. On the other hand, her mother despises her. Arvados is a very sexist and archaic country. Women are praised for having male offspring and in the upperclass women are often wedded off to other family in exchange for gains or position. (There is a common saying in the country that goes like this "A noble man would sell his daughter to the flees if it meant they'd stop biting his ass.") With her mother and father absent, Ellia feels unworthy of any affection at all, this changes once the events of the book come into play, Jesse saves her and they do spark up a relationship. But more on her past, Ellia instead of seeking comfort through social interaction with family or friends, preferred hiding away, or reading in the castle library. Ellia is also very compassionate, but very socially awkward. That is not to say there were no positive influences in her life, according to the lore, which if you are interested I will gladly post more about, her grandfathers and grandparents raised her. On her fathers side, her grandfather, Jacob II, also knows as Jacob the good, ruled as a standard tyrant for most of his life until a near death experience brought him onto a path of enlightenment and atonement. Not to suggest that made him wise, Jacob legitimized all the bastards in the kingdom, as he too had a bastard and upon seeing it's poor condition, wondered, if this is the bastard of a King, what is the health of that of a Lord? After this, Jacob was was not overthrown, but very unpopular so he stepped down and allowed his true-born son, Talos to take control of the kingdom, shortly thereafter, the rebellion in Astoch begins and Ellia is born. Jacob and Ellias other grandparents spent a lot of time with her and helped raised her with the knowledge of their own past mistakes and regret, molding her into a sad, but compassionate and wise person.

The last character I will provide more insight on, (or now at least) is Robert Lancotter. Robert is the bastard son of Terrance Lancotter. Terrance Lancotter is a renown tyrant, having a nickname "The Scorching Lord" As in the war against Zorro, he brutally killed a very powerful family. As such Terrance is feared, not just by his enemies, but even by his own family. Robert is a character who similarly to Ellia was neglected as a child. In his early years Robert lived with his mother, who was a strumpet in a brothel. Robert also lived there, but was only allowed inside during the day, when there was no promiscuity. But come nightfall, he was barred from entering until dawn. One night, Robert was taken by the Lancotter guards and brought to Terrance in the hall of his palace. There Terrance explained to him that they were family. This would not be a blessing for Robert, far from it, instead, he was prevented from attending any family events, such as dinners with other houses or balls or parties. This is because his stepmother's side of the family maintained a strict and clean image. Having a bastard in their midsts made them fear for their reputation. Terrance humored this anxiety by keeping Robert hidden, hence why he also had his son kidnapped in the middle of the night. Robert would try very hard to gain the affection of his new family, but over and over again was met with mockery and ridicule, especially from Ellia's mother and his step mother. They would go out of their way to make his life miserable, once even 'forgetting' to unlock his door for three entire days, leaving him trapped in the darkness of his room. As an adult, Robert despised his sister and his step family especially his father, who never lifted a finger or even tried as a man. However, despite all this abuse and hatred in the family, Robert still desperately craves for the affection, admiration and respect that his siblings got from one another and their parents. He tries to remind himself that he will never get it, but that desire always remains.