Character Profile: Elektra

Unsurprisingly, Teodora is not a very hands-on mother. For the most part, that’s a good thing; her charming personality hasn’t really rubbed off on her children. Still, having Teodora as your mommy dearest is bound to leave its mark, and as her oldest child, Elektra has had to bear the brunt of her … eccentricity.

As Teodora’s heir, Elektra enters the story way back in Valley of the Shadow. She’s only thirteen, but being sent on a military campaign so she can inform on her mother’s general and nemesis-in-chief, Brynhild Mattila. When Mattila defeats King Arryk, Elektra narrowly escapes being married off to him. Recently widowed, he’s really not in the mood to hang out with anyone related to Teodora.

On her way back to her mother, our good friend Braeden temporarily loses his mind and kidnaps Elektra, intending to kill her and send head to her mother. Against all odds, Elektra turns out to be a fast talker and convinces Braeden to help her kill her mother instead. But she’s lying, and when she betrays Braeden, things get crazy.

Elektra is my wildcard. Compared to many of the other main characters, her personality isn’t very strong. She hasn’t really figured out who she is.

She’s extremely ambitious, and really wants to be empress someday. But so far, she has very little to back up that ambition, aside from a bit of canny resourcefulness and some military ability. She’s plain in appearance and of average intelligence. Perhaps her most interesting feature is a streak of religious fanaticism, encouraged by Livilla Maxima, someone Elektra considers a mentor and one of the few people she loves.

That religious fervor has brought Elektra through a number of trials and setbacks, but in Winter of the Wolf, it will be challenged like never before. Elektra becomes more important than ever, but she’s still a pawn, and frankly, getting sick of it. She’s one of the characters I’m most looking forward to writing in the next book. There’s still no telling what she’ll do!

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