The Hyrule Family: Lily and Daltus

So, yeah, I'm way behind but I got this picture done earlier tonight (yeah for being ahead on grades for once!).  I think I made Lily look a little old (she's supposed to be 21 in the image), but I'll let you all be the judge of that.  This is the first (and only) picture I've drawn of Zelda's mother!

Here we have Zelda's mother and father, Lily and Daltus, on the day that Daltus told her he wanted to marry her.  There was only one problem with his plan: she had no idea he was the King!  When they first met on LonLon Ranch, before Daltus was introduced to her by Eloise Hamara-Lonelson, he overheard her talking about how uncomfortable court life was, and how she was not fond of the fact that her father had accepted promotion to Lordship.  Daltus decided to change her mind by easing her into royal life, but he grew so fond of her that it took all the courage he had to finally tell her the truth after two years of dating.  She almost called off the relationship, but after a few days realized she still loved Daltus, no matter who he was, and accepted his marriage proposal at the castle.

Anyhoo, here's the character backgrounds for the Hyrule Family:

Hyrule Family – As stated in previous Zelda games, the last name of the Royal family is usually given as Hyrule.  (e.g. Daphnes Nohansen Hyrule, the King of Red Lions – Wind Waker).  Every royal family has had its fair share of ups and down, scandals, and everyone wanting to be part of it.  Before the start of the rein of King Daltus, the kingdom was in a bit of turmoil, ravaged by in-fighting among the ruling class of the three great cities.  The quarreling was quelled by Daltus, but did not come to end until the devastation of the disease that ravaged the land 7 years before the start of the Minish Cap, and 10 years before the start of Zelda’s Quest.

King Gustaf V – Daltus' Father. Born Gunther Berenger de Hyrule, his family was of the royal line that ruled over Kragton in the mountain region of Hyrule.  Descended from the second born of Queen Tetra’s children, Gunther had little hope of gaining the throne until his cousin Thurber, the current king, died without an heir, leaving his sister Zelda to ascend the throne.  Gunther took advantage of Zelda’s altered state of mind and married her, taking the name of Gustaf when he became King.  He ruled Hyrule with an iron fist, clamping down on the growing descent among the royals and citizens alike.  He believed in tough love, as he called it, and amassed a great army of supporters.  He enjoyed the company of the Hamara clan and allowed them to take over the day to day dealings of the castle while he himself enjoyed hunting and visiting the other cities to make sure all was calm and orderly.  He died of a heart attack after a long hunt in the Lost Woods.

Queen Zelda Rosaline – Daltus’s mother, descended from the first born of Queen Tetra’s children.  As was tradition, Zelda Rosaline was given the same name as all women in her family.  From the day she was born, she was a sickly child and rarely left the castle.  It was said that she was in possession of the “Golden Light”, which traditionally passed to the women of the family as well.  When her elder brother Thurber died after an extended illness, she was crowned queen.  In order to preserve the family line, she quickly married Gunther when he proposed the union of the two sides of the family.  This left out the cousins from Fynlan and caused a lot of distrust and in-fighting between the royal family and their supporting houses.  She died two years after Daltus was crowned king.

King Thurber Gustaf II – King Thurber, uncle to Daltus and King of Hyrule.  When Thurber took the throne, Hyrule was in a time of peace and prosperity.  Both Fynlan and Kragton were producing excellent goods that were easily traded with the surrounding kingdoms.  All that changed when Thurber became ill with an unknown aliment.  His condition slowly deteriorated over several years until he succumbed, leaving his sister Zelda to ascend the throne.  Thurber was aware that his mother was member of the Blade family, the secret Order of Hyrule.  He promised to keep the Blade family secret, but when he became ill, he crafted a letter to be given to any children that Zelda might have.  He sensed a coming darkness over the land of Hyrule and wanted to prepare any future king

King Daltus Nohansen Hyrule – Daltus ascended the throne of Hyrule after the death of his father Gustaf, he was only 20.  Daltus was pressured many times by the royal court to take a bride, but he refused, focusing instead on reuniting the families.  He had managed to create new trade agreements with the three cities and bring peace between the families. He did so after ousting several of the old, influential families, like the Hamara clan, from the high court.  When his mother died, he became the next carrier of the “golden light”, as he was an only child.  Many of the royal court were afraid that Daltus would die childless and unmarried, but he shocked the world when, at the age of 38, he choose a bride from a relatively young, up and coming royal family. Zelda was born three years later, and the “golden light” passed immediately to her, but Daltus appeared to retain some of its mystical power.  Daltus was very much into trying to understand the history of Hyrule and legends of the Heroes of Old.  He discovered his Blade family heritage through a letter from his late uncle, and was taught in secret by Master Smith.  He has yet to show it in the comic, but he has the ability to scry, manipulate light and fire, and shadow jump.  He has not used any of his skills in years, but is prepared to use them when necessary.

Queen Lily Delany-Hyrule – mother of Princess Zelda, late wife of King Daltus.  Lily was a shy and quiet girl from the Delany family, former residents of Veil Falls, under the rule of Lord Marrik.  Early in Daltus’s rein, her father, who was a knight of royal decent, saved the people of Veil Falls after a serious storm brought a hundred year flood to the valley.  Thanks to his heroic efforts, not a single life was lost when a dam broke, flooding the town.  As a reward, he was elevated to Lordship and given land just to the east of Castle Town.  Lily's parents employed the owners of Lonlon ranch, which was on their land, to run the family affairs. She was also invited to Aaron Smithson and Anna Hamara's wedding by Eloise, which lead to the three of them being friends.  When Daltus came to purchase a new horse from LonLon ranch, he was introduced to Lily and the two fell in love.  After a two year courtship, they wed, and Zelda was born three years later.  Lily was claimed by the disease that wiped out two thirds of Hyrule 10 years prior to Zelda’s Quest.