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This article contains spoilers from A New Beginning
This article contains spoilers from The Lost Stories
This article contains spoilers from The Emperor of Nihon-Ja
This article contains spoilers from Erak's Ransom
This article contains spoilers from The Siege of Macindaw
This article contains spoilers from The Sorcerer in the North
This article contains spoilers from The Burning Bridge
This article contains spoilers from The Ruins of Gorlan
This article contains spoilers



Alyss Mainwaring was an Araluen diplomat who was trained by Pauline DuLacy and close friends with Cassandra and Horace Altman. She later married Will Treaty.

She played an instrumental role in repelling a Pictan Invasion and in the Nihon-Jan Civil War.

Description

Often considered beautiful, Alyss was tall and graceful,[3] though she was also noted to be solemn-looking.[4] She had grey eyes,[5] a straight nose,[6] full mouth,[6] and firm chin.[6] Her voice was low-pitched yet feminine,[7] and she spoke in a quiet, level voice.[8] Alyss had straight, shoulder-length ash blonde hair[6] and fair skin.[9]

Alyss often wore her Courier uniform--a simple but elegant white gown with a bronze laurel branch pin fastening a short blue cape at the right shoulder.[10]

Due to her calm and collected nature, she was often considered to be a natural diplomat. Lady Pauline noted that she had an air of self-confidence and poise that made her well suited to the Diplomatic Corps.[11] However, she was occasionally prone to jealousy, as shown in her clashes with Cassandra.

History

Alyss was an orphan, having been raised in the ward in Castle Redmont. Her father had been a cavalry lieutenant who had died in the battle at Hackham Heath, and her mother succumbed to a fever weeks after giving birth.[12] Although Alyss had never known her parents, she knew others who had known them, and could tell her about them.[13]

As her and Will were the originally the only two wards in their year,[14] the two developed a close friendship. She was promised an apprenticeship by Lady Pauline prior to the start of the series.[3]

The Ruins of Gorlan

The night before Choosing Day, Alyss comforted Will, noting that they would be stupid not to be nervous. After Will fled into the yard, Alyss attempted to follow him, but quickly gave up.

On Choosing Day, Alyss was the first to walk into the room and was immediately accepted to become a courier.

On Harvest Day, she met up with Will, Jenny, and George, as all apprentices were traditionally given the day off. Despite her usually unreadable, calm, visage, even she was eager to try one of Jenny's famed pies. When Horace Altman arrived late and started a fight with Will, she was puzzled by his irritable behavior.

At a dinner celebrating Will's victory against the Kalkara, she kissed him on the lips.

The Burning Bridge

Alyss was sent on her first diplomatic mission as a Courier, escorted by Halt. Her mission was to send a message to Cobram Keep about the false reading of a treaty that led to the Keep's refusal to make alliance with Castle Redmont, even though it was inside the boundaries of Redmont Fief.

Upon arrival, Sir Montague kept her waiting for over an hour. When he finally saw her, he refused to follow proper protocol and insulted both Baron Arald and Lady Pauline. When Alyss remained steadfast, he began insulting her as well.

After Alyss demanded respect, he destroyed her credentials. Fed up, Halt threw Montague out a window into the moat. In the end, Montague did sign an acceptance of an alliance to Redmont. On the way back, Alyss gave Halt two kisses on the cheek, one for Will, and one for him.

The Sorcerer in the North

Alyss traveled to Seacliff Fief to deliver instructions to Will, directing him to the Gathering Grounds, where Halt and Crowley were waiting. While the two were talking, Will realized that John Buttle, a local thug, was eavesdropping. Alyss distracted him with her dagger, allowing Will to knock him unconscious and tie him up. Unsure of what else to do, Alyss suggested killing him, but Will instead decided to give him to the visiting Skandians as a slave.

Before Alyss left, the two shared a gentle kiss.

She later posed as Lady Gwendolyn in order to act as Will's contact in Norgate Fief. Together, the two investigated Grimsdell Forest and discussed their theories on the Night Warrior.

After Will and Orman escaped from the castle, her cover was blown when Buttle, who had escaped from the Skandian wolfship, recognized her. She was imprisoned in Castle Macindaw's tower by Sir Keren.

Keren interrogated her using a crystal that hypnotized her, attempting to find out who her and Will were and what they were planning. Although initially able to resist, she succumbed to subsequent attempts.

Will launched a rescue attempt, climbing up the tower and taking the window bars off using acid. Before they're able to complete the process, Keren arrived and Will was forced to climb down alone. Keren hypnotized Alyss again and, unable to resist, she told him what Will was doing. Although Keren sliced through the rope, Will had already climbed off. Overwhelmed, Alyss fainted, leaving Keren unable to interrogate her further.

The Siege of Macindaw

She was able to contact Will by signaling with a lantern from her window using the Courier's Code. With help from Malcolm, he sends her a small pebble, which Malcolm claimed was stellatite. By focusing on the pebble, Alyss would be able to resist Keren's mind control.

Unsure of what else to do, she had continued to break through the bars with the acid left behind from the first escape attempt.

Later, Keren proposed to Alyss, but she immediately declined and instead tried and failed to persuade Keren to stop what he was doing.

In Will's second rescue attempt, Karen compelled her to attack Will. Will was able to break the hypnosis by confessing his love to her. Shocked at finding herself posed to kill him, she fell to the floor crying. Instead of fleeing as Will ordered her to, she grabbed the vial of acid and threw it in Keren's face. Keren lost his balance and fell on the weakened bars, causing them to break and Keren to fall to his death.

At first, she couldn't remember what Will said or what had happened in the tower, but she had dreams of what happened and told Horace, who told her that they might not be dreams, but memories. She wrote to Will, confessing her feelings. Will immediately left Seacliff Fief to see her and to tell her he loves her.

Erak's Ransom

Alyss was Lady Pauline's bridesmaid during her and Halt's wedding. She was a joint bridesmaid with Jenny and wore a light-blue dress.

When the time came for the bridal dance, Alyss unsuccessfully tried to teach Will to dance, as he hadn't realized beforehand that they would have to dance. The two left the floor when Alyss spotted Svengal, who came charging through the door with news that Erak had been captured.

She stayed behind at Redmont when Will left for Arridi with Gilan, Halt, Cassandra, Horace, and the Skandians. Though slightly sad at staying behind and letting Will go off with Cassandra, she was comforted by Pauline.

The Emperor of Nihon-Ja

She, Halt, and Will were in Toscana with Selethen, overseeing a treaty being forged between Arridi and Toscana. She was startled and somewhat annoyed when Cassandra turned up, as Alyss was jealous of her relationship with Will. Alyss agreed to go to Nihon-Ja to help Horace and George, revealing that she could speak Nihon-Jan.

On board the ship, things became tense between the two girls, especially during their sparring sessions.

In Nihon-Ja, Alyss cut and dyed her hair as well as stained her skin in an effort to blend in more with the locals, who were somewhat hostile to foreigners.

She later traveled with Cassandra across the Great Lake in northern Nihon-Ja to enlist help the Hassanu. They traveled across by kayak, and though the atmosphere between them was often tense, they started to thaw to one another.

When the two girls met Lord Nimatsu, he told them he was unable to enlist the Hassanu to help. He explained that the forest they would have to through was inhabited by a man-eating creature called the Kyofu. Alyss and Cassandra, seeing no other way, agreed to kill it.

After the first attempt, which used a young pig as bait, failed, Alyss concluded that it was only interested in humans. As such, the second attempted had Alyss staying on the ground with a shield and dagger, whilst Cassandra waited on a platfor with her sling. In the end, it took both her and Alyss together to kill it. The Kyofu was revealed to be a giant snow tiger.

Later, Cassandra and Alyss finally resolved their differences after an exasperated Cassandra explained that she was interested in Horace, not Will. Cassandra asked Alyss to be her bridesmaid at her and Horace's future wedding.

Will asked Alyss to marry him after Horace proposed to Cassandra. Due to his clumsy delivery, Alyss marched away in mock indignation. Unbeknownst to him, she was grinning widely.

The Lost Stories

Death of a Hero

Alyss was mentioned briefly when Halt wondered what he should do with the recently-orphaned Will.

The Roamers

In Will's absence, Alyss was looking after Ebony whilst he and Halt were away on a mission. When the two came back, she told Will that Ebony was missing, presumably taken by a band of travelers called the Roamers who had been staying nearby. They quickly set out after the travelers under the guise of brother and sister.

After tracking down the Roamers, Will set out on a mission to find Ebony, accompanied by Alyss. She infiltrated the Roamer camp by disguising herself as an old woman named Hilde. She was able to trick Petulengo and Jerome into revealing the dogs' location.

When Jerome was distracted by Ebony's reaction to Alyss, Demon Tooth wrestled loose from him and attacked the pair. At the last moment, Will shot Demon Tooth who in turn killed Jerome before being shot again.

Together, the three returned to the Roamer encampment, and Will announced Jerome's and Demon Tooth's deaths. He instructed the Roamers to leave not only Redmont Fief, but Araluen as a whole. Before they leave, Alyss gave Petulengo a bloody nose for his treatment of her as Hilde.

The Bridal Dance

Alyss was bridesmaid to Cassandra at her and Horace's wedding. She wore a dress made in the Courier style.

The next day, after Will foiled the Genovesan's plot to kill Cassandra, Alyss took him aside and told as he had missed dancing with her at both Pauline and Halt's wedding and now Horace and Cassandra's, he'd better be there for their wedding.

And About Time, Too...

Alyss and Will finally got married at a small ceremony surrounded by close friends.

Cassandra was the matron of honor and Horace the best man. Alyss was given away by Halt; Baron Arald preformed the ceremony.

A New Beginning

Eighteen months prior to the book, Alyss was coming back from a mission when she saw an inn set on fire by Jory Ruhl. She went into the fire to save a five-year-old girl, and managed to save her by tossing her out a window into the arms of waiting guards. Tragically, the inn then collapsed, killing her. Her body was never found.

Alyss' death sent Will into a tailspin; he hunted Jory Ruhl without success and was grim and unapproachable for a long time afterward.

Skills

  • Diplomat - Alyss was a natural diplomat, taking after her mentor, Lady Pauline.
  • Linguist - as a part of her diplomatic training, Alyss was fluent in Nihon-Jan[15] and possibly Gallican.[16]
  • Fighting - After her imprisonment by Sir Keren, Alyss began training in self-defense. She carried a heavy-bladed knife and a lightweight saber, and was skilled with javelins as well.[17]
  • Disguise - Alyss was excellent at assuming disguises, able to assume the identities of Lady Gwendolyn and Hilde on separate occasions. While in Nihon-Ja, she dyed her skin a darker color and and cut and colored her hair black into order to blended in with the locals better.[18]

Notable Relationships

Will Treaty

She and Will had been friends since childhood. They shared their first kiss after Will defeated the Kalkara. When Will returned from his time in Skandia, the two grew even closer, with Alyss sensing that Will needed someone by his side. After defeating Sir Keren, they confessed their love one another and officially became a couple. On the return journey from Nihon-Ja, Will clumsily proposed to her. Although she pretended to be indignant, she was actually delighted, and the two eventually married.

Cassandra

Initially, Alyss was very hostile toward Cassandra, believing her to be in love with Will. Though their relationship was strained, the two banded together to recruit the Hassanu and defeat the Kyofu. Cassandra eventually explained that she was in love with Horace, not Will. Embarrassed, Alyss apologized and the two agree to be friends, with Cassandra asking Alyss to be her maid of honor and Cassandra later acting as Alyss' matron of honor.

Horace Altman

Like with Will, Alyss and Horace grew up in the ward together, but have a sibling relationship as opposed to romantic. He was the one who realized Alyss and Will were in love, and encouraged the two to confess. In turn, Alyss figured out that Horace was in love with Cassandra. Alyss was the maid of honor at his and Cassandra's wedding, and he was the best man at her and Will's.

Halt O'Carrick

Alyss was one of the few people capable of drawing a smile from the Ranger easily, and Halt looked upon her as a daughter. They initially met when Halt escorted Alyss on her first diplomatic mission. While in Nihon-Ja, he refused to put up with her and Cassandra's petty behavior and was pleased when they started getting along. He approved highly of her and Will's relationship and gave her away at their wedding.

Pauline DuLacy

The two were close, having a strong master-student bond and Pauline being like the mother Alyss never had. Pauline often reassured and advised her pupil and highly approved of her and Will's relationship. Pauline chose her at the job choosing ceremony.

Trivia

  • It was said that Will and Alyss loved each other long before they started dating, but they were both too scared to admit it to one another.
  • She was apparently more beautiful than the princess Cassandra.

References

  1. Alyss is 15 when The Ruins of Gorlan takes place, meaning she was born in 628.
  2. Alyss is killed 18 months before A New Beginning, meaning she died in late winter of the previous year, 668.
  3. 3.0 3.1 The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 1 - "He knew that the tall, graceful girl had already been promised a place as an apprentice by Lady Pauline, head of Castle Redmont's Diplomatic Service."
  4. The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 3 - "Arald smiled at the solemn-looking girl."
  5. The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 31 - "But now he realized that her elegance and grace and those gray eyes, framed by her fine blond hair, created a natural beauty that far surpassed mere prettiness."
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 The Sorcerer in the North, chapter 8 - "Her ash blond hair was straight and shoulder length, falling on either side of her face and framing her features."
  7. The Sorcerer in the North, chapter 8 - "Low-pitched, feminine and with a unique cadence that reminded Will of a stream flowing over smooth stones."
  8. The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 3 - "'Alyss Mainwaring, my lord,' she said in her quiet, level voice."
  9. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, chapter 23 - "He peered more closely in the uncertain light of the gangway lantern and realized that she had applied some kind of stain to her skin to darken her complexion, changing it from its normal fair coloring to a light olive brown."
  10. The Burning Bridge, chapter 12 - "She had changed from her riding clothes when they were a few kilometers from the castle and she was now dressed in the simple but elegant white gown of a Courier. The bronze laurel branch pin, the symbol of her authority, fastened a short blue cape at her right shoulder."
  11. The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 3 - "She had an air of self-confidence and poise about her that would suit her well in the Service."
  12. The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 1 - "Alyss’s mother, devastated by her loss, succumbed to a fever some weeks after giving birth."
  13. The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 1 - "But while the others had memories of their parents or, in Alyss’s case, people who had known them and who could tell her about them, Will knew nothing of his past."
  14. The Ruins of Gorlan, chapter 1 - "That year, there had been only one other ward."
  15. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, chapter 9 - "'Besides, you'll need someone who can speak Nihon-Jan.'"
  16. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, chapter 11 - "'It's Gallican,' Alyss told him. She had used the phrase because she knew how much Halt hated the word 'seasick'."
  17. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, chapter 17 - "This new emphasis on martial skills was evidenced by the fact that her dagger, part of the Courier uniform, had changed from a narrow, needle-pointed ceremonial design to a more practical – and more lethal – heavy-bladed fighting knife. In addition, she had taken to practicing the javelin and to wearing a lightweight sabre while on assignments."
  18. The Emperor of Nihon-Ja, chapter 23 - "'We never know when we might have to go undercover, so part of our standard traveling equipment is a disguise kit. Skin dye, hair coloring and so on.'"
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