THE GOWER FAMILY

The Gower family is Gowerland’s illegitimate royalty. I say illegitimate because the first Gowers to arrive in Gowerland, Godric and Bain, stole the throne. See my Dec. 5 post “Daughter of Venus Background History” for details about how they managed to do so and about their war on magic.

Those events began in 1639 (Earth date). Since then, the throne has been transferred from Gower man to Gower man, usually father to first-born son. Traditionally, all baby boys born to the king have names that end in “ric.” Daughters’ names end in “ia.”

The current ruling Gower is King Ulric, who was born in our year 1960, making him forty-four years old during the events of A Journey Unveiled and An Enemy Defined. He was married to the late Nanissa, who arrived in a trade with an overseas country. They had four children.

Henric was born January 12, 1979. He died not long before his sixteenth birthday as a result of the extreme punishment ordered by his father. His crime? Refusing to follow the king’s orders to murder peasants. He was a kind, gentle, humble boy.

Ulric and Nanissa’s second child, Sylvaria, was born April 11, 1983, making her twenty-one at the beginning of the series.

Prince Aeric was born August 4, 1985, making him almost nineteen when we meet him. After Henric died, Aeric became the crown prince, but he refused to move into his brother’s rooms, a fact that becomes relevant in book two.

The youngest child, Lorellia, was born July 8, 1993. She is eleven when we meet her in book two.

Aeric displayed hints of magic, mostly unintentional, from a very young age. Nanissa reprimanded him every time and forbade him from using it. Royalty or not, magic was forbidden and witches were considered abominations deserving of death. When he was eight years old, during a rare moment alone, he was unable to resist the opportunity to try using his telekinesis. He was only alone for a few minutes before Nanissa caught up to him, but even though his attempts had failed, the damage had been done. Oracle Ebba, the king’s loyal Seer, had seen him and told his father, who was furious and embarrassed that his son had been “playing witch.” That was the second-last time Aeric saw his mother, who fled soon after and ended up getting killed by peasants. King Ulric blamed Aeric for Nanissa’s death and never forgave him for either event.

King Ulric’s brother, Lucain, is the king’s Hand, or second in command. His son, Cadbian, was Aeric’s best friend.

Is there anything else you’d like to know about the Gowers? Let me know!