The Velaniri are not a people native to the North. Some of them do come from among the various Nord clans but most are descended from exiles, fugitives, and refugees from all over the world. Their savage, ancient forest the only place they were allowed to take root.

Alina is a third generation exile. The second-born child of Sedric Berrada, Lord of Lórieth.
Pelataine by ancestry, Nord by blood, and all Velaniri.

The young princess is much loved by those serving her for she understands the difference between commoner and subject. She knows her proud people can not be ordered, can not be subjugated. Only asked and allied with. She inspires fierce loyalty.
High birth comes with high expectations however and although she got the best training and education available to her, Alina often feels she could never live up to her father's reputation. The man who turned an empoverished rabble into one of the most powerful families in Velanir casts a long shadow.

Perhaps in part it is this pressure that makes her act like a spoiled brat who cares for nothing more than her own amusement. Alina would be out hunting or playing at swords and with the heart's of suitors rather than meddle in business or politics. Try as they might, her parents never could teach her responsibility. A fact that vexes Lord Sedric to no end.

Nevertheless. the Berrada girl does have her moments. Whatever she lacks in enthusiasm she makes up for with natural charm and a keen eye for people. She has an almost uncanny ability to detect when someone wants to hide something from her. A skill that alerted her to threats well before anyone else. Were she more determined, Alina would be a ferocious force to be reckoned with.

Those in the Lórieth court wonder what it would take for her to find that determination. Some would welcome such change, for they see Julien as the less deserving heir to Sedric's legacy, while others fear her potential for just that.
The time may yet come when she is given every reason to become the woman of power everyone expects her to be.