Mikael Ezekiel d’Amécourt

Age (Appearance): 28 | Species: Nephilim | Age (Real): 501

Faction: Ailward Guard | Rank: Personal Guard to Aureus Ailward

Status: Immortal | Weapon of choice: Longsword

Faceclaim: Torrance Coombs

Anaya d’Amécourt was an angel in every sense and Robert Breckenridge, a clan chief of the Outer Hebrides, was not the first to fall for the ethereal grace and the sharp-wit she possessed.

On one of her many visits to her betrothed, Scottish noble, Arthur Rothesay, Anaya’s horse-driven carriage broke down in the deep forests of the Western Isle. Having nowhere else to go, her servants suggested that she took shelter in a small town not too far off. So, mounting on the great Stallion, she rode towards the village of Rostock.

The dark-red haired female, riding down the streets in nothing but sheer elegance but with a sense of power was quite the sight to the Scottish natives. Men fell at her feet the moment she came to a stop. She strode towards the Chief’s house, poised and undeterred as hungry eyes ogled at Anaya. The French Noble was not unaccustomed to the fantasies of the commoner, neither was she a stranger to the Scottish customs. So, when she approached Robert Breckenridge with a steady determination to get herself a place to rest, she was certain that he would turn the foreigner down unless she chose her words carefully - drop the name of her Noble Fiance.

However, as Anaya walked towards him, Robert could swear for the first time in thirty years of his existence, his breath had been knocked out of his chest - and it wasn’t even someone punching him senseless. The female’s beauty and grace had him captivated right from the very moment she parted her lips, tilting her head back to let those long luscious curls frame her delicate face and Robert knew he would be willing to give her anything she required.

Robert was a strong-featured man himself. With bright blue eyes and dark hair, he was the eligible bachelor every female wished to marry. But his heart was set on the female barging in through his territories and he had every intention of keeping her to himself.

Anaya and Robert didn’t exactly fall in love in the first week she took refuge in Rostock. Anaya was careful to keep her heart astray, knowing another man had already been named its victor even though she found herself heavily attracted to the former. However, the day she was set to go back to France after visiting her betrothed, Anaya commanded for her servants to turn the carriage around and take her back to the village. Something was unsettling about leaving without saying goodbye to the other male.

Their goodbye however turned into a confession of love from Robert, who refused to watch her leave without trying his luck out with the angel. And caught in the moment, Anaya kissed him, pushing them over the edge and deep into love. That night, Anaya would later come to know, the two conceived their first daughter - Anna.

Anaya spent a few more days with her secret-lover before she returned to Paris where her cousin, Claude of France, curious about her sudden morning sickness would call for a Physician who confirmed her pregnancy. Anaya was in the midst of a turmoil, and in an attempt to save the reputation of her family, she claimed the child to be of Arthur’s.

Arthur was elated and he ordered that they get married at once. Days before the wedding, however, Anaya managed to arrange for a secret meeting with Arthur, confessing about the illegitimacy of her child. The Scottish chief at once suggested that they run away but Anaya refused, asking him for some time and patience and they would have a future together.

The pregnancy went smoothly and baby Anna was a splitting image of her mother - no one could even think she was anything but the beautiful child of Arthur and Anaya. However, Anaya’s heart still lay with Robert and the two met secretly on various occasions, Arthur remaining clueless about his wife sharing bed with another man.

It wasn’t until the birth of young Mikael - another child of Robert and Anaya whose illegitimacy she tried to hide from her husband, that Arthur finally realised something was wrong. Mikael looked nothing like either of his parents - he had icy blue gaze as opposed to his parents’ chocolate browns and his hair was a raven shade, unlike Arthur’s blonde curls and Anaya’s deep red locks. He soon spent his resources to uncover what Anaya was hiding, and the truth was only a few weeks away.

On the day of Mikael’s first birthday, Arthur had a devious plan to avenge the shame and insult Anaya had brought upon his family. However, a loyal servant, Amaritius, was quick to realise the man’s intentions of killing the child and the wife and hunt down Robert and pushing aside his loyalties, he informed Anaya of the grievous crime.

Anaya was on the run. Two children, barely three years and one year of age, accompanied their mother across the French lands and past the English Channel and right into the arms of her lover. Robert at once prepared his soldiers, ready to attack if Arthur dared stepping into his territories. However, to their surprise, no one came hunting for them for the next few years.

Yet, paranoid, Robert imparted warrior lessons to his son, Mikael from the moment he could walk. The young toddler had already begun playing with knives by the time he was two. He proved to be a quick-learner with sharp reflexes. And by the time he was seven, Mikael had mastered the art of knife-throwing, combined with his interests in art and literature.

Mikael and Anna were like two peas in a pod. She looked over her little brother and often treated his wounds from the duels. Although hardly ever losing in any of the matches, Mikael always had his mother and sister worried about his safety. He was still, after all, a child daring to play with blades.

They in turn imparted value and arts to him - teaching him philosophy, history, literature and about his angelic heritage. Although his heart belonged to the Longswords and knives, he never disappointed the females. By the age of 10, Mikael had mastered Swordplay, being defined as the best in the whole of Western Isles. He was vicious when it came to the blade, and his partners often spoke of how they felt like he knew their moves even before they thought of them themselves. Robert couldn’t have been prouder of his son.

It was during this time that things began to run wild once again. Ayana was pregnant once again, but this time instead of the joyous feeling of fatherhood that should have come once he carried little Marianne in his arms, Robert let out a loud groan, watching as someone drove a sword through his heart. He turned around just in time to fall on his back, providing a safe landing for the infant and taking a look at his murderer.

Arthur stood tall, enraged, blood smeared on his face as he laughed a maniacal laugh before proceeding to stab a weak Ayana who had been recovering from the hours of labour. He then proceeded to brutally stab Anna, taking out the years’ worth of anger upon the teenager as she bled to the floor before stalking off into the woods where he was told Mikael was. 

Mikael, however, by some twist of fate, had returned to his chambers early that night after exploring the woods throughout the day with his mates. He returned to an empty house and was caught in surprise. He called out for his parents, his sister but hearing no response, he stalked into his parents’ bedroom, only to find the most gruesome sight a young boy of ten years could ever walk upon.

He cried over the dead body of his father, picking his younger sister up in his arms before crawling over to his mother and his sister, unable to comprehend what was happening. There was blood everywhere and it fell like they had been bathed by it. Just when he was about to kiss his mother’s forehead and venture out into the forests in an attempt to run away, he heard an unsteady breath leave Anaya’s lips.

“Son,” She croaked, in deep pain. Mikael at once teared up as he grasped his mother’s hand, “Keep her safe. Keep yourself safe and promise me that you will do right by her.” And with that, Anaya d’Amécourt embraced death and something flipped in Mikael.

For months he ran with whatever money he could find in the house to meet their needs, never 
settling in a place until he reached the French Court. Claude took pity to her nephew’s condition, and gave him and the infant Marianne a place to live.

Although Mikael spent the next few years bringing up Marianne in the best way possible, being the guardian, protector, teacher and friend his mother had expected of him, a thirst for vengeance grew deep in him.

He was one of the nicest, polite and humble boys in the French Court, but in solitude, he was training every day to drive a blade through Arthur Rothesay’s heart like he had driven a sword through his entire family’s.

It wasn’t until Marianne was a young teenager and Mikael a capable man in his twenties that he decided to leave the French court. He had by then gained a lot of respect for his political wisdom and warriorship skills. King Francis I easily granted him permission to leave the royal court, offering him an estate not too far away from the city of Paris, but he refused, knowing he had enough to fend for himself.

Marianne and Mikael settled in a chateau in Versaille, living a normal life, or so Marianne thought. During the day, Mikael had taken up the work of a merchant, but at night, he was a beast - a killer on the hunt. He had a made a name for himself in the world of assassins on his search for Arthur Rothesay, and many paid him for his skills.

His grip around the hilt of the sword was cold as he drove it through Arthur Rothesay, the male, with fear for the inevitable doom, crying out before blood splattered all over the warrior’s suit. And as Mikael let out a dry chuckle, he knew he had never enjoyed the kill as much as he did right then.

But his assassinations came to a halt a few months later when Marianne, suspicious of what kept him away most nights, walked in on him killing a high-born for the King. It was the look of disgust and disappointment in his little sister’s face that snapped Mikael back to his senses. He realised how much he had wandered away from the path his parents and Anna wanted him to be on. He realised he had indulged himself in the same thirst for revenge as Arthur and suddenly he saw himself as no better than the Scottish male.

However, Marianne was kind-hearted and forgiving just like their mother and the female spoke about the Isle of Skye and the two ventured on a journey to redeem himself and find a place to start over, away from the bloodshed.

It took them a few more years till Marianne and Mikael found the Isle. Once they passed the barrier, proving the purity of their intentions, the Ailwards happily accepted him. However, Mikael wanted more assurance of the safety of his sister. All guards were treated equally, but he needed a confirmation that whatever may happen to him, Marianne would be kept safe. For this, he offered his services to Aureus Ailward, pledging to be his security for the years to come. Having heard of his previous skills, Aureus readily accepted his offer and as payment, his sister was given protection and they both received immortality rings. It was a new chapter in Mikael’s life.

For centuries he served Aureus blindly, offering his services whenever needed, however needed, to ensure his sister’s safety. He put his duty above anything else and Marianne often scoffed about how he wouldn’t bring home a sister-in-law. The young French-Scott was not exactly shy of women. On the contrary, many women sought him for his looks and the natural charm of a man brought up in the French court. But, he failed to maintain any relationship with them that could last for more than a day or two. No one could catch his attention long enough for him to chase them. The only woman that mattered to him was his sister and no matter how many blind dates she set him up in, Mikael would always find a way to reject them all.

That was until the gorgeous Ophelia Dreyvalian came sweeping into his life, entering the Isle of Skye,and turning it around. She was beautiful. Not in just her fair looks, and the lovely hair, the delightful curves. She was beautiful as she traded her duties for her people and Mikael admired her determination, her strength, her ethics. She was selfless and Mikael was sure if he had gotten closer, he would have lost himself to her.

However, he treaded carefully, knowing that something was stirring between the young 
goddess and Venetus. He kept to the shadows, not even daring to introduce himself to Ophelia, lest he fell in love with her voice.

But something went awfully wrong between the Celestials and the Aspects and as Aureus revealed his plans to capture the Stars, he was shocked. But what shocked him the most was Venetus's willingness to go through with the plans. Mikael couldn’t believe someone so close to the beauty would ever betray her - treat her as anything less than the divine spirit she was and he at once protested, saying there could be another way.

However, knowing Aureus would go ahead with his plans, Mikael couldn’t resist the urge to step in and save the Wayfinder. He found a way to safely get Ophelia out of the Isle and away from the Ailwards before any of the Celestials could be held captive, although she would never know it was him. And he doubted she’d even know he existed.

Aureus obviously found out about Mikael’s actions and that night he called him to his office. “It was you, wasn’t it?” He asked, in a surprisingly unamused tone. Mikael, knowing he had costed them their deal, simply nodded, confessing to his actions. Expecting them to throw the d’Amécourts out of the Isle, he simply stood with his head low, awaiting Aureus’s judgement.

“Next time I see you near her, you won’t have a sister to make a bargain for.” Was all he said and strode out of the room. Mikael knew what he meant and he knew that this where he had to draw the line. Ophelia was a weakness that could cost him his sister’s life and he was not willing to risk it. So, he resumed his old ways, pledging ultimate devotion to Aureus and pushing away any thoughts of the brunette wayfinder away from his head.

Even after the Isle of Skye came crashing down Marianna and Mikael taking refuge in the city of Evermore with the rest of the Guards, and hearing about the brief rumours of the Celestials that had escaped coming to the supernatural haven, he was determined that the only reason he would risk being around Ophelia was to capture her and bring her to the Aspects so things could finally go back to wherever they were.