Amaryllis Grey

Amaryllis Grey, also known as Am, is a POV protagonist of all four books of the Princess and the Guardian series. She debuts as the masked Daughter of Iron at the Whitegarden Tourney, and gradually gains repute, becoming a knight of the Iron Guard, leader of the Inferno, and influential commander during Zivon's War. Throughout most of the novels, she is the lover of Edmund IV of Aldhaven, by whom she eventually births a son, Willem Edmund Grey.

Childhood
Amaryllis was born a peasant in the small village of River's End, nestled in the Endallyan mountain range of Northern Aldhaven. She was raised by her mother, Catharine, who worked at the local pub. She never met her father; the only thing her mother revealed about him was that he was a knight and died foolishly during the length of her pregnancy.

Throughout much of Amaryllis's childhood, she kept her chores in the home. Following the death of her mother, however, teenaged Am took over her mother's duties as a barmaid. Am greatly admired her older brother, Willem, who hoped to become a knight once the family was financially stable.

Adolescence
Shortly before Amaryllis became of age, a raiding party attacked River's End, burning buildings, stealing loot, and brutalizing villagers. Miraculously, Am survived the attack. She searched her mother's tavern only to find her dead, and later, Willem's corpse was returned to their home.

With no purpose left in River's End, Amaryllis knew she had to leave. She had to do something about what happened here. She sold the tavern, gathered all of the family's earnings and clothing, and set out on her brother's horse to Balwynsward, the location of the nearest political official.

Amaryllis arrived in Bal expecting to be taken seriously. Few cared about what she had to say, no matter how articulate she became. These experiences never weakened her faith in her cause. After failing to make waves in Bal, Amaryllis commits to leaving for the Capitol.