Biography[]
Many years ago, Alyne had been an attorney versed in the Old Law and known for his love for debate and strong opponents.
Montrag and his father, Rehm, double-crossed Alyne, financially ruining him. As their fortunes declined, his shellan turned to laudanum to cope. Ehlena had, had a promising engagement to a male of the glymera, but after they chose to become intimate, the male betrayed her by spreading lies that she had seduced him and was nothing more than a harlot. Ehlena would never again have a chance at a successful mating. It was one shameful betrayal too many for his shellan and she committed suicide.[1]
Alyne no longer knew who to trust and didn't trust his ability to read people. Soon after his shellan's death, he began hearing voices. As his schizophrenia developed, he could no longer look after himself; Ehlena became his caretaker and hired a nurse, Lusie, to sit with him while she was at work.
In 2005, he lit the apartment on fire because of the voices in his head. Since then he's been on medications and the house has been free of anything that can start a fire.[2]
Ehlena had to crush up his medications, 1 trifluoperazine and 2 loxapine, in cranrasberry juice to get him to take them.[3] Before she'd leave for work, he'd tell her that he didn't like her working outside of the home, but would relent when she'd say that she liked working. To deal with their fallen status, he interpreted everything Ehlena did for him as being performed by non-existent doggen.
Afterwards, he would go to his room to work on his many writing projects. One of the more well-developed ones he gave to Ehlena, called In the Rain Forest of the Monkey Mind. The monkeys are the voices, which are easily recognizable as enemies as they throw things at him, which are metaphors for intrusive thoughts. To fight back, he relies on ritual and his writing. He understands his own mind whereas in the outside world he's lost and helpless. In his schizophrenia, he still enjoys debating with a skilled opponent because he's essentially fighting aspects of his own mind. The final line of the manuscript is that his only regret was that his illness was a barrier between him and Ehlena and he's saddened by being a burden to her.[1]
Personality[]
Other than a tendency to start fires when the voices were particularly bad, Alyne is gentle; even when he has a fit, it manifests in agitation and manic repetition of certain phrases instead of lashing out. Underneath the mental illness is a keen intellect, a kind heart, and a soul full of loss.
Physical Description[]
He has fluffy white hair and a white beard.
Skills[]
- Writing
- Old Law litigation[1]
Abilities[]
- Unknown
Relationships[]
Ehlena[]
He loves his daughter dearly and is quite proud of her. He hated that she worked outside of the home instead of managing a household like a lady of the glymera, but believed and supported her even if he didn't understand when she told him that she enjoyed working even she had to, to support them both. When he was more oriented to reality, he regretted that he was a burden on her and saddened by the sacrifices she'd made and the loneliness she'd lived with.
Lusie[]
Alyne's caretaker, seems to have a fond relationship with him and they enjoy doing crossword puzzles together. Instead of thinking of her as his nurse, he sees it as entertaining her like a guest.
Trivia[]
- He prefers the Old Language[3] over English, which he thinks is "coarse on the ear."[4]
- The tin foil he insisted on keeping over the windows at their crappy apartment was a physical manifestation of his schizophrenia because both insulated him from the real world and kept him safe from reality.
- Alyne doesn't do well with electronics.[5]
- He only writes in blue because a properly trained attorney never writes in black.[1]
- Metal objects, such as spoons, left out of place can send him into an episode.[3]
- He writes with a quill and uses a crystal inkwell.[2]
- In the Rain Forest of the Monkey Mind is 300 pages, handwritten.[1]
- He sleeps with his arms straight out and feet crossed at the ankles.[6]
Appearances[]
Lover Avenged[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Lover Avenged, Ch. 36
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lover Avenged, Ch. 17
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Lover Avenged, Ch. 3
- ↑ Lover Avenged, Ch. 54
- ↑ Lover Avenged, Ch. 34
- ↑ Lover Avenged, Ch. 10