Gwendolyn ni Cunedda

Gwendolyn ni Cunedda is the elder of High King Owain's two younger sisters. She is heir presumptive to the throne of the Resurgent Dream. Constitutionally, she is first in line to the throne of the Resurgent Dream but third in order of precedence, after the High King and the High Queen Consort. She is second in line to the throne of Marlund but fourth in the order of precedence.

Grand Duchess Gwendolyn is known for her extensive charity work and her sponsorship of the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church. She also performs a wide range of royal duties for the Danaan Royal and Excalbian Imperial families as well as all of the duties of the chief of state of Shieldcrest.

Birth

Gwendolyn ni Cunedda was born in at Tasat in Shieldcrest. Her parents were Peredur ap Cunedda and Ygraine ni Cunedda, the Duke and Duchess of Tasat. She was baptized by the Lutheran Rev. Daind Landeck. Her godparents were Adal Madler, then Duke of Magel and current Prince of Thorlund, and his wife, Jessica.

At her birth, Gwendolyn was only entitled to the title of Countess Narich by courtesy. She did not bear any other title prior to the Shattering. Many of her current royal titles became hers by right after her elder brother became High King. Others were created by the king for her or were obtained through her marriage to the Excalbian Prince Peter.

Early life

When Gwendolyn was only eight years of age, her father was killed in the Battle of Narich during the Danaan Civil War. He was considered one of the heroes of that battle and of the cause of High Queen Agwene. He was especially considered a hero for humans and Christians both because it was the rights of those two groups which were primarily threatened by the insurgency and because of the traditional role played by the Duke of Tasat as the most prominent of human leaders during the Gwydion Dynasty.

In the absence of a father, Gwendolyn formed an especially strong connection with her older brother, Owain, who she looked to as her protector. Although she had been under the care of a nurse prior to her father's death, her mother began to raise all of her children personally after the event.

Education

School

Like most children of her class, Gwendolyn's education was in the hands of a governess, Cain Parry, from the ages of five to eight. At the age of eight, Gwendolyn's education was placed in the hands of a group of tutors, headed by Mabane Pennant. During her early education, Gwendolyn was instructed in French, English, Latin, Greek, Welsh, geneology, heraldry, etiquette, music, and nursing. She was also given a general introduction to the classics, politics, and Lutheran theology and a tiny smattering of science and math.

University

Gwendolyn attended the University of Public Virtue. She is the only one of her siblings to have done so. Both High King Owain and Grand Duchess Morgan attended the University of Public Duty. Gwendolyn earned a Bachelors of Art in History. She had a grade point average of 8.1, a fairly good, but not excellent, average according to the Danaan scoring system.

For most of her time at university, Gwendolyn had a reputation as something of a party girl, much to the dismay of her mother and brother. However, during her junior year, Gwendolyn's car broke down not far from where a pastor of the Evangelical Methodist Episcopal Church was hosting an outdoor revival meeting. Gwendolyn had a conversion experience that day and has been known for her religious devotion ever since. In Excalbia, she is especially known and sometimes criticize for her views on Temperance.