Dovasary Haiming Temaida Balitang, nicknamed Dove, is the half-raka second daughter of Mequen Balitang and Sarugani Balitang. They are of the Rittevon and Temaida royal lines, respectively. Her older sister is Saraiyu Balitang, the original cantidate for monarchy in the Copper Isles. Dove becomes Queen of the Copper Isles in 463 HE^[1] with help from the raka conspiracy, fulfilling the ancient Kyprish prophecy of a "twice-royal" queen.

Personal HistoryEdit

Early lifeEdit

Dove is born in the beginning of 450 HE^[1] as the second daughter of Mequen Balitang and Sarugani Balitang, former Temaida. Sarugani died years later in a riding accident, when Dove would have been approximately four or five years old. Mequen would later remarry to Winnamine Fonfala. In Rajmuat, Dove exploited her stepmother's desire for acceptance by sneaking out of the Balitang household and into the city. Around the time the Balitangs were exiled to Tanair, Winnamine was debating whether or not to put a stop to it.

Trickster's ChoiceEdit

Shortly after Aly is given to the Balitangs, King Oron begins to have unsettling thoughts of the family,driven by his paranoia. Oron invites them to prove their loyalty with expensive offerings, but also decides he would feel more at ease if the Balitangs temporarily vacated Rajmuat. This, as well as the newfound lack of money, drives Dove and her family to Dove and Sarai's mother's homeland, Tanair on Lombyn island.

On Tanair, Dove takes to listening at keyholes, eavesdropping on conversations held by her parents, and probably others as well. She occasionally visits with Aly as Aly tends her goat herd, having taken to reading there to avoid her hotheaded sister and Bronau Jimajen, an arrogant luarin prince.

Towards the end of the stay at Tanair, Dove and her family are confined to one room during a battle not dissimilar to a siege, in which Bronau attempted to force Sarai's hand in marriage and gain the throne, a skirmish that lead to the death of Mequen Balitang. Dove as well as the rest of her family was in a state of mourning, but Dove still kept her head in light of the circumstances.

Trickster's QueenEdit

Back in Rajmuat, the Balitangs are forced out of mourning by a royal decree, and Dove's Great Aunt Nuritin arriving in a flurry of guards and servants.

While the family settles back into their former life, Dove is introduced to the conspiracy to fulfill a prophecy by putting Sarai on the throne. She visits with her old friends--merchants, beggars, fishermen, glassblowers, pottery-makers, etc. She carefully observes the nobles around her even as she plays chess and discusses philosophy and astronomy with some of the greatest minds in the Copper Isles. Despite her watchful eye, she is as surprised as everyone when Sarai elopes with Zaimid Hetnim.

Post-elopement, Dove wins over the conspiracy group while the god Kyprioth keeps Aly for three days, reminding them that Sarai wasn't the only twice-royal, and proving both her political prowess and practicality as she keeps up with Aly's spy work in her absence.

Supplied with a new cantidate, the rebellion is renewed with vigor. The conspiracy provokes a battle for the throne and capture the Gray Palace as Dove takes a somewhat dangerous but morale-boosting flight over Rajmuat on a fully grown kudarung--a winged horse.

Dove recruits Aly as her spymaster and Taybur Sibigat as the captain of the Queen's Guard. The coronation occurs shortly after Midwinter, the prophecy fulfilled.

Physical appearanceEdit

At thirteen, Dove is described as looking a bit like her sister Sarai, with creamy-gold skin and long black hair. She is also said to have "observant black eyes" and is small-boned. She is considered plainer than her sister, and considerably more inconspicuous, a trait she uses to go unnoticed, collecting gossip and news. As a half-raka noble, she has mastered a polite political face, showing nothing but pleasant interest.

Personality and traitsEdit

Dove is the rational side to her sister's impulsivness. Logical and intelligent, Dove prefers books and chess to jewelry and fancy dinners. Instead of making friends with nobles her age, she prefers the experienced older men of the court and merchants. She's interested in what goes on in the local markets, things like whether the price of fish is up or if the glassmaker is making a new type of bowl. She also is interested in the merchants' lives, hearing stories about their children and pasts. She is not as admired by the higher classes as her sister is, but has made her mark among the common folk. She has a temper, but less so than her sister, and thinks things through before she speaks.

FamilyEdit

                             ?
               ┌—————————————┴————————┐
               │                      │
           Nuritin Balitang  unnamed brother ┬ unnamed woman
                                             │                              
                   Sarugani Temaida † ┬ Mequen Balitang ┬ Winnamine Fonfala
                                      │                 │
     ┌————————————————————————————————┴——┐             ┌┴———————————————————┐
     │                                   │             │                    │
Saraiyu Balitang ┬ Zaimid Hetnim  Dovasary Balitang  Petranne Balitang   Elsren Balitang †
                 │
            Mequen Hetnim

TriviaEdit

Tamora Pierce included some traits of Elizabeth I of England in the character of Dovasary Balitang.^[2]

ReferencesEdit

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Tortallan timeline
2. ↑ Random Buzz; "Famous Women"; April 23, 2009

See alsoEdit