Nara is a loving mother and wife. Her hands may be calloused from many chores, but her touch is soothing. Although gentle, she is quick to correct the twins and even Hadwyn when needed. Yet despite all her strengths, she can become weak at the sight of blood.
We first meet Nara in LOTK (Chapter 1) embracing Hadwyn as they mourn Anlaf’s death. They discuss children and an accident that may have caused her barrenness; yet love carries them through. Joy soon after enters their lives through finding Andrius and Caedmon at their door.
Nara raises the twins as their mother. The family is inseparable until Hadwyn is forced to run as governor. He and the twins leave Nara in the safety of their home to campaign. The trolls soon capture Waiden, and Nara is thought to be dead.
In LOTKR (Chapter 26) we find Nara is alive and can even heal. The twins fight to rescue her in the colosseum. Hal ultimately takes her, while Hadwyn helplessly watches her disappear.
In LOTKJ (Chapter 5–6) we read Nara’s backstory. After the trolls invaded, she left home to find her family but was captured. Nara cooks for the trolls to stay alive. She later survives by learning to heal from a book titled Healing Words. In the colosseum she meets a puppet named Barden and tries to heal him—only to speed his transformation. Yet, she is saved by Skoth.
In LOTKJ (Chapter 7) Hal tempts her with food. She eats until she’s full when a pain seizes her. The food was tainted by Hal using knowledge he deciphered from the book. Nara slowly begins to transform into a puppet, but continues the fight to be with her family.
When Hadwyn sees her once again in LOTKJ (Chapter 24), he barely recognizes his wife. Her transformation into a gargoyle is nearly completed. In the final battle, Hadwyn defeats Hal (who is also a gargoyle) with Justice and Foresight. Nara is rescued and becomes human once more. Together, let’s transform our understanding of Nara’s story in the next blog.
Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men, who plan evil things in their hearts; they continually gather together for war.
Psalms 140:1
