Arbelan Drazharan

“Varenechibel was like a killing frost.” 

Arbelan Drazharan was the first wife of Varenechibel IV, and later put aside for barrenness and relegated to Cethoree. Maia Drazhar later invited her back to to the Untheileneise Court for his coronation.

Appearance
At Maia's coronation, Arbelan "was in her mid-sixties, a tall, proud woman still, with brilliant blue eyes."

Personality
She seems to have a schooled but humorous personality. She mourns her miscarriage, and would have cared for any child she'd have had.

Life
She lived in the Untheleneise Court during Varevesena's reign, and later became the first wife of Varenechibel IV. She bore no children, but had a single miscarriage about ten years after her marriage to Varenechibel IV. She was later 'put aside for barrenness and relegated to Cethoree', where she lived out the next 30 years until she was called back by Maia Drazhar to the Untheileneise Court for his coronation and to attend the funeral of Varenechibel IV, Nemolis Drazhar, Nazhira Drazhar, and Ciris Drazhar.

After the ceremonies, she met with Maia to discuss her fate, where she stated her wish to stay at the Untheileneise Court rather than return to Cethoree. She then agreed to dine once a week with Maia.

When Maia and Csethiro Ceredin's wedding contract was signed, Csethiro wrote Arbelan “a most dutiful letter”.

During the ball for the Great Avar's visit, she danced with the Great Avar. During the Winternight Ball/Maia's birthday celebration, she danced with Csevet Aisava.

Skills
Maia noted she is an excellent conversationalist. She also gave Maia insights into other members of his Court, including Shevean Drazharan.

Csethiro Ceredin
Csethiro is the granddaughter of Arbelan's brother. She initially wrote to Arbelan to spite her father, but later sought to apologize. It seems she and Arbelan are possibly on speaking terms, since Csethiro was near Arbelan's abandoned chair during Winternight.

Csethiro's paternal grandfather
Arbelan's brother traded too heavily on being the Empress' brother, and so when she was relegated, it nearly destroyed the Ceredada entirely.

Csoru Drazharan
Arbelan appears to find Csoru amusingly childish. Csoru seemingly disdains her.

Maia Drazhar
Arbelan and Maia appear to be fond of each other. Maia sees his meals with her as a "bulwark" against the pressure of his duties and the Court.

Marquess Ceredel
Because of Varenechibel IV's treatment of Arbelan and the related near-destruction of his house, the current Marquess Ceredel "was raised in the belief that the emperor is terrible and capricious and persecutes the hapless House Ceredada.” He also didn't seem to think favorably of his aunt as a result, and did not contact or attempt to visit her during her relegation.

Varenechibel IV
Their relationship - at least on Arbelan's end - seems to have gone frigid, at least post her relegation. Varenechibel IV once told Idra that the reason he had her relegated to isolation rather than sending her back to her family was because he "hated to make mistakes, and hated to be seen to have made mistakes."

Quotations

 * “Serenity,” she said, and there was something in her voice he did not know how to name, “we would be both pleased and honored.”

Trivia

 * Csevet noted that Varenechibel IV's act of putting off Arbelan was not met well by others in court, and the choice of Csethiro as Maia's fiance was in part to mend bridges.
 * Maia's treatment of Arbelan is one of the reasons Kiru Athmaza dared to hope of a chance of being one of Maia's nohecharis.