Upon her birth, few would have imagined the heights that young Cynthia Marianne Cantire would rise to. Born the youngest daughter of a nearly-impoverished cadet branch of the Cantire family of Rikton, Cynthia's early years were seemingly-plagued with sickness and frailty. She did, however, reveal a true talent for song from an early age, and eagerly absorbed the lessons of the Church of the One God, committing to memory the passages of holy texts that the Priests and Bishops and Archbishops spoke. Her faith was first tested when she was but eleven years old, when her beloved older brother Edmund Cantire, who had joined the Holy Order of the Templars, perished while fighting in the North. Cynthia had adored her older brother, and his death was a great blow to her.
Still, many believed that poor, frail Cynthia would not survive long enough to truly join the Church. Indeed, such was her illness that her parents, who were a loving family despite their financial state, sent her to live with her Cousins in the main branch of the Cantire line, hoping that their physicians could better care for her. This delayed her entry into the schools of the Faith (fortuitously so, as it would happen). Cynthia was well-liked among her foster family, and also came to the acquaintance of the Bishop (later Archbishop) Sirrah Cantire, who encouraged her study of the faith even if it remained a technically informal one. Unfortunately, for a couple of years, it seemed as though her illnesses grew worse, and she became possessed of the shaking sickness, often suffering from seizures. Still, Cynthia did not allow her circumstance to embitter her, and her faith in the One remained unbroken. If it was his will that she should be taken into his fold young, then so be it, but each day she strove to live as fully as she could in the company of friends and family, even as her health seemed to deteriorate. Cynthia's family prepared for the worst…
Instead, they received a Miracle.
Cynthia was struck with her worst seizure yet. To her family, they thought that surely it would spell the end of her. Yet while her family watched in agony, Cynthia knew only bliss. She had a vision, and though no mortal could look upon the glory of the One directly, she knew that she was in his presence, and heard his words. A simple command, only two words, but in a voice that reverberated to the depths of her soul, unquestionably made part of her forevermore. The command given?
"Be strong."
When Cynthia recovered from her seizure, she was of course placed in bed and under a physician's care, but over the next several weeks, she grew progressively more strong. No more of her shaking fits occurred. No more of the small illnesses and frailties seemed to affect her. After several weeks, she was as healthy and lively as any of her kin, and her family both marveled and rejoiced. While Cynthia was quick to agree with their assessment of a miracle having occurred, she did not relay the story of her vision to others, save for her "Aunt" Sirrah, who only smiled knowingly, kissed her on the forehead, and told her she was truly blessed.
Still, despite her newfound health and vigor, Cynthia was kept by her family for another year and a half, just to be certain that her illness was well and truly cured. Eventually though, both her parents and her foster family agreed that it was time for her to formally join the Faith. While her education would lag behind others, Cynthia was content that she might become a member of the Lay Clergy, perhaps a choir leader. Or even a member of the High Priest's Choir. Of course, as it would turn out, the One apparently had other plans.
When the Crown Prince Maris al'Ramar came calling to House Cantire while searching for a bride, Cynthia gave it little thought, and her family did not present her to him, as it had already seemingly been decided that she would join the Faith. Cynthia took no offense at the exclusion, having never given overmuch thought to marriage. Oh, she had had the typical romantic dreams of youth, but as she had been convinced that no man would want her for her frailty, such prospects had seemed thin, and even with her newfound vigor her mindset had not healed so quickly as her body.
Cynthia never knew what kept her awake that night. In hindsight she would again attribute it to the One's divine hand, but for whatever reason, Lady Cynthia could not sleep. As she often did when her thoughts were troubled and she sought to sooth them, Cynthia walked to the courtyard gardens, and sat on the edge of the fountain there, lifting her voice in song. And that's when she saw him.
Tall and fair and dressed in some of the finest clothing she had ever seen, he rounded the fountain and stepped into the moonlight. His blue eyes were oceans she thought she would drown in. Many would not have judged him overly handsome, but something in those sharp features pulled at her. She had already surmised his identity when he introduced himself, and she returned the gesture…and then they spent the rest of the night talking, sharing their triumphs and sorrows. Much to her surprise, she found herself speaking of her brother's death for the first time in years. By the time the sun came up, Cynthia already knew her life had taken a sharp turn from where it had been headed, but she had no regrets. Despite a significant difference in age, the connection between Prince Maris and Lady Cynthia was quick in the forging.
Cynthia's foster family was more than happy to arrange for a suitable dowry for her, as by marrying a Lady of one of the cadet branches it left their daughters available to parley into other alliances. And so Cynthia and Maris were wed in her 16th year. At first, there were difficulties in conceiving an heir, which led to concerns about Cynthia's fertility, but in her 18th year she gave birth to her and Maris' first son, Jean-Paul. Over the course of the next decade and a half she would give him several more healthy and (reasonably) happy children.
Of course, Cynthia was right beside Maris when he ascended the throne of Aequor, and while she remained quietly supportive of her husband in public, she often provided wise and patient counsel when away from prying eyes and ears, and in all things became her Husband's strongest and most true partner. She also (of course) saw to the raising and education of their many children, many of whom would go on to successful endeavors, whether for Kingdom, Church, or the Militant Orders.
It was Cynthia that brokered the marriage between her son Jean-Paul and Lady Louisa al'Callenta, helping to bind that house more strongly to their rulers, and seemed to bring much peace to her son, who had become something of a hot-tempered firebrand. Cynthia also helped her Husband through the trying hours that ended the Thirty Years' War, and quietly used her influence to help reinforce the rebuilding and reinforcing that came afterwards.
Of course, it was also during this time that Maris and Cynthia met the then-Archbishop (later Cardinal) Lucien Ramius. Ramius proved to be a fast friend, and before long was assigned as the Queen's personal confessor. Cardinal Ramius provided another source of counsel to her husband in the trying years following the conclusion of the Thirty Years' War. She found him a valuable ally in convincing Maris not to attempt to invade Galenthia while their Succession War raged (not that Maris took all that much convincing). Over time, the Cardinal would grow to be one of the Queen's dearest friends and confidants.
Indeed, the Queen would find herself in need of friends as her beloved husband began to suffer from the effects of his age, and his mind began to grow "soft." While thus far he has never failed to recognize her and seems soothed by her songs even in his least-lucid moments, she deeply fears the day that he might not. Still, she has never forgotten the words of the One, and has held them as dearly as anything else in her life. She has been strong, and she will continue to be strong, to whatever end the One has ordained for her.