Personality
Melisande Romante is a young woman whom extraordinary circumstance has forged into a formidable ruler who seems wise and capable well beyond her years. She is intensely charismatic, with a real knack for reading those around her and adjusting her approach to them as needed to accomplish the desired results. In private she is often warm, considerate of those around her, and possesses an earthy, even ribald sense of humor that often shocks those that don't expect it of a Queen (or who have built her up as a paragon of purity and virtue in their minds), much to her own amusement. In public she maintains every bit of the dignity and regality that is expected of her position, though she is well aware that a strategically calculated "slip" into a seemingly more-unguarded persona can have benefits. In both cases, she is strong-willed, utterly confident, and decisive when it is called for.
Melisande can be stubborn to the point of intractability, but such incidents are more rare now that the realities of rulership have settled upon her. There are still times will she will vehemently hold her ground against all challenges to her chosen course of action, but generally they are only in matters that are particularly near or dear to her heart. Instead, she tends to win others over with compromise and the proverbial "soft touch" though she's also well aware that sometimes you have to "crack the whip" to get people in line. She also has a mischievous streak, though the crown has tempered much of that and relegated it to stealing occasional moments of amusement at others' expense, usually by demonstrating her talent for vulgar language, or otherwise sharing her coarse humor for shock value. Snide remarks and passive-aggressive jabs are also weapons in her arsenal (particularly when she's in "Queenly mode") though generally only directed against those that have displeased her or otherwise gotten on her bad side.
Melisande is more cognizant than most rulers of the plight of the Common, as many times during the Succession War she and her family were forced to live as commoners to avoid detection. While these times were brief, they were enough to help her realize just how difficult life can be for them, and also gave her opportunity to be more exposed to common folk than a woman of her station and breeding would normally enjoy. While she is hardly likely to overturn the entire system of nobility, she does take efforts to improve the quality of life for ALL Galenthians where she is able, and has made it known that she does not look highly upon those that overly exploit or victimize the common folk under their rule. On matters of The Faith, Melisande is a "disillusioned believer." She believes in the principles of the Faith and in the history they present, but is considerably less confident that The One hears the prayers of the people, much less answers them. Still, she recognizes the power and influence of the Church and thus at the very least puts on a good show of being appropriately faithful even if her heart isn't really in it. In her mind, the Church is largely just another player in the game of politics that she needs to find ways to effectively deal with, and more and more she has come to believe that "faith' and "the Church" are not necessarily synonymous.
Melisande is deeply aware of just how dirty politics can get, and understands that sometimes idealism must be sacrificed for pragmatism if a Kingdom is to survive, much less thrive. That is not to say that she will always choose the expedient path over the morally or ethically superior one. Quite the contrary: If something can be accomplished the "right" way she will see it through with determination. It's just that if it can't reasonably be accomplished without dirtying ones' hands…she will still see it through with equal determination. The welfare of her Kingdom, Vassals, and common subjects is foremost in her mind, and she is willing to sacrifice of herself to see them thrive. This should not, however, be taken to mean that Melisande is completely selfless or magnanimous. While capable of great mercy (and seeing the value in it), she will order harsh punishments to those that betray her or the Kingdom without losing a wink of sleep over it. While she strongly desires peace, she would not hesitate to absolutely crush any threat to her kingdom or rule. She values life…even that of the commoners…quite highly, but understands that sacrifices must be made, and that even a Queen can't force Creation to always be orderly and peaceful. While it may be at times painful to make those sacrifices, she has the strength to bear that pain. She can do no less, for otherwise she would dishonor the memories of the many that perished to bring her to the Throne.
Quirks
The Rose Queen - Melisande is immensely popular with both her vassals and her common subjects. Her deft handling of the aftermath of the Succession War, and the seemingly instant turnaround Galenthia has experienced in the past two years has won her much admiration, and with the exception of a few die-hard loyalists of the Thorn, there are few in Galenthia who would dare speak ill of her. Her beauty is already the subject of bard's songs, her wisdom and grace a topic of discussion and agreement within circles of power throughout the West. She sets fashion trends without intent or effort, but simply by wearing a certain cut of dress or having her hair styled in a particular manner at any given public appearance. With the death of so many of the Romante family in the Succession, a huge majority of the family's wealth and lands are consolidated in her control. She is barely two years into her reign, and already marked as being among Galenthia's greatest rulers. Whether all this stands the test of time remains to be seen, but certainly there is a huge degree of anticipation and expectation directed towards Galenthia's young queen. (This Quirk encompasses the Beautiful, Wealthy, Popular, Charismatic and Renowned quirks. It's totally cheating to do that, but she's the NPC Queen so she can get away with that kind of stuff).
Gifted Ruler - For all the flowery tales told of her, Melisande is a pragmatic and insightful woman, who learned many hard lessons watching her father fight the Succession War (and leading the Rose's faction in the closing years of the conflict herself). She is perfectly willing to make sacrifices of herself and others for the good of her Kingdom and its' people, and while she certainly will feel the pangs of regret when she's forced to make such hard choices (especially if they might hurt those she cares for personally), she does not hesitate in doing so if it is the best course of action. She has a keen grasp on the inter-house politics of her vassals and has a natural gift for seeing how to use those relationships to the advantage of her Kingdom, or at worst making sure the rivalries don't boil over into open hostilities. Perhaps her greatest gift, though, is as a judge of people. She has an eye for both talent and loyalty and has stacked the deck in her favor by surrounding herself with extremely competent individuals, whether as advisers, military commanders, or bodyguards. (This quirk functions as the Gifted Steward, Strong-willed, and Natural Leader quirks. Yes, she's cheating some more)
Bachelorette Number One - Young, beautiful, wealthy nearly beyond measure…and unwed. The Rose Queen is undoubtedly the most eligible and desirable woman in the known world at present. She has made it clear that she will entertain all serious offers for her hand, regardless of the source, and rumors claim that even suitors from beyond the Civilized West have made overtures towards her. However, while she is aware that marriage and heirs are important, she is also more than willing to parley her desirability into political advantage when and where she can. She knows she has a limited window of time in which these sorts of gambits will work, and intends to take full advantage of it for the good of her Kingdom.
Mary, Queen of Sues - She's the Queen, so she gets to break the rules, as noted above.