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Dianda Lorden is the Merrow Duchess of Saltmist. She and her husband Patrick have two children, Dean and Peter. Dianda first appears in One Salt Sea.


About[]

Appearance[]

Dianda has light-brown sand-colored skin, blue eyes, a heart-shaped face[1], and sleek brown hair. She has gills and tiny scales even in her two-legged form[2], and she is able to change between having legs and a Merrow's tail at will.

Personality[]

As most Merrows, Dianda is incredibly hot-tempered and willing to punch herself out of any situation. She loves her husbands and her sons fiercely. Undersea nobles hold their titles by strength, not by tradition, so she has been sent to school for a hundred years to learn how to fight.[1] Despite this, she has shown compassion, as she recites Undersea mourning lines to Toby for Connor's death and both Tybalt and Quentin's supposed deaths, and was willing to absolve Rayseline of any responsibility over Margie's death.

Abilities[]

Dianda is a skilled fighter, easily fighting multiple guards after being imprisoned in an iron cell.[3] She transforms easily between her two-legged form and her Undersea form with a powerful tail. On land, she likes to fight by jumping at her enemies in her two legged form, then transforming and using her very muscular tail to beat her opponents senseless. She also has storm powers like all Merrow do.

Home[]

Other Details[]

  • Her magical signature is amber oil and water lilies[4]

In the Series[]

1800s (Lorden Shorts)[]

Heaps of Pearl[]

Dianda has just returned to Saltmist from school, where she has been for the past hundred years. She is made to attend a grand ball at Gilad Windermere's court in celebration of her father, Morcan of Saltmist leaving his title to her. She meets a Daoine Sidhe man, Patrick, who takes her down to the kitchen and gives her food and cake after her complaints about the food at the party itself. The two of them get along nicely, although Dianda doesn't reveal to Patrick that she is with the Undersea delegation. Once they return to the party, Dianda rejoins her father and tells her she has made an ally and a friend in the Mists.

Live in Brass[]

Dianda surveys her Duchy and muses about how difficult it is to make friends in her position, especially when she was raised to be violent and fight for her place. Later, she attends a ball at King Gilad's court with her fiancé, Inna. Their upcoming marriage is a political alliance instead of a romance. Dianda is furious at Patrick because she received a letter from Evening Winterrose telling her that Patrick will not spend any more time with a beast like her. While looking for Patrick, she briefly meets Arden and Nolan Windermere with their mother, Sebille. After Patrick reassures her that he had no knowledge of the letter, and he would never think of her that way, the two of them confess their love for each other and Dianda breaks off her engagement with Inna.

The Ambitious Ocean[]

Dianda and Simon break a spell placed on Patrick by Evening Winterrose that would have made him hurt Dianda.

Shine in Pearl[]

Dianda finds a potion that will allow Patrick to live in Undersea full time with her. They are reunited.

2000s (Novels)[]

One Salt Sea[]

After their two young sons are kidnapped, Dianda and Patrick attend a meeting on the matter with the Queen of the Mists at her court under the threat of war. The meeting between the Duchess and the Queen ends with two declaring war on each other. The only chance Toby has of keeping the war from happening is to find the missing children and prove that the Queen had nothing to do with their abduction–and it has to be within the next three days or it will be too late. Thankfully, Toby manages to find the children and reunite them with their parents.

Dianda is disguised as Rayseline as part of a ploy to publicly uncover Dugan's role in the kidnapping of her sons. She also placed the blame of Margie Atawater's death on Dugan, as Rayseline was unaware that removing the skin from an elf-shot Selkie would kill them.

Chimes at Midnight[]

At Toby's questioning, Dianda reveals what they have known for a long time, but the land never asked: that the Queen of the Mists cannot be the daughter of King Gilad.

The Winter Long[]

Dianda rescues Toby after she bounces off the defenses of Goldengreen and falls into the sea.

Once Broken Faith[]

Patrick and Dianda attend the conclave to decide the fate of the elfshot cure during Once Broken Faith. During the conclave, Dianda is elfshot and eventually awaken by the cure - but not before talking to both Toby and Evening Winterrose in a dream.

The Brightest Fell[]

Dianda and Patrick attend Toby's bachelorette party together with their son Dean. Dianda's and Dean's fake IDs both say that they are twenty-one, although this is a lie for both of them.[5]

Night and Silence[]

Dianda and a few of her personal guard infiltrate the False Queen's former knowe to assist Toby and Tybalt in Gillian's rescue. Her guards predictably surround Kennis while ignoring Toby, while Dianda offers comfort to Toby. Although she suggests to Toby that she could drag the False Queen down to the Undersea with her as punishment, Toby talks her down by reminding her of the atrocities she carried out against Arden.

The Unkindest Tide[]

Dianda, Patrick and Dean are present at the Convocation of Consequences, however she is arrested by her brother Torin under false pretenses. Amphitrite releases her shortly after Torin is exposed as trying to sabotage the Convocation and subsequently disinherited as a descendant of hers as punishment. She and her family witness Toby bind a vast majority of the Selkies to newly cut skins, making them Roane.

A Killing Frost[]

Patrick and Dianda inform Toby that she will need to invite Simon Torquill to her wedding to avoid giving offense and possibly being indebted to Simon's liege. After Toby brings Simon home, it is revealed that Patrick and Dianda have been trying to convince Simon to divorce Amandine since before August disappeared. Simon finally listens to them when he is told by Dianda that he can marry Dianda and Patrick instead, and they will keep him safe in Saltmist, away from both his Firstborn and Amandine. The three of them are married by the Luidaeg right after the divorce.

Relationships[]

Patrick Lorden[]

Patrick is Dianda's first husband. The two of them met at King Gilad's court and married with his blessing, and Dianda took Patrick with her to the Undersea, where he could only live by brewing clever breathing potions.

Dean Lorden[]

Dean is Patrick and Dianda's eldest son. He takes after his father's Daoine Sidhe heritage, and just like his father, he is unable to breathe underwater without a breathing potion.

Peter Lorden[]

Peter is Patrick and Dianda's younger son. He inherited his mother's Merrow form, which means he can shift between having tails or legs and can breathe underwater.

Simon Torquill[]

Dianda has been aware of Patrick's and Simon's feeling for each other ever since she met Patrick, and it is revealed that the two of them would have included Simon when they first married if he hadn't already been the husband of Amandine. The three of them finally marry after Simon's divorce.[6]

Morcan of Saltmist[]

Morcan is Dianda's father, who left her to rejoin her mother once Dianda took over the role of Duchess. The two of them are not close.

Torin[]

Torin is Dianda's brother, who thinks Dianda marrying a Daoine Sidhe was a crime. He tries to get Dianda arrested as partially a false pretense to sabotage the Convocation and prevent the return of the Roane, but it backfires, and he is exiled by their own Firstborn.[7]

August Torquill[]

August is Simon's daughter, which makes Dianda and Patrick's stepdaughter.

October Daye[]

October is a friend and ally of the Lordens, as well as Simon's legal daughter, which also makes her Dianda's stepdaughter.

Amandine[]

Dianda held contempt towards Amandine due to her dismissive, almost negligent treatment towards Simon. The resentment is serious enough that Dianda and Patrick forced Simon to promise never to return to her.

Quotes[]

"It’s difficult to make friends when one not only outranks everyone who might be spoken to, but when most of them are quietly convinced that a murderous rage is only a slight offense away." - Dianda[4]

References[]

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