Oleander

Oleander, a character in the The Cursed Heart series, is a Fae, a former member of the Sun Court, and an old friend of Kieran. They are first seen in Book 2, Chapter 1.

Appearance
Oleander has long brown and red hair tied into a braid with the side of their head shaved, brown eyes, light skin, pointy ears, and a small brown beard and goatee. They have a split eyebrow with a matching hairstyle, and they wear silver glitter makeup, a silver nose ring, a white glass necklace, black shirt and matching pants, and a sleeveless red and black floral vest.

Background
When Oleander was young, their parents had high expectations for them, hiring numerous tutors to relentlessly drill them in proper behavior in order to prepare them for the rigid life at court. Although bright and studious, to their parents' frustration, they had no interest in rising within the social hierarchy. Though never cruel nor impolite, Oleander had no patience for the backstabbing and duplicitous political games of the Sun Court, and their direct nature earned them no friendships.

It became a habit for them to escape the tiresome charades of court to a favorite hiding spot in the Sun Palace gardens, and it was on one such occasion that they met Kieran. Their similar natures clashed at first, but slowly, they recognized in each other a kindred spirit, an understanding they had found with no one else. Little by little, they drew each other out. The courts approved of Kieran's changed behavior, and with a friend by their side, courtly events became bearable. As a result, the pair became inseparable.

Then Lustre came into the picture, and Oleander, by now a master of seeing truth beneath petty court artifice, was vocal in their mistrust of the princess, but Kieran was infatuated and refused to hear their objection. The friction grew into a wedge between them. Under Lustre's thumb, Kieran began to change again, even accompanying the princess to all manner of courtly events which he/she once claimed to hate. Oleander stubbornly remained by Kieran's side to keep a wary eye, much to Lustre's irritation.

Finally, at a party, Lustre demanded Oleander tell her why they disapproved of the match. So, Oleander listed the thousand small ways they had observed Lustre manipulating and belittling Kieran. When they called Lustre a malicious bitch, the entire Sun Court was outraged by this blatant disrespect for royalty. Even Kieran, too much in love to see the truth of Oleander's words, demanded an apology, but Oleander stood by their words, so they were cast out of the Sun Court, and Lustre succeeded in isolating Kieran from his/her most loyal friend. By the time Kieran realized the truth, it was too late, and the former friends had not been in contact for decades. It took a century for their relationship to heal.

Book 2

 * Chapter 1: The Last Stroke of Midnight
 * Chapter 2: The Raven and the Sword
 * Chapter 3: A Grave Faux Pas
 * Chapter 4: The Frolic
 * Chapter 5: The Fallen
 * Chapter 6: The Trials of the Moon
 * Chapter 7: The Cruel Sun
 * Chapter 8: When Stars Fall
 * Chapter 9: Day's Sorrow, Night's Wrath
 * Chapter 10: A Very Gracious Host
 * Chapter 11: A Mortal Love (Mentioned)

Lustre
When Kieran started dating Lustre, Oleander saw the latter for who she is and tried to end their relationship, but to no avail. Their efforts to save Kieran from Lustre got them banished from the Sun Court.

Miscellaneous

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