Kenna Rys

Kenna Rys is one of the main characters in "The Crown &amp; The Flame" series along with Dominic Hunter, and is the current and rightful queen of Stormholt, the smallest of the Five Kingdoms. She is first seen in Book 1, Chapter 1. She is the only daughter of King Marcellus and Queen Adriana Rys of Stormholt.

In Book 2, Kenna can also become Queen of Bellmere in two ways. She can either claim the kingdom for herself if the player chooses to usurp Rowan Thorne's throne after liberating it from Nevrakis forces in Chapter 2 or if the player chooses to let Rowan drown in Chapter 14 (either due to lack of Prestige/Diamonds to save her or by the player's choice). In the latter choice, Rowan's dying words to Kenna was to "take care of Thorngate". Due to the lack of known remaining living relatives, this implies that Rowan passed on the throne of Bellmere to Kenna.

Ironically, after her deposition of King Luther, due to the lack of royals to succeed in Bellmere (determinant), Abanthus and Ebrimel, she replaces Luther as the most powerful monarch in the Five Kingdoms and becomes the Five Kingdom's informal "supreme" ruler.

Appearance
Kenna has mid-length, brown hair, olive skin and brown eyes. As what can be seen of her in the title screens, her battle clothes consist of a distinctive cobalt blue top with long black sleeves over a silver breastplate and small shoulder guards. She wears a maroon leather skirt divided into two at the sides, a brown belt with a gold circular fastener, dark bluish-gray tights, and brown knee-high boots. In the covers for Books 1 and 2, she is portrayed wearing a slightly tattered red cape.

Personality
Kenna is a warrior queen and thinks that peace cannot be achieved by just words but with the swing of a sword. She is very charismatic, having earned the cooperation of very different people from nations apart to support her cause, rally her comparatively small army in battle against the Nevrakis, and convince Helene to realize her faults and regain her honor.

In Book 3, based on your choices, Azura mentions that Kenna is known worldwide for being stubborn. However this trait had been pointed out by Gabriel and Leon already in Book 1 before her battle with Severin.

Kenna values justice above all, shown in her undying efforts in reclaiming Stormholt and making the Nevrakis atone for their sins in blood. She cares deeply for those important to her, as seen when she broke down crying during Gabriel's and Leon's death, and Dom's capture at the hands of Hex. Nonetheless, she does not tolerate betrayal, as can be seen when she attempts to kill Raydan after his apparent defection to Azura. Neither does she respond well to threats against her; she announced this fact to Azura right after Leon's murder, and displayed it by rebuking Zenobia when the latter attempted to intimidate her during their formal dinner.

As a child, Kenna did not behave like the stereotypical "girly" princess, preferring to get all muddy and rowdy and collect tadpoles as a hobby, thus ostracizing her from her princess peers. She also befriended even commoners such as Dom, indicating that being a royal sitting comfortably on a throne was never her life from the start.

As a queen, Kenna acts both cordially and casually towards her subjects, talking to them as their superior, but also as their friend when the situation calls for it, especially towards Dom, Val, and Raydan. Even in the last chapter of Book 3, married Kenna still displays some joviality inappropriate for a typical royal.

Weapons Adaptability
Probably as a result of her training with the Rajkur Monks, Kenna has shown to be inherently skillful in a varied assortment of weapons, bladed or blunt, and is able to wield them as skillfully as an expert on first usage; Val and Rowan expressed disbelief at Kenna's proficiency with their respective weapons. This is proven every time Kenna unlocks a new weapon, which if chosen will be wielded excellently to conquer certain foes in combat; she defeated the Mechataur in single combat, slain many Nevrakis Soldiers on her own during the Battle for Stormholt and The Battle of The Bay with assorted weaponry, and murdered several Iron Empire soldiers in a similar manner.

Hand-to-hand Combat Expertise
Kenna has also proven her might in a scuffle should she ever fail to procure a weapon; she wrestled and overcame Val in a friendly spar, defeated several Nevrakis soldiers with tactical shoves and blows, and managed to disarm Adder and use her weapon against her during their first encounter.

She was also able to hold her ground against major foes like Severin Cale, Marco Nevrakis and Empress Azura in physical combat.

Book 1
Kenna was present at the feast at Stormholt organized by her mother to seal an alliance with the rest of the Five Kingdoms against the invading Iron Empire, but Luther Nevrakis betrayed the pact and killed every noble in attendance in order to unite the Five Kingdoms under his rule. Kenna's home was conquered by the Nevrakis army and her mother was killed right in front of her. With the aid of Dom, she was able to escape the castle with her trusted bodyguard Gabriel Amarne to a hidden monastery in the mountains of Rajkur. Depending on the choices the player makes, Prince Tevan Drammir of Fydoria pledged 200 soldiers to Kenna's cause.

Two years later, Marco Nevrakis, King Luther's son and regent, sent scouts across the Kingdom in order to find her and kill her. Eventually they found where she was hidden, and Marco sent out an entire army after her. The monastery was destroyed, but Kenna was once again able to escape with her life.

After safely escaping the monastery, Gabriel told Kenna that her mother's Captain of the Royal Guard was still alive and living as a mercenary. Kenna tracked him down and managed to win his support and that of all the mercenaries by proving her strength in a duel against Severin Cale, their commander.

Kenna's new army was now strong, numerous and skilled in the Art of War, but they lacked food and equipment. Without these supplies, the Nevrakis army would destroy them without effort, but one of the mercenaries, Val Greaves, once worked for the wealthy hidden city of Aurelia, and suggested requesting their aid. Kenna was able to secure funding for her army from Queen Annelyse of Aurelia after driving Prince Marco away from the city. Queen Annelyse and Raydan Lykel, one of her spies, joined Kenna's inner circle.

Kenna then headed to the desert to request advanced war machines from the Technocrats, a reclusive society with advanced technology. In the desert, she met Whitlock, leader of the Technocrats, and after conquering the civilization's maze and entering the city, he pledged a drill and five catapults for Kenna to use to break through Stormholt Castle's thick walls.

Kenna and her entourage headed back to Stormholt, where they engaged Prince Marco's forces in a battle for the control of the castle and the Kingdom. Kenna defeated Marco and was officially crowned and declared the Queen of Stormholt. However, her quest for justice is far from over...

Book 2
Kenna, Dom, and her entourage entered Bellmere to liberate and recruit Thorngate against Luther. However, she was met with hostility from the kingdom's ruler, Rowan Thorn, who viewed her as nothing more than a conqueror like Luther. After convincing her to her side, Kenna successfully rescued Thorngate from the Nevrakis, but was accidentally scorched half to death by Dom in the process.

When she awoke in a tent, she met with Dom, who vowed to strengthen his command of the flame and left to train with Sei. After parting with him, Kenna was notified of Luther's naval fleet, and decided to acquire ships of her own, leading to her journey to Alriel in Panrion, a city known for its shipbuilders but also for its businessman-dictator Florian Tartassis. Her group met Kailani Keawe and her brother Noa, in the middle of a festival. With Rowan's resources and Kenna's charisma, the latter was able to induce Kailani and the other workers to revolt against Florian and his Nevrakis soldiers and obtain ships for the final battle.

Thinking that capturing Luther's capital would weaken him, Kenna and her soldiers sailed off to Lykos, where they met Raydan's sister, Adder of the Black Asps. Desiring her aid, Kenna agreed to Adder's ultimatum: steal Zenobia Nevrakis's necklace inside her palace, and Adder will offer her services. Kenna was able to blend in inside the crowded palace and distract Helene, who now worked for Zenobia, enough for Raydan to snatch the necklace. When Helene and some guards finally cornered Kenna and her group, she managed to talk Helene into regaining her honor and abandoning the Nevrakis army.

Now obtaining Adder's loyalty, Kenna set her sights in capturing Zenobia. Following Val's capture of Zenobia as well as her possession of Hex's plans, Kenna learned that Luther has airships fueled by captive fire users as part of his forces. She then used the Nevrakis princess to open Lykos Castle's naval gates and formally invade it. Just before Luther arrived back with his fleet, Kenna reunited with Dom, who was introduced by the former to her new allies.

As a final moment of relaxation and intimacy, Kenna spent time with Dom in the middle of a forest, Dom having set up a makeshift replica of the Beltane Festival. Later, she prepared for the worst as Luther's fleet approaches. After a fierce and fiery battle where she witnessed Dom transform into a dragon, she with the help of her allies forced Luther into surrendering, finally getting her vengeance against the tyrant.

Despite having seized control of the Five Kingdoms, imprisoning the Nevrakis royalty inside their own dungeon, and expanding her own army, Kenna sustained a bittersweet victory as Dom now fell into Hex's clutches. Down in the dungeons, Luther revealed to the queen that he was retreating from the Iron Empire. Smugly, he offered Kenna a deal she cannot refuse: an alliance with the Nevrakis.

Book 3
Kenna visited the Iron Empire capital, Marossi, to gauge the Five Kingdoms' enemy herself. Initially stunned by Marossi's technologically advanced utopian lifestyle, Kenna and her group were then shocked to discover that the ruler, Empress Azura, was not only a revered and beloved leader, but also a wielder of electricity, with the ability to manipulate life and death. Azura cordially invited Kenna to a tournament where her champion can enter the final rounds immediately. Accepting innocently, Kenna and her group returned to their airship to recount their experience.

Though wary, Kenna allowed Leon to participate in what was actually a gladiator fight. She witnessed Leon, the winner, get his life drained by Azura after reminiscing about the past, and vowed to kill the empress as revenge. With Azura retaliating, Kenna, Val, Raydan, and Sei struggled to incapacitate her, barely escaping with their lives. Back at Lykos, Kenna begrudgingly acknowledged Luther's offer of an alliance, and planned a formal dinner to commence it; she then released Luther's son and daughter from the dungeons. Although the dinner, which included Florian Tartassis, went off uneasily, it ended well for both sides.

Kenna received news about Azura's approach into Fydoria and Dom's presence in Aurelia not long after. She then sent Val and Raydan to Ennan, taking Annelyse, Whitlock, Jackson, Diavolos, and Sei with her to the gilded city. After participating in a heated discussion with Jackson and the Nevrakis, Kenna prepared to confront Dom the following day. After confronting Anton alongside Diavolos and Jackson, Kenna and Sei reunited with Dom in dragon form, who struggled in between consciousness not to hurt Kenna. After finally convincing the dragon that she was not an illusion, Kenna managed to remove the contraption embedded in Com's neck, breaking him free from Hex's control.

After taking Hex as prisoner following her surrender, Kenna was then horrified to discover that Raydan betrayed her. When the spymaster returned to Stormholt following the success of his espionage, the queen threatened to kill him, mistaking his arrival as an assassination attempt on her life. After a deliberation of trust, Kenna and Raydan fought off the real assassins of the empress.

During Raydan's convalescence following the incident, Kenna announced the formal union of her and Luther's soldiers in battle, as Azura's army approached. Following one last night of festivity before the battle, she, along with Raydan and Dom, met Azura and Jorrin at a parlay at noon. Kenna was then aghast upon discovering Azura's armies already on Stormholt grounds, ready for a siege. As Dom and Sei confront Azura, she and her army attacked the Iron Empire soldiers. After what felt like a last stand, Kenna, not wanting to waste lives, ordered a retreat back to the castle walls when the empress and her army were just too much to handle.

Wanting to end the war once and for all, Kenna challenged Azura to a duel, which the latter accepted. Armed with the anti-magic powder's effects, Kenna at first struggled against Azura's flicks of lightning, but managed to get the upper hand upon neutralizing her electrokinesis. She eventually overpowered the empress with a stab to the gut, turning Azura into a pile of dirt.

In the aftermath of the battle, Luther met with Kenna to congratulate her, but betrayed her in the end with a blade to the shoulder. After Luther's death by her hand or with Diavolos or Sei's help, Kenna commemorates her victory, choosing either to have a week-long celebration or a wedding, with or without children. After the party/wedding, Kenna appointed Val as her master-at-arms and; gave her farewells to Annelyse, Whitlock, Kailani, and Sei who have to attend to leadership duties; and discovered Raydan now working as her spymaster (given the following love interests were not chosen).

One year after the battle, Kenna spends some time with her best friend/husband Dom, reliving old memories by having another sword practice session.

Dominic Hunter
Kenna and Dominic were childhood friends and became best friends as they grew up. However, their relationship can be turned into a romantic one depending on the player's choices. Regardless of either choice, Dom will always love her (as a friend or her husband.)

Kenna cares for Dom as much as Dom cares for her: during Kenna's exile Dom hopes to cripple the Nevrakis as much as possible; when Dom leaves for training she wants Sei to promise to bring Dom back in one piece; during his training all Dom could ever think of was helping his queen; and when Hex captured Dom Kenna swore to bring him back without hurting him.

It is interesting to note that Kenna rarely, if ever, treats Dom as her subject after she was crowned Queen: all their interactions involve either romance or informal banter despite their vast difference in rank; she even sparred with him for leisure at the end of Book 3 despite being Queen of all Five Kingdoms.

Kenna also revealed that she threatened to execute a guard's son to stop him from bullying Dom.

Val Greaves
Valentina is one of Kenna's most trusted allies. Before meeting and joining Kenna, she was a mercenary, working for Severin Cale. Their relationship can be turned into a romantic one depending on the player's choices.

In Book 1, Val first meets Kenna when she and Gabriel visits the mercenary camp in search of allies. She initially regards Kenna with skepticism, believing that she is a weak ruler, even going and betting against Kenna in the match. However, she begins to respect Kenna after Kenna beats Severin in a duel. As the book progresses, Val soon becomes one of Kenna's most trusted allies and closest friends. In Chapter 17, Val helps Kenna battle the Nevrakis soldiers as she battles Prince Marco.

In Book 3, Val is one of the love interest choices for Kenna to marry. If the player chooses Val, she becomes the Queen of Stormholt and rules alongside with Kenna.

Raydan Lykel
Raydan first meets Kenna in Book 1 Chapter 7 when she journeys to Aurelia. A talented spy, he helps her escape from Prince Marco and the Nevrakis soldiers that occupy the city. Together with Annelyse Adair, he forges an alliance with Kenna and soon becomes one of her most trusted allies. He is a potential love interest for Kenna based on the user's choices. At the end of Chapter 16, the player can choose to have Raydan and Kenna betrothed to each other.

In Book 2 Chapter 3, Raydan accompanies Kenna to Panrion in Ebrimel to liberate them from Florian Tartassis' rule.

Annelyse Adair
Annelyse is the Queen of Aurelia. Kenna initially accused Annelyse of treason, but they soon became close friends. Early in her reign, she virtually eliminated poverty in Aurelia, and despite her initial characterization as a ditzy person, she is shown to be a smart, fair, and generous ruler, as shown when she agreed to give every soldier in Kenna's army Golden Mountain Fangs. If the player chooses to play Two Truths and a Lie with Annelyse, the latter will reveal that she had fantasized about kissing her. It is up to the player to return the affection or decline. She is one of Kenna's potential love interests that she can eventually marry.

Tevan Drammir
Kenna meets Tevan during the Luther's attack at the beginning of the series. Kenna can choose to save his life. If he is still living, Tevan becomes King and helps in the Battle for Stormholt and is also present in Book 2. At the end of Book 3, the player can choose to have Tevan and Kenna bethrothed. He is another potential love interest of Kenna.

Diavolos Nevrakis
Prince Diavolos Nevrakis is the son of King Luther Nevrakis. He meets Kenna in Book 3 and is sent by his father to travel with her to defeat Azura, when she forms an alliance with the Nevrakis family. He is one of Kenna's potential love interests. If Kenna makes him the King of Stormholt, it will help his reputation, making him a solid candidate to be the ruler of Abanthus.

Leon Stirling
Leon served as Crown Guardian, Protector of Queen Kenna, until his death in ''Book 3, Chapter 2. ''She respects him as a wise advisor in war, and he respects her as his superior, defending her physically and verbally. He vows to protect Kenna, a memento and legacy of Adriana, and Kenna considers Leon as like family; she was deeply heartbroken upon his sudden death by Azura's hand.

Whitlock
Whitlock is a young inventor and the leader of the Technocrats, a faction of engineers and inventors that live in The Foundry. He eventually becomes one of her closest allies. She respects Whitlock as a fellow ruler, and sympathizes with him about his ordeal with Hex.

Gabriel Amarne
Gabriel is Kenna's bodyguard and mentor. She also considers him as a father figure and is grief-stricken when Helene kills him during the battle for Stormholt.

Prince Marco Nevrakis
Marco is Kenna's sworn enemy and they are both seen to have an extremely antagonistic relationship with each other. Throughout the whole of Book 1, Marco sends assassins and Nevrakis soldiers after Kenna, so as to ensure she does not stage an uprising. However, his efforts prove to be futile as Kenna returns to seize her rightful place on the throne in Stormholt with her newly assembled army. Kenna bears a grudge against Marco and the Nevrakis for having killed her mother and stolen her kingdom. In Book 1, Chapter 18, Kenna and Marco engage in a final duel, resulting in the eventual defeat and death (determinant) of Marco.

Princess Zenobia Nevrakis
Kenna and Zenobia both dislike each other, with Zenobia stating in Book 3 Chapter 12 that she contemplated pushing Kenna off the palace walls five times while walking alongside her. Despite their mutual dislike of each other, on several occasions, they find themselves having to cooperate with each other due to their alliance to defeat the Iron Empire.

King Luther Nevrakis
Luther is the reason why Kenna's mother is dead and why she was exiled in the start of Even if Prince Marco, his son, insists that Kenna must be hunted and killed to prevent an uprising, Luther disregards this, clearly underestimating Kenna's strength and abilities. The whole plot of Book 2, orbits on Kenna trying to weaken Luther's army and his hold on The Five Kingdoms. Kenna eventually defeats him in the end and imprisons him. He reveals that he was gathering enough forces and power to launch an attack on the Iron Empire, which he lost and ked him to retreat where Kenna and the others met him in battle shortly after.

In Book 3, they form an Alliance to take down the Iron Empire. In the end, Luther tries to betray her by attempting to kill her. Although he had the same respect for her as her mother, Adriana, he states that it was "nothing personal" and stabs her in the shoulder. Kenna (determinant) and Diavolos kill him in the end.

Empress Azura
Kenna and Azura originally had a neutral relationship, but after Azura revealed her true nature and killed Leon, Kenna swore to defeat her and protect the Five Kingdoms

Marcellus Rys
Marcellus Rys is Kenna's father and was the King of Stormholt until he died. Since Kenna was a little girl when he died, his wife, Queen Adriana, became Stormholt's ruler. Not much is known about him, and it is only mentioned that he and his wife were very in love when he died and that he was well respected. Because she was so young when he died, it is likely Kenna doesn't remember much about him.

Adriana Rys
Queen Adriana Rys is Kenna's mother. Even though Kenna isn't happy about the fact that her mother intends to choose her future husband for her, Adriana loves "her little butterfly" a lot and their relationship is very affectionate. In Book 1, Chapter 1, Adriana is killed by Nevrakis soldiers and Kenna swears to avenge her. Kenna becomes very angry when someone insults her mother. She is suprised when she finds out that her mother was in love with Leon.

"Baby"
Depending on the player's choices, Kenna will have a baby with whoever the player chose to be her love interest one year after the wedding. You need to choose the option "Start a family with you" during the wedding vows. The player can choose the baby's name as they wish. Kenna is shown to have strongly bonded with her child, being able to immediately calm the fussy infant down. She is clearly not overprotective and seems to enjoy watching her spouse (your chosen love interest) interact with the baby. She’s also shown to be a caring and adoring mother.

Trivia

 * She is shown on the cover of "The Crown & The Flame, Book 1", "The Crown & The Flame, Book 2", and "The Crown & The Flame, Book 3", as well as the app icon for Choices along with Dave Reyes from Most Wanted and Chris from The Freshman.
 * In Book 1, Chapter 5, when Kenna reveals her true identity to the mercenaries, Kenna states that her name is Kenna Rhys, this was probably a writing error.
 * In The Freshman series, the Crown and the Flame is a TV series that the MC and her friends watch. In The Freshman, Book 3, Your Character gets to be an extra during filming, and meets the real actors who play as Kenna and Dom. Kenna's actor is friendly and down-to-earth, and happily signs an autograph for the new extra. In Book 2 of High School Story, it is also a TV show the MC and his/her dad can watch.
 * The crown Kenna wears and the crown her mother wore are different. This may be due to the fact that her mother's corpse was looted after her death.
 * Kenna could possibly be the ancestor of King Constantine, European Guy and Prince Liam from The Royal Romance. In Chapter 19 of The Royal Romance, a ring is passed on from the king to the prince, likely the same ring worn by Kenna and Adriana.
 * In the final chapters of The Crown and The Flame, Book 3, you can choose to marry Kenna to Raydan, Tevan, Diavolos, Val, Annelyse, Dom or none. This represents the largest selection of love interests in the entire Choices universe.