Sigrid Runarsdottir

Sigrid, a character in The Royal Heir series, is the Queen of Vallenheim and a member of Via Imperii. She is first seen in The Royal Finale, Chapter 2.

Appearance
Sigrid has gray long hair, gray eyes and fair skin. She wears silver earrings, a pearl necklace with a green emerald, and a green dress with silver embroideries. When she was younger, she had blonde hair.

Personality
According to Hana's research, Sigrid has the reputation of being friendly, but is a bit vapid. At first she seems welcoming and kind, but it is later revealed that she's cruel, greedy and selfish. She's also very pretentious and claims that she cares for her people, but in reality she only cares about her court and her wealth, and has no regard for her kingdom and its people.

Her vapid personality is a facade which she keeps as part of her role as the Empress.

Background
Not much is known about Sigrid herself, but "Liam" states that Vallenheim is equally unremarkable as far as global politics go, being a small Nordic country known for frigid weather and winter sports. The country is the "opposite" of Lythikos, preferring ski lodges and saunas to sword fighting. According to Amalas, Vallenheim has not invited any Cordonian envoys in years.

The Royal Finale

 * Chapter 2: Courted
 * Chapter 3: Crossroads (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 4: Belle of the Ball, Belly of the Beast
 * Chapter 6: The Comeback Queen (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 8: The Playdate (Mentioned; Determinant)
 * Chapter 9: Highs and Lows
 * Chapter 10: Gangbusters (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 11: Face-Off
 * Chapter 12: When Worlds Collide
 * Chapter 13: Family Matters (Mentioned)
 * Chapter 14: Island Intrigue

Via Imperii
Sigrid claims that she's not very high up in Via Imperii, and as such, she only knows the names of a handful of members, since Via Imperii keeps that information secret. If asked, she states she did not know that Barthelemy Beaumont was a member of the Via Imperii. This however is proven to be a lie when she is revealed to be the leader of the Via Imperii, The Empress.

Your Character
You meet her for the first time when visiting Vallenheim. You and your friends watch how she treats her servants, the nobility, and learn how she treats her people. Sigrid tells you that the Via Imperii gives her material wealth to enjoy. She doesn't believe being a member is a blemish on one's character. When you confront her after you find out about what's happening with Sergio and her people, she claims that you misunderstood the situation and that she knows that Sergio is the one running things. She then continues to say that she didn't realise that you cared for that sort of thing, and that the reason she has mercenaries is to keep her people in line.

You meet her again in Chapter 4 when you attend the Masquerade Ball to join Via Imperii. When you ask her for any advice or information, she tells you to pay close attention to the members, and that any word could be a hint and any question could be a test. She also informs you about the Via Imperii motto when making a toast.

Lena Rys
When Eleanor gave birth to Lena in a Vallenheim hospital, Sigrid legally ceded the ward to Cordonia for her birth, making Lena a citizen of Cordonia. Eleanor then left Lena in Sigrid's care, and Sigrid raised Lena as her ward. During Lena's childhood, Sigrid told her that her birthright needed to be kept a secret and that the Via Imperii had big plans for her. Unhappy with her predicament, Lena requested and was granted the ability to train in Captain Silvia's guard and make something of herself.

Eleanor Rys
Sigrid mentions being close friends with Queen Eleanor, and that while it is possible that Eleanor was a member of the Via Imperii, she had no reason to believe so. According to Lena, Sigrid spoke of Eleanor fondly and told the younger girl that her mother always believed children should play.

Sergio
Sergio is Queen Sigrid's assistant. He helps Sigrid rule the kingdom by signing important documents, taking care of the rest of the affairs, and handling the gatherings and protests of the people around the palace. According to the citizens of Vallenheim, Sergio is behind everything and is in fact the one ruling the kingdom.

Trivia

 * The Via Imperii helped her grandmother ascend the throne of Vallenheim, by overthrowing the previous royal line.
 * If asked, she states she doesn't believe she has met Bianca Walker.
 * Her crimes include treason and embezzlement.
 * Her character model resembles Elise Goeffe from The Elementalists, Book 1.
 * She is revealed to be the leader of the Via Imperii, also known as "The Empress", in The Royal Finale, Chapter 11.
 * Her surname is also revealed in the same chapter.
 * Since the Via Imperii is behind every conflict throughout The Royal Romance, this makes her, in a sense, the big bad of the entire franchise.