Festival was the Stelian concubine who gave birth to Akiva. Though the character is mentioned in Daughter of Smoke & Bone, she is not named until Days of Blood & Starlight.
Appearance
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Personality
Not much is known about Akiva's late mother, but from snippets of Akiva's memories she is shown to be a strong woman with a fiery streak, having been the cause of Jael's scar and reminding the young Akiva that he is his own person as he is taken away from her. Festival is a Stelian, the strongest of the angels, and is gifted with unique powers. One of her powers allows her to sense the future and she learns that she will give birth to a powerful son who will play a role in brining peace to the realms. Festival is duty-oriented, she allows herself to become a concubine and have her purity tainted in order to give birth to Akiva. From Jael's flashbacks, we learn that she was quite fierce and showed no fear of the militant brothers of the empire. She allowed herself to be taken and tainted, but neither her body or will was broken, is said by Jael.
Background
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Plot
Days of Blood & Starlight
Not much is known about Akiva's mother aside from the fact that she is Stelian, a race of people who live in the Far Isles. She was part of Joram's harem, and eventually got pregnant with Akiva who was essentially an "experiment" in mixing Seraph and Stelian blood.
It is revealed that Joram gave Festival to his brother Jael after he was tired of her. Festival resisted Jael and ended up giving him a very large scar that disfigured his face for the rest of his life. Knowing Jael's penchant for cruelty, it is not surprising to find out that he killed her immediately after.
Relationships
Joram
Festival was Joram's ex-concubine.
Akiva
Festival was Akiva's mother.
Memorable Quotes
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Gallery
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Trivia
- Out of all the Seraphim, the Stelians are known as the most mysterious and one of the strongest branches. Hence, Jael questions to his brother Joram on why Festival would allow herself to become a concubine since Stelians are known for their isolation. His doubts and suspicions are proven correct when Akiva's powers start to manifest years later.
References
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