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Madrigal, also known as Madrigal Kirin, is one of the last remaining Kirin chimaera.
Appearance[]
Madrigal is a Kirin, one of the few chimaera races that have more of a human look to them, known as a high-human aspect. From her knees down she has gazelle-furred legs with hooves. Large bat wings grow out of her back, while gazelle horns curl and frame her face. She has warm, brown eyes, that are large, deer-like, and very intelligent. Many other chimaera consider her to be beautiful, probably due to her high-human aspect. But since she was raised as a soldier and doesn't embrace beauty so easily, she keeps her hair cut short and close to the head and does not wear makeup or paint to enhance her features. Her hair is described as being soft like the down of a bird. She is tall, and her legs are extremely long because of the antelope half. She is slender and she has a lovely oval face with flawless skin.
Personality[]
Madrigal was kind and considerate, she took mercy on Akiva even though he was a seraph. She was brave when she faced evanescence. She also was a curious worker that was one of the few people who grew close to Brimstone. Despite being a trained solder, Madrigal was not naturally driven to war. She preferred peace over violence.
Background[]
Madrigal grew up in the Kirin Caves of the Adelphas Mountains. She was around seven years old when she was orphaned by the seraphim.[1] She survived the attack because she hadn't been home at the time. She returned to the aftermath of the slave raid. The only survivors she found were a handful of elders hidden deep in the caves who had managed to save only the very smallest of the babies, one of whom was Ziri. Madrigal and the survivors went to Loramendi. There, she was adopted by a family of the Sab tribe because they could "keep up with her."[1] They had a daughter named Chiro around Madrigal's age.
When Madrigal was ten years old, she was chosen by the youth mistress to become Brimstone's page.[2] Under Brimstone's guidance, Madrigal learns about magic, teeth, and how to arrange them to create revenant bodies for Brimstone's resurrection magic. When she was fourteen years old, Issa teaches Madrigal about the human story of the wishbone.[3]
Plot[]
Daughter of Smoke & Bone[]
Madrigal finds Akiva at Bullfinch and saves his life by binding his wound. The two end up falling in love despite being on opposite sides in the war and despite the fact that Thiago, The Warlord's son, had placed a claim on her. Their affair is discovered and her foster sister Chiro ends up betraying them by telling Thiago.
Madrigal's punishment for being an "angel-lover" is evanescence, meaning that her soul would not be allowed to enter a new body, and thus be left to dissipate, after the execution. Brimstone gives her the idea to enter another body after the execution, and her soul eventually gets placed into a newly created human body, but she loses her memories in the process, which are kept in a wishbone. Karou remembers her life as Madrigal after breaking the wishbone with Akiva.
Days of Blood & Starlight[]
Karou continues to recall Madrigal's memories. For example, she recalls how Madrigal was forced to endure hearing Akira's screams as he was tortured for days in the prison of Loramendi while she awaited her own execution.
Karou recalls one of Madrigal's last memories being of Brimstone telling her that for all these centuries he'd only been holding on and trying to keep the chimaera alive until some other way could be found, a path to life and peace.
Dreams of Gods & Monsters[]
...
Relationships[]
Akiva[]
Madrigal and Akiva meet when Madrigal rescues him from certain death by winching a torniquet and leading her fellow chimaera away from him. Akiva never forgets this. He sneaks into the Warlord’s ball and dances with Madrigal. When he reveals his identity, she is shocked, but nonetheless, their romance is ignited. They have an instant affinity with each other. Their relationship is complicated by the fact they’re on opposing sides of the war.
Madrigal and Akiva become lovers and spend every night together for a month at the temple of Ellai. During this time, they dream of a world of peace, where seraphim and chimaera live together in harmony. Just when they are planning to enact their plot to kill the war’s leaders and set their vision in motion, they are captured by Thiago and the chimaera. Akiva is tortured and made to watch as Madrigal is beheaded, and he believes is evanesced. Akiva is driven mad with grief and makes plans to avenge her. Having learned the chimaera’s secret of resurrection during his torture, Akiva is instrumental in the seraphim winning the war, resulting in the deaths of thousands of chimaera and enslavement of the survivors. Akiva is given the titles of “Beast’s Bane” and “Prince Bastard” and a newfound respect among the seraphim. Madrigal taught Akiva mercy, "only to have her own fate undo all her gentle teaching."[4]
Thiago[]
Thiago sought out Madrigal to be his partner because she was "pure," meaning she had never been resurrected. When he lets it be known that he wants to take her as his next wife, Madrigal neither accepts nor rejects him outright. However, her subsequent relationship with Akiva makes it obvious she is not interested in Thiago. One of the reasons Thiago was so angry at Madrigal and had her publicly executed was because she not only rejected him, she rejected for an angel, an even worse slight. He never takes into consideration that Madrigal may not want to be with him.
Karou[]
Though she doesn't have her chimaera body, Madrigal's soul is in Karou's body. Therefore, Karou and Madrigal are technically one and the same. After breaking the wishbone, and regaining Madrigal's memories, Karou works to adjust to her new identity. She describes having her own memories and Madrigal's as disorienting, "a brief vibration between two selves that would always be separate, like two yolks in one shell."
Gallery[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Daughter of Smoke & Bone: Chapter 48, pg. 321-322
- ↑ Daughter of Smoke & Bone: Chapter 49, pg. 330
- ↑ Daughter of Smoke & Bone: Chapter 56, pg. 383
- ↑ Daughter of Smoke & Bone: Chapter 14, pg. 121