[hider=Anatole Makhlas][center][img]http://i1305.photobucket.com/albums/s554/JJkhlover/my-favourite-anime-pics-miyagi-chan-31445444-641-900-1_zpscea3ce83.jpg[/img][/center]

[u]Name[/u]:  Anatole Rivule Makhlas

[u]Age[/u]:  Nineteen

[u]Role & Kingdom[/u]: Hiertania 

[u]Skills[/u]:
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[*] [u]Lashback Swordsmanship[/u] - Trained by her father and brother who were both soldiers, Anatole inherited the unique swordplay style developed by her father.  Endearingly known as the Lashback (also her father's name) technique, this fighting style entails that the swordsman be as unmoving as much as he is unmovable.  A purely defensive style which waits before striking, countering an opponent's lash before retaliating with one's own attack.  This swordplay puts premiums on parrying, focus, patience, and wit as well as an eye for detail and openings which one can explot upon countering an enemy's offensive.  Effectively, this allows Anatole to be efficient in battle, even dueling up to two opponents at once.  However, forcing her out of this stance causes the swordswoman to be less efficient since she is not skilled when it comes to offensive tactics as she placed all her attention and time into mastering the defensive form.  Not to mention that range attacks are this form's weaknesses as the Lashback swordsmanship forces the user to remain unmoving in one location. 
[*] [u]First-Aid Knowledge[/u] - As the Second Prince's personal servant, Anatole was required to know how to apply basic first aid as well as medicinal knowledge should the need arise to bind the prince's wounds.  Still, her knowledge has its limits as major and fatal wounds are more or less already out of her reach.
[*] [u]Culinary Mastery[/u] - What is a servant if he or she is not skilled in the kitchen?  An accomplished culinary prodigy, Anatole knows how to prepare the prince's favorite meals, snacks, and beverages.  She also participates in the castle's general meal preparations if her services are not needed by the prince himself.  While her skill in cooking is not up to par with the kingdom's finest chefs, she still makes it a point to keep improving on her art, and more importantly, to find out more of the prince's favored foods.  Roasting, sauteing, frying, steaming-- you name it, Anatole's got it.
[*] [u]Advanced Grooming[/u] - Royalties are physically incapable of taking care of themselves, according to the servant guidebook.  Thus, Anatole made it a point to figure out the best fashion sense she can muster for her prince, and does her best to make sure that he does not go out looking like someone catapulted him into a brier of cacti.  She can fix his sometimes unruly hair, straighten his coats, and wash the stains off of his clothes.  Though she messes up sometimes in terms of grooming him, she has finally accomplished a skill that did not come easy for servants:  not flustering when seeing their charges naked. 
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[u]Equipment[/u]:
[list]
[*] [u]Makhlas Rapier[/u] - Originally owned by her father, Anatole now bears her father's sword.  While she does not always carry it on her person, Anatole naturally radiates a posture and stance which reflects her swordsmanship.  However, she does carry the sword when going with the Second Prince outside of the castle walls, or when he takes her along in a meeting with other leaders.  It is true that it is uncommon for a servant to carry a blade, Anatole could care less as it is better for her to be prepared to protect her prince rather than being left empty-handed when the time comes.
[*] [u]First-Aid Pouch[/u] - A pouch containing medicinal supplies such as gauze, bandages, antiseptics, and other materials which would be necessary to stop and disinfect a wound. 
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[u]Personality[/u]:  Calm and neutral when it comes to dealing with other individuals outside of the Second Prince, Anatole is the epitome of a precise and calculating person.  Almost everyone in the castle knows that Anatole looks out for merits in actions, and when people act without purpose, that is one sure-fire way to piss the living daylights out of the woman.  While she is courteous and unfazed even in front of rude and repugnant guests, she does not tolerate any insults towards the Second Prince who she has an unrequited affection for.  Possessing a quick and sharp tongue, Anatole will not hesitate to lash out at anyone who insults the prince, often with heavier insults and words.  However, in front and alone with her charge, the woman melts into a nervous heap though she always tries her best to become as composed as possible.  Her heart easily swoons for the Second Prince, and will always support him in his endeavors.  She truly believes that he is innocent, and that, the death of the King and the Crown Prince was just destiny's way of saying that the Second Prince is the rightful heir to the throne.  Her unquestioning loyalty and obedience to the Second Prince is fueled by the sole dream of remaining by the prince's side until he meets the rightful princess for him.  Though the sight of the two walking down the aisle would be akin to white-hot knives piercing her own heart, Anatole pays no mind to the stings, because as long as the prince is happy, then, she would be happy, too. 
   
[u]Biography[/u]:  Growing up in an average household already paved the way for Anatole's future towards the simple, plain life of a servant in the castle.  While her father and brother served in the military as, again, low-ranking soldiers, Anatole's mother already began preparing her to take her place as one of the castle servants.  While her mother taught her the culinary arts and other domestic skills, the father and brother trained her in the military arts of fighting and defending oneself.  By the time that Anatole was fifteen, she was not only an accomplished servant, but also a skilled (although informally trained) fighter.  However, Anatole's life would soon take a rapid turn when her father and brother died in combat while protecting one of the kingdom's villages against a group of organized thieves who just wanted to raise trouble.  This was the first time that the average and low-lying soldiers took the center stage, and acted beyond the call of duty.  The pair's act of valor raised the attention on the Makhlas name, because when the village guards took heel and ran away to save their lives, the Makhlas soldiers stood their ground and held off the thieves until help could arrive.  The cowardice of those stationed guards disgusted Anatole, and from that moment forward, she began to see the kingdom coldly.  In her mind, a lot of people clamor to roles they were not willing to accomplish, and that the true mark of a person in Hiertania was someone who acted with purpose, not just for the sake of acting.

It went without saying that promotion for Anatole arrived quite fast after that.  As she quickly rose through the ranks of the castle servants, the young girl suddenly saw the second prince as he busied himself day and night with mastering the art of alchemy.  He poured himself into mountains of books and scrolls for the sole purpose of mastering the science of a field where even angels feared to tread.  A lot of the servants belittled, even insulted the prince from the shadows with his hobby and focus, but where other people saw weakness and obsession, Anatole saw a man who wanted to make a name for himself.  She saw a man who acted with purpose; a man who stood his ground and continued fighting while others fled.  She admired him for his perseverance and patience, and in the prince's focus, she saw him radiate a light that no other monarch had, not even the first prince.

Getting to the second prince's side was her next goal, and after a few more years, when she was finally nineteen, Anatole was promoted to the second prince's personal servant, and already, she got to work in making him proud of her.  She never let her emotions run amok, and she acted with purpose just as the prince also did.  While the death of her dear father and brother left Anatole on the verge of despair, she found a new light in the prince, and like a moth hovering near a flame, she doesn't care if she get burned.  If going up in cinders meant giving the prince the happiness that a lot of people deprived him of in favor of sucking up to the first prince's side, then, Anatole was more than willing to be set ablaze in order give this man, this wonderful man the sunshine he deserves.
       
[u]Extra[/u]:  Most obviously, Anatole possesses an unrequited love towards the prince-- a secret affection she keeps for him.  She is skilled in hiding her affections, but the momentary smiles and glances can tell tales of how deep her feelings really run.  However, she is kept in the dark as to the prince's real intentions, and she didn't know that it was the prince's doing which slayed the king.

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