Rosella

Rosella is the daughter of King Graham and Queen Valanice of Daventry and twin sister of Prince Alexander. She is the granddaughter of Prince Cedric and Coignice on her mother's side, and Sir Hereward on her father's. Rosella is the Princess of the Realm, and the heir to the throne of Daventry. Here full name and title is Princess Rosella of Daventry or Rosella of Daventry. Her name, means "little rose".

Background
Rosella and Alexander were born a year or two after the wedding of her parents. THey were loved by their parents and taken care of by the maid Annabel. Soon after (some say six months later), Alexander was kidnapped by the shores of Lake Maylie during a picnic while everyone else was put under a sleep spell. Upon waking up, Valanice found the crip empty, but returned to the castle she searched the nursery and found it unattended (her maid was there) with Alexander's crib empty and Rosella crying uncontrollably. The castle was scoured high and low, and every inch of Daventry was searched, but there never was any sign of the little boy. Rosella was left to grow up alone. It is said it put the kingdom into a state of depression they never truly recovered from.

Childhood
She was her father's darling and her mother's close companion during the years that her twin brother was missing. Annabel continued to take care of her thinking of her as her own child. As she grew into a young woman, Valanice taught Rosella both as a student, daughter, and the heir to the throne of Daventry. All Valanice knew, and all she learned, she offered Rosella, as did her husband Graham. Histories, geography, folklore, common sense, and rules of thumb; swimming, running, riding, shooting and fighting; stories of honor, courage, valor, humor, and humility; tales of love, death and hard choices--all of these she devoured, as if hungry to learn enough for two. She also learned to climb trees and clean house, sing, play the flute, the lute, and all the keyboards, speak politely, listen quietly, and survive alone in the wilderness. All their love they gave to their princess. As a young girl she spent much of her time in the castle playing football.

She stayed with in the castle with Master Rokaill while her parents traveled to the Old Wood to meet the Fairies and find out how to end the endless winter, and bring about spring.

She saved the land from the marauding sloks and Wandering Weevils.

Sacrifice
She was almost eighteen, when the great Three-headed Dragon demanded her sacrifice against the total destruction of all Daventry and its people, and she was offered up as ransom for the kingdom. She returned the love her parents had given her by willingly going to meet the flaming doom. She tried to be brave ; She had learned well about hard choices, and marched with sure, firm steps, back straight and head held high, to the appointed place. Only one small, quiet tear glistened on her face as she kissed her parents farewell for what they all thought to be the final time. Rosella and her father disappeared into the mountain, entering the dragon's lair. Graham tied her to the stake, she was left awaiting death with her eyes open and dry. Graham returned to his wife's side, both were were devastated with loss. When the dragon came for her, they returned to the castle to await their bitter end. Meanwhile, Rosella struggled to free herself. Her muscles were strained against the ropes, the veins and tendons of her neck quite visible from the effort. She was screamed in terror, as would anyone faced with the sure knowledge of being scorched to death at any moment by the giant reptile. While she was struggling, she was rescued by Alexander, a brother she had not known, who had journeyed across land and sea to save her. Rosella had been gone but two or three hours, before she returned to the castle gate's.

Savior
During the family reunion, she witnessed her father collapse from a heart attack. The royal physicians could do nothing for her father. In sadness she returned to the throne room, sitting on the throne to weep, when she spotted the magic mirror activate. She saw the image of the good fairy Genesta, who told her that in her land of Tamir was a fruit that could save her father, but that the princess would have to save Genesta by finding her stolen talisman. Genesta gave her the choice to come to Tamir, and she was transported there. She had to find the Magic Fruit to save King Graham, and had to take Genesta's Talisman from Lolotte. In spite of herself, Rosella felt a great sense of sweet revenge in killing Lolotte.

While there, Lolotte's son, Edgar fell in love with her. Once Rosella got the talisman and the magical fruit, Genesta transformed Edgar into a handsome young man. He proposed to Rosella but she declined in order to return to Daventry and saved her father.

Troubled Times
Nearly a year later, she visited the nearby kingdom of Lycathia. She had sent a letter back to her family, telling of her experiences there. Shortly after returning to Castle Daventry, she, Valanice, and Alexander were minimized along with their castle by Mordack. They were rescued by Graham.

Several months later, she was transported to Alexander's wedding to Cassima in the Land of the Green Isles but was reluctant to marry herself.

Rosella jumped into a lake and was transported to another land. Valanice followed her but they were separated.

King Otar wanted to marry Rosella. The evil fairy Malicia was in the process of trying to destroy the land with a volcanic eruption. As Rosella was saving the land, she discovered that Malicia had captured the real King Otar and had transformed Edgar (*gasp* Poor Edgar!) into the fake King Otar... the one wanting to marry Rosella. They also discovered that Edgar is the son of the king and queen of the fairies of Etheria.

Following her adventure she returned to Daventry, she and her mother told her father about her time in Etheria. She went back to living in Castle Daventry. She had always planned to return and live in Daventry, no matter where her adventures may have lead.

During the cataclysm Rosella suffered the same fate as the rest Daventry's mortal inhabitants. Following Connor's defeat of Lucreto, and the reforging of the Mask of Eternity, Rosella like all mortals in Daventry were returned to themselves.

Soon rumors of an impending marriage in the kingdom between Rosella and Edgar in the kingdom began spreading among the kingdom's populace. At some point they did get married, and had a young son named Gart.

Personality and traits
Rosella is both beautiful and delicate, yet strong and brave. She is all these things, and more. Rosella has a striking resemblance to her mother. Her eyes and mouth are like her mothers. Rosella is shown to be both brave and impulsive. When the three-headed dragon demanded her sacrifice, and by the advice of Gervain and Graham's decision (as the latest in the yearly sacrifices) she agreed to go, offering herself, hoping that it would help save the kingdom. She believes her selfless decision may have been what drew Alexander back to the kingdom in order to save it. She accepted Genesta's offer of help without question, and without telling anyone where she was going. Furthermore, in KQ7, she dove into the enchanted pond, following the dragonette purely on a whim.

Rosella had never been the epitome of poise. Though ladylike, she occasionally pouted, where she stomped her foot, and tossed her hair. Though most of the time she tried to stop herself, knowing she would be scolded for it by her mother, as it was not ladylike. She was somewhat selfish and demanding. Even attempting to make demands of her father, when she could get away with it. Rosella could be seen as somewhat vain, enamored in her own looks, and how she looked to others. She wanted everyone to look at her. If they turned away, though slightly annoyed, she figured her beauty was too much for them. In town she at least understood that seeing royalty was more common place, and didn't expect an entourage. Of all Rosella's many virtues, patience was not the most prominent.

Rosella loves books, and would sometimes rather read than eat or sleep, and this is a good habit that Valanice and Graham encouraged in their daughter.

Rosella had a mocking scorn for the sciences (this was not uncommon for most of the people of Daventry). In her youth, Rosella developed a disdain and scorn for everyone. She had been born a princess, and did nothing to earn that but being born. So she scorned those who had to earn their place in life because she was given hers. As she grew older she grew out of that phase.

A romantic, like her parents to each other, or her brother with Cassima, she fell in love with Edgar at first sight although she was in a hurry save her brother and had to leave him behind. She continued to hold him dear to her heart, until the day she met him again.

She experienced a reluctance to be rushed into marriage, perhaps hoping to see her "dearest Edgar" again. KQ7 opens with her protesting her mother's attempts to marry her off and ends by accepting Edgar's offer to court her, with no promises of an engagement.

Rosella may be impetuous, but she is no fool. She would marry no man before her time.

Rosella was taught by Valanice, Graham, and tutored by Master Rokaill and later Farquhar. She was taught everything from archery, art, history, science, geography, philosophy, meteorology and mathematics. She was taught, and could play several instruments. She also learned all she could from the books in the castle library She read the works of William Shakespeare, Rosella had taken to memorizing many of the Bard's better passages and reciting them with dramatic.. She always played the heroine Master Rokaill had spent hours drilling her about meteorology and its effects on the land. Rosella found the lectures dry. Rosella was not very skilled at mathematics and philosophy. She had not studied much of mathematics. Rather, she had spent most of her schooling learning the history of Daventry, and other realms. She found schooling was important. It taught her how to deal with dragons and other creatures. Her father never allowed her to be involved with any sort of magic in her early years (though later under Farquhar she may have learned some of the basics of spell casting). Valanice insisted that Rosella learned how to ride horses well. She had been trained in the use of a bow. Although, taught archery and how to hunt. Rosella had not been much of a hunter, she considered hunting a man's sport-not the sort of thing for a proper princess. She didn't pay as much attention when her father had shown her how to find and follow tracks. Though she did not like to hunt, she did occasionally shoot at targets. Graham taught her his love of swimming. She is a strong swimmer. By the age of fifteen she had years more schooling than any other person her age in whole of the kingdom.

Farquhar would later teach her how to draw.

Rosella books. She sometimes would rather read than eat or sleep. It is a good habit that Graham and Valanice had always  encouraged.

According to Rosella; her favorite books series is the The Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis. According to her, the reason she likes it is; "...It's a seven book series, set in a wonderful fantasy world where horses talk and evil witches live. There's a nice royal family who gets in all kinds of trouble and they always end up going on a quest--hmm, no wonder I like it."[

Rosella believes in and practices charity and good deeds.

With Alexander missing most of her life, and later becoming the King of the Green Isles, Rosella has always been seen as the next heir of Daventry by her family. This may also do with the fact that she is the only one who has had experience with the Kingdom's politics and society, but she has also had the most experience with the Peoples of Daventry, whom many are her friends, companions and servants. Who would die serving her if they needed to, as she has gained their respect. She also loves her country and her people too much to abandon them. She had always planned to return and live in Daventry, no matter where her adventures may have lead.

Details

 * In the space of two days, just before her eighteenth birthday, Rosella was tied to a stake and left as sacrifice to a dragon, was rescued by the brother she had never met and had thought dead, watched her father collapse into a near-death coma, was taken to Tamir to find the magic fruit that would save him, kidnapped by a witch, swallowed by a whale, chased by an ogre, escaped a troll, and a few other things.
 * Rosella was once trapped in a card game with other Sierra characters, see Rosella quotes (Hoyle I). Rosella spoke with an olde English accent.
 * Rosella found defeating the evil Lolotte quite exhilarating.
 * Rosella has worn different outfits throughout the games, see Rosella's Wardrobe.
 * Rosella's eyes appear blue in several games, and appear greyish brown in KQ6.
 * Though not mentioned directly by name there is a nod to Rosella from  the Beast Unicorn. She mentions that Graham's family suffered the same fate as the rest of the mortal inhabitants of Daventry. Additionally this would have include her brother as he is mortal as well.
 * Rosella doesn't like coffee.
 * Rosella has travelled outside of the World of Daventry and interacted with other worlds or individuals from across the Sierra Multiverse on more than one occasion. From her very first quest, or her trip to the Realm of Eldritch, or from Hoyle I/III to Leisure Suit Larry 2/3 in Larry Laffer's universe. Sometimes she has been known to interact with individual from Earth: Al Lowe Interviews Rosella, interview by Bookwyrm. Rosella has a line of dolls in the realm of Gloriana.
 * It is said that Rosella has inspired a line of puppets sold in far away lands.

Titles and Nicknames

 * Princess of the Realm
 * Princess of Daventry.
 * Princess Rosella of Daventry
 * Mistress Rosella
 * Rose
 * She of the Golden Hair

Behind the scenes
The name of Rosella and Valanice is similar to Rosanella, the daughter of a queen named Balanice.

King's Quest companion implies that Rosella along with Edgar would be the heirs of Daventry. Rosella lives in Daventry but visits Edgar in Etheria every now and then, or Edgar comes to visit her in Daventry. She apparently barely ever leaves Daventry however, apparently Derek Karlavaegen has never seen her leave the kingdom. Derek Karlavaegen has also never seen her with Edgar and is skeptical that they are even dating. There is also mention of rumors of an impending wedding within the kingdom between Rosella and Edgar.

In KQ5 Rosella was played by Diana Wilson. In KQ6 Rosella was played by Sheryl Bernstein. In KQ7 Rosella was played by Maureen McVerry.

In a preview for KQ7, she was described as a Petulant Princess.

Rosella (unofficial)
Rosella appears in multiple fan games, see Rosella (unofficial).