(These were some minor characters who eventually hung around Baron Kernaghan in Legends of Windemere.  They were never part of the real plan, but they popped up by accident.  I figured I would put them together and they became a way to hint that the main villain possessed some level of humanity.  At least he did at one point in his life.  I don’t even think I had either of these characters speak, but they were oddly fun to put into a scene as noticeable background flavor.)

Cheshire Cat from American McGee’s Alice

I guess I’ll scream SPOILERS here even though these characters are so minor that Sari’s skirts and Nyx’s eyes are more essential to the story.  People might know Raksha from Book 5 and Melanie debuts in Book 6.  That’s all I’m saying before I make the ‘Read More’ break.  Again, these two are extreme background:

So, why would I bring them up?  Because they keep coming to my mind.  Raksha is a kitten that Trinity gave to Baron Kernaghan at the end of Book 5.  It stems from a silly comment she makes earlier in the book and I stuck with it.  He mutated the beast into a deadly abomination like above only . . . messier.  The cat tends to be bounding around in the background whenever the Baron has a scene or somebody is wandering around his castle.  I don’t know why Raksha came about or why she continues to creep into scenes.  It reminds me of how Kira Grasdon stepped into the series.  Maybe that’s why I’m writing this post.

Melanie is a mystery too.  She is a girl that gains the Baron’s attention and is turned into a playmate for Raksha.  Wait until you catch this scene at the beginning of ‘Curse of the Dark Wind’.  Like the cat, Melanie is only in the background when the Baron has scenes or Shayd is involved.

Their antics do give them some personality even though neither character talk.  At least I don’t think Melanie does.  I might have given her a line or two.  Yet, I keep slipping them into scenes for some reason.  Do I have a long game plan for them?  I’m not sure.  At one point, Raksha was going to be a fight for Timoran or Sari.  Yet I don’t think the thing is strong enough to be that big a threat.  Melanie was going to be a sacrifice, but that doesn’t work either.  I even considered making them big in Book 13, but that seems to be an issue since I can’t imagine them leaving the Baron’s side.

That might be their sole purpose too.  Melanie and Raksha stand as oddities among the Baron’s actions.  They were innocent, abandoned/kidnapped creatures that he took in, made stronger, and treats with tenderness.  Maybe they’ve become testaments to the idea that the main villain still has some redeemable qualities.  It helps separate him from his son who has nobody in his life that he doesn’t see as an enemy or a useful tool.  The Baron may be feared by the gods and do evil things, but he still has a sense of humanity when dealing with this girl and cat.

I’m going to be curious to see if anybody says anything about these two as the series goes on.  Maybe fan reactions will tell me what to do with them.