Ruby Otrera

Ruby is the main character and narrator of the Frostblood series. She is a Fireblood, and an outcast in the Frostblood realm. She is forced to hide her powers in order to avoid being killed or imprisoned.

Early Life *Spoilers*
Lali Otrera Elatus also known as Ruby was born to an unknown father and Princess Rota, who was a descendant of King Tollak, a Fireblood King. In the book Fireblood, Eurus states that he told the Minax to leave its host, which was the Fire King, to inhabit his younger daughter, Princess Rota who was then expecting a child, Ruby. Day in and day out from the time before she was born Ruby was surrounded by the essence of the Minax. Even her own mother didn't mind, who as well as being tender and patient with being possessed by the Minax up till the time Ruby was born which her mother shook the Minax off easily. To Eurus's contempt, Ruby's mother soothed Ruby's discontent into the patient and her fury to love preventing her darkness from growing. Yet when Eurus was going to get rid of Princess Rota, she quickly fled with an infant Ruby going someplace far enough for the Minax to lose any sense of them.

Growing up, Ruby lived with her mother and grandmother nearby an unnamed village up in the North. She was taught a little bit about how to use her Fireblood gift from her grandmother, Lucina, but was always told by her mother to never practice at all. Despite her mother's wishes, she continues to slowly practice her gift and, due to the excessive heat coming off her skin, she is found out by Frostblood soldiers. They ransack her village and force her to watch her mother die before leaving her to rot in the freezing Blackcreek Prison.

Clown

Ruby is first introduced as she is practicing her fire magic against the wishes of her mother. She and her mother live in a small town in the frost kingdom Tempesia, where the current Frost king has ordered all firebloods to be killed or captured. Later, as Ruby is getting more firewood to replenish the supply she used up, she sees soldiers making their way to her home. She runs home to warn her mother. They immediately start gathering supplies to leave but are caught by the soldiers. She and her mother are taken to the middle of town, where all the villagers have been rounded up as the village was ransacked by soldiers. A boy named Clay is brought forward by the soldiers to identify Ruby as being fire blood. Clay has been aware of Ruby being fire blood because of a short romantic twist they had before the start of the story. Ruby's skin gives off more heat than would be usually due to her fire magic. Ruby's mother attempts to fight off the soldiers to give Ruby time to run but is killed by their captain, Captain Drake. Ruby is devastated by her death and is unable to control her powers due to never being properly trained and the strength of her emotions. She unleashes some of her power, burning the soldiers around her. She is unable to get away and is taken to Blackcreek Prison.

Five months later, Ruby is still in the Prison, her fire powers growing weaker by the day due to the guards throwing buckets of ice-cold water on her as well as the freezing temperatures in the Prison. One night, after having a nightmare of a shadow creature trying to reach out for her, Ruby awakens to find her cell completely covered in ice except for the floor around where she is laying. Two men (Arcus, Brother Thistle) outside her cell offer to break her out if she agrees to work with them to try and stop the current king of Tempesia. Unsure of whether to trust two frost blood, Ruby agrees because she believes it would be easier to escape them than the Prison should she stay. They break her out, but one of them, Arcus, has to carry her because her body heat stops them from freezing off the chain on her ankle, which is also digging into her skin. They travel all the way to a place called an abbey, which is home to monks.

There she is taken to the infirmary in secret as some of the monks would not be very welcoming to fire blood. Brother Thistle informs her that he will be training her to use her fire magic since he learned to use his frost by watching old Fireblood Masters. During her stay at the abbey, a fire breaks out in the library. Ruby rushes over to help. One of the monks is trapped inside. Arcus is unable to put out the flames with his frost, so Ruby runs into the library to find the monk. Being a Fireblood, Ruby is not harmed by the flames from the library and is able to find the trapped monk, while Arcus was able to create a path to help get them out. Ruby is accused of starting the fire by a monk named Brother Locke. She is angered by the accusation, especially when Arcus does not defend her. She decides she has had enough and plans to leave the abbey. That night, she steals a horse whom she affectionately names Butter, and they run off. As the days wear on, she finds a small camp of people. She plans to steal some food from them since her supply had fallen off the first night of her escape. However, the camp is well guarded by the people using it. She notices a little girl by the fire who is very sick. The adults are arguing about how they spent all their money on medicine and nothing has worked. They also talk about how there are soldiers at all the seaside towns looking for a fire blood girl who escaped the Prison. Ruby is able to determine what ails her and risks herself to save the girls' life after knocking out the adults with a sleeping concoction. She is caught while giving the girl, Kaltryn, instructions on how to use the medicine Ruby is giving her. She manages to escape but decides to return to the abbey in order to avoid being captured by soldiers. On the way back, a blizzard hits and Ruby decides to send Butter off on her own, believing the horse would have a better chance alone.

Physical Appearance
Ruby has charcoal black hair, which her mother says she is lucky to have since most Firebloods have red hair. She also has amber/golden eyes and her skin is a shade she deems too sun-kissed for a child from the North. When she was first possessed by the Minax, it marked her, leaving her heart-shaped mark behind her left ear.

Personality
Ruby is shown throughout most of the series as someone with a fierce and fiery persona. She is a strong female character who has unconsciously accepted many of the false beliefs about herself that were imposed on her by Frostblood culture. Later in the series, it is mentioned by Queen Nalani that she has inherited her mother's passionate and idealistic nature as well as a quick temper.

King Arelius Arkanus/Arcus
Arcus and Ruby first met when she was incarcerated at Blackcreek Prison, while he and Brother Thistle were planning to set her free and allow her to reside in their Abbey. At first, Arcus and Ruby had a cold relationship due to Arcus's cool demeanor, and their interactions started off with a lot of snarky remarks and little kind words. Eventually, after spending more time together and Arcus helping Ruby with her training, they end up developing feelings for each other. Later on, when Ruby was later taken to the Arena, Ruby prays for the safety of those dear to her especially Arcus. In which later on she finds out of Arcus's "death" she becomes inconsolably angry and saddened, causing her to show no remorse in her arena fight against the soldier that she believes killed him. The Frostblood soldier in the arena she's about to fight, who goes by the name of Kane, actually turned out to be Arcus, and Ruby is shocked and happy as she comes to the realization he didn't actually die. Later on, when she is battling with King Rasmus and possessed with the essence of the Minax, Arcus would later attempt in bringing her back and restoring her to her former self. Later on, in the second book Ruby had lived among his court in Tempesia, and Ruby at first felt a little insecure with their relationship for she always felt Marella was better at his side. Yet when she was recruited by Kai to leave to Sudesia it hurt her to tell Arcus that she was leaving. Reluctantly Arcus then let her go allowing her to travel with Kai and become a Fireblood Master. In which towards later in the book when Queen Nalani was announcing the engagement of Ruby and Kai, Arcus was appeared later hurt and showed resentment towards Ruby due to Ruby and Kai sharing a kiss, sealed the deal. Yet when Arcus was taken in by Queen Nalani, Ruby showed and would do anything in preventing him from getting harm or being sent to the prison. At the start of the book, Ruby was at first confused with her relationship with Arcus yet when she saw him at Sudesia she knew she had no profound feelings for Kai.

Prince Kai of Isle Tuva/Kai
Kai was sent by Queen Nalani to recruit Ruby yet was ordered by Prince Eiko if there were mistreatment in the Frostblood court to bring her to Sudesia. Kai first met Ruby when she was stuffing herself with pastries at a royal ball in which she after the heavy battle she would later agree to go with him. Upon traveling to Sudesia they become really close friends as they prepare for the three trials that await them in order to be Fireblood Masters. In which he opens up to her about his family and his reasons for failing the third trial when he previously took the three trials beforehand. Towards the second trial, Kai helps Ruby before she had fallen to lava which later becomes heavily concentrated on from the Fireblood Masters since he wasn't allowed to help Ruby in the first place. Queen Nalani later allows Ruby to pass the second trial and following in the third trial Kai proposes to Ruby to which she accepts only to pass the third trial and to find a way out of this marriage. He relentlessly teases her and gives her the nickname Little bird. Ruby at first was very confused with her relationship with Kai when he proposes because she can't imagine herself tying herself down to anyone, yet it becomes clear to her she truly loves Arcus more later on. She as well shows true care for Kai especially when she was possessed by the essence of the Minax and felt the human feeling of not wanting to hurt Kai and ordered Eurus to spare him and take control over Prince Eiko instead.

Princess Rota
While Ruby was growing up her mother Princess Rota hid her royal heritage by hiding in a sleepy village up in the North. She and her mother always had constant debates on her Fireblood powers but it was very evident she always had a strong love for her mom. And when her mother was slain by Captain Drake in front of her it felt as if her world had frozen, which later led up to her later avenging her mom by killing Captain Drake when in the arena, leaving her with unreasonable doubts. Even later on in the book Fireblood she finds more of her past and about her mom through Queen Nalani, it gives her this sort of pang feeling left in her chest clearly showing a missing feeling for her late mother.

Queen Nalani
Upon arriving at Sudesia Ruby had not known that Queen Nalani was her aunt. Their relationship at first mainly was Ruby wanting to show deep respect to the Queen for she wanted to pass the three trials the Queen had set for her in order to become a Fireblood master. Yet more later in the Fireblood book Ruby clearly loses her temper with the Queen marking them to have more of a rocky relationship. Later on in the final trial, Queen Nalani is the one who tells Ruby of her royal heritage as well as the next heir to the Sudesian throne. She clearly shows anger when Ruby doubts that they are ever related and nearly harmed her with lava. Yet though there is a sign of possession from the Minax in which the Queen orders for a rash a war in order to avenge the death of the Firebloods who resided in Tempesia. Later though after destroying the throne in which freed the Minax from possessing the Queen. Ruby pleads to her to allow Ruby to find Prince Eiko and Marella with Kai, and Arcus, in which the Queen shows a somber maternal attitude allowing this quest due to the strong wanting return for her husband.

Prince Eiko
Prince Eiko throughout the book Fireblood was more of her ally. He had helped Ruby is through securing her passing of the second trial and as well letting her pass the third trial with no bloodshed. Eiko as well held the book The Creation of Thrones, the one Ruby was looking for in order to destroy the Minax in which the solution was mainly in creating Royal Frostfire. With Ruby's intention of destroying the Minax and Eiko's intention of saving his wife Queen Nalani, they both had skipped the Firemasters ceremony and freed Arcus from prison heading to destroy the throne the Fire Minax was being held in. Yet while possessed with the essence of the Minax Ruby later betrays Prince Eiko in allowing Eurus to take him as mortal host in which presumably he is now lost forever.

Marella
Marella in the first book was known as Ruby's ally in which she helped Ruby in destroying the throne yet leaving Marella sadden over the death of her love King Rasmus. In which later Ruby is shown to have jealous tendencies whether, on Marella's elegance, her relationship with Arcus, or her prowess for strategizing, Marella as well responds with her jealousy towards Ruby over the fact two kings had fawned over. Later on, in the book Fireblood, Marella is the host of the Minax possessing even strong Frostblood powers. To which she and Ruby combine being known as "twins". Later on as Ruby defeats the struggling possessive nature of the Minax and later was going to attack Eurus with Kai and Arcus, Marella is later used as a hostage in which Eurus declares he'll snap her neck if they do anything to him. oop

Trivia
One day after waking up from a vivid dream about "a girl with powers over fire" the name Ruby jumped into Elly Blake's head.