Mara Vale
The established relationships and the proposed development are identified below. See canon ledger.
Established relationship
Pyrrhus’s mother begged the king to spare her child. Mother and son were exiled together. Her name and the rest of her life in this bible are proposals.
Proposed role
Mara raises Pyrrhus to have a life that belongs to him, rather than secretly preparing him to reclaim a throne. The revelation of his parentage belongs to her as much as to him: surviving did not leave her without agency or cost.
She brings the three brothers into an ordinary room for dinner and refuses to let their argument become a competition over who suffered most. In the confrontation with Edric, she asks for a public account rather than another private bargain.
Direction
Mara remains a person with neighbors, work, opinions, and the ability to refuse. Her death is not a required device for motivating the hero.