Duchess Aurelia Ortez

"'The secret to happiness is freedom... And the secret to freedom is courage.' ~Aurelia Ortez"Duchess Aurelia Ortez (previously Mother Aurelia) was the fraternal twin sister of Countess Amelia Ortez and the adoptive daughter of Cleo Ortez. She was the niece of Queen Rosabella Clemente and Lord Marshall Danny Ortez. She was also the wife of Duke Samuel Aveiredes. She was formerly the Head Nun of the Church of Spain, until she was reunited with her family. She was the matriarch of House Ortez.

Separated
Aurelia was born a few minutes after her twin sister, Amelia on December 8th, 1731 to Ellaria del Monico and Guillermo Ortez. Aurelia and Amelia were born during a time of strife at the Ortez family home, as pirates were in the midst of raiding Gerona. Aurelia and Amelia are the youngest of 9, but it is unknown which of the older siblings survived. A few days after the girls were born, pirates ransacked their home, taking both babies with them and killing Ellaria. Guillermo was distraught and attempted to follow the band of pirates but lost them in the wreckage of their town. Guillermo was later presumed dead. Local nuns witnessed the abduction and begged the pirates to spare the children, but the pirates just laughed and only handed over Aurelia. From then on, the children were separated. All that was left from their noble past was a pendant with the Ortez emblem on it, found on each of the babies' necks.

Life as a Nun
From then on, Aurelia was raised in the Church of Spain's convent, believing she was the daughter of a poor single woman who died in childbirth. In the convent, Aurelia met Archbishop Simon of Valencia, who would become her closest friend and confidant. Aurelia often spent her days aiding the Archbishop and helping local orphans. Growing up inside a church made Aurelia into a very quiet girl, however she often found herself in trouble for attempting to sneak off the convent grounds without permission. As a child, she was often a silent troublemaker, known for sneaking animals into the convent and letting stray dogs roam around the nun's quarters. She often kept her favorite dog by her side, including sneaking the dog into her robes during mass. The nuns eventually relented on discipling the young girl, because they felt that being a nun was not her true calling. Nobles often visited the church and would always notice the disobedient nun zoning out in the pews. Daniel Ortez once absent-mindedly remarked that her headstrong and cunning behavior reminded him of his brother, Guillermo. As Aurelia grew older, she befriended the Archbishop Simon of Valencia. Simon soon took Aurelia under his wing and made Aurelia his apprentice, which was a first in Spain. Although it was unusual for a nun to study directly under a bishop, Simon defended Aurelia from naysayers and she become an exceptional biblical student. However, something always stirred within her as she felt religion and a life serving the Lord was not her true calling. She wished to serve under the King like the Nobles she had admired since she was a little girl. Something inside her told her that was what she was destined to do.

Found and Lost
In 1751, Daniel Ortez and his new wife, Cara Clemente, came searching for the rumored surviving child of Danny's brother, Guillermo. Daniel Ortez had heard rumors of a mysterious daughter of his long-dead brother and began searching Spain for the child. Daniel was under the impression that there was only one child, which he believed was named Amelia. Upon hearing that there the Head Nun was wearing the Ortez emblem in the Kingdom's convent, he believed he had found Amelia. However, upon discovering Aurelia, she told him that her name is Aurelia, not Amelia. An older nun, once she heard this conversation, took Daniel and Cara aside and revealed that on the shore that day, there were in fact two children, but the nuns were only able to take Aurelia.

In Search of a Sister
Now knowing that Aurelia was in fact nobility, Daniel and Cara asked her to leave the convent and come with them on the journey to find her sister. The three began the long journey to find Amelia, who had become the leader of a pirate armada. After searching the high seas, Amelia was found and the twin sisters instantly connected. Both share their father's stubbornness and love of Spain. Amelia is often the twin who follows her mind, while Aurelia follows her heart. When together, however, the are unstoppable. Once Amelia was found, her and Aurelia were able to finally return to their rightful place in the Spanish aristocracy and clear their lost father's name.

Life In The Kingdom
Upon her return to nobility, Aurelia and Amelia were immediately taken in by their aunt, Cleo Ortez, due to the death of Guillermo. Cleo now considers Aurelia and Amelia her own children. Aurelia now serves in the Royal Court under King Ferdinand, aiding other noble members of the Kingdom in making valuable decisions for the good of the people. Although she is no longer a nun, she is always ready to give spiritual aid to those in need. In the summer of 1751, Aurelia grew close to Samuel Aveiredes and began aggressively pursuing him. After weeks of pursuing, he eventually agreed to marry her. On July 18th, 1751, Samuel and Aurelia were married before people of many nations. Soon after the marriage, Aurelia gave birth to their first child, Crowley Aveiredes. Not long after that, Aurelia found a young orphan boy roaming the streets of Madrid named Thomas. Aurelia took in the child and gave him her family name, becoming Thomas Ortez. On the night of August 21st, 1751, took her own life. Upon hearing of the murder of her close friend, Halle Clemente, Aurelia drove a dagger through her chest. Rumors say that her ghost can be seen lurking the countryside with her husband.