Maven Calore

"The truth is what I make it. I could set this world on fire and call it rain."

— Maven to Mare Barrow, Red Queen

Maven Calore
Personal information
Full name	Maven Merandus Calore
Age	17 (Red Queen, Glass Sword) 18 (King's Cage, War Storms)
Born	December 13, 302 NE
Status	Deceased
Died	321 NE, Archeon
Gender	Male
Eye color	Blue
Hair color	Black
Height	6' (aprox. 183 cm)
Blood type	Silver
Ability	Burner
House/Family	House Calore
Relation-ship(s)	Tiberias Calore VI (father)† Elara Merandus (mother)† Tiberias Calore VII (half-brother) Anabel Lerolan (grandmother) Thomas (lover)† Mare Barrow (ex-fiancée) Evangeline Samos (ex-fiancée) Iris Cygnet (wife)
Professional information
Loyalty	The Kingdom of Norta
Title	King of Norta Flame of the North Prince of Norta (former)
Alias	Mavey Little Prince The Boy King
Allies	Silver Houses Elara Merandus The Kingdom of the Lakelands (former)
Enemies	Scarlet Guard Tiberias Calore VII Mare Barrow Julian Jacos The Kingdom of the Lakelands The Free Republic of Montfort
Chronology
Appearance(s)	Red Queen Glass Sword King's Cage War Storm Fare Well
Mentioned	World Behind Fire Light

Maven Merandus Calore was the seventeenth ruler and former King of Norta. He was Tiberias Calore VII's younger half-brother and the only child of Elara Merandus and Tiberias Calore VI. He was Silver with the burner ability.

Biography

Red Queen

Maven was introduced at the Queenstrial alongside his brother, Cal, and his mother, Queen Elara. After the disastrous event where Mare displayed her electrokinetic abilities in front of the Silver noble families, Maven is present with his family when she is taken before the king. Maven is betrothed to Mare by his father as part of the cover story that Mare is the missing Silver lady "Mareena Titanos," and their wedding will ultimately serve as a distraction from the growing insurrection mounted by the Scarlet Guard. Both Mare and Maven were not happy about this turn of events, with Maven admitting had never thought that he would be forced to marry, being the second prince, and had wanted the ability to choose a bride. With time, Maven and Mare grew close as she came to sympathize with the seemingly thoughtful and open-minded prince languishing in his older brother's shadow. When Mare secretly met with Diana Farley and swore allegiance to the Guard, she is surprised when Maven is brought to the meeting as he seemingly wanted to join the rebellion - he offers his access to royal court information and proceedings and displays his disagreement with his father's belief that Reds and Silvers should not be equal. The Guard is convinced and Maven supposedly swears by his family's colors to the Guard. He is later trusted to come to Naercey with Mare and witness the rebels operating out of the ruined city, which was a disguised Guard stronghold and sanctuary for Reds fleeing the lowered age of conscription.

Mare comes to believe that "Cal might be born to rule, but Maven was meant for it." as he seemingly wanted to change the existing social class system while Cal was against the idea, as it would lead to Norta's downfall. Plotting together to take control of Norta in a sneak attack on Archeon, the operations fall apart and both Mare and Maven were captured by Cal and brought before the king in the throne room.

It is here Maven's true colors and personality are revealed - while Maven himself stood back, Elara telepathically forces Cal to kill his own father, and Maven does not intervene and is silent. Maven had allegedly been at odds with his mother in front of Mare, but in truth Maven and Elara was in the league the whole time - Elara has been planning to murder Tiberias VI, and have Cal blamed for it, allowing Maven to become the new King of Norta. Maven agreed to the plan as he claimed he had always hated his father and brother, as he was constantly overlooked and ignored by his father for Cal, and was tired of being the "forgotten prince". Maven then callously admitted to the devastated Mare she was used by him and Elara to infiltrate the Guard and gain information on their operations so as to end their threat to his kingdom.

As part of the plan, the moment his father was killed, surveillance was restored and Maven screamed in Cal's face he had killed their father - which with the arranged circumstances would fall together as they had planned. Cal and Mare were then immediately arrested by Cal's troops, who turned on him to support Maven, now the new king.

Maven, now newly crowned, visits Mare and Cal before their scheduled execution the next day - he taunts Cal in his triumph, only to be caught off-guard when Mare reveals she truly came to love and respect him when his family did not. Maven immediately offered the chance to save Mare, offering her freedom and to become his "Red Queen", claiming he loved her. Mare refused, choosing to love neither Maven nor Cal for their past actions. Disappointed, Maven revealed to Cal he had always been aware Elara had murdered Cal's mother Coriane Jacos, before departing.

At the Bowl of Bones, Maven gives a powerful speech to the Silver nobles and millions of Reds watching the ceremony on television, where he publicly shames his brother as a weak man and a traitor, who was seduced by Mare, publicly revealing her identity and her fake Silver heritage. Mare and Cal fought their executioners and ultimately managed to escape with Shade Barrow and Farley's team, leaving Maven angry and the Silver nobles in distress. Mare and Cal then vowed to kill Maven, no matter what.

Glass Sword

Maven quickly marshals an army of Silver soldiers, including his new betrothed Evangeline Samos and her brother Ptolemus Samos, as well as coerced Red soldiers, into attacking Naercey. Maven has new Snapdragon fighters bomb the ruins to wipe out the Guard stronghold, only to learn the city was evacuated after the failed attack on Archeon and the only rebels were Farley's surviving team, Cal and Mare. Maven confronts Mare personally, demanding the surrenders of the rebels and his brother, only for Mare to bring the jets down with her power and escape with Cal in the chaos to a Guard submarine waiting under the ruins. Maven screams at them as they flee there is nowhere he won't find them. After the city's destruction, Maven declared Cal and Mare fugitives wanted by the Crown for terrorism, treason, and murder.

Colonel Farley has his operatives send word to Maven that Cal was in Guard custody. Maven offered a bargain - in exchange for his brother, who he still planned to execute, he agreed to reinstate the traditional age of conscription. While Farley, Cal, and Mare knew Maven would never honor such a trade, the deal was agreed to by the Colonel as it was too good a chance to save thousands of underage Reds from the war-front. The deal fell through, however, with Mare and Cal escaping with a few others back to Norta, to continue the Guard's efforts on their own.

Maven and Elara work quickly to solidify Maven's position as king. Cal's loyalists are removed and eliminated, Maven deploys his security officers and armies to search for the Guard and he musters thousands of Red children into the poorly-trained and prepared Dagger Legion for the war with the Lakelanders. Maven also wants Mare back more than anything, and so pressures every smuggling ring and thief company is known to search for her and capture the "lightning girl" in exchange the threats and intimidation criminal gangs are suffering by the Crown will cease.

Maven quickly realizes Mare and her team are searching for other Reds like her - ones with Silver abilities. He has one of the newbloods hanged and awaits them with a team of soldiers. The ambush initially succeeds, with Maven using a prototype sounder device developed in secret to suppress and render Mare unable to use her ability - Maven takes the opportunity of Mare's disorientation to brand her skin with the letter "M", as a reminder and display of dominance. The effort fails, however, when the device's settings work too well and cause Mare's powers to react violently, allowing them to escape.

Maven proceeds to intercept and imprison every Newblood, and in some cases killing them. Maven also leaves messages in the homes of Newbloods that Mare failed to rescue, taunting Mare that Cal would be dead soon, and he would ultimately get Mare back. Mare secretly retains them due in part of her feelings for him - often Mare remembers Maven as the boy he was and not the king he became and grew to miss the boy she loved.

After learning Corros Prison was secretly rebuilt to imprison Maven's Silver enemies and the captured Newbloods, Mare and Cal and their team infiltrated and attacked the prison, freeing thousands of Maven's enemies. At the end of the attack, Elara is killed by Mare's lightning, a devastating event for Maven. The event also leads to civil war breaking out across Norta when Mare and the Guard reveal Maven's crimes against his fellow Silvers.

When Mare and Cal and their team journeyed to the Choke to intercept and liberate the Dagger Legion, Maven had his fighters shoot them down. Completely at his mercy and facing certain execution, Mare surrenders to Maven and offers her life and returns to his captivity in exchange her friends would be spared.

A chained and humbled Mare is brought to Archeon - now restored, signifying Maven is still very much in power. Maven puts a jeweled collar around Mare's neck - the king whispering he will keep Mare alive as a trophy as revenge for his mother's death. At his command, Mare kneels before him.

King's Cage

Now that Maven has control over Mare, he uses her as a tool to bring forth newbloods and turn Norta against the Scarlet Guard.

Maven uses Mare as a trophy and a sign of power over the Scarlet Guard, forcing her to denounce the rebellion to the Silver Elite and to the entire kingdom. Throughout, Mare manipulates him in kind, learning valuable information about the situation at hand in Norta and about Piedmont, an ally and adversary of Norta, and the plan between the two to defeat the Scarlet Guard, both being affected by the red rebellion. While her manipulation works in some aspects (learning about his lack of emotions and his distrust of House Merandus, as well as learning about the princes of Piedmont), it also gets her into sticky situations (such as being kissed by him).

Maven forfeits his engagement to Evangeline in his marriage to the princess of the Lakelands, Iris Cygnet, a Silver with the ability of water manipulation. Two days before the royal marriage, Evangeline attempts to get Maven to change his mind, but to no avail. He proceeds to marry Iris, if only to end the war between Norta and the Lakelands.

War Storm

Coming soon...

Maven was buried in Tuck Island next to his mother, as he had requested Cal. His brother later visited his gravesite and cried next to his gravestone engraved with "Maven Calore: Beloved son, beloved brother. Let no one follow".

Personality

Maven was depicted to be a lonely teenager, who was constantly overshadowed by his older brother and ignored by his father. In Red Queen, Mare described Maven as kind and diplomatic, but with a passionate heart that he kept hidden from others. Maven appeared to be different from the other Silvers, despising the excessive pageantry of the Silver Elite and sympathizing with the Scarlet Guard.

However, a different side of him was shown at the end of Red Queen. Maven was revealed to be malicious and treacherous, turning against his brother and working with Elara to murder his father. Nevertheless, Maven remained a complex individual and his true motives were never fully known.

It is revealed in King's Cage that his mother used her abilities to warp Maven's mind from birth, causing him to not fully experience emotions and feelings as others do. Elara removed and added elements of his personality whenever she saw fit, to the point that Maven could not differentiate between the parts of his mind that were his own and the parts that his mother created.

It was also revealed that Elara took away Maven's love for his brother and father when he was a small child. When Maven started to have nightmares that caused him to cry at night, she took away his ability to dream. When Maven developed feelings for Mare, Elara tried repeatedly take them away as well, but without success, as had happened with Thomas before. Maven had a special type of love for Mare, one that could not be removed.

Physical Description

Maven was around 6 feet tall, with a lean and fine-boned frame. He has very pale skin, thick black hair and bright blue eyes embedded with tiny silver flecks. He has a serious, regal look and sharp features. After the death of his mother, Maven becomes thinner, and bruise-like shadows appear under his eyes.

Abilities

Maven was a burner, meaning he could manipulate heat and fire, but not create it. Due to his ability, Maven gave off constant body heat regardless of the ambient temperature of his whereabouts. Like all burners, Maven could comfortably withstand extreme heat or cold without being harmed. This resistance to temperature encompassed everything from handling molten metal to being unaffected by frigid winter winds. However, it was that Maven's ability was a lot weaker than that of his older brother, Cal. As a burner, Maven's greatest adversaries were nymphs.

Maven was well-versed in the intricacies of statecraft and court etiquette. He was a skilled manipulator, and often used lies to gain the trust of others so that he could use them to further his own needs. As the King of Norta, Maven employed tactics commonly used by dictators in order to gain the support of his Red subjects. Mare thought that although Cal might be born to rule, Maven was the one meant for it, acknowledging Maven's ability to plot and scheme his way into making people do as he wanted.

Possessions

In order to utilize his ability at will, Maven wears a metal bracelet that releases sparks, which he's able to turn into flames.

Relationships

Family

• Cal
• Elara Merandus
• Tiberias Calore VI
• Anabel Lerolan

You took everything that should have been mine, Cal. Everything.

— Maven to Cal

When they were children, Maven was always trailing Cal, wanting to spend every moment with his older brother. Maven used to ask to sleep in Cal's room. Gradually, Elara took pieces of Maven, including his love for Cal, which she cut off entirely and twisted. Maven remembered to have loved Cal, but could not feel that love anymore. Maven felt like his father favored Cal and only wanted to spend time with his heir, neglecting Maven. He always felt like he was the shadow to Cal's flame and envied him for that.

Maven betrayed Cal, planning with Elara. He stood by and watched, while Elara forced Cal to murder their father, and accused him of treason. Maven usurped Cal's throne and sentenced him to death. The brothers were on opposite sides of the following Nortan Civil War and confronted each other in multiple occasions. Even so, Cal never stopped believing the brother he remembered was still there somewhere and searched for a long time for a way to reverse Elara's doing and fix him.

When Maven was finally defeated and Cal restored to the throne, Cal saw himself forced to sentence his brother to death. During their final conversation, Maven convinced Cal that the boy he knew was lost forever. Despite Elara's work, Maven was incapable of deeply wounding Cal by showing him that his true self was still there in a forgotten corner, making the choice for his older brother. After Mare killed Maven, Cal mourned him deeply and resented her a little bit, even though he had already accepted Maven's fate and stopped searching for a way to cure him, after their conversation.

He buried Maven in Tuck Island next to his mother, as his brother had requested. He had constant nightmares of his brother there alone, just out of reach. He later visited his gravesite and cried next to his gravestone engraved with "Maven Calore: Beloved son, beloved brother. Let no one follow". He admitted he could have burned Maven's body, but chose not to, because he could not let him go and never would.

Coming soon

Coming soon

Coming soon

Romance

• Mare Barrow
• Thomas

I was never yours, and you were never mine, Maven.

— Mare to Maven

Mare was formerly Maven's fiancée. The two were forced into a reluctant engagement after her abilities were exposed in front of the High Houses and Mare initially despised him. However, as time went on they grew closer and became real friends who confided in each other. Maven eventually joined the Scarlet Guard in order to help Mare gain equality for the Reds and get revenge for her brother's supposed death. After Maven and Mare were found out for being in the Guard, Maven revealed his treacherous plan for the throne, as he had betrayed her all along, effectively ending their relationship. Maven later attempted to have Mare executed but she escaped, vowing to return and kill him. Before Mare's execution though, Maven begged Mare to come back to him, to give up the Scarlet Guard and be with him, showing that he actually cared for her.

Mare was constantly haunted by memories of Maven and missed the boy she taught he was. Maven left a series of notes to Mare, pleading for her to come back. Eventually he captured her and kept her chained with Silent Stone, letting her slowly waste away and suffer constantly, which left permanent trauma on her. During her imprisonment, Maven did not visit Mare in her "cell" until he needed her to do propaganda for him. He used her as his puppet to do everything he wanted and lure in as much newbloods for his cause as she could. On occasions though, they shared some private conversations and Maven showed Mare how much of him was his mother's evil doing. Maven told Mare how Elara could not erase certain feelings for someone, like his love for Mare, and that trying to do so, only made it worse. With each attempt to remove Mare from his mind, Elara has made Maven's love for Mare twisted and turned it into an obsession.

Even though Mare hated Maven, she was conflicted, always wondering about the boy beneath and the memories of who she thought he was. When reunited with Cal again, the two talked about finding a way to fix Maven from Elara's doing, but Mare was convinced that there is no way to save him after all the horrible things he had already done. During the Battle of Archeon, Mare pursued Maven and managed to kill him during their final fight, before he could kill her. Even after his death, and despite all the hate she had towards him, Mare was still burdened to have killed him and wondered if he could ever have been saved.

When Maven's father sent him and Cal to the front lines as a child, Maven befriended and eventually fell in love with Thomas. During an accident, Maven lost control of his burner abilities and killed Thomas, burning him beyond recognition. Thomas death greatly affected Maven to the extent that he begged his mother to help him forget Thomas. While Elara tried to ease his pain by erasing his memory, she could not remove romantic love, and his memories of Thomas did not fade. Maven ended up plagued with bad headaches whenever he thought of the boy he once loved. Maven never stopped mourning Thomas. Faced with his impending death, Maven wished he could feel what he felt with Thomas once more and see him again in his dreams, if he still had them, or in the afterlife.

Others

• Iris Cygnet

Maven married Iris Cygnet to secure an alliance with the Lakelanders. The two of them despised each other and in the end, Iris betrayed Maven and traded him for King Orrec Cygnet's killer, handing him to Cal.

Trivia

• The meaning of his name is "one who understands" and "expert."
• He befriended and fell in love with a Red named Thomas who died in the war. It is later revealed that Thomas died when Maven lost control of his abilities, but it is said that the fire was from an attack planned by the Lakelanders in which he burned while Maven didn't.
• He started plotting with his mother when Mare arrived.
• Maven does not dream.
• Maven is said to be Victoria Aveyard's second favorite main character.
• According to Victoria Aveyard, if our music still existed in the Red Queen timeline, Maven would be listening to Hans Zimmer, John Williams, and film scores like Last of the Mohicans.
• Maven is bisexual.
• Maven's birthday is December 13, 302 NE