King Oberon – First King of Amber
After the building of the Pattern of Amber by Dworkin Barrimen, there were years when nothing was heard from the new realm, before eventually Oberon emerged as the King of Amber, and returned to Chaos to choose a wife. The history here will detail all of the women who had children with Oberon.
Queen Cymnea – First Queen of Amber
Cymnea is one of the four children of Cornelius the Great. This made her Oberon’s aunt. Nevertheless, the marriage was arranged and Cymnea became the first Queen of Amber, and gave Oberon three children, before his eye wandered. The birth of Eric to Faella of House Karm initiated the eventual breakup of Oberon and Cymnea’s marriage in spectacular fashion.
Princess Swayvanna of Thelbane
Cymnea’s initial reaction to Oberon’s infidelity was to make a return visit to Thelbane to be with her family. Her brother, King Swayville was particularly comforting to her, and the result was a daughter called Swayvanna, born in Thelbane without Oberon’s knowledge before one of the many reconciliations with Oberon led to Cymnea returning to Amber.
Swayvanna was an ambitious girl, and under her father Swayville’s tutelage, she began to seek ways to become either the ruler of Amber, or the power behind the throne. Eventually her eye turned directly on Oberon – her mother’s husband, and she seduced Oberon during a visit to Amber. She then returned to Thelbane, before any sign of the pregnancy could be seen.
However, Oberon learned of the child while it was still a babe, and himself led an assault on Thelbane, during which he reclaimed the child, and brought the baby back to Amber. The child grew up totally loyal to Amber.
Queen Faella – Second Queen of Amber
Faella was a daughter of House Karm – a then major House of Chaos. Oberon’s eye fell upon her, and she was won into his bed while Oberon was still married to Cymnea. Her first son by Oberon was born out of wedlock, but subsequently she gave Oberon two more children.
However, bearing the third child was the end of Faella – she died in childbirth. Her initial seduction of Oberon was also the end of House Karm as a major house – in the retributions that followed Oberon’s divorce of Cymnea, Cymnea’s son Benedict laid waste to House Karm in his anger at Faella’s displacement of his mother.
Rilga – the Royal Mistress
Rilga’s first appearance in the Oberon story comes after the death of Faella. A woman from the dark underbelly of the city, she caught the king’s eye, and had a brief fling which produced Caine, before Oberon decided she was not suitable to be Queen, and ended the relationship.
Queen Clarissa – Third Queen of Amber
Oberon again decided that politics required that he take a wife from Thelbane, and his eye fell upon the beautiful and powerful Clarissa Helgram to fill that spot. A stormy courtship was followed by a turbulent marriage, and produced three children – Fiona, Bleys and Brand.
Queen Moins – Queen of Rebma
Despite (or perhaps because of) all the fire that Clarissa brought to the royal marriage, she could not prevent Oberon’s philandering ways. Amber and Rebma had their closest relationship ever during those years when Oberon was having an quite public affair with Queen Moins of Rebma supposedly behind Clarissa’s back.
Two children came of that affair, born during the time between Bleys and Brand’s births – both in turn heir to the Rebma throne, and one of them it’s eventual Queen – Moire and Llewella.
Queen Rilga – Fourth Queen of Amber
It was not until after the point where Clarissa made Oberon’s life such a misery that he divorced her, that Rilga once again climbed into this story, and this second relationship eventually got her the Queen’s crown.
It also got Oberon two more sons – Julian and Gerard. What it could not get her apparently, was immortality – she did not appear to be of Cornelian descent, and age eventually wearied her.
Duchess Harla Bayle – Duchess of Garnath
In the period before Rilga retired from court – reportedly to a convent – Oberon sought the particular attentions of the Duchess of Garnath, and a short but spirited affair produced a set of twins – Delwin and Sand.
However – Harla’s boasting of the affair was the undoing of her – it is widely assumed that her death in a ‘riding accident’ was the last courtly act of Queen Rilga, before her own ‘retirement’.
Queen Dybelle – Fifth Queen of Amber
Dybelle was widely accredited as being the most beautiful woman to have ever lived. Her origins remain shrouded in mystery – Oberon found her in shadow.
She produced a daughter for Oberon – Florimel, but it would seem that beauty alone was not enough to sustain the marriage, and Dybelle departed possibly back whence she came, after an apparently amicable divorce.
Queen Paulette – Sixth Queen of Amber
Despite the fact that her elder sister – the Ex-Queen Clarissa – was back living in House Helgram, and well able to warn of Oberon’s sinful and wicked ways, nevertheless, Paulette Helgram became infatuated with the king of Amber, and won her way into both his bed and his heart.
Sadly, it was not a long marriage – and foul play has always been suspected. During her pregnancy with her only son Random, Paulette was greatly troubled by ill health, and the birthing of him was the end for her. Poison was suspected, but no evidence could be found.
Queen Deela – Queen of Begma
There is one final twist to the tales of Oberon’s women. Relations with the realm of Begma had soured until there was conflict. Circumstances were such that Deela, the Queen of Begma, found herself in the Amber dungeons. Circumstances were also such that she became pregnant after receiving a number of visits in her cell from Oberon. Accounts vary as to whether she was a willing participant in those proceedings.
Deela eventually escaped the dungeons, and began a campaign of terror against Amber resources in the Golden circle. This capaign eventually ended when Bleys was sent by Oberon to ‘deal’ with her, and she died in battle on Bleys’ sword.
The child was Dalt, who is now King of Sarrabann.