Editing Emily Maddison (section)

==Character==

Emily is defined by curiosity, courage, and an emotional directness that her older siblings often overlook. It is Emily who first suggests exploring Portian House, Emily who proposes investigating the cellar, and Emily who crawls through the tunnel into Altierra. Each time, her initiative is dismissed or discouraged — "Nobody cares what you think," Susan tells her when she says the trip will be exciting — yet her instincts prove right.

She is brave to the point of recklessness. When Meg is captured and the others hesitate, Emily runs away alone into the Altierran wilderness to find her sister. This is out of character for her — the novel notes she is "not the sort of person to tease and rarely disobeyed her siblings unless playing" — which makes the decision feel like urgent courage rather than simple naughtiness. The flight is impulsive and dangerous: she is seized by Madesto, a village trader, which forces Susan into a degrading bargain to learn her whereabouts. After her rescue, the group recognises that her disobedience could endanger everyone, and the lesson partly sticks, though Emily's independent streak resurfaces throughout.

She is honest and emotionally transparent. When the siblings discover that Portian House is a ruin and decades have passed in England, it is Emily who voices what the others cannot: "It means Mum and Dad are dead." She cries, and Susan comforts her. At Midsummer's Day, it is Emily who breaks the unspoken taboo: "I want to go home... I want to see Mum and Dad again." Her willingness to say what others avoid becomes a recurring trait.

She shows quiet resilience on the march to Sometria. Despite being the youngest and least physically capable, she does not complain during the gruelling multi-day trek. Alucio worries about her stamina but she keeps pace, and Raf notes she is the only one who could pass as a novice if they need to infiltrate the school. During the rescue itself, she takes up a position watching Meg through a doorway — a small but vital role.

She is more practically capable than her siblings assume. She can steer a boat — Alucio assigns her the tiller on the longboat with the comment "Our helmsman" — learns trick knots from Fabra, insists she has been hiking before, and has practised lighting a lantern in the dark, a skill that proves essential when she is the first through the portal on the return. These small competences accumulate, reinforcing the theme of a girl consistently underestimated by those around her.

She has a gift for connection. She bonds with animals — racing forward to hug Bramble the donkey, introducing him and the goat to Meg. More significantly, she forms the strongest bond with Meg during her recovery from Sometria, able to "tease her into speech" when the others cannot. She walks hand in hand with Meg during the journey home, offering silent companionship. This empathy is perhaps her most underrated quality.

Her most important contribution comes at the story's climax. When the siblings are searching for the portal and about to give up, Emily — guided by a memory of a rowan tree growing through a split boulder — climbs a tree, identifies the landmark, and finds the portal. Susan acknowledges it plainly: "Well done, Em. You found it the first time around and you did it again." She is the first through the portal both times, and leads the way back through the ruined cellar holding the lantern.

In summary: curious, courageous, emotionally direct, and quietly indispensable. She is often underestimated because of her age, but her instincts, memory, and empathy repeatedly prove decisive.

She is a tomboy who enjoys physical activities such as climbing trees. She is lively and imaginative, and often dismissed by the older siblings as “playing games”.

She is impulsive but brave; her curiosity drives the discovery of the cellar portal. Has a good memory for locations and remembers the location of the portal.