In Viktoria’s story and prequel I introduced Dream. She is one of those pesky Maidens of Pohjola who was only meant to be a briefly mentioned side character but became an actual person and wanted her own story. I’ve always felt sorry for the Maiden(s) of Pohjola, and I like the idea of giving the unnamed, objectified woman/women in Finnish mythology a chance to be more than some pawn or prize. Since all the sisters are goddesses, they’ve been around for a while. That lets me start their stories at any point in the past and fits neatly into the stories of other characters in the ever expanding Dragaverse. The way the sisters are always getting kidnapped, they could meet anyone and turn up in random places, which allows me to indulge my love of connecting events between other stories I write.

Lemminki is based on a character of the same name in Finnish mythology. He’s one of those heroes who venture into Louhi’s territory on a mission to abscond with her daughter, and honestly, he comes across as a bit of an entitled jerk. Things don’t go so well for him in Pohjola, though, and in the end I felt a bit sorry for him. I incorporated a lot of the Finnish mythology, but naturally I changed a few things so he and Dream could have their happy ending.