Arella

From Girl Genius

Arella
Name	Arella
Age
Occupation	bookseller(?), housekeeper
Residence	Mechanicsburg
First Appearance	walking through town with her ears open
Death
Parents
Relatives	Carson von Mekkhan and Vanamonde von Mekkhan, relationship uncertain
Children
Marital Status

Arella -- last name uncertain -- is a member of the household of Carson von Mekkhan, Seneschal Emeritus of Mechanicsburg. She's apparently part of the Mekkhan (Heliotrope) family, although her position is uncertain. She seems young and might be old Carson's daughter (making her Vanamonde's sister), possibly granddaughter, or who knows what. We do know that she refers to the old man as "Poppa", for whatever that's worth.

It's Arella who brings Carson the news that a claimant to the Heterodyne throne has appeared in Sturmhalten and may be on her way to Mechanicsburg. Having seen many pretenders enter the Castle only to be summarily dispatched, he's skeptical, but Arella has been strolling around town as usual, listening to the rumors of what happened, and she thinks this one may be ... different. She has no idea how right she is.

At any rate, she is able to convey enough of the remarkableness gathered from the rumors to galvanize old Carson to rouse himself from his comfortable retirement, at least for a little while, to wait at the city gate for her to appear. Once he encounters Agatha and company, all manner of fun starts, so although Arella isn't on stage for very long, she plays a pivotal role in the story. We may see her again.