Alexandra

On the outside she appears to be a very strict ruler, even though she would prefer to be more kind and forgiving. The scarcity of food and water (the region of her city state never had much, but it got worse over time) doesn't permit her to be merciful, be it to her enemies or to her citizens. If she can't conquer land, her subjects would starve. The children have to learn, the adults have to fight and work and the elderly have to train the next generations. This does also include herself. She may be born as the empress of the state and therefore her normal work is to lead the others, but since she is also a talented fencer she has to fight for her country.
However she actually likes to fight. It gives her the opportunity to forget everything else, to just focus on the moment. She doesn't need to think about the distant future, about other states, about the economy. Everything she needs to care for are her enemies around her.

Concept Artwork