McKenna Caste-Donaldson

Queen McKenna Caste-Donaldson is a character in The Stonekeepers Series. She is the seventh daughter of Former Queen Meredith and King Consort Philip Caste-Donaldson. McKenna is the Fire Keeper, the Fire Wielder in charge of protecting the Firestone. As such, McKenna is the most powerful Fire Wielder in the world.

History
Born a Fire Wielder (Elemental) princess of Kevana to the queen and her human husband, McKenna is seventh of twelve girls. She and her family fled the country when she was an infant due to the Betrayal and subsequent Fall of Kevana. They settled in New York, where they lived a low-profile life for over a decade. McKenna's mother and sisters disappeared on her fourteenth birthday, along with other high-ranking Kevanese leaders and their families. Her father put her in Lalande Academy, an Elemental boarding school, shortly after.

Personality
McKenna is a feisty, opinionated woman. She isn't afraid to speak up when something rubs her the wrong way. She is smart, impulsive, and sometimes indecisive. McKenna is very creative and often flexes her creative muscles to get out of sticky situations. She is brave (as demonstrated by the fact that she led the charge into the Tunnels in 2014). She can be a bit prejudiced against Phantoms, however.

Physical Appearance
McKenna has long, curly red hair, pale skin and hazel eyes. She has thin eyebrows, a pointy nose, and lots of freckles. Most of the time she styles her hair in either a side braid or loose around her head. She resembles her mother the most out of all her sisters. When she gets angry, glowing birthmarks appear in patterns on her skin.

McKenna prefers to dress casually, even as a queen. When she and the other Keepers go on missions, she wears black athletic pants and a zip-up jacket with boots.

Skills
McKenna is skilled at many things, including:


 * Playing piano
 * Fixing automobiles
 * Drawing
 * Wielding her Fire powers
 * Protecting the Firestone

Meredith Caste-Donaldson
McKenna and her mother had a non-existent relationship at the beginning of Fearless. McKenna sometimes resented Meredith for taking her sisters and abandoning her and her father. By the end of Fearless, the two have reconciled and now have a close relationship.

Philip Caste-Donaldson
McKenna has a very close relationship with her father. After her mother and sisters disappeared, the pair had more time to bond. Philip taught McKenna everything she knows about automobiles and machinery. Even though he is a human, Philip understands his daughter's struggles and wants her to be the best she can be. She misses him dearly when she goes away to Lalande.

Mark Oterua
"If I save you but end up dying, it’s a job well done. And you know why? Because you have a job as well. You’re the Fire Keeper. You protect the Firestone. If you die, it gets destroyed, and all the Fire Wielders die. Everyone has to work hard to keep you alive. Including you. So don’t worry about me. I can take care of myself. --Mark to McKenna"Mark and McKenna have known each other since they were very young. Mark and Liam, his twin brother, grew up in the same neighborhood as McKenna and her sisters. After an attack by Acerbity when the two were twelve, his parents decided to move their family to Denver, Colorado, USA. All three of their memories were wiped. When Mark, Liam, and McKenna reunited at Lalande, they had no idea that they'd known each other prior.

Mark and McKenna quickly became friends at school. They weren't part of the same friend group, but hung out sometimes. It wasn't long before Mark began to develop feelings for her. It took McKenna a bit longer, but soon the two were crushing on each other. They eventually confessed their feelings for each other in Fearless and started dating. During the events in the Tunnels, the couple professed their love for each other, unknowingly kinking themselves together for life. McKenna's mother found out and notified her that when a Keeper falls in love (and says the words "I love you"), they create a permanent bond between them and their significant other. This means that Mark would forever be required to protect her with his life, even if the two split up down the road. Additionally, Mark's body would physically force him to protect McKenna. McKenna was horrified by this revelation, but Mark assured her that he was fine with protecting her.

The two dated for a while, enjoying a smooth relationship with the occasional argument. When Queen Meredith announced that she would abdicate the throne, Mark agreed to become King Consort if McKenna was chosen to be the next queen. She was chosen, and the couple subsequently underwent a three-year training program for their new positions. McKenna was crowned queen of Kevana on December 4, 2018, her 21st birthday, and her boyfriend became her unofficial consort.

Over a year later, Mark proposed to McKenna. She eagerly accepted. The couple did not want to wait long to get married. The wedding took place on May 16, 2020, in the Exeter Palace. Distinguished guests and world leaders were in attendance. The couple enjoyed a wonderful honeymoon traveling across Europe. Though McKenna's job was very hard and made her extremely busy, the couple prioritized quality time together as much as possible. They went on to five children together: Stellaris, Lunaris, Micayel, Gabriyel, and Contaria.

Sisters
McKenna has varying degrees of closeness with her sisters. She loves them all, but she interacts with some more than others. She is closest to Saige, Shannon, Kristen, Lauren, and Emma Marie.

Emma Runson
Emma and McKenna met when Emma and Samantha Mazer arrived at Lalande in the summer before junior year. McKenna was at first off-put by Emma's bubbly and effervescent demeanor, but quickly grew to like the charming Water User. McKenna is inspired by Emma's carefree attitude. The two become sisters-in-law when McKenna marries Mark Oterua and Emma marries Liam Oterua.

Natalie Wonevar
Natalie is McKenna's best friend. The two were roommates at Lalande Academy. Natalie is the first friend McKenna made at the school. They have a comfortable relationship, with Natalie taking on the more levelheaded role in the friendship. Natalie tempers McKenna's impulsiveness while McKenna encourages Natalie to let loose.

Samantha Mazer
McKenna and Samantha didn't interact much until the Revolution happened. Samantha is Emma's best friend and is very quiet, so McKenna assumed they didn't have much in common. They now are friendly and encourage their children to interact with one another.