Elena tried suppressing the butterflies in her stomach. It was the first day of class and she wasn't quite sure what to expect. The classroom was already full of chattering first years, but the professor had yet to arrive. She couldn't believe she was actually here, it was like she was living in a fairy tale.
Elena had turned seventeen a few days ago. It was an age when she should have been enjoying her youth, and she was until the Great Wall was breached about two weeks ago.
Elena was from Glan-Haldag, a Rank 3 County south of the Forsaken Lands, of which her family, the Warrens, were the ruling family. It seemed like an enviable status, but it turned out that this county was surrounded by six nations coveting its lands: 3 Marquisates, 2 Duchies and a Rank 1 Kingdom. It was not something that an insignificant county could resist.
If you like this kind of change of perspective tell me in the comments. Constantly following Ikaris has its advantages, but we only see the situation through the prism of his thoughts. For example, Ellie is just a crybaby to most readers. Her psyche doesn't go much further.