History Characters / ABridesStory

* GenderBlenderName: "Amir" is an actual male name, however, the manga applies it to the clearly ''female'' Amir, without it being noticed InUniverse. That said, [[SpellMyNameWithAnS this varies depending on the translation,]] so the alternative translation of "Amira" is also frequently used. [[ZigzaggedTrope This is in fact the feminine form of the same name]] (that is "Amira" is the feminine form of "Amir").

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name is also translated as Amira, which is a feminine form of the same name.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Early fan-translations had his surname as "Ayhan."

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name has also been translated as "Sanila."

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Her name has also been translated as "Tirke."

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Torkan is also translated as "Torkcan" or "Torcan;" Chalg as "Chargu."

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name has also been translated as "Rostam."

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name is also translated as "Azer." Additionally, "Halgal" was translated to "Hergal" in earlier scanlations.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The official translation is Sherine, but it's also been translated as "Shirin"

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Has also been translated as "Maafe".

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name has also been translated as "Hawking" (a variant of the same surname), but the official translation went with Hawkins.

* BlueBlood: While the Smiths aren't aristocrats, they're rather wealthy, with the family patriarch being a member of Parliament.

* ObnoxiousInLaws: Henry's parents are less than thrilled to see him return with a wife. While his father is disappointed he is at least understanding, even joking that at least Henry is the second son. His mother on the other hand is beside herself with angry, out right forbidding Talas to stay in any of the family homes. She goes on such a racist tirad that Henry was beginning to get legitimately angry, if not for the timely intervention of Mr. Hawkins, he probably would of said something that would have gotten him disinherited.

* DowryDilemma: Gender Inverted, as in his case his family doesn't have enough wealth to secure him a marriage, hence he is guiding Mr. Smith to save money for a bride.

--> '''Joruk:''' [to the town headman] [[PrecisionFStrike Fuck no. Don't burry me with those assholes]][...] I've never seen two ''people'' see eye to eye, let alone two tribes. Guy your age's been around enough to know that much.

!!Kazara

[[folder:Talas]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/talas_otoyomegatari.jpg]]

A [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karakalpaks Qaraqalpaq]] widow who is first seen in the market in Kazara. After her first husband died without issue, she was successively married to ''all'' of his younger brothers with the same result.

* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Talas is able to use a complicated camera setup mostly by watching Henry a few times (plus a brief explanation by him later).
* AwfulWeddedLife: Downplayed; She and her third husband didn't get along too well, and she was more saddened that her fifth husband had basically been a child when he died than for the loss of a spouse.
* CartwrightCurse: Five husbands, all from the same family, all died.
* DeliberateValuesDissonance: While in the west it might not seem that big a deal that Talas disobeyed her father-in-law's orders (heck, even Smith with a fairly conservative background doesn't really get it) and married someone he didn't approve of, in her culture and most of the various silk road cultures what she did is pretty much unheard of and shocking.
* {{Determinator}}: Talas makes a long journey from her home to Ankara and actually beats Mr. Smith there. She then sits in the market everyday in all weather watching for Smith's arrival.
* FakingTheDead: Talas and her sixth husband decide it's best to tell everyone back home that she died on their fake pilgrimage.
* PonyTale: Her arc has shades of this due to her close bond with her horse, Chubar.
* RunawayBride: PlayedWith; Talas is the first wife we meet to not be happy with her ArrangedMarriage. It gets played with in that [[spoiler:she didn't run away from the marriage so much as her family, and had her arranged husband's blessing and help in leaving]].
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl: As she travels with [[spoiler:Smith]], Talas becomes either depending on the region they are in. In Persia, a much more religiously conservative country, Talas is practically a wild woman, who doesn't hide her face and acts like a man. In the area around the Aral Sea, Talas seems like a delicate princess who has beautiful clothing as her everyday wear. [[spoiler:Smith himself]] sees her as a bit of a tomboy, being in awe of how easily she does the strenuous tasks of her day-to-day life without breaking much of a sweat.

[[folder:Talas' Mother-in-Law]]
The widowed mother of all five of Talas' deceased husbands. She wants Talas to remarry.

* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: A familial version; she knows Talas sticks around out of worry for her, but this just causes she her to worry that Talas will ruin any chance of having a happy future when she's gone.
* OutlivingOnesOffspring: All five of her sons died young.

[[folder:Talas' Uncle-in-Law]]
The brother of Talas' later father-in-law: a blustering xenophobe.

* FantasyForbiddingFather: While not her actual father culturally he has as much say in who Talas can and cannot marry as if he were, and he is absolutely against Talas having anything to do with a foreigner like Mr. Smith.

[[folder:Umar]]
A young man who is his father's only child. He later becomes Pariya's fiancé.

* AmazonChaser: Despite her worry, its pretty obvious that Umar really likes Pariya most when she's being her usual self. In fact, he doesn't like it when a girl is more sensitive and fragile than he knows how to deal with. When Pariya is helping him fix their cart's broken wheel, displaying her abnormal strength and endurance for a girl by lifting the entire thing off the ground, he can't stop sneaking glances at her and blushing.
* GoalInLife: He wants to open an Inn due to fond memories of when he was a child of hanging out with traders.
* TheSmartGuy: He learned to use the abacus for calculations, which proves very helpful to Pariya's village. He's also mechanically minded, with his fascination towards waterwheels.

[[folder:Umar's Father]]
A somewhat elderly widower, he is Umar's father.

* AmazonChaser: An amazon chaser by proxy, you might say; he loved his wife, but she died as a result of her weak constitution. He's hopeful that because Pariya is robust and energetic, she'll never leave his son a widower.

!!Muyank, Town by the Aral Sea
[[folder:General tropes]]
* DoomedHometown: Not anything anyone in the story will have to really worry about, but in about a hundred years thanks to poorly planned irrigation canals the Aral Sea will almost entirely dry up, and become one of the most inhospitable deserts on earth. Muynak, the town the story takes place at, will be especially hard-hit.

[[folder:Laila and Leili]]
[[quoteright:230:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/laila_and_leyli.jpg]]

Mischievous identical twins who are their parents' eldest children.

* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: The twins look and act almost the exact same, to the point that when asked if they have any differences the girls themselves can't come up with an answer. [[NotSoSimilar However they do actually have subtly different personalities.]]
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite the fact that for most of the time they spend with their parents, they are either arguing with them or being punished, their love for each other sometimes shows. When the sisters realize that being married means they will no longer be living with their family they actually become almost inconsolable, despite that they had been trying to do just that for their entire story arc.
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: The sisters grew up knowing the brothers, though ironically they didn't think of them as romantic prospects until they actually went on dates and got to know them better.
* DidntThinkThisThrough: Pretty much every harebrained scheme the sisters come up with lacks consideration for both the details and the end result. When the sisters invite Smith to their home for supper, they don't realize this means feeding half the village themselves.
* GenkiGirl: The two girls have a lot of energy, and unfortunately it tends to get them in trouble more often then not.
* GoldDigger: When Mr. Smith and Ali arrive in their village, Laila and Leyli have been causing trouble trying to find wealthy grooms for themselves who will also bend to their will.
* HumanizingTears: Although they can be abrasive, they are adorable when they cry.
* {{Schemer}}: A RunningGag is that most of their get-rich-quick schemes (which fail) end up with them getting bonks on the head from their father.
* SingleMindedTwins: The twins do almost everything together, to the point that the only time they remember being separate was when one of them caught a cold and the other went shopping.
* TricksterTwins: They have a reputation as troublemakers in their village and are twin sisters.

[[folder:Farsami (Saami) and Sarmaan (Sahm)]]
[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarmaan_and_farsami.jpg]]

A pair of brothers, being the eldest and second eldest respectively. They are Laila and Leili's childhood friends.

* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Downplayed; for the most part the brothers used to see the sisters as a pair of troublemakers who often came across as bullies. Its not until they went on sanctioned dates that they really come to see the sisters as romantic partners.
* CloudcuckoolandersMinder: The brothers put a reality check on the twin sisters' flights of fancy.
* InsecureLoveInterest: There are a few hints that Saami doesn't mind the thought of marrying the twins as much as he acts, but worries that by marrying one of them he'll end up ruining their dreams.
* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: The brothers are a lot more reserved compared to the sisters.

[[folder:The Brothers' Father]]
Saami and Sahm's father. He is constantly fighting with the twins' father.

* VitriolicBestBuds: He and the twins' father have known each other a long time, and while they don't mind the thought of becoming family, they butt heads a lot over the details.

!!Persia

[[folder:Anis' Husband]]
A wealthy man who briefly hosts Henry Smith during his travels.
----
* TheAce: Rich, cultured, kind, generous, healthy, and considered a perfect man by both of his wives.
* NobleBigot: He's a nice guy and loves his wife dearly, but he has a conservative attitude about propriety for women and constantly worries that Anis will end being bullied or ridiculed by others.
* NiceGuy: He loves Anis and will do anything to make her happy. When he marries Sherine, on Anis's request, he also has Sherine's still in-laws from her previous marriage moved into his home as well.
* NoNameGiven: He's a major character in Anis' story but has never once been named, to emphasise that Anis and Sherine are the actual couple to focus on.

[[folder:Anis]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/anis_otoyomegatari.jpg]]

The slender young wife of a wealthy man.

* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Playing into her childlike personality, Anis has a hard time being focused on any one thing for very long.
* IJustWantToHaveFriends: Despite being a rich woman living in a lavish palace and having a very kind husband, what Anis wants most is someone to spend time with.
* TheIngenue: Anis is a very innocent type of person. Although she is also vulnerably naive, she is well protected by her household so this does not cause much trouble.
* PseudoRomanticFriendship: Anis loves her husband a lot, but it's shown she loves Sherine just as much. She tends to talk about the two of them in the same way and be very affectionate with them. One of her happiest moments is watching her husband and Sherine becoming friendly with each other.

[[folder:Sherine]]
[[quoteright:200:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sherine.jpg]]

A quiet and voluptuous young woman whom Anis meets at the baths.

* BigEater: She regularly eats whole watermelons all by herself as a snack.
* BuxomBeautyStandard: She has a voluptuous figure, which Anis can't help but stare admiringly when they [[BathtubBonding bathe together]]. Sherine claims they started getting big after she gave birth to her son. Later we learn that Anis' cat likes to knead soft things with its paws, causing Sherine some embarrassment.
* CoolBigSis: Sherine usually acts this way with Anis, the cool and mature woman to Anis's childlike personality.
* RagsToRiches: She goes from the wife of a low-income butcher to the second wife of the town's richest man.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: The official translation is Sherine, but it's also been translated as "Shirin"

[[folder:Sherine's Husband]]
Sherine's husband, a butcher.

* TheGhost: The only time we ever see him is an obscured glimpse of his body as he lies dying from a stroke.
* NiceGuy: Whenever they had saved up a bit of extra money, Sherine's husband would give it to her to go enjoy the bathhouse.

[[folder:Mahfu]]
Anis' handmaid, she is also helping to raise Hassan.

* ServileSnarker: She finds Anis and her realtionship with her husband and Sherine to be pretty entertaining, and often snarks about it in the background.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Has also been translated as "Maafe".

[[folder:Hassan]]
Anis' son.
[[/folder]]

[[folder:Mafud]]
Sherine's Son [[spoiler:by her first husband]].

* MommasBoy: More often then not, you will find him clinging tightly to his mother. When Talas tries to photograph him, they all come out blurry because he keeps running back to his mom.

[[folder:Sherine's In-Laws]]
Sherine's mother and father-in-law.

!!Others

[[folder:The Numaji]]
A wealthy and brutal clan.

* TheBluebeard: Their chief's son has abused at least two women to death, but is wealthy enough that getting a third doesn't seem to be a problem.
* DomesticAbuse: The son of the clan's chief has abused at least two wives to death. Moreover, one of them was extremely healthy prior to that.
* TheGhost: This clan is talked about but never actually appears.

[[folder:The Badan]]
A clan with distant blood ties to the Halgal.

[[folder:Hawkins]]
A good friend and former school senior of Henry Smith, he is presently stationed in Ankara. He employs Nikolovsky, and acts as a middleman to forward messages to and from Henry Smith.

* AngerBornOfWorry: Gives Henry endless grief for his recklesness because Hawkins is his old friend who also had promised Henry's family to keep him safe at all costs.
* BrutalHonesty: A pretty blunt person, especially to Henry.
* LastNameBasis: To the point that as of chapter 104, his first name ''still'' hasn't appeared.
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name has also been translated as "Hawking" (a variant of the same surname), but the official translation went with Hawkins.

[[folder:Talas' 6th Husband]]
A man who marries Talas (his previous wife died) in a match arranged by Talas' nasty father-in-law. He had no idea she was in love with someone else, and goes to extreme lengths to help her.
----
* TheLostLenore: Part of the reason he is able to empathize with Talas is because he knows what its like to lose someone you love. Its implied he only married Talas due to cultural reasons and still mourns his first wife.
* NiceGuy: Extremely so; what else can you call a man who would travel miles away to reunite his own wife with her true love and expect nothing in return?

[[folder:Smith's Family]]
Smith's family in England, consisting of his father, mother, elder brother, sister-in-law, a niece, and a nephew.

* WellDoneSonGuy: Downplayed. Henry Smith's father isn't particularly happy to hear of his relationship with Talas but still gives his blessing amicably enough. Though this has as much to do with Henry not being the first-born son (thus free of heavier social obligations) as out of genuine paternal love.

* IOweYouMyLife: Mr. Hawking saved his life during a war when Nikolovsky acted as a guide and interpreter for his regiment. Given that all his children are grown up and married off, Nikolovsky decided to follow Hawking and act as his servant until the time he had repaid his debt.
* OneManArmy: He manages to fight off and put to flight an entire Russian army unit all by himself while Smith, Talas, Ali and the female townspeople and children escape... and survive.

[[folder:Pariya]]

[[folder:Nikolovsky]]
A man in the service of Hawkins, who met him when he was a local guide and translator for his regiment during the Crimean War.

* DebtDetester: Hawkins saved Nikolovsky's life during their time together in the war, and Nikolovsky swore to serve him afterwards. Hawkins is frustrated at Nikolovsky's refusal to accept fair compensation for his service, especially since he feels he owes Nikolovsky just as much. He's only able to convince Nikolovsky to take the house where he'd been residing in Ankara off his hands when he returns to England by convincing Nikolovsky to think of it as a gift from a friend rather than payment.
* GentleGiant: He's the biggest man in the series, nearly a full head taller than Smith and far broader, but he's a calm-tempered and noble person with a soft spot for children. [[BewareTheNiceOnes But don't let that make you think he's not a formidable opponent when he has to fight.]]
* IOweYouMyLife: During the Crimean War, Nikolovsky was assisting Hawkin's regiment when an enemy sniper attempted to kill him. Hawkins spotted him just in time and shot him first, leading Nikolovsky to swear himself to Hawkins' service to repay the debt.
* OneManArmy: Unquestionably ''the'' biggest badass in the entire series, bar none. When a Russian regiment attacks the town Smith's party is staying at and they join the local women and children in retreating to safety, an enemy squad intercepts them. Nikolovsky [[YouShallNotPass stays back to hold them off on his own]] equipped with only his musket and a knife and effectively kicks ''all'' of their asses single-handedly, killing or wounding at least half a dozen professional soldiers and escaping with barely a scratch on him.
* TheStoic: Extremely unemotional and calm, although he does smile on occasion.

[[folder:Talas' 6th Husband]]
A man who marries Talas (his previous wife died) in a match arranged by Talas' nasty father-in-law. He had no idea she was in love with someone else, and goes to extreme lengths to help her.
----
* TheLostLenore: Part of the reason he is able to empathize with Talas is because he knows what its like to lose someone you love. Its implied he only married Talas due to cultural reasons and still mourns his first wife.
* NiceGuy: Extremely so; what else can you call a man who would travel miles away to reunite his own wife with her true love and expect nothing in return?
[[/folder]]

* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: The two look and act almost the exact same, to the point that when asked if they have any differences the girls themselves can't come up with an answer. [[NotSoSimilar However they do actually have subtly different personalities.]]

* GenkiGirl: The two have a lot of energy, and unfortunately it tends to get them in trouble more often then not.

* TricksterTwins: They have a reputation as troublemakers in their village.

A good friend and former school senio of Henry Smith, he is presently stationed in Ankara. He employs Niklovsky, and acts as a middleman to forward messages to and from Henry Smith.

* AngerBornOfWorry: Gives Henry endless grief for his recklesness because Hawking is his old friend who also had promised Henry's family to keep him safe at all costs.

[[folder:Hawking]]
A good friend of Henry Smith, he is presently stationed in Ankara. He employs Niklovsky, and acts as a middleman to forward messages to and from Henry Smith.

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: His name has also been translated as "Hawkins" (a variant of the same surname).

[[folder:Talas' 6th Husband]]
A man who marries Talas (his previous wife died) in a match arranged by Talas' nasty father-in-law. He had no idea she was in love with someone else, and goes to extreme lengths to help her.

* TheLostLenore: Part of the reason he is able to empathize with Talas is because he knows what its like to lose someone you love. Its implied he only married Talas due to cultural reasons and still mourns his first wife.
* NiceGuy: Extremely so; what else can you call a man who would travel miles away to reunite his own wife with her true love and expect nothing in return?

* TheIngenue: Anis is a very innocent type of person.

* AmazonChaser: Despite her worry, its pretty obvious that Umar really likes Pariya most when she's being her usual self. In fact, he doesn't like it when a girl is more sensitive and fragile than he knows how to deal with.

* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: The two look and act almost the exact same, to the point that when asked if they have any differences the girls themselves can't come up with an answer.