Obrey is widely seen in the Court as positioning himself as the power behind the throne, something not helped when he marries Dymphna after the two rekindle their old love: Dymphna is also Auberon's cousin, and if the young king was to die Obrey would enjoy a strong claim on the throne. However, Obrey is truly loyal to the king – until the Amadan tricks Auberon into publicly slighting Lord Obrey, driving a wedge between them and leading Obrey to think that he might as well take power for himself. Before he can do anything drastic, however, Auberon runs away from the Court to try to find his missing sister, proclaiming Obrey's right to rule as Regent until his return. One of the later back-up stories suggested that Auberon also left because he was aware of the danger he was in, and struck up a romantic relationship with an Elf Lord's daughter whilst searching for his sister.
