Glad you like this version of Isabella. I think it will be challenging to keep her recognizably "in character" given that I think Isabella would be a very different character if she had not been subject to so many years of abuse. There would be elements of her personality that are the same, but the way they're expressed would be different.

That is a good suggestion about Kate; I hadn't thought of her because the castle story is an S2 AU. But clearly she still exists in Locksley, and I do need many more strategically placed female characters to beef up the intelligence network, so pretty much every one will be called on. And since Kate was looking for a way to fight back against oppression, she can certainly have a bigger role.