Originally Posted by
Rosenstrauch
I get the feeling the intent was always to have the legend be subverted the way it was—the actual queen was always going to be someone who refused to take up Save the Queen, leading to one of her handmaidens being made a sacrificial lamb. Only the part where the handmaiden—and her descendent—were Roes instead of Hrothgar would have to be introduced. In retrospect, it's really not that damaging.
It's still weird, though, that we've got this ragtag army of ex-soldiers and laymen turned resistance fighters of all races and creeds, and opposite them we have an entire Imperial Legion of similar make to the resistance—with some particular standouts like Daguza and his band of beastmen—but not a single one of them is a female Hrothgar.