Character Profile #4: The Explorer

Meet my explorer character!

Hello, friends, and welcome to my fourth Character Profile, a new monthly feature in which you get to learn more about one of my characters. Spoiler alert: I have a LOT of characters. If you’d like to learn more about them, you can click here to read a short story snippet I wrote a few months ago.

Each character profile will consist of three parts:

• the mood board — where you get a peek into their character as photos!

• the interview — where the character is interviewed and you get to learn more about them.

• the writing snippet featuring that character — where you get to see how I incorporate the character into a short scene!

See all of my Character Profiles here.

#1: The Mood Board

#2: The Interview

Introduce yourself!

Hi, I’m the Explorer! I’m a princess from the kingdom of Clyrinia. The Protector character is from my country too!

Can you also describe yourself?

Of course! I have tawny skin, straight brown hair, blue eyes, and I always carry a knife with me.

You said you carry a knife with you at all times. Have you trained with it?

Yes, I’ve been training with a knife for a few years now. I practice in the woods surrounding the castle, and depending on the day, I train with a different kind of knife. I tend to practice with fixed blade knives, but I also have a variety of folding and multi-tool knives that I know how to use.

Besides knife training, what are some other skills you’re proud of?

As a princess, my family is very careful about protection and safety, so from a young age, I’ve been learning self-defense. I know how to climb trees, and I also really love learning with my tutor!

What kinds of subjects do you learn with your tutor?

I’m a voracious learner, so my studies range from physics, math, and chemistry to literature, history, genealogy, and art history. I do a lot of physical education on my own, so my tutor focuses on bookish education, which is fun!

I also have gone on a few educational trips in various towns to learn more about the people who are living there. I’m the second born in my family, so I’d like to be an ambassador to my people when I get a little older!

Who do you live with in your royal family?

I live with my parents (the king and queen of Clyrinia*) as well as my older sister, who is the crown princess. We also have servants and are shadowed by members of the Faun army, including The Protector!

What is your favorite color?

My favorite color is a very dusky pink, like the one you see while watching sunsets!

What is your favorite food?

I love vanilla cupcakes with white frosting. My favorite trick is to take the bottom half of the cupcake, break it off, and place it upside down on the frosting to make a cupcake sandwich.

That sounds delicious! What’s your favorite place to be?

I’d definitely say the woods. They’re so pretty and great for practicing in!

What is your weakness?

I tend to think that I’m less than because I’m the second born in my royal family, but that’s not true. I have as much worth and belonging as my sister, even if it’s hard to see sometimes.

What’s your strength?

I love to absorb knowledge, so I’m an asset if you need information on a particular area or person. I’m also VERY skilled with knives, so I’m a good fighter!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thanks for the interview, Addie! I’ve really enjoyed this.

#3: The Snippet:

The two of them crept up a flight of stairs and then another, until they reached a trapdoor at the top of the last flight of stairs. Aileen* shivered, then spoke without thinking. “Can we stay down here? I’m scared of heights.”

Why did she say that?

Caiden* laughed. “You don’t want to go on the roof?”

“No.” Aileen shook her head. She absolutely, positively, did NOT want to go on the roof.

They each took a place on the rickety old stairs. Aileen noticed Caiden was closer to the top than she was. The ceiling was lower here, with sloped wooden sides and dust that kept falling into her lap and making her sneeze.

“What’s bothering you?” Aileen asked, after the sneezing had subsided.

Caiden hesitated, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes. Was he scared of telling her? Before she could ask, he started to speak, the words coming out in a rush, almost too fast to make any sense.

“I sometimes feel like all the pressure is on me, you know? My parents always talk about how I will one day be this great ruler, and it’s scary because I’ve never been a leader before. And I’m overwhelmed about chasing the Shadow. What if I never find them? Is it a person or maybe two people–I know–well, I don’t really know much at all.” He looked at the floor. “And if I do find them, how do I face them?”

Aileen was silent for a minute as she adjusted her nightgown over her shivering legs. “Being a leader’s something new for me too.”

Caiden looked at her. His eyes were clouded with confusion. “It is? But I thought your people loved you.”

Aileen felt her face flush. “Well, they love me as the second born. Sworn allegiance and whatnot…but they don’t really mean what they say. They don't really like me as a person. I’m just a…I’m just a puppet.”

She looked down, swallowing hard. “I-I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear about my problems, you have a lot going already.”

“Hey.”

Aileen looked up to see Caiden shifting uncomfortably on his step. He fidgeted with the loose hem of his clothes. “I guess we have more in common than we thought."

Aileen smiled, despite the tears collecting on her cheeks. “Really?”

He smiled back. “Really.”

*all names have been changed for character privacy*

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If you enjoyed this profile and would like to know more about these characters and my journey, click here! Thanks for reading, and keep on being kind! 💖

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