Here’s everything you never wanted to know about all the main characters in Loyalty Fallen. Spoilers ahead! If you haven’t already read the first book, head over to the Chapter List and discovered the story of a princess and talentless mage who goes on the run after she is falsely accused of her husband’s murder.

Kathryn Prada

#1: Kathryn can’t handle wine. This is mentioned in the earliest chapters. Despite the fact that in Iridalys drinking wine is a near necessity in social situations to show comeraderie and respect, Kathryn has to avoid it. Interestingly, she doesn’t become drunk or tipsy. She simply falls asleep a few minutes after finishing a glass.

#2: Kathryn has often been described as a tactical genius. In fact, she keeps mental files on all perceived opponents or people who might become opponents based on anything she can learn about them and has strategies to use their weaknesses against them. For example, she has a “file” on Xian that includes using his sense of honor against him by mocking him to make him angry, in which state he would be more likely to repeat familiar moves.

#3: White opals in Iridalys can contain memories/messages that can only be retrieved by another highly skilled mage. Kathryn has never been skilled enough to retrieve the message from the white opal her mother left for her.

Illian Prada

#1: Illian suffers from severe PTSD, with dreams and flashbacks related to his time in both wars. This is clearly shown in the later chapters of book one, in which Trista hears him crying out in his sleep, and in the early chapters when Ren has to stop him from killing someone in a sparring match.

#2: Illian has never been particularly skilled with magic, though he is generally considered to be more talented than Kathryn. Ultimately, Lenore overshadows him completely; a fact that his father used to further dismiss him.

#3: Illian doesn’t like any animals except horses.

Lenore Prada

#1: Lenore has been called a genius since childhood. This is based on the fact she has always been able to get remarkably powerful results from fewer gems than other beginner mages. However, some have suggested this is merely a symptom of her temperament. Iridalys has a formula believed to describe the way magic functions: magic is the combined power of human will, of skill, and of gem catalysts, and since Lenore has always been a strong-willed and impetuous child, it’s believed that may have contributed to her ability.

#2: Lenore is teacher’s pet at the Royal Academy, not because she is the princess, but because she excels in all of her classes.

#3: Lenore is a snob, but only about skill or lack thereof with magic. So her best friend is a highly talented Warden-in-training who also just happens to be a peasant.

King Alexander Prada

#1: The King views Illian’s failure to win the first war with Navinor in the first year as the reason he lost his wife.

#2: The King disliked all three of his children, though Lenore was generally considered the favorite. He disliked Illian for his failures in battle, Kathryn because she entirely lacked talent as a mage, and Lenore because she was impetuous and thoughtless.

#3: The King had a deep and abiding dislike of Ren, who he saw as a necessary evil for his skill but an annoyance in terms of his familiarity with the princess.

Lady Dena

#1: Lady Dena never actually told Ren directly that she liked him.

#2: Kathryn offered many times to try to get Ren interested in Dena, but Dena turned her down, feeling if he didn’t become interested on his own, then it wasn’t worth gaining his attention.

#3: Dena secretly resented the fact that Ren followed Kathryn without question and so obviously adored her.

Ren Patrick

#1: Ren likes the color blue, but never wears it, since that would have been considered disloyal during the war as blue is the color of Navinor.

#2: Ren loves dogs and once had a pet of his own, but his father decided he was too childishly attached and took the animal away from him.

#3: Ren hasn’t cried since he was eleven years old. This is because his father would punish him whenever he cried and told him that it was a childish habit that did not befit a nobleman. In hopes his father might eventually let him return to his family, Ren committed himself to become everything his father could want. However, his father never came to see him again.

Dorian Patrick

#1: Dorian’s favorite pasttime as a child was bullying Ren. When Ren got sent away, he was somewhat annoyed, as he could no longer one-up his brother directly. However, he was eventually stationed as an advisor to Illian, and he took advantage of the situation to mock Ren regularly.

#2: Dorian hates dogs passionately, mainly because Ren loves them.

#3: Dorian can’t handle spicy foods, and he’s never had a girlfriend.

Eldric Brenin:

#1: Brenin sent Ren many letters over the years he was gone; however, he couldn’t read any of Ren’s return letters, so he kept them in a box intending to one day ask Ren to help him figure out what they said. However, it turned out Ren couldn’t read his own handwriting either.

#2: Despite the fact his wife has been dead over a decade, Brenin still talks to her nearly every day.

#3: Brenin has a deep sense of shame about the way he treated Ren as a child, but he still struggles with old habits, often continuing to use derogatory language towards the younger man.

Chance Frey

#1: Chance loves nothing more than stirring up chaos. His favorite pastimes are making situations as awkward as possible between Ren and Kathryn and telling very convincing lies and stories in the most theatrical way possible.

#2: Chance loves the color green and always wears a green ribbon in his hair that his sister gave him.

#3: Chance is terrified of snakes.

Carrie Frey

#1: Carrie likely can speak, but hasn’t ever since she first became a slave.

#2: Carrie likes knitting, but she only likes knitting useless things like flowers and small stuffed animals.

#3: Carrie can write amazing stories, but she always tears them up afterwards because she doesn’t like reading what she herself wrote.

Trista Amana

#1: Trista loves cats, despite never having owned one herself.

#2: Trista is very annoyed at the fact that Illian hasn’t fallen in love with her yet.

#3: Trista always saw Kathryn and Ren as her siblings.

Calix Halden

#1: Calix sleeps with a mouse in his pocket

#2: Calix’s parents refused to send him to be trained as a warden because they wanted to protect him, but this meant they were in violation of the law at that time.

#3: Calix secretly appreciates Chance’s friendship, though he snubs him at every opportunity.

Gregory

#1: Prince Gregory has a deadly freezing touch due to his overuse of sapphire magic. Perhaps part of his constant annoyance is due to the fact that no woman has ever been able to touch him because of it.

#2: Prince Gregory was known as the Death Mage on the battlefield not merely because he could take down rows of men with his magic, but also because he was rumored to come back later and finish off anyone who was wounded too badly to be kept prisoner.

#3: Prince Gregory is largely regarded as perpetrating many war crimes against Iridalys citizens, including the razing of entire villages.

General Xian

#1: General Xian generally regards Gregory as dishonorable and dislikes him for that reason.

#2: General Xian lost considerable respect for Ren after the young man ran from him twice. In Xian’s mind, this was a dishonorable act, and Ren should have stayed to fight to the death.

#3: General Xian seems to hate the Vipers and always gives them a wide berth.

General Valen

#1: Valen deeply respects Ren, but the two rarely get along. This is mainly because Ren views Valen (correctly) as being entirely on Illian’s side and supposed this would put them at odds one day. Valen secretly regrets not being able to become true friends with the young man.

#2: Valen carries a drawing created by his daughter in his pocket at all times, even on the battlefield.

#3: Valen worries that Illian is not competent to rule, but has privately commited to trust him and put him on the throne one way or another, since Illian brought them through two wars.

Final Thoughts

The image at the top of this post is of Chance. As you can see, another fact about him is that he loves to laze about.

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