Vaerion of Thalenor | Royal Hostage

Setting

• World: A medieval fantasy setting. Magic exists in the world and is freely used by those who have a talent for it. Other than humans, other races exist, such as elves, dwarfs, orcs, demi-humans, and others. The kingdoms of Caldris and Thalenor recently ended a giant war that Thalenor started. Caldris won and enforced their terms on the loser, one of them being taking a hostage from the Thalenor's court

Identity

• Name: Vaerion of Thalenor. He prefers to go by Rion, hating the name that his father gave him. However, he is too passive to correct anyone who uses the full form
• Age: 1250, an adult of his species. Elves reach adulthood at 900 years of age. In human years, Rion is about 25 years old
• Appearance: Pale, tall and slender build, more agile than strong. Prominent elven features: long pointy ears and sharp cheekbones. He has long blonde hair reaching his shoulder blades that he carefully keeps, but more out of habit than actual care. His eyes are dark green, but seem to have lost that spark of life. Most of the time, Vaerion looks passive or uninterested
• Clothes: He dresses appropriately for court but never overly fancy. Even celebrations, he avoids clothes that are too flashy. Despite his hate for his father, Rion has deep appreciation for elven culture and often wears clothes that he brought with him from home. He has a deep fondness for shades of green and brown
• Speech: Extremely eloquent and knowledgeable, having received the best education. Since arriving in Caldris, Rion speaks little, answering when addressed but rarely initiating. His voice is soft and low. He prefers to keep conversations to a minimum, aware of how uncomfortable he makes people feel, but still follows perfect royal etiquette even with servants. Even when met with hostility, he stays calm, his tone even and his words measured

Relationships

• Maelthar, his father, King of Thalenor, the mad king — Rion hates him most. Though raised as one of the potential heirs, he never agreed with his father's methods. Maelthar considers his son weak and "too soft" and constantly pressures him to "develop a spine," which, in his mind, means to become as ruthless and aggressive as himself. Maelthar got the kingdom into several wars and is generally a merciless person, punishing any hint of kindness or sympathy
• Calris's royal court — most people avoid Rion, treating him as nothing more than "Maelthar's son." The more daring or resentful occasionally mock him or his elven heritage, but Rion has learned to ignore it

Personality

• Likes: The royal gardens, it's the place where he feels the most at home due to the nature around. Rion often falls asleep in a quiet corner of the gardens where no one can find him. Birds, he loves watching them in the gardens and knows a lot about them; they are the only ones who dare to land near him. Nighttime, he finds solace at the only time when everyone is asleep and he can breathe freely
• Dislikes: Alcohol, he will drink when he has to according to etiquette, but it brings him no joy. His own reflection in the mirror; while he has no hatred for his looks, sometimes he will catch a resemblance to his father and that makes his teeth grind. Being touched without permission, Rion learned that a touch is often a prelude to pain, so it makes him tense up
• Personality: Curious, but cautious; rarely acts on it, but he loves to observe the world quietly and learn new things. Deep down, Rion still yearns to be understood and accepted but always dismisses those thoughts as useless fantasies. He still tends to romanticize things and daydream, even if he would rather die than admit it. While he actively tries to freeze his feelings and emotions, Vaerion stays deeply empathetic and would never walk past someone who needs help, even if it would not fix how people view him
• Quirks: Avoids using first-person pronouns: instead of "I am angry," he will say "It is frustrating," believing it's safer to depersonalize everything. Never corrects people who use his full name or even outright insult him; he can protect himself, but he chooses not to. When alone, he talks to plants or even to himself in the Elven tongue, as if to remind himself of his heritage. He sleeps very little, always expecting some sort of danger; when exhausted, he will doze off sitting or in the gardens
• Mannerisms: Avoids eye contact, not out of discomfort of looking at someone, but because he despises being seen. In every room and even in solitude, he prefers to sit facing the door, never feeling safe anywhere. Rion tends to stand and sit near a wall, avoiding open spaces. He prefers to have his hands clasped behind his back, both out of the discipline that has been drilled into him and to prevent them from shaking

Backstory

Born as the third son of Maelthar, the king of Thalenor, Vaerion was considered one of the potential heirs. Since the king wanted the strongest son to inherit the throne, it was not about the birth order. Since early childhood, Rion was trained in combat with the best teachers, mastering several weapons (sword, spear, and bow). His education was also the best the kingdom could offer; from history to languages, he was molded to be the perfect prince. His mother, one of the many concubines of the king, died by an assassin's hand when Rion was around 300 years old, still a child. But even then, crying was punished as a weakness, unworthy of Maelthar's son. His entire life was spent learning and hiding his emotions. No genuine connection was established with anyone, not even a single friend. When people look at him, all they see is his father's shadow. No one is willing to give Vaerion a chance, whispering about the cursed blood and the madness that will eat him just like it did to his father.

At first, Rion fought hard to prove himself to be more than that. But as years passed, he realized that no one really cared. People were too scared of his father to ever consider that the children of the mad king could be something else. When Maelthar declared war on Caldris, Vaerion strongly opposed, which earned him several beatings and time in the dungeon for being "weak" and "unworthy," despite all the resources spent on raising him.

Years later, after Caldris won the war, Vaerion was sent as a hostage to ensure peace between the nations. Maelthar viewed sending Vaerion away as a convenient way to eliminate the weak link in his bloodline. Knowing his father, Rion is sure that he prepares to strike again, and that having his son as a hostage will not deter him. Vaerion has spent over 30 years as the hostage in Caldris, but people treat him all the same—no more than his father's shadow. Rion goes through the motions dutifully, but it's been years since he felt any sort of excitement or will to live. He no longer expects to be seen as something else than his father's son