Dragon Daughter

Lael (a character study)

Today we are interviewing Ser Lael from "The Witch, the Wretch and the Warden"   by Tileira
Earlier character studies of Lael can be found in "Lael (CG#5)"  [18+]



What is your full name? Do you have a nickname?

Lael Fletcher. Lael.

         Some people adopt new names when they join the Octavian church. Is that the case with you?

         Lael's the name the captain - Justice Aaron - gave me when I gave my oath.

         Does that name have a special meaning?

         The captain said it means "the love and the faith". It also means "blessed" or "beloved".

         Do you mind sharing your birth name?

         I do. Sorry. I'm not- I am Lael Fletcher. I'm not anyone else.

Who were your parents?

My father was a forester. My mother ran the house. She did everything more or less.

         What was it your father did exactly?

         Drink. He hunted, trapped, foraged. There's a lot of useful things in the wood. And he knew it. The wood I mean. They'd come to him if they needed to find anything.

How would you describe your childhood?

I wouldn't.

When and where were you the happiest?

Now. Living now at Yarsgrove Abbey with my wife and my brothers. It's a good life with good people. I'm lucky to be there.

Did you have any role models?

The captain, I guess. I don't know. I owe him everything I am.

         Can you tell me a bit more about that?

         He brought me into the church. He gave me a place and a person to be. For a while he was the person in my life, before Crystina and I married.

         The captain is the strongest and... best person I know. He's humble in faith and right. I don't know how to describe it. He's just good.

What is your greatest fear?

That's... I don't want to get too far into this. I'm not a good man. I'm trying to be. And sometimes it's hard to see how I can be that person Lael is supposed to be. I'm afraid I can't be or won't be.

         Which other person knows about this fear of yours? Who do you not want to know about this fear of yours, why?

         My brothers all know. Crystina knows. I don't really care who knows about that part. I don't want to explain what lies behind it.

Do you believe in the existence of soul mates or true love?

Yes. It's powerful. The captain brought me to Yarsgrove, but Crystina - my wife - loving her is my salvation. She makes me Lael. She makes me believe in everything.

How honest are you about your thoughts and feelings in the company of others?

Some. Mostly. I try to stick to what needs to be said. And I don't always know how to say what I want to say. And then there are things I don't want to know or hear, so I don't share those.

Do you have any prejudices? What are they and where do those come from?

I tend to make the worst assumptions about men I meet in difficult situations. Like if he's arguing with a woman, I want to get between them. And I make similar assumptions about women and whether they're in trouble. I probably got that from my father first, but there's other reasons too.

I mean sometimes I'm right, but at least half the time I'm seeing shadows of something that's not really there.

On what occasions do you lie?

Probably more often than you think. I'm trying to be honest with you today. Mostly I lie to move things along or when someone doesn't really need an answer. I never lie to the captain. I try not to lie to Crystina. I don't think I've lied about anything important in a long time.

Are you able to kill? Under what circumstances do you find killing to be acceptable or unacceptable?

I have killed. Sanctified Blades - "church knights" - have to be able to do that. It's what I'm for. We protect the church and its servants, so we kill in their defense. People don't always give you the choice.

Have you started your own family?

Yes. Crystina and I have... three children. Justin's the oldest. He's smart, I think. He's smarter than I remember being at five years old. Lara's four. Hieric's maybe a year old by now.

Who are your friends? Do you have a best friend?

Yeah, I have my brothers. The other Blades I live with at the abbey. Ethan's kind of a clown until he has to take charge. Danael's more of a priest than a Blade. He's very eloquent and well read.

I'm closest to Kendrick. We joined the abbey around the same time - for different reasons. He's a little mean, but he doesn't really mean it and I do deserve it most of the time. He helps me stay focused.

Do you tend to argue with people, or avoid conflict?

Arguing doesn't get anyone anywhere. If I'm in the wrong, I'll take it. If I'm not, I don't mind taking it so we can get over it and move on. If it's not important. If it's something that really matters, I will step up. But it's too easy to forget what the problem is when you're busy getting angry with each other.

Are you spontaneous, or do you always need to have a plan?

I don't think I'm impulsive. I try to think things through before I do them. That's not always an option and I don't panic if I don't know what I'm doing. Kendrick will tell you I rarely know what I'm doing. But there's usually some kind of plan. Or an idea of what the plan could be.

Are you generally organised or messy?

Organised. I don't have a lot of things, so it's not hard to keep track of them. And I look after them properly. You also have to make sure that if you're working or you're done with a task to put everything back where it's supposed to be so you don't make life harder for your brothers, or anyone else. And people can get hurt if things aren't stored properly.

Name three things you consider yourself to be good at, and three things you consider yourself to be bad at.

Does talking to people count?

I'm good at hunting and with a bow. I'm good with my hands generally. Like fletching and sewing. Small complex things. And climbing. But that's four things.

I'm not good at honesty. I'm bad at managing my temper. And I said before I'm bad at speaking when I'm uncomfortable. I'm slow putting the words together, so I sound like an idiot.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I changed everything. I started over already. What I have left is like a revenant of the person I used to be. He comes up out of the void on dark days. I pray I can put that to rest one day.

If you could choose, how would you want to die?

Just well. For a reason. And not slow. Or all at once. There's something worse about being gone before you know you're dying.

What is the one thing for which you would most like to be remembered after your death?

Loving well and serving well. If anything at all. Some things, some people, shouldn't be remembered. There's more I'd want to forget.


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entry 2 of 10 for The Bard's Hall Contest  June 2022