Beautiful People - Prince Hadrian

Hello hello, daring questers! It occurs to me that I have not done a Beautiful People post in quite some time (ahem, since January). In light of that lack, and in light of the fact that:


a) I've been immersed in The Brightest Thread this week
and b) the questions this month couldn't be more perfect for my male protagonist . . .


I've decided to properly introduce you to Hadrian, the precious, frustrated hero of The Brightest Thread!


[For more BP posts, read this one about the female protagonist, Luci, and this one about the villainess, Vyntyri. You can also check out this Dual Character Inquisition, featuring both Luci and Hadrian.]

Beautiful People is a (typically monthly) writing meme hosted by Cait @ Paper Fury (a.k.a ruler of all) and Sky @ Further Up and Further In (a.k.a master of fangirldom). Grab the ten questions, join in, and be sure to leave your link in the shiny little linkup gadget. It's a great way to dig deeper into your characters and meet other writers!

Meet Hadrian, crown prince of Bauglind.

[via Pinterest]

1. What's their favorite place they've ever visited?

Hadrian loves the outdoors. Put him in the royal garden or out in the jungle/wilderlands, and he's the happiest you'll ever find him. The specific location doesn't matter, as long as something is growing underfoot.

2. What's one mistake they made that they learned from?

the streets of Vale
[via Pinterest]

On an errand in the heart of Vale, the capital city of his kingdom, he comes across a merchant harassing a customer and trying to cheat money out of her. Hadrian, already stressed due to prior happenings in the story, is filled with righteous indignation and rather . . . forcibly puts a stop to the merchant's behavior. Later, he discovers that instead of fixing the injustice, he only pushed the merchant into even worse actions.

A flurry of more pressing events hasn't given Hadrian much time to process this, but eventually he'll realize that one can't force morality on another. (Much as he'd like to.) Taking away a merchant's wares or writing a new law won't restore his crumbling kingdom--reaching the people's hearts will.

3. What was their favorite subject in school? Or favorite thing to learn about?

He's quite the horticulturist. Cultivating, crossbreeding, all of it is of interest to him. His latest project is developing the gildleaf: a plant with roots that have medicinal properties. As far as schooling goes, his tutors were never the agreeable sort, but he has a natural inclination toward history.

4. What's their favorite flower/growing thing?

All of them! In his words, "To discover the character of each is a joy. I hope to one day know the intricacies of them all."

5. Have they ever made someone cry? What happened?

He has made Luci cry in a couple of the dreams they've shared (since her enchanted sleep enables her to enter other people's dreams), but the reasons are . . . well, crossing into spoiler territory.

6. Would you consider them a reliable or unreliable narrator?

I would say he's a pretty reliable narrator. Luci a bit less so, simply because of her rebellious side. But Hadrian's a balanced person and a good judge of character. So except for situations when his strong moral compass might blot out the shades of gray in a situation, he's a reliable narrator.

7. What do they dream about at night?

(Do you see how perfect this question is? Do you?! I am delighted.)

Ahem. Hadrian never remembered his dreams growing up, and good thing, too. If that wasn't the case, having a half-ogress for a stepmother might have caused constant nightmares. (Though I wonder if perhaps he did have nightmares that he's blocked from memory. Survival techniques, right?) But when Luci started haunting his sleep, he started remembering his dreams in the morning. They often feature strange versions of real places he's been, like his palace halls, the seaside, or the jungle. And then there's some that are completely arbitrary.

8. They've gone out for a "special meal." What would they eat?

Hearty fare, that's for sure. He likes flavor and new spices and has a particular fascination with fruits and vegetables (obviously) but enjoys wild boar and other protein. As long as it's good food, he's content.

[via Pinterest]

9. Do they have any distinguishing or unique talents?

His penchant for growing things has already been mentioned, so I won't repeat myself.

Hadrian is also an above average swordsman, but he compares himself to Chief Rook, a master of swordplay and commander of Bauglind's army, so Hadrian doesn't think all that highly of his own skills.

He's also great with people. His strong convictions might be off-putting to some, but aside from that, he's very perceptive and--unless provoked--excels in diplomacy. (In contrast, Luci is terrible at being polite. If it weren't for one of the fairies' magical gifts, she would offend a lot more people. Having Hadrian around is good for her.)

10. What's at least one thing they want to do before they die?

Uh, how much time do you have? Hadrian's dreams are lofty and large.

Bauglind is rotting from the inside out (metaphorically speaking), so one of his greatest aspirations is to reverse the decay once he becomes king. He wants to reinstate truth and justice. He wants to raise the oppressed and rein back the oppressors. This is a task that will take a lifetime and more to complete, but he's committed.

A more recent goal is to rescue Luci from her curse. She's stolen his heart, much as she hates to admit it, and he will put aside all other dreams in order to reach her.

On a more lighthearted note, if Hadrian had a bucket list, it would surely include fun, adventurous things like voyaging across the sea, riding a dragon, going spelunking in some dark, forgotten cave, charting the stars, visiting other kingdoms, and turning as much of his palace into a garden as possible.

Hadrian is most likely pleased to meet you, unless you're a duplicitous scoundrel, and he would love to give you a tour of his garden. Any questions for him, ask away in the comments! :)