A's Character Q&A

Hey all! Another late post this month, I'm not sure what's going on with my brain but I keep missing the planned schedule post by a day or two lol. Maybe it's the lingering Covid brain fog 😂

As the other 3 LIs were already voted on the last 3 months, so there was no voting this time as this month's Q&A is automatically dedicated to A! Starting from next month there will be voting rounds again, this time including side characters for the Q&A as well!

Some of these questions were also sent in from earlier voting rounds, so if you have tier 3, don't forget to vote next time ✨

Onto the questions!

What's the best gift you have ever received?
"The love and affection of those close to me."

Wow, that's... really sweet.
"I'm mostly joking. It was a pair of pendant earrings shaped like birds, with jewels inlaid in their eyes. My parents gave it to me during my naming day celebration."

That does raise the question, did you choose Azad/Ashti for yourself, or was it passed on from your parents? If you did choose it, then why?
Brief silence. "...Maybe as a symbol for what I longed for at the time."

(Ashti means peace, Azad means freedom)

If you could visit any place, where would it be?
"This isn't very adventurous, but my childhood home in our hometown. It's been years since I've seen it, I've always wondered what became of it. It was a small house by the beach, close to the port."

Outside of your old home, any sights you'd like to see?
"I would like to cross the Seafarer's End one day."

You mean the sea on Arsur's eastern coast, notorious for its sea monsters?
"They're not monsters, they're animals like any other. It'd be an adventure. I've seen everything else there is to see in Arsur, and visiting neighboring countries doesn't interest me.

"Besides, for all its so-called monsters, the Seafarer's End is beautiful. There are small, uninhabited islands where the water surrounding it comes in different colors like gold or pink, sometimes even in multiple colors like a rainbow, with vast jungles and forests that have yet to be explored."

And they haven't been explored because...
"The wildlife... isn't very friendly. Still, being able to chart it would be invaluable for trade with the countries further east from us. As of right now, trading by land is our safest option, which requires a much longer detour. It's worth the risk of attempting it."

Aren't there more dangers that you can't account for? Whirlpools, seasonal storms, and the like?
"Like I said, an adventure."

Well, good luck with that. So, what would you want to be if you weren't the Royal Protector?
"A sailor, obviously. Weren't you listening?"

Okay, moving on to a different subject. When is the last time you cried, and why?
"Define crying."

Fluid ejected from your eyeballs.
"A few days ago when I was cutting onions."

...I mean, crying from sadness.
"I don't know. Every now and then. Once every few weeks?"

Really?
"Yes, it's healthy. You don't?"

Why do you cry?
"Almost every day I meet someone who has lost everything they had, because the country is no longer being governed. I do what I can to help, but I can't be everywhere at once. Bandit groups forming mercenary companies and terrorizing entire regions of the country, nobility laying claim on land and destroying people's homes, poverty and disease sweeping through cities and killing the least fortunate by the droves, ordinary people caught up in political power struggles being exploited--

"You try looking at a parent who weeps over the dead bodies of their children, and keep your eyes dry. If you do not shed even a single tear, then your heart must be made of stone."

Point taken, but maybe we should end on a lighter note. What is you fondest memory of your parents - separately or together?
"When I was a young child, we used to have breakfast outside in the gardens of whichever palace we were staying at whenever the weather was sunny. My father would especially bring over musicians to play for us while we ate together as a family. We gradually stopped doing it as I grew older. It would be... the fondest memory I have of my father as well. During those times, early in his reign, he was much happier, healthier. As the Crown as well; he didn't rule with fear, back then. His mistakes came later on.

"Regarding my mother, I have many fond memories of her, it is difficult to choose. If I had to, I'd say whenever she would join me during my tutoring lessons in literature and poetry. She'd only been educated later in life, after my father was found to be the successor, and still very much enjoyed learning. After being tutored, the two of us would talk about our favorite excerpts from the lessons, or recite poetry to each other.

"...I wish I could remember which one was her favorite."