Character Spotlight: Orlando of Thessaly (Knight of the Blue Surcoat)

I am working through some posts on my upcoming novel, Knight of the Blue Surcoat (description here), and last month, I did a post about the protagonist, Melora. However, Melora isn't the only important character in the novel. In fact, there is a second main character, Prince Orlando of Thessaly, and it's time to introduce him to the blog. (All pictures are either in the public domain, or my own, and were inspirations for Orlando)

A Macedonian statue of Alexander the Great (link)

Who is Orlando?

Orlando is the third (and youngest) son of King Gustavus of Thessaly. Thessaly, of course, was a large region in the middle of Ancient and early Greece, and was known as Aeolia in the writings of Homer (and other early writers). It was famous as the home of "heroes" Jason and Achilles, and was renowned for its horses. Both of those facts actually come up in KotBS.

As the youngest son (or the spare*), Orlando has devoted much of his time to besting his brothers Jason and Heracles in every subject, in the hopes of getting Gustavus to acknowledge him. This has backfired, making his brothers despise and envy him. To escape his gloomy home, Orlando studies Greek, Latin, and history, and horse training. This has left him little time for socializing, and he has only one real friend, his manservant Hector. Of course, if you asked him, Orlando would say the stallion Pégosos was his best friend. Orlando raised Pégosos from a foal, and has trained him into one of the most spirited and excellent war horses in Thessaly.

Image Source

Image source

 Pégosos is said to be descended from Poseidon's horses (like Pegasus, his namesake), and I imagine him as a cross between the traditional Thessalian horse (left) and the White Friesian (right).

Orlando's Family:

Orlando's mother died when he was five, and like all children, he was devastated. His brothers and father mocked him for his easy emotions, and Orlando quickly learned to hide his feelings from them (though he finds it unnecessary and fatiguing).

Jason and Heracles are significantly older than Orlando, and model warrior princes. As such, they used Orlando as a whipping boy until the latter became skilled enough to defeat them. After years of incessant training in everything from hand-to-hand combat to javelin throwing, Orlando is a phenomenal soldier and warrior. His brothers, if possible, hate him even more than before.

Gustavus, as king of Thessaly with a healthy heir and second son, was indifferent to Orlando from the beginning. He views his easy-going youngest son as superfluous, and has little in common with him. Despite this, Orlando has always striven for his father's love and favor, even when Gustavus continues to ignore him.

Naturally, Orlando chafes under these conditions, and he decided to seek his fortune elsewhere. Word from Rome was that the British court was the place for a man to prove his mettle, and Orlando decides that he'd rather chance the cold northern shores than stay home any longer.

Orlando and Melora:

Fun loving and mischievous, but just a little arrogant, Orlando expects the Britains to be a pack of savage brutes. He is surprised to find them more welcoming to a man of his talents than anyone in Thessaly, and he becomes a bit of an overnight celebrity. 

The attention doesn't go to Orlando's head (it embarrasses him). Instead, Orlando is intrigued by the grim-faced Princess Melora, who observes silently and dislikes him from the beginning. He decides to befriend her, but his good intentions get misconstrued by Melora's serious suitors. The intense Sir Mador, in particular, seems offended by both Orlando's easy manner and careless skill.

I colored it :) However, thanks to my pesky scanner, it looks a lot better in real life.
The crayons and colored pencils (belonging to my little sister) didn't blend so well, but what can you do?

Orlando and Tournaments:

As a newcomer to Arthur's court, Orlando is expected to take part in any tournaments or competitions. This is partly so the others can watch his skill for sport, and partly so he can prove himself their equal. He came all the way to Britain trying to prove himself, so he's eager to compete against the legendary Knights of Arthur. Still, he isn't combative by nature, and he has zero desire to make enemies.

However, he can't stop other people from feeling threatened by him.

I don't even know . . .

A note on the names and setting:

The Knight of the Blue Surcoat is a novelization of a Irish-Arthurian ballad. All of the main characters' names come from this ballad and Arthurian lore, but I've basically anglicized them, or used a more standardized spelling. The Red Hall (my equivalent of Camelot) is in early medieval Wales, and the rest of the books locations are also based on real world, early medieval locales.

Footnotes:
*I keep referring to Orlando as "the spare," which isn't very nice of me. (Note: this is not an authorized definition). Basically, a spare is a royal back-up plan. If you lose the heir to battle or treachery, the next son can still take the throne and produce his own heir. A third son is even better, like a back-up for the back-up. And that's Orlando.

Character Spotlight: Melora From "Knight of the Blue Surcoat"

So, just in case you didn't know, I have a novel coming out Summer 2016. Knight of the Blue Surcoat is historical fantasy, and you can find a brief description here.
I am planning a series of posts to introduce the novel to everyone, and what better way to do that than by character interviews?

Melora, King Arthur's daughter, is the the main character in Knight of the Blue Surcoat (or KotBS), so it's only right that we start with her. I'm so excited about this, and I hope you end up loving her as much as I do! (All pictures are either in the public domain, or my own, and were inspirations for Melora)

J. W. Waterhouse (public domain) Source

Who is Melora?

Melora is the sixteen-year-old daughter and only living child of King Arthur and Queen Guinevere, of Britain. Though her parents rule a large territory, it is in the section known as Cymru (or Wales) that Melora spends most of her time. The Red Hall, one of Arthur's residences, is where the action in Knight of the Blue Surcoat begins.

Melora's older brother (Amhar) died in a hunting accident when she was younger, leaving her terrified of horses and tearing a major rift in her family. As Arthur's heir, she has many suitors and admirers, but she has no idea if any of them are sincere, or if they only want her kingdom. And she really isn't ready to get married yet. The pressure is on as Melora tries to be her brother, a future queen, and herself, but all at the same time.

A quiet, studious girl, Melora loves to read classic works (her unconventional parents made certain that she could), play her harp, and spar with her father and rambunctious cousins.

Britomart (from the Faerie Queene, named after Britomartis)

Melora's Family:

Amhar was the center of young Melora's world. He was her teacher, confident, playmate, and best friend. Melora measures herself against him and his accomplishments, but she is also comforted by her treasured memories of him. Nevertheless, his violent death still deeply affects Melora and their parents.

Her cousins, the Orkney brothers, are her closest companions and friends. Sir Gawain, in particular, has filled a bit of the hole that Amhar left, though he is wild, brash, and significantly older than Melora.

Though Gawain is important to Melora, no one holds more sway over her than her father, the legendary King Arthur. He is her hero and her role model, and she resents herself for not being the heir he needs to carry on his legacy. Though they are close, they rarely speak about Amhar, and Melora constantly wonders if Arthur compares his two children like she does.

Though Melora is close to her father and cousins, she is finding it harder and harder to relate to her mother, the beautiful Guinevere. Guinevere is elegant, poised, gracious - which gives her little in common with Melora. Naturally, Melora loves her mother, but she feels inadequate and awkward in the Queen's presence, and they both have trouble opening up and sharing their feelings.

Britomart again

Merlin, Sir Mador and Prince Orlando:

Merlin is Arthur's confidant, friend, and closest adviser. He is also a skilled mage and wise man. Melora is intimidated by him, but she knows that he only seeks the best for the royal family. However, he sometimes takes this too far. Merlin seems to think anything is justified if it's good for the kingdom (and his definition of good).

As Arthur's heir, Melora has many suitors, even at her young age. However, the chief suitor (and only really important one) is the Spanish knight, Sir Mador. Eloquent and dashing, Mador frightens Melora with both his dogged pursuit and his polish. Still, she's flattered by his attentions, and he isn't a fool or a fop, so she's reluctant to discourage him.

Orlando is newly arrived at The Red Hall. He's from Thessaly (Ancient region of Greece), and the youngest of three (so he's the spare). Unlike most of the younger men, he has zero interest in finding a wife. He's much more concerned with proving himself as worthy as his older brothers. His interests include studying philosophy, eating, and horses. Melora finds him bold, rude, and alarming, especially when he rides a giant horse into the hall itself. (Bad. Breeding.)

Melora and the Witchwood

Outside of The Red Hall is a massive forest. Though most of it is normal trees and average dangerous, the forest also straddles the border of The Otherworld - the realm of spirits and the Faye. As nights grow long and dark in The Red Hall, King Arthur sends restless, hot-blooded knights into the forest to seek "a wonder," some strange occurrence to regale the company with at feasts. Melora wants to enter the forest, but she's not a knight, and she's far too valuable for such a risky enterprise. Still, she chafes at home, surrounded by so many expectations, and she wishes she could prove herself (as Amhar certainly would have) as worthy to serve her king as any of the knights.

Public Domain. Found here

A note on the names and setting:

The Knight of the Blue Surcoat is a novelization of a Irish-Arthurian ballad. All of the main characters' names come from this ballad and Arthurian lore, but I've basically anglicized them, or used a more standardized spelling. The Red Hall (my equivalent of Camelot) is in early medieval Wales, and the rest of the books locations are also based on real world, early medieval locales.

A quick cartoon sketch of Melora (that I did a few minutes ago . . .)

Extra! Extra! Read All About It! My Book Will Be In Print, 2016!

So, peoples of the internet, I hinted a few weeks ago that I had big writing news, and here it is:

My debut novel, Knight of the Blue Surcoat, is scheduled to be published with Neverland Publishing in Summer 2016. This is really early on (ink fresh on the contract and all that), but it is a huge deal to me and a major life goal!

Neverland is a small, independent house out of Florida, specializing in print (paperback) editions and ebooks. Indie, of course, means that there is no machine behind things, and I'll have to do a lot of promoting and marketing myself. And that is fine with me! I have a book, and the book is getting published, I will shout it from the mountaintops if I must. (See what a life goal can do to an introvert?)

So details, details. I haven't mentioned Surcoat (I haven't mentioned a lot of my books) on the blog, but today I aim to change that. Starting right now, you can expect a weekly post about Knight of the Blue Surcoat, the characters, and why I think you might like it. I'll start with a blurb:

Knight of the Blue Surcoat by R. L. Hendrian 

 Being King Arthur’s daughter isn't easy, but being his only heir is a nightmare. Sixteen-year old Melora has struggled with her role ever since her older brother was trampled to death in a hunting accident. Her father raised her to be a warrior queen, but Melora is too valuable to be allowed to test herself beyond the castle walls. She is trapped, surrounded by suitors who want her kingdom, and suffocated by her parents’ love. She wants to escape, but how can she leave when even the sight of a horse makes her paralyzed with fear?
Prince Orlando is expendable. His arrogant brothers and distant father were thrilled for him (and his prize stallion) to leave tiny Thessaly. Orlando heard tales of Arthur’s court, where men are measured by their worth. He came to prove himself; he didn’t plan on Melora. Her fear of horses is a challenge Orlando is willing to take, but befriending the princess earns him powerful enemies, including the wizard Merlin and Melora's many suitors.
When Merlin curses Orlando to eternal imprisonment in the Celtic Otherworld, only Melora can save him and break the curse. But first, she’ll have to get on a horse. Melora travels from British shores to the coast of India on a madcap quest to find the keys to unlocking Orlando’s prison. Melora must overcome warriors, outsmart kings, and face her deepest fears if she wants to get Orlando out alive. Even if she can break the curse, will there be anything of Orlando left to save?

So, there you have it, my debut novel, and I'm SO EXCITED!!!

Granted, the publication process is a long one, so I'll be bursting at the seams for about a year. Assuming all goes well, I should have an exact release date by next Spring. Having seen a bit of the process from the inside, I know just how much time this all can take, but I wanted to spread the word now.

This announcement also serves as a call for future readers. If you love fantasy or King Arthur and are interested in reading review copies, I am starting a list. If you are a blogger or reviewer who thinks they'd like an (eventual) ARC, comment here, and I'll put you on a list for later contact.

SO EXCITED!!