Character Interview: Shawn

Happy Tuesday, readers! I know this post is being published awfully late… I had something of a busy day. However, as it’s still Tuesday, I have the pleasure of presenting to you Shawn, from Faith Song’s work-in-progress, Son of a King.

ARE NOBLES BORN, OR MADE?
Shawn, born the son of a King and destined to rule the Land of Dragons after his Father’s death, has never had cause to doubt the supremacy of his father’s word. Yet when he discovers two elves—spies, no doubt—captured and facing torture in the King’s dungeon, Shawn is forced to reconsider whether he will support his father the King in all he does—or suffer the consequences of treason.

Hello, Shawn, and welcome to Red Lettering! It’s not often that we get a Prince and a dragon. Could you tell us a bit about yourself?

Shawn: *takes a deep breath, slowly* Yeah, a prince. *shakes his head* There really isn’t much to tell. I’m a dragon… But you said that already. *shrugs* I’m eleven summers. My mother died when I was eight, leaving me as my father’s only child. *pauses* And heir.

Ah, so you’re a crown prince as well? How nice. Where did you grow up?

Shawn: I grew up in Shyam. It’s the capital city in Ryoto. *pauses* There is one giant city made from black stone. Actually, it’s made out of a mountain. Then there are some smaller cities around Shyam, and farther out, some villages.

And past that, there are others, yes? Other kinds of people? You appear to have some interesting species in your world. Not that it’s a bad thing, but it could get a little bit confusing to us humans growing up on a human-populated planet. Could you tell us something about them?

Shawn:*smiles a little* Well… First off, there’s dragons. We’re a sort of winged serpent at night, and at daytime, we look almost like humans. Most of the dragons in Sham have dark hair and red eyes and kind of golden tinted skin. Then we have the unicorns. *frowns a little bit, shrugging* Dragons don’t get along with unicorns since the war. And there’s elves, who stay to themselves, usually. There’s said to be griffins in other worlds, but I’ve never seen one.

Aye, and said to be walking trees in some worlds, but who can really be sure? Maybe some day, you’ll find out more of these different creatures; maybe even griffins. What was your dream as a young child? How has that dream changed since then?

Shawn: *is silent for a few seconds, then speaks slowly* I used to dream about being a great warrior king, like my father. *pauses* I think now I’m more interested in being a peaceful King. I’ve never really thought about not being king.

Perhaps you should. Life is full of surprises. Just as a quite random question, do you like to dance?

Shawn: *uncertainly* I—I don’t know. I’ve never tried.

Never tried dancing? Now, there’s a problem that must be amended. Immediately. Go hire a dancing tutor. Now I’m afraid we must move to a more serious question… Do you think there is anyone you would die to save?

Shawn: *thinks for a moment; then, slowly* My father. Maybe my teacher. *shrugs slowly* I’ve never thought about it before.

Start thinking, lad. Start thinking. What do your dreams usually look like?

Shawn: *quietly* That depends on whether they’re nightmares or not.

Ah, I understand. Though I’m afraid that doesn’t really count as an answer; perhaps, some day, we’ll come back to it. Not today, though. Do you think you would have what it takes to be King?

Shawn:*nods, then pauses* I think so. I’ve trained for it my whole life. I couldn’t be king now, but when I’m older.

All right. That’s all the time we have for today, but remember—Sorry, wrong story. Thank you for coming today, Shawn. Maybe one day you’ll be a great, peaceful King…but maybe you’ll be something better.

Faith Song is a fourteen year old aspiring author with a passion for GOD, words, and dragons. She lives just outside a small town in the Central United States with eight of her ten siblings and her two parents, the best family in all the worlds. She blogs at http://storyoffire.wordpress.com/