Character Introduction and Interview– Gallis

Time for another Character Introduction and Interview.  This one is a bit unique, but it may have been one of my very favorites to do.We wanted to give Gallis his chance in the spotlight since the story would be very different without him, but an actual interview wasn’t exactly possible. If you read the book, you’ll understand why. So, we decided to ask the questions to the others who have had experience with him, and they would give the answers they thought he might give. In this way, it is more a discussion than an interview. We had a lot of fun.

To be completely fair, Gallis isn’t always a complete monster. In fact, unless you have done something to displease him, you might find him to be quite congenial. If he happens to have taken a liking to you, he can be downright friendly and almost father-like. He really only resorts to threats and violence when his bold confidence doesn’t convince people to be on his side. In reality, bold confidence works for him more often than not. He knows what he wants, and he isn’t afraid to go after it, regardless of what it may take. That is where the problem comes in. He won’t let anything—or anybody—stop him when his mind is made up. He doesn’t care if he has to blackmail, threaten, or even kill somebody in order to keep them from getting in his way. He knows how to manipulate people, and he will use this. Beware if you try to stand in his way. You will be moved, one way or another.
My questions are bolded, and the answers are in italics. I have underlined the original questions that I planned. The ones that aren’t underlined are ones that I thought of as I was interviewing to clarify some of their answers.

 
Character: Gallis

 
What is his favorite color and why?
Dillyn: This is going to be harder than I thought. How do you guess a person’s favorite color if they haven’t ever told you?
Alvorach: I don’t know. Maybe look at what color they wear the most?
Dillyn: I guess that’s as good a start as any? What color did Gallis wear a lot? Alder, do you remember?
Alder: From what I recall, he liked darker colors. Deep reds, dark greens, and sometimes a very dark blue.
Dillyn: That’s right. Whenever I picture him, I see him in that maroon color vest with gold trim. He generally favored gold over silver. And he almost always wore black pants, unless he was wearing blue. Then he would go with a tan color or a gray. One thing I do have to say about Gallis, he always had a good sense of style.
Alright, so putting aside Gallis’s sense of style, we will just pretend his favorite color is dark red or maroon. Why do you think he likes that color?
Dillyn: Well, it’s not because it matches his eyes.
Alvorach: I would have to agree with that. I don’t know Gallis well at all, but I’m pretty sure his eyes aren’t red.
Alder: I might say because red is a bold color. It stands out, and it seems to be harder to influence with other colors.
Dillyn: That sounds about right. Red really does seem like a very confident color, doesn’t it?

 
What is his favorite food and why?
Alvorach: I’m completely lost on this one. It is going to have to be completely up to the others.
Dillyn: I don’t know if I’m much help on this question either. Alder, I think your the only one here who has actually seen Gallis eat. What would you say?
Alder: He seems to prefer a lot of meat dishes. They are always richly seasoned. If I ever ate there, I would come away with a heavy feeling in my stomach, like the food might sit there forever. I think one of the most frequently served dishes was some sort of honey glazed mutton. It was actually quite good.
Alvorach: Well, that seems like a good enough reason to me. It does sound good. Is anybody else getting hungry talking about this?
Dillyn: I agree. That does sound wonderful. Perhaps I should have tried a bit harder to earn an invitation to a royal feast.
Alright, alright. Moving on.

Where would he go on his dream vacation, and what would he do?
Dillyn: Gallis is not known for his traveling. In fact, he doesn’t often leave the palace grounds. I’m not entirely sure I have ever heard of him leaving Accipitridaelynn.
Alder: No, I remember there was one time he took a trip to Turdus.
Dillyn: Oh, yes. I’m not sure how I forgot that. He took enough soldiers it might have been mistaken for a small invasion if they wouldn’t have been in Aviandrian uniform. I don’t know what he thought he was going to come up against.
Alder: Dillyn is right, though. It is rare for Gallis to travel much. I think he would prefer to spend his vacation at home. He may do extra leisure activities, but I don’t think he would go far.
Alvorach: I don’t have anything to add on this one either. I’m not exactly sure why I’m here. My dealings with Gallis aren’t very extensive.
That’s alright. You have at least grown up hearing about what is going on. Your insight is still valuable.

 
What animal do you think Gallis would see himself most like and why?
Dillyn: What he would see himself like, or what we see him most like?
Go ahead and answer for both.
Dillyn: If I had to say what I would count him most like, I would say maybe a snake. Sneaky, and silent, but deadly. I don’t know if he would prefer to think of himself that way. He would probably choose something big and tough. Maybe a wolf or a bear. I could see him fancying himself a bear. What would you say, Alder?
Alder: Yes, I could see that idea pleasing him more than some.
Alvorach: I don’t know. A shark comes to mind when I think of Gallis as an animal. Sharks are powerful enough he might not mind being compared to one either.
Dillyn: Oh, yes, I like that. A shark is a good one.

 
If he had a hundred dollars to spend (or the equivalent in Aviandrian currency) however he liked, what would he do with it?
Dillyn: I don’t think he would even take much notice of that much money. Most of what he would want to spend money on would require a significantly greater amount than that.
Alder: One thing I do have to say about Gallis is that he really never spent as much money on personal frivolity as some rulers. He has never overspent on things like clothing or ridiculously grand events. He is actually fairly well balanced in those regards. Most of his expenditures have gone toward the military. Unfortunately, that can get very expensive very fast. That is why it has been putting a heavy financial burden on the people of Aviandria. Many of them have had to pay more than they can afford in taxes so Gallis can even just maintain the army he put together.
Dillyn: I could see him getting a new dagger or something like that with it. It would probably be enough for that. Although, he probably has several that are even better than what you would get for that much.

 
If Gallis had an hour of free time to do whatever he wanted with, what would he do?
Dillyn: Gallis is pretty active. I’m guessing he might engage in one of his favorite sports. He is said to be an excellent swordsman. I haven’t had the opportunity to see it myself. Perhaps he would spend some time sparring.
Alder: I know he enjoys horseback riding. He trained his own horse personally. I think he may be more fond of that horse than any other living creature. I’m guessing he might spend his time riding, though Dillyn could be right as well. It may very well depend on his mood.
Alvorach: I was going to say he spends most of his free time plotting how to silence anybody who opposes him, but I think what Alder and Dillyn have said is really the more likely.
You mean he doesn’t spend every moment figuring out how to kill people and have it look like an accident?
Dillyn: He wouldn’t need to. It didn’t take very long before people figured out that there was a connection between the accidents and people who had spoken out or defied Gallis in some way. After the first few incidents, most were simply to scared to step out of line. That would mean Gallis ran out of people to plot against.
What about you and Alder?
Alder: He wouldn’t need a plan for us. All he would have to do is have us executed for deserters. It would be perfectly within the law, and nobody could really find fault with him for doing it.

If Gallis could have one super power, what would it be?
Dillyn: I’m trying to remember all the possibilities. There was invisibility, extra strength, flying—
Alder: I remember there was breathing underwater and healing.
Alvorach: There was also that one—X-ray vision. That one sounded really interesting. And there was the incredible speed, and mind reading.
Dillyn: I could see Gallis liking the idea of reading minds.
Alder: I know Gallis would enjoy the ability to read minds, and the thought is actually quite terrifying. He would not only be able to discover who might cause him trouble, but he would be able to discover their fears and uncertainties and use it against them. It would make him far more dangerous than he ever has been.
Alvorach: If Gallis ever starts being able to read minds, I think I may just return to Draconland.
Dillyn: It would indeed be a dark day for Aviandria.

And now for the final question. What wonderful words of advice or wisdom do you think Gallis could leave with our readers?
Dillyn: Advice Gallis should leave, or advice he would leave?
Either or both.
Alder: I think the advice he should leave would be, don’t try to cure what isn’t ill. The military was fine before. They had ample strength to deal with almost anything likely to come up. Building it up like Gallis did cause more harm than good. He would have done better to strengthen what he already had.
Alvorach: I was going to say, the right person with the right words in the right situation can defeat an entire army. You think he might have learned that after what Alder did.
Dillyn: Yes. That would be good advice. Don’t mess with Alder. You’ll never win.
Alder: You both know it wasn’t just me. It would have worked for anyone.
Dillyn: But you were the only one who did it. Before Alder has the chance to argue further, I’ll take the plunge and guess what Gallis would probably really leave. He would probably say something like, do whatever it takes to place yourself in a position of power, and then use any means necessary to keep it.
Well, let’s just hope our readers stick with the advice Gallis should have given. Don’t fix what isn’t broken, and the thought about one person being able to defeat an entire army with the right words in the right situation. Those are a little more uplifting.