Ten Facts You May or May Not Have Known About Alder

Sometimes it’s hard, because as the author, I know my characters better than anyone else. However, I can’t always write everything I know about them in the story, so I’ve decided to write a list of things about each of the main characters of the books. Some of them may have been hinted at in the books, but some of them might be entirely new. I was considering doing them all at once, but that would get a little long. I thought it might be more fun and fast to read to do one at a time. Just to be fair, I’m starting in alphabetical order. The first one would be Alder. So, Here are ten facts you may or may not have known about Alder from reading the books.

Alder

1. He was accepted into the rider training program a year younger than usual.
2. He has lived nearly his entire life in the city but loves open spaces and nature. He only chose to live in the city because it was a necessity in order to be a rider.
3. His mother died in complications from childbirth. Though he still lived with his father until his father’s death, he was practically raised by Dillyn’s mother.
4. After his father drowned when he was about eight or nine, Alder lived with one of his father’s friends from the sky corps. Although the man was kind to him, he didn’t really have a nurturing touch. Alder still continued to spend the majority of his time with Dillyn’s family.
5. Having been raised by riders, he has developed incredibly tidy habits.
6. Alder is among the riders who studied extra and became specialized as a healer.
7. For being rather quiet, Alder has a surprising number of connections and friends. They may not be as close of friends as Dillyn, but he has good relationships with many people.  
8. Alder has a peculiar relationship with Gallis. He was involved with saving Gallis’s son’s life at one point, and although others were involved, Gallis gave Alder most of the credit. He was frequently called to the palace to act as a companion to Gallis’s son until Gallis’s son died of health-related issues several years later.
9. Alder named his roc, Lyonal, after his grandfather on his mother’s side.
10. Although he has a tendency to inspire those around him with confidence, Alder often doesn’t feel very confident himself. Most people would never guess this. He’s pretty good at hiding it.

Which things were new to you? Did anything surprise you?