Eskander Firesong

The youngest son of Bhimar and Tanith Firesong, Eskander was born in the twenty-fourth year of the reign of King Ruslar. He was a somewhat spoiled child, favored by his mother, though his father made sure he learned the way of the world, and he began learning to use a bow and arrows and to ride horseback at the age of five, just like his brothers had before him.

When Eskander was six, someone new arrived in camp. Her name was Nia, she was five years old, and she was to be a ward of his brother and sister-in-law. He remained friendly toward her, and as they grew, so did his affection for her. When she was ten and he was twelve, his father betrothed them. He got as much gold as he could and when a traveling merchant came through the area, he purchased for her a necklace. They married when he was seventeen and she was sixteen, as soon as the passed her final test as a Shadow Walker.

Late on their wedding night, long after they had first consummated their union, she asked him if he would like to see the shadows. He consented, and was surprised to learn that her true purpose was to convince him to leave with her for Linwood. Even more surprising for him was that she was the missing princess of Linwood. He was so in love with her that he agreed to go with her. They took with them Nisha and Eskander’s mother, Tanith, as well as Nisha’s mother, Rhosyn, and Nia’s horse, Nimeshaph. It wasn’t long before Nia told Eskander that she was pregnant, and his heart leapt with joy.

His heart fell again when Nia was captured and beaten to the point that she miscarried, and he angrily went to his mother-in-law, Tesni, requesting to go to Seos to avenge the death of his unborn child. She convinced him to stay with Nia, however, and he received advice from Agrona on how best to help Nia get through the heartache.

It was shortly after this that they returned to Seos, and before he knew it, she was telling him that she was again pregnant. Eskander doted on his wife, caring for her and ensuring she had all that she desired, until the day they were forcibly separated. Nia was called to the women’s quarters to speak with Artunis, who was training the women that Nia would someday lead into battle. Shortly after, members of the royal guard entered the quarters that Eskander and Nia shared. They informed him that he was being charged with treason and arrested. In too much shock to defend himself, he found himself taken to the dungeons and locked into a small cell. Saddened by this turn of events, Eskander barely ate, knowing he would soon be executed. The night before he was to die, however, he found himself face to face with his brother, Draco. Draco was offering to free him and help him escape if Eskander would agree to work with him, doing what their father had not yet done. Draco’s words got to Eskander. He began to find reason in them and agreed to help.

Still, Eskander was reluctant to truly break the law, finding himself still loyal to King Ruslar and, even more so, to his beloved Nia. Still, he worked with Draco, using magic to steal first tents, then animals, and finally two women, Sitara and Sarnai. He did nothing to harm them, however, saddened by the way that Draco treated Sitara, and in the morning, he found that Sitara had killed Draco. Sadly, Eskander buried his older brother and then released the two women.

Sitara and Sarnai, however, had other ideas. The village leader of Isilarran, the village nearest the camp that Draco and Eskander had made in the foothills of the eastern mountains, was without a village leader, and the local guards were corrupt, more loyal to Bhimar than to Ruslar. At their request, Eskander met with Sitara’s father, part of a small group of the royal guard who were fully loyal to Ruslar. They all worked together, and Eskander used his small amount of sorcery to help defeat the corrupt guards.

Once the small battle for control of Isilarran was over, Eskander was surprised to find himself elected the new village leader. It was also about this time that Eskander was granted a “posthumous” pardon, as it turned out that Eskander’s mother, Tanith, had been the real traitor all along.

Though saddened by this, he was glad to be pardoned, and he wrote with good humor to King Ruslar, informing him of the current situation. A week later, Nisha and Aeron arrived on Ruslar’s behalf. This pleased Eskander, but not as much as a few hours later, when Nia arrived. She had been seeking Nisha and Aeron, but her arrival resulted in a joyous reunion for husband and wife, and Nia had brought further good news, that her uncle, Finn, had earned his blade.

The next spring, another Shadow Walker brought them news that Nia was needed at home in Linwood immediately. Tesni had been poisoned, and it was likely that she would die. Eskander went with his wife back home. Though Tesni survived, Eskander realized the dangers of meadow saffron, and sent a message to Aeron, who now was King since the death of Ruslar, requesting that he name a new village leader for Isilarran.

A few months later, Nia went into labor a month early while training in the shadows with Finn and Ethan, the same Shadow Walker who had brought them the message of Tesni’s illness. When Eskander next saw Nia, she was holding his son, whom they named Drystan. Soon after, Eskander also reconciled with Drusus, who had taken a new wife. Their reconciliation happened just in time for the truth to come out about their grandmother, Ruya. It turned out that either Bhimar had lied about her being dead, or had been lied to about it, for they had long believed her dead. Now, though, the two brothers were reconciled with her, as well. Naturally, they were saddened when she chose to remain in Linwood when they went west to Yewsel with the others.

In Yewsel, Eskander alternated between training and doting on his wife and son. During this time, Sarnai arrived, along with the poet Kavi. She revealed to Eskander and Drusus that she was pregnant with their younger sibling, having been used by Bhimar while he held her captive. She was in love with Kavi, though, and the brothers were more than happy to see the two married, knowing that Kavi would be a good father to their little brother or sister, and that Sarnai would be a good mother. When the time came for the Battle of Hearts, he fought with everything he had, determined to survive so that he would not leave his family without him. After, he helped with the rebuilding of Linwood. A year later, when the kings and queens of the Five Kingdoms came to sign a treaty, Sarnai and Kavi came with Eogan, who was now king of Seos, and Eskander finally got to meet his baby brother, Erol.

Two years after the Battle of Hearts, Eskander learned that he was to be a father yet again. This time, Nia gave him a daughter, and they named her Tanith, after his mother, hoping that the girl would have her grandmother's best qualities.