Alastar Redleaf

Biography: Born into the noble Redleaf family, Alastar was the second son and youngest child of Daveth and Meraud Redleaf, younger than his twin sister, Rhiannon, by a little over eight minutes. While his older brother, Doran, took after their father, Alastar and Rhiannon took after their mother, including inheriting her talent as a Shadow Walker.

At the age of sixteen, when his twin was being courted by Prince Ithel and his brother was being groomed to take over the family fortune, Alastar joined the royal guard as part of an elite unit comprised entirely of Shadow Walkers. He briefly courted Princess Agrona, but eventually broke things off to court a fellow guard, Arya.

When Alastar was twenty-five, he and Arya found themselves captured during training in the Shadow Realms. Bhimar, the sorcerer and warlord who had captured them, wanted the Hearts of the Kingdoms for himself. At first they resisted, but then Arya mentioned to Alastar that she had hopes of regaining Agrona’s friendship. When Bhimar told them he had caused Agrona to miscarry her child, the two realized what he was capable of. They stole the Hearts, but hid them instead of delivering them, taking the chance to escape as well.

Because of how quickly the Hearts were stolen, their entire unit was accused. Disgraced, Alastar came up with the idea that they should all become what they were accused of being. They formed the Thieves Guild, and Alastar, now known as Knives, became their leader. Arya, a top-notch archer, became known as Arrows. The others, eight in total, also took nicknames: Blade, Archer, Pick, Lifter, Muscles, Sneak, Watcher, and Dart.

For more than a century, Alastar continued to communicate in secret with Rhiannon. He stood in the shadows and watched when she married Ithel, and it was in the Shadow Realms that Rhiannon introduced Cliona to him, explaining to him how and why Cliona was kept hidden. He continued on even when Arya eventually went missing, even when he learned that she had ended up with Ryder and the Rangers of Linwood. One-hundred and ninety-five years after Alastar was introduced to Cliona, he met Cliona’s daughter, tiny little Tesni.

Alastar watched Tesni grow from the shadows just as he’d watched Cliona, observing how much she looked like her mother, both of them taking after Ithel. When Tesni was four, Alastar received a final letter from his sister. In it, she told him something was coming and begged him to take care of Tesni, if he could.

When the attack happened, Alastar went to the inn to meet up with Cliona and take Tesni from her, but he couldn’t find her. He did, however, see his grand-niece in the street, crying, separated from her mother. Alastar scooped her up and soothed her as he checked her necklace to ensure that he had the right kid. He then slipped with her through the shadows and gave her the Redleaf last name. He hid the necklace, knowing that the best way to keep Tesni safe was to keep her identity even from her.

As the girl grew, she forgot Cliona, and Alastar nicknamed her Wits, finding her to be very clever. The girl became an excellent thief, despite having no talent for Shadow Walking, and Alastar beamed with pride. He cared for her for four years before fate found Tesni running into Arya, and Alastar, realizing that this would be better for her, returned the necklace to her, though he chose not to tell her that she was a princess.

Alastar mourned the loss of his sister and brother-in-law, though he continued to watch over his niece and grand-niece for six years after they died, when he received word that Cliona had died as well. Finding himself rejected by Arya, who was in love with Ryder, Alastar was surprised to learn that Ryder was, in fact, Tesni’s father. He wished them well, realizing that this was true love, and he would not come between them. He did, however, continue to bring Tesni little treats.

When Tesni was seventeen, Alastar again stood proud as he watched her take her throne. He, Arya, and the other members of the Thieves Guild were the ones to help rescue Tesni’s daughter, Nia, and bring her home eleven years after she had been kidnapped. He also became engaged to Branwen, the blade mistress for the Rangers, and it was at this time that Tesni finally learned of their relationship.

Later that year, with the Hearts of Linwood and Halmar both in Tesni’s hands, Alastar and Arya went to fetch the rest of the Hearts from their hiding places. It was while retrieving the Heart of Yewsel from Uqresa, a town in western Halmar, that he and Arya were attacked by guards who had been expecting them. Arya was killed almost immediately. Alastar barely made it back to the Ranger camp through the shadows and gave Ryder, Tesni, and Branwen the information they needed before dying in Branwen’s arms.