Sidekicks …
Such wonderful characters, aren’t they? Without the sidekick, the hero would never be able to complete the quest. The sidekick never looses hope, always manages to smile when the night looks blackest, and somehow knows just what to say to encourage the hero at the end of all things.
The sidekick doesn’t get the acclaim. At the end of the day, no one sings the sidekick’s praise. They are underrated, ignored, forgotten.
But they don’t care.
And that is what makes a sidekick a true hero.
I had a terrible time deciding which character to highlight for this challenge. Most of my sidekick characters are of the male variety … and although I don’t mind throwing on boots, trousers, and a cap every once in a while, the last few characters I’ve done have been boys, and I decided it was high time I dragged a dress out of the wardrobe instead of a duster.
So for this challenge, I decided to highlight a character from my newest fantasy novel, The Epic of Aedonia.
Ladies and gentlemen, meet Astraea tor Telweg of Aedonia.
Here she sits beside the large fireplace in her chambers in Rysinger Fortress. The style of her gown is simplistic, but it is fashioned from fine rich fabrics of muted blue and green, like the sea surrounding her home fief, Cenyon.
A home she has not seen in several years.
Like her mother, renowned beauty and chieftainess of Cenyon, Astraea is slender with pale skin and long dark hair. But unlike her mother, her pale skin is too pale and her hair too inky black to be truly striking.
Astraea tends to be quiet and soft spoken. Before the accident that landed her with the crutches three years prior, she was considered a highly skilled tracker. Like so many of the “quiet ones,” she observes far more than she reveals.
She may no longer follow the hunt, but she possesses an invaluable knowledge of the workings of the court and the politics behind the seven fiefs of Aedonia and their chieftains.
Some consider Astraea weak because of her quiet nature and infirmity. But strength comes in many ways and many forms.
Sometimes it is the quiet ones who feel things the loudest. The weakest ones who becomes the strongest. The injured ones who are able to rise above all difficulties and stand tall.
Care to find out more about the Characters in Costume Challenges? Stop by the Characters in Costume Challenge page for more information or to see examples of previous challenges.
