Character Profile: Andrew Caein
At the beginning of Exile, the main character is introduced as Andrew Marsden, the commander of the king’s armies in Novania. He is a career soldier, and given his unusual ancestry, it was a natural fit.
Andrew was raised in the royal castle; his mother was the queen, though his biological father was not a part of his life. The king knew Andrew was not his child, but raised him as though he were his own. The king had three sons of his own, all younger than Andrew, and none were aware that their eldest brother was not the king’s son—until the matter of succession comes to the forefront, that is. When it comes to light that Andrew is not the heir, the councilmen serving the king demand he be stripped of the Marsden name, and he becomes known simply as “Andrew”.
By the time the novel begins, the queen has already passed, and Andrew knows very little of his true father, other than he was a dragon-mage. As a creature half human and half dragon, he has the ability to shift between the two forms at will, though he has only rarely taken on his dragon form.
Novania’s laws regarding the dragon-kind stated that any found abiding within her borders may be hunted for sport, or killed on sight, depending on the circumstance. The queen had managed to help Andrew keep his true identity a secret as he was growing up, a practice he continued throughout his adult life. Neither the king nor his three half-brothers were aware of his true nature, and he planned to make certain they would never learn the truth…But sometimes, a secret so large cannot be kept indefinitely.
Read an excerpt from Exile here to learn more about the event that led to Andrew unveiling himself in the midst of Novania’s capitol city.