Character Interview: Christian
I glance over my list of questions as I wait for Christian in the common room of Black Wolf inn. I asked Flynn to tell him he was next, and I can hear the insults from here. Something about Christian being short. I shake my head. It’s always something with those two.
Footsteps clomp across the floor as Christian hastens into the room, his fists clenched. He casts a glance over his shoulder at the dining room. What had Flynn said now?
“Trying to control your anger?” I ask as Christian drops into a chair across from me. “You look about ready to punch someone.”
“I’d like to at times. And, yes, that’s why I was hurrying—to keep from getting into a fight with Flynn.” He sends another glare at the dining room. “Why is he so… rude? It’s like he enjoys insulting me.”
“He has issues, Christian. He’s had a hard life, but that’s really no excuse for being mean.” I pause for a moment, mulling over Flynn’s actions. “I think he just doesn’t know how to make friends, especially with other men.”
“He knows how to make enemies,” Christian grumbles.
I shake my head. “He’s not your enemy, and you know it.”
“Then he’s just infuriatingly annoying.”
I sigh. “Nevermind. This isn’t about Flynn, anyway. We’re here to talk about you.”
“Right.” He blows out a breath and his posture relaxes a little. “So, what’s first?”
“Tell us about your gift.”
“I have the gift of strength, which no one would believe by looking at me.”
Very true. Christian is short and thin, reaching no more than five foot seven with no trace of visible muscle.
“My gift gives me the strength of several men,” Christian continues. “And stronger agility. I don’t get tired as quickly as others, and I don’t get injured as easily.”
“You also heal faster, don’t you?”
Christian nods. “My gift has many benefits, but it has often felt like more of a curse.”
“Because of your parents?” I ask softly.
“That’s a big reason, yes. The villagers murdered them because of me.” A faraway look settles over him, mingling with sorrow.
Time to find a lighter note.
“But you’ve had some fun with your gift, too, right?”
“I have.” A smile slowly spreads on his face. “Like the time when I was a toddler and was spinning in circles like a top with my arms out. I accidentally hit a bucket off the fence and sent it flying. We never did find it, but we heard a rumor that it was raining buckets two towns over.”
I laugh. “So, is that when you realized you were gifted?”
“No.” Christian falls silent for a moment, a frown replacing his grin. “To be perfectly honest, I don’t remember when I discovered my gift. It’s just always been there.”
“So, even as an infant, you had the strength of five men?”
He shrugs. “Yes, as far as I know. My parents told me stories of how I’d always break my toys because I couldn’t control my strength. I was a teenager before I had much control over it, or my anger.”
I give him a look.
“All right, so I still can’t control my anger that well.”
“You need to work on that.”
“I’m trying. I pray about it all the time. Things are starting to get better.”
“True. You haven’t hit Flynn yet, and that’s no small task.”
Christian laughs. “You’re telling the truth there.”
I glance back at my papers and the list of questions. “We can’t give away any spoilers, so we can’t go too in depth with your past, but what happened after your parents were killed?”
Christian sighs, all mirth gone. “What didn’t happen? I was only ten when I lost my parents. I left the only village I’d ever lived in; wound up living on the streets, wondering from town to town, fighting just to survive. I even stooped to thievery.” He sighs again. “It was not a good time. And then came the slavery.”
“You were a slave?”
He nods. “I only stayed on the streets for a year until a member of the dark market found me.”
“What’s the dark market?”
“It’s a group of people who illegally sell goods. A lot of times, those goods are themselves illegal. They also deal in slaves and aren’t shy to kill when it serves their purposes.”
“And that’s the kind of person who found you?”
“Yes. And he sold me to the leader of a performance troop.” Christian turns his right palm up, tracing a scar running across the middle. “He called it a mark of membership, but I think it was actually a sign of ownership. He forced me to perform using my gift. I made a lot of money for my master, but was paid only a few cents. I hated my life, but I was trapped with nowhere to go. At least, as long as I was with the troop, I was fed. So, that’s how my life went until I was fifteen.”
“What happened then?”
“I can’t give all the details, but let’s just say an elder rescued me. He brought me into his home and taught me about the Creator. I lived with him and his family for two and a half years before moving on. Not long after that, I met the McGees, and they basically adopted me as a brother. Life still isn’t easy, but I’ve been happy these past five years. The Creator turned my life around.”
“And he still is.”
“Yes.” Christian smiles. “Though I find it difficult to believe that he’d choose me to be a prophesied warrior.”
“He often sees more in us than we see in ourselves.”
“And I’m glad he does. But… a warrior?” Christian shakes his head, but his smile is still in place. “It’s unreal.”
“Do you know how to fight?”
“No. Not with a weapon, anyway. I guess I should learn.”
“Yes, you should. And the sooner the better.”
Christian gives me a strange look and opens his mouth to speak, but I beat him to it.
“If you ask me what I’m planning, I will hurt you.”
He laughs. “What?”
“Everyone is asking that!”
“Then I’ll break the pattern and keep quiet about it.”
I let out a breath. “Thank you. But, while we’re on the subject of what’s coming next, what do you hope to happen?”
“I have no clue. I never expected my life to be anything more than it always was—working hard to survive. I guess… a better life for my family.”
“You mean the McGee children?”
“Yeah. They’re the only family I have. They took me in and, like I said, accepted me as a brother. I’ve never been able to work to take care of them because of having to hide my gift. Working a labor job would reveal my strength, and that’s never turned out well. I’m unqualified for any other type of work, so…” He shrugs. “I couldn’t give them a better life. That’s what I really want; for the children to be safe and happy.”
“And what about you?” I ask. “Don’t you want anything for yourself?”
“What I want, I can’t have.”
“Why so mysterious?”
“No spoilers, remember?”
“Right. So, your dreams, other than a good home for the McGee children, are a secret for now.”
“Pretty much.”
“All right.” I glance back at my papers. “I guess we’re done here.”
The next name on my list is Lucas. I let out a sigh. He can be just as stubborn as Flynn when it comes to answering questions. Hopefully, he’ll answer at least a few.
Next week, I’ll interview Lucas. Direct descendant of Artasian royalty, hunter, lived as a hermit, extensive knowledge of fighting, a secret past he never speaks of, leader of the warriors… there is a lot to Lucas. If there’s anything you want to know about him, be sure to drop your questions in the comments!
