A while back I came across a copy of The Five Love Languages, by Gary Chapman, and read through it. Naturally, one of my first reactions was to try them out on my characters and see who fit with what.

For a brief intro, the five love languages are:

- Gift giving

- Quality time

- Words of affirmation

- Acts of service

- Physical touch

I realized almost immediately that Mordred is touch. As important as words are in his life, as much as he uses them and even likes to play around with them, his deepest affection is shown through acts of physical contact. Case in point, his impetuous kiss to Fiona in The Village. That's "The Example", but there are plenty of others. At not one but two points in The Claw, hugging Fenris is a crucial factor in his emotional state. Again and again, throughout all the books, touch signifies security with him. And while he and Fred both share a deep love of beauty, in Mordred's head we tend to find more tactile references. Prickly beard; jostling people; cool air; feet scuffing the grass; slippery moss and rock; soft bluebell. He also can't stand to be "handled" in any way. Rough, abusive or degrading touch is both physically and emotionally disturbing to him. (His upbringing didn't help)

Jedediah Crayes, on the other hand, is "Words of Affirmation". Not only does he talk, like, all the time, even to himself, except when circumstances actually demand silence, words are definitely his method of expressing approval and vice versa. While he rarely shows affection *cough* after all, he's not supposed to have any, um... he likes to call Mordred "little fool" and "brat", none of which might be take as very affectionate terms, but when you're not supposed to have affection what else can you do? Now, of course we haven't seen a lot of Jedediah Crayes so far, but believe me, it'll be borne out as we go along. He cares nothing for time, and gifts/service are as far as he's concerned totally ambiguous things. He's definitely not a "touch-y" person. Words are what he uses, and he revels in receiving compliments -- those are what really preen his vanity.

Fred was a bit of a head-scratcher for me. And yet almost instantly my instinctive reaction was to place him with gifts. And after questioning my sisters, their instinct was exactly the same. My guess was based on two incidents, one which is a spoiler and one which is no longer extant in the books, but they were both instances of giving gifts(TO a certain blonde maiden hehe). The longer I thought about it, the more it honestly seems to fit. Fred appreciates compliments, and he can give them readily in return, but despite all that there's something about him that says "Words don't mean the most to me." He wanted to prove himself so desperately to his siblings in The Journey. He wanted to give them more than they had at the outset. He wanted to gift them, in a sense, with perfect safety and security. I can only imagine how touched he would be at receiving a gift from someone else, but the picture is very powerful.

Fiona, I believe, is words of affirmation. She needs a lot of love, but she doesn't need it in the form of service -- the "normal" things to do -- and she doesn't seek out gifts. While I think she deeply appreciates quality time, Fred's lovely comments are what leave her blushing and glowing and heart-racing. That's what reinforces her belief, "Wow -- he meant that!" And she in turn is eager to lift others up with speech from her heart.

While I haven't given a lot of thought to Laufeia, my gut reaction is to place her in Acts of Service. She looooooooves her housework; she's one of those people (NOT ME!) who would be happy to clean the house all day long. She seems to expect a lot from the boys, i.e. Mordred and Fenris, in regards to her cooking: she wants them to sit down and enjoy and appreciate it. I think she definitely regards everyday work as something to be valued as a labor of love. She was impressed and delighted by the willing sacrifices that Ceristen made to help them get settled in (unlike Mordred, who viewed it as an embarrassing level of charity)

Fenris is, I'm nearly sure, quality time. It fits him like a glove, somehow. He barely talks; he's not a lazybones, he does what needs to be done, but he doesn't seek to do more beyond that; he's simply there for people. For Mordred, more than anyone, of course, but his willing empathy extends to others. Therelane, for instance. And a telling point that suggests he appreciates time and presence as such is in his very words to Therelane: "I was never lonely; Mordred was always there." Mordred was there for him, always watching over him and spending all the time he could with him. And that is doubtlessly a part of what forged the immensely powerful bond between them.

More random fun facts:

> Mordred can't really grow a beard. (Fact was actually alluded to in the latest chapter of The War.) This contributes to his youthful appearance, and why people constantly call him "boy".

> Inability to grow facial hair is determined by genetics. Fenris at this stage does not have any to speak of; later on in life he gains some, though it remains scant(he prefers for that reason to shave). Ahearn, however, can and does have a beard.

> The Leader in The War, Cern Dersturi, was originally called Brutus Raven. I didn't even like the name, and I didn't think it suited him, and finally when we actually figured out where the enemy army came from(after two years), I decided he should have a Runnicoran name...

> In the final book, a Thorne is going to travel to Fearnland (where the Thornes' mother came from)

> In the original version of The War Grant Eagle had a whole family with him and they all settled down in Ceristen. I decided it was far preferable to have him a semi-jaded loner whose father was dead. >:}

> I have documentation of every single baby born in Ceristen for over two years following The War.

> Height time!

Mordred is 6'2"

Fenris is 5'10"

Fred is 5'11"

Jedediah Crayes is 6' even

Braegon is just short of 5'9"

Laufeia is 5'3"

Fiona 5'6"

Creepy Disney witch assassin lady is 6'1"

Inspector Dickson is 5'10"

Marcus is 5'9"

Cecelia is 5'4"

Irene Grey is 5'2"

Sam is between 5'9" and 5'10"

> None of the King family (Braegon, Mirda, and Filian) can read. They came of an ordinary family without much means, and Fearnland is not a particularly literate country (although Fred's mother, Ladeia, could read, but she was of the nobility)