Aidan is an immediately appealing character. He is quite unlike his cousin Alf of the Hound and Falcon trilogy.

Outwardly he is the very figure of a fine knight: dark-haired, lithe, and well-built. He is dashing, courageous, devil-may-care, gallant, and loyal.

Inwardly he is these things too. But only Aidan knows the contradictions hidden by his elevated status. As a prince, he automatically has rank and respect, but in his homeland he is always the younger brother, and usually travels alone. His mixed human and elven parentage meant that he grew up without a mother. He sometimes draws hostility even from the people he is defending, and his automatic tendency to tell the truth does not necessarily help. He can read others' thoughts at close range. This is not always an advantage, either. Sometimes it is an embarrassment, or a drain on his energies. Even the magic that...