Shasta is the main character of The Horse and His Boy, although other characters are well developed. At the beginning, Shasta is a boy serving the only father he has known, a fisherman. Fair-haired while the local people tend to be dark-haired, he stands out as unusual. A passing nobleman is certain Shasta must be descended from northerners and cannot be the son of the man with whom Shasta lives. Much of the narrative of The Horse and His Boy involves Shasta learning to shed his slave mentality and to think independently and act freely. When Bree suggests that they flee together, Shasta acts more out of fear of the nobleman than out of a desire to be free.

On the other hand, Bree wants to be free.

He remembers being kidnapped from Narnia when he was a colt and forced to serve Calormen in wars...