Leopold, the king, is a respected and loved man. He lost his first wife ten years back during childbirth. The child died hours later. A year later he married another woman who died eight years later, also during childbirth. The child lived for nine months until he fell from a window. The king has two sons from his first marriage, Bernard (27) and Alexander (21). He turned 52 the 15th of the month of saint Augustus of the year 137. He is good-looking and charming like he has always been. He prefers to do things by himself but is able to handle social situations if he has to. He usually plans ahead and sticks to it the best he can. He is intelligent and trusts his head more than his heart because he hasn't trusted his emotions since his first wife died. He's more of a doer than a philosopher and enjoys hunting and riding. He's also good at cooking and once made soup with his wife for those less fortunate of the capital city.
He doesn't like his older son, Bernard, because he's "a lazy bum who does nothing but eat, drink and read" which is actually quite accurate. Bernard has 100 pounds extra weight and tends to stay inside all day, reading books he found in bookstores. He never bothered to study because he thought it was too much of a routine. After he dropped out of school at the age of 21 his father made up a lie that Bernard went to the Eastern border to "take care of the unrest caused by rebels," and sent him to their summer mansion far away. He was very happy about the change because the library there's a lot bigger than in the palace. Besides, he had grown tired of his father's constant complaints regarding his actions. "The future king should care for his people, not act like an elder." All Bernard wanted to do was to enjoy his life his on way. But good food and wine aren't the main focus in his life. He wants knowledge. Not because knowledge is power but for its own sake. He wants to read about wonders of the East and fearsome beasts of the West. He wants to learn about lost civilizations and, perhaps, find a treasure or two. His father has wanted to stop funding his son's hobbies multiple times but gave in every time, he's his oldest heir after all.
The king isn't very fond of his younger son, Alexander, either. "He's like a wild boar," he says. "Too strong and wild to control." Alexander is hot-headed and violent but very gentle and passionate about those he cares about, which mainly means his cat, Emily. He got kicked out of school after he punched a teacher who said that his grades were very poor. His father sent him to South, to "lead an army against attacking enemy troops." In reality, he got his own little mansion and a handful of maids who feed him, dress him and tend his wounds.
He doesn't only fight because he's mad. He also fights if there's money in it, which made him join a fighters' club of sort. The club consists of young men who pay a small sum of money to get in different tournaments to win more money. His father stopped paying him any more than what's necessary after he wasted everything on gambling and booze.
