Kael Thorne

Backstory

Kael was raised in the Royal Aeries of Thornhaven, bonded with his dragon Vex at age twelve—an unusually late pairing that marked him as unremarkable among his peers. Where other riders dreamed of glory, Kael preferred the quiet work of maintenance and study, earning a reputation as competent but uninspired. His selection for the Cordelia rescue was bureaucratic convenience rather than honor; the Crown needed a rider they could control, not a hothead. What they didn't anticipate was Kael's growing skepticism of royal orders, born from years of watching noble politics corrode genuine purpose.