Trystin

''' Important Wiki Note: Although Trystin is one of MANY names for this character, for consistency on this page, he will be referred to as Trystin routinely. '''

Trystin, the most common alias for the prince of the Third Kingdom, third born son of the Empress, sometimes healer and doctor, explorer, navigator, botanist, and army commander. He is the male protagonist of the series.

Names, Pseudonyms, and Aliases
With staggering amount of alternative names, it is difficult to pick a definitive one for this man. Most commonly he is called Trystin (sometimes spelt or pronounced Trysten or Tristan), or the longer form of Trysitalian, Trystolian, and Trynitolion.

For a time he is called Sandborn, along with Desert Orphan and Wanderer, all of which carry similar weight.

He carries the name Eelion, another word for 'brother' which he takes to be a name. Keld and Pennant both call him this, but Trystin notes it never feels right on him.

He is called 'Saviour' by some Jaya, but rejects the name.

Goes by the name Thistle when amongst pirates.

It is revealed that his true, birth name, is Alecandrian, but unlike his royal brothers, he never takes the official name.

In the last years before amnesia, he goes by Alex - Alexander to Ali - which is a bit of a call back to his royal name, but far enough from Trystin that only Ali calls him this when waking from nightmares or in her moments of desperation.

Rejected names: Trynitarina.

Physicality
Dark, black hair, bearded, and a scarred left hand. Keld says his eyes are brownish. It is also Keld that correctly guesses his sexuality though Trystin does not refute it in any way. He has a notable scar on his left wrist, as well as amultitude of others, the noteworthy ones being a burn scar on his hip, some marks on his chest, a birth mark on his shoulder, old scarring on his ribs, but no tattoos of any kind.

Early Life
Born the third son of a royal line, he is often called triplet royalty for although he youngest, he is similar in age to his brothers - though not truly twins- Richarden and Cornelian, and bears a remarkable semblance to them. His birth was never announced. He is vaguely recognized from place to place due to his heritage, but no one knows the name of Alecandrian. He rarely sees his family and has had no notable relationships with them since he was dethroned. His mother is the Empress, though he also has a brother nicknamed Brother Wild, (Auran) as well as at least one full sister with very long black hair who takes after his mother (Fallaxia)., who is second born between Cornelian and Richarden. Additional full brothers that are younger are - in order - Rastin, Brintin, and Yusson. He thinks he has at least two or three siblings of each kind. This is true: his half brothers include Tobiathan, Connin, and Jorn. Dala is his half sister between Alexandrian and tobiathan. His last sister is just the elder of Yusson, named Kalia. The father of Alecandrian - and hence Richarden, Fallaxia, Cornelian, Rastin, Brintin, Yusson, and Kalia - is a foreign-born powerful man, the prince-consort type, though nothing could rival the spirit of the Empress.

Academic Years
The training Trystin has is semi-prestigious, but not such that would fit his royalty or intelligence. He is trained in the art of magic, philosophy, and has a good head for numbers. however much of the time of his life is characterized by bullying as he was one of the last to bond with his amphidera. He always had a liking for the earth and found some talent in botany. He generally took a tumble from academia, landing bottom in his class, fully displaced from the throne. Some of things he studied in his academic like where Duomancy, Geonetology, and Callinism.

Trystin recalls school trips under the disguise of field trip but realistically about finding amphidera. He tells the story of a girl looking for edible plants and finding a long tailed bird, orange and black, short wings, but a regal crown. Then they looked upon each other it was literal magic.

Grey
Bewildered and confused, he wakes up with no name or solid memories of his life. It is inferred he was part of a war but has been stripped of rank and alias. No one had any reason to seek him out or pay his ransom. Banten appears and calls him 'Eelion' which he takes as his name. He is told by means of explanation why he has forgotten it all: he is an old soldier from the war,a veteran to fighting, hence the scars. His body went into recovery and purged all the pain. Banten says it is not unusual and is a gift as much as anything else. Trystin never feels okay about this or the explanation for his scars.

The prisoner of war camps were at one point slavery camps. Trystin at first thinks he's there by mistake, although we later realize it's more to do with war crimes and he is one of the last to be bought back by the kingdom, although someone remarks this is odd as he 'doesn't walk common'.

Trystin escapes the camp - although he is not heavily pursued - by means of Banten, whom they agree they share history from the academy. Trystin does not realize who Banten really is and Banten doesn't reveal himself, so their friendship is fast and vague. His escape means a lot of running and relying on the meager supplies Banten could get. Little does he know that the rest of his people were bought back days later and his fate would have changed.

Immediately Trystin goes to a skull teller who doesn't scare him as much as either he or the reader feels it should - skull tellers are very alarming people. She is one of the very best, not sure how he gets to see her but perhaps by bribe or she knows his face, she is covered in rubes, reads the engraved skull of something either horse or antelope like, she tells him he is without his other half, he ails a broken heart. She cannot speak more but due to his lack of amphidera, they both suspect he has none (she thinks he lost her, Trystin thinks he never had one, the skull teller does not give these details to him). He is sent away feeling very much alone, confused, and a lot poorer.

Trystin is drawn looking for the ambigious 'her' and his need for food is strong, so he takes small contract jobs to earn, travel, earn, and travel. On of this working stints, he meets Friend Thought Dead, a jayan who also calls him Eelion, who he once thought dead and protected the secret death of. They both owe each other favors. This childhood friend reluctantly agrees to help and they travel up and down, looking for 'her', for what they suspect might be his amphidera, for animals of many kinds. The jayan employs him in his trade, thought more often then not, the two end up as dark story tellers and bards of a kind: they tell tales that are later fulfilled in the process of the cycle. This is how they earn their keep in many places. Eventually the jayan must leave and points north as a long shot, saying it was always a special place to Trystin although there's so little there, maybe it is the little he needs. Trystin works as a naturalist, as he searches her own, with war ended people are able to spend more money on him. This allows him time in the forest, amongst the trees, looking for her.

He takes a confused, spiritual sort of journey, but this doesn't fill the empty void of his life.. His employer recommends seeing the oracle of the nearby village, but upon finding them, it is a child who speaks in nothing but riddles. This is hugely frustrating to Trystin. When he finds the Oracle of the North, she gives him directions to a wild part of the world even further away, and assure shim he will find the piece he lacks. She also prophecies over him regarding his travels, his role, the finding of his name. She seems to know who he is but won't speak in anything but riddles.

On his way, Trystin meets Palisade in her own town on his way to his destination ('she comes and goes' people say), they vaguely know one another and chalk it up to childhood. He begs her to tell about himself and she begins to share the story of her younger life - which overlaps with his enough. She doesn't truly recall his name. Although Trystin wants to stay, he is haunted by the oracle's words, he finds a driving need to set out to this place he has been given.

Finally reunited with Arosha after many failures, their reunion is of epic proportions. Arosha recalls nothing either, they are together the same person parted, and it feels like the first time they've met each other, yet they are each other.

After the traumatic reunion, they make plans to find out who he is, look into the camps that help him, ask Palisade. He carries many emblems and scars that might be explained (which are later given to him on the journey). Arosha calls him Trystin.

Yellow
Trystin makes better friends with Ali who insists the secrets of his memory are bound up in his scars, marks, and tattoos. He has to make money and she wants to see the world, so they decided to travel together. They first return to the prisoner camps but find them deconstructed. They are after every war, but the pair don't know this and it is revealed later. It feels a bit anticlimactic. Neither of them know what to makes of this so they venture to the nearest city and offer up their services. They separate ways to look for a crew.

This is where Trystin meets the crew, of whom only Ofri greets by name and may have magic to do so (seems to know more than she lets on at least, says that Trystin and her are friends). The entire crew seems somewhat apathetic: the captain is a crusty old woman, the engineer could care less about anything that's not alcohol and collecting things, one of their science officers is so completely distant that he has to be reminded of names and faces continuously, Trystin becomes navigator and scientist in a pinch while Ali pays her way with the others, helps out with small jobs, catalogs their library, does appraising? The ship is essentially private transport for hire and while they go an assortment of places with crew until Ali actually gets to go to (place name here) which is where she really wants to be. She gets dropped off there. Ali tells Trystin she can't be useful on the ship, and she has some education to finish, and Ali won't work for free. The crew's apparent apathy is alter explained by the fact he left them on somewhat okay, somewhat awkward terms, so they don't show surprise in knowing him, but neither do they show any enthusiasm apart from Ofri, who can be explained by her keen intuition of him.

Trystin's adventures include and are not limited to electrical, magic storms, stranded on far off regions to the West, the visiting of wild island nations, fighting and escaping air pirates, crossing borders between kingdoms, trying to learn strange new languages, seeing huge herds and families of animals.

Trystin wants to know who he is or where's he's going, so Ali offers him a journey to a neighboring nomad who lives in the thick of a hidden jungle. The crew don't like this idea at all so they take the journey themselves, leaving beauty and luxury behind them. Ali and Trystin grow closer during this. The nomad is a frighting man, who tells Trystin he is heading for war and grief. This frustrates Trystin with it's vagueness and he presses for more specifics. He tells him to seek the Pattern for it would tell and be more explicit then he could be: he is not a god. They leave in peace. Later Ali reveals she has an older brother and sister she hasn't seen since childhood, which were the Oracle of the North and her guardian. Trystin doesn't put it together. With at least some warning, they move on. Ali loses her beloved Amber necklace. Ali then has to return from her academic vacation to go to school.

Trystin continues traveling with them on steampunk adventures - has flashes of a flying escape, a crash, things he writes off as dreams but are all future predictions. He actively asks people about what this Pattern is?

He briefly consorts with the gang at a bar. It is them that call him Sandborn. They see talent in him and offer him a position he refuses.

There are a few fights on the ship between crew and passengers, as equipment fails, and Trystin is ostracized for being one of the few that can control magic. The rest are all kind of 'homeschooled' although all are kansoro.

Trystin ends up learning his doctor and physician skills from the jayan he befriends. Later he uses this for 'Angel of Death' intentions.

Ali hops on and off wtith her job and work as their relationship deepens. Ofri nudges Trystin to tell her, laughing at how she doesn't need anyone, the crew are friends enough.

During all these adventures, many people seem to recognize Trystin or think he's familiar, or his marks and tattoos. This puzzles him, but Ofri just assumes he must be a doppelganger of someone famous she doesn't care about. The people are confused because he's been there before, why would he return? Trystin hears stories about a man with a red mark on his hip that would change these people and everyone writes this off - no one has seen this - but Trystin does indeed have an old scar that's not red because it's all healed out. Trystin eventually takes part in an ordeal or ritual or accident that give shim a fresh, red version of the scar. These people become important to him, They call him some version of 'savior' which is far off kingdom where he is foreign anyways.

They tell him of troubling going on with the jayan at his home kingdom, so Trystin requests to go back as his last voyage. He stops in to see Ali and declares more permanent feelings for you despite the fact she has obligations (school? training? family? she's always wanted to be a peacemaker, a lawyer), so they part ways on good terms. He walks away sadly, grabs a drink, meets a soldier he recognizes properly, though he doesn't necessarily have a name. Trystin recognizes him but isn't sure from where and Banten says it is the war, they make fast friends again, and Banten doesn't want to reminiscence on details, feigning PTSD.

They board the ship for trouble together.

Blue
Trystin now on mission from the jayan he saved, returns to the jayna in the Third Kingdom where he is welcomed under war terms (the First and Third Kingdoms are fighting), called Savior by them. Messages were sent ahead to this group/ He uses magic to solve their problem (famine?). He is with Banten, who is called Eyes-of-War, and calls himself Sandborn to stress his meager place in life, not anyone's savior. This proves only the tip of the iceberg. The country war becomes a civil war between jaya and kansoro, Trystin in the middle of it. Banten is drafted so their short adventure is ended - or that is the excuse Banten uses, as he may have to return for obligations. Trystin finds himself using magic to try and help with food and healing but his magic is waning - he fears he is losing it and goes on investigation. There are hints in hearing about a pattern, a great revealing design, but he cares more for the jaya.

On his journey south to the sky islands, he witnesses the mass slaughter of a flock or heard by the jayan and questions them, tries to stop them, they say it is the only way to stop the war. Trystin begs and appeals to them, on every ground as explorer, friend, savior, protectors of the ixaj but they refuse and say it is the only way. The feud continues to grow as the war rages on. The royalty and politicians of the kansoro refuse to the hear. The Empress turns a blind eye.

Frantic to stop this - the famine and the slaughter and the war - Trystin writes letters to Banten who is now on the front lines of the war, and to Ali who he pleads with to help his cause.

This is the lead up to the land standing war with ixaj being massacred, with a noticeable effect to all the kansoro. Jaya oppressed in the famine rations - people are dying - and all this out of spite? Killing the ixaj depletes the magic reservoir. Even Ofri can feel this and it is a major indicator of how serious the war is getting (she possibly writes and sends this via Pip to Trystin). This big push is to stop them, to stop and prevent a kingdom runing war.

Trystin knows people as part of his old life, and what with Ali making her own way in the world, he organizes a meeting and does research: he doesn't find an answer but does stumble over what the Pattern is. Does he pursue his selfish desire or the greater good?

Trystin sits down as mediators - with Ali whom he has not seen in a long time, a well known peace maker, at this time who has made her way. Trystin bands together those he knows and sits on the side of the jaya but it goes horrible wrong and everyone is in a hurry and forced to flee. The Kansoro won't apologize for the war measures used against the First Kingdom, nor their own people, while the jaya say they were never supposed to be in the kansoro war and want no part in it and have gone through this too many times before.

Trystin has to flee, leaving the jaya on a different way. Ali is safer but finds her own escape. Trystin buys her an amber necklace to replace the one she lost. Ali's nickname is revealed as the Princess of Candor. it is subtle to Trystin but the audience may get it.

Takes his only other option which is to play escape and denial and go looking for the pattern to find who he is. Until now he has only had pieces, not the whole puzzle. With Ali in hand, he walks the pattern. He can't end the war so he might as well do something for himself. In this walking journey, he discovers he is triplet royalty, this is somehow linked to what he was in exile. he realizes he can't tell Ali, that this is now dangerous information and might make him wanted in the war so he keeps it secret. It is also revealed that Banten is actually his own guardian who has always been there to watch and protect him, a family protector, a man of trust and suture and importance. And for no other reason than this, we won't see him again until the last book.

Trystin isn't his real name. It is Alecandrian. He has a vision of his mother using it, a princely name. He tells Ali it isn't his name but not what it is.He decides to take on a new name, a pseudonym, and hide, run as far as he can to not psoe a threat or burden to anyone.

Red
Worried for his identity, wounded from not solving the war, he encounters the old crew he met in the bar, knew him as Sandborn. he gets picked up to work for them, this time doing some mechanics and raiding. He looks and feels more like a brute, leaving his explorer self behind. He goes by the name Thistle.

Trystin uses the pirating as an escape as he blames himself for the mediation fail, but still wishes to resolve it. He is in escape denial. Essentially this back fires as nothing gets better at all as the both sides continue to rub each other the wrong way. Mass media everywhere pits both sides. People who know Trystin call on him for help. He doesn't want to answer, as he knows that will destroy so much, but it kills him.

The pirate gang has a name pinned to each costume they rotate.

They fly to do a raid above the city of bells, though air piracy is not legitimate, he gets by poor and broken, and the pirates don't have a side but everyone has an opinion. On their mission above the city, their ship crashes, holes in it, falls from the sky in flames. Although Trystin tires frantically to save them, the war is raging in the City of Bells

We get some history of the Long Standing War that is now led by the two princes - Cornelian against Brother Wild (and Richarden) who moved from order fights to now the civil war where Brother Wild is just using this as an excuse to better his own power. Trystin ends up on the wrong side as the climactic wall is formed. The Wall Built Ward extends east and west through the city and ringing around it. It divides class/races and it is a war of princes and peacemakers that has come among the people. Ali is safe? But then assassinations are heard as the magic users one by one day.

Assassinations are heard of daily, people starve, people wail, the wall is a terrible place to be as the city and the entire kingdom is divided. Trystin is on the poorer side, a jaya side, but most people have figured out he's probably one of the good guys. The pirates are gone by now.

When the wall goes up, refugee status, uses his magic and his learning as a doctor. Kansoro hate him, and he isn't much liked by the jaya either.

Trystin searches for many days (couple of years flash forward here) as he spends every single day trying to get back to Ali. Every single day he goes to the wall to speak with her, envisioning her face. In reality, Ali does the same, a mere ten feet away. She is busy working on policy, on law, on resolution. Although both are incredibly desperate to find each other, they both continue to live their lives.

He have have to kill a man to save a man, he becomes a betrayer of his own race, committing many things now considered war crimes.

Several times Trystin is nearly called out for being a prince but he is able to evade such things.

Ten years go by. People sit on the tops of towers and watch the other side, raise flags and signs, but no help is brought to them.

He resorts to fixing things, brings wall down, has a hand in it, tearing down piece by piece. Previously to this the wall had been impossible to climb over, dig under, go around, pass in any way. The policy was written that ended the war was by Ali and a group of her lawyers.

He doesn't find Ali immediately: she isn't there, she went into hospitaling when she could, so he takes the time to find her. They have been grown up but they look very much the same. He declares his love for her though they know and have for years and are almost instantly torn apart.

Black
For reasons of war crimes, Trystin has to change his name again (?) while he lives with Ali. She goes back to her home town from time to time, but they are both safe while the civil war has ended. They both have incomes as she is a lawyer and Trystin is trying to write a textbook, giving up his sins.

Gradually Trystin is investigated, his crimes are counted against him, people are being accused as the international war flames up again. It is found out that Trystin was helping the wrong side, some claims false, others true such as his piracy, his helping the jaya, his dismantling the wall to prevent starvation.

Trystin is eventually sent to the war as an alternative to the justice in a court case, Ali says. He's a wanted man for his piracy, conspiring with the enemy, healing. They remark that the internaitonal war is always going on, as it has for a long duration of the story. Trystin tells her to stay safe which she laughs at a little, but she assures him if it gets bad, she'll return to her home town.

War occurs which prisoners are taken (he is one later), he has some time off, he's given rank purely due to his skills - made a captain, continues to help. he ends up as a sort of commander.

He ends up with a sort of aide, someone who serves him as commander? She's tough, fair, incredibly loyal to a fault, and a degree she starts what might have been an affair with Trystin - the reader may believe so - but they do not and Trystin feels all the guilt for it. Her name is Tom.

Ali finds out he's royalty while he's in battle - this is quite dangerous. Now he is not only wanted but could be called a traitor and betrayal of his family and finally the wrath of people he's never known as family turned against him. He sends warnings to anyone he knows, encodes them with forgetting magic so they forget who he is. This is why people have a vague sense of who he is but not a full recollection. It works best on the jaya.

In order to save Ali, Trystin returns as if all is well, prepares dinner for her, He knows as soon as he is found, they will kill everyone. Justice is not justice. And they will find her. He is certain.

He can either have his memory taken or be killed. He begs and pleads with Banten to do it. Banten denies it a long time but does it, knowing him to be right. He explains Arosha will be torn from him, but they'll find each other again. He'll always long for the things torn from him.

Ali's memory is taken in an act of desperation to try and save her best he could (which he immediately regrets), sent back to her home village - tries to cut off his hand in self hared - he has to do something now because he's wanted for his crime too. This is the most severe of his crimes.

Trystin's memory is also taken, due to Banten who told him the crime would be worse - he apologizes and says he is guardian, mentor, rescuer, and friend, and this is all he could do, all he had to do. He isn't going to abandon him or let him go. He would be there no matter the pain. Banten takes him to the POW camp, easy enough to fake as Trystin disappeared AWOL to see Ali. He wipes the record, leaving Trystin with no history, records, nothing. Not even a name

He fully plans to send himself into exile after what he does to Ali, and is going to when both he and the reader are surprised by Banten.

It closes with Banten saying he'll wake up and he'll be right there for him, everything will be okay. For a little while, it will be okay.

Personality and Traits
Noted for being well-spoken, poetic even. Fights with the parallel between selfish and self-less and hates himself for it. Driven though not always for the right reasons, loyal to a set few. Well spoken and can play up his prim/proper roots. Calm in the face of anything that doesn't influence his loyalties such as disaster and decision. Again gets along relatively well with people, as part of his proper upbringing, unless they offend his loyalties. Not particularly aggressive either in violence or sexuality. Disorganized. Not incredibly secure with himself at any given point.

Doesn't like his tea sweetened.

Arosha
Trystin's amphidera and life long partner is a female otter, four foot long and silver backed, a very intelligent beast who lopes by his side.

Notable Possessions
Carries the seal of his official name, which he uses at some points so his word is taken for its weight. He stamps it into bronzed ink to send by post, where a sealwright once fainted unto death upon its sight. The seal is not his face, like his family, but conveys the mystery of his place in life.

A box like instrument he plays.

Has a leather arm guard passed down from his father, an heirloom, but the only piece of leather he has.

The textbook he refers to in Grey is actually the textbook he writes in Black, using the pen name of one of his favorite authors, Alexander Berlioz. It is a thick textbook of intricate descriptions, with drawings and uses, triggering knowledge but not memories. He remarks it is always a beautiful book. The book is titled 'A Guide to Fieldwork in the Kingdoms: ongoing'

Has a handgun with a name, yet unknown. Keld says he isn't himself without a gun, though he's never seen Trystin use it

The stone necklace - Trystin owns a necklace that is a serious of plain stones hung on a rope around his neck