Joshua Shephard

**Joshua Shephard** was king of Cedulan, born in 831 and killed in 867. He and his family are descendants of Nedarians Syllor and Melete Dolan.

## Biography

According to what Joshua told Apen, the first thing he did upon becoming king of Cedulan was to return Bellingrath to the Hollingsworths.

It is not specified when he married Isis, but their first child was born when Joshua was eighteen.

Most of Joshua's rule of Cedulan is shown only through his antagonistic relationship with Bhatair Hollingsworth. However, in the battle where Bhatair was seemingly brutally murdered (*thanks Aetius*), Joshua left his family's side to defend him. He appears to have lost a leg to Aetius and Gwladys in the process.

It is unknown how Joshua died. Apen reacts negatively to libraries, and when he mentions his father's murder the flashback image is of Joshua lying, bloody, on a floor covered with scrolls.

Joshua was succeeded as ruler of Cedulan by Apen; however, his rule was likely not long.

## Appearance and Personality

Joshua had black hair and brown eyes, although as a descendant of the Dolans his eyes turned blue when he felt extreme emotion. He was around 5'9", which is a full foot shorter than Bhatair.

He enjoyed his bantering rivalry with Bhatair, considering it somewhat of an art to one-up him. He is an ENTP character type.

Despite his wife being a strong Catholic, Joshua "sort of floated between being a Catholic-Light and being a Catholic in Name Only."

## Relationships

* Bhatair Hollingsworth: Joshua had an antagonistic relationship with Bhatair. They were constantly one-upping each other and fighting, often bringing in personal insults (Joshua about Bhatair's son, Bhatair about Joshua's dead wife). He does seem to have considered it an art to one-up Bhatair, and looked shocked, then grumpy, the time "Bhatair" exploded before Joshua could even get started.
* Thoth St. Claire: Joshua was not aware that Bhatair and Thoth sometimes swapped places.
* Gudrun: It is not known if Joshua and Gudrun married, but they had a son, Aquil Shephard, who was said to have been miscarried in 867. This was likely after Joshua was murdered.
* Apen: Joshua taught Apen all of Bhatair's family tree in order to prove that his children were smarter. Apen also knows the exact number of victims in Antigone's War, and Laura said that Joshua had Apen memorize the names of every person she killed. When Apen talks about the moral weakness he feels is inherent in the Shephards, he says "And my father—" before cutting himself off; it is likely that Apen does not see Joshua as perfect.

Isis and Joshua after speaking to 'Bhatair' at Apen's baptismJoshua talks to Apen about BhatairArt: Joshua
## References

1. ↑ The Silver Eye 8x01
2. ↑ Age Chart
3. ↑ The Silver Eye 8x23
4. ↑ The Silver Eye 8x29
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 The Silver Eye 18x17
6. ↑ DeviantArt: Character Height CHart
7. ↑ The Silver Eye 8x18
8. ↑ Patreon: Myers Briggs Personality Types
9. ↑ DeviantArt: Apen Shephard Facts
10. ↑ The Silver Eye 5x14
11. ↑ The Silver Eye 8x18
12. ↑ The Silver Eye 8x20
13. ↑ The Silver Eye 5x13
14. ↑ Laura: You're right, Joshua had Apen memorize [every single person that Antigone killed], and the weight of it is very distressing to him