Heyward

**H****eyward** is a votary of Halfwind Citadel.

**Emma**: Yes. He's that. You'll find that a lot of the rabbits here are devoted to their work, though not as many are as—well, attentive, as Heyward is.

—*The Green Ember*

Heyward tends the hedges of the Village Green, fastidiously trimming them to perfection, and then some more. Kyle calls him 'a nut', but Emma expresses that she prefers him to Kyle. Heyward approaches Picket and speaks to him, but as soon as he realizes that Picket is going toward Helmer the Black, he quickly leaves. Picket later notes, relieved, that Heyward is less chatty when Helmer is nearby.

Heyward eats with Emma, Picket, and Heather in the Savory Den. They chatted, and seemed to enjoy Heyward's company. Heyward joined them again later, addressing Heather and Picket as his 'friends from Nick Hollow', clearly still wary of using the name Longtreader. However, he jokes with Picket about it. After Captain Frye accuses Heather and Picket of treachery, Emma asks Heyward to find Wilfred, which he says would be his pleasure and runs off.

Heyward is one of the rabbits that arrives at Jupiter's Crossing to defend Smalls.

### *Ember Falls* / *The First Fowler*

Heyward is called to join the mission to accompany Prince Smalls to Halfwind Citadel. Jo is concerned that Heyward is not a formidable soldier, and is correct. Heyward has difficulty keeping up while they are running. Jo asks who Heyward is, and he responds that he is a hedger, and has no idea why he is along on this mission. Jo takes a liking to Heyward after conversing with him, with Studge adding that someone isn't always what they seem. When Jo is sent ahead to scout, Heyward tells Helmer he has an idea, and when Jo returns he notes that Heyward appears guilty. Heyward proceeds to use Jo as bait for the wolves, creating a contraption for his easy escape.

Heyward helps build the Fowlers' training course, but fails the skills required to join.

Later, at Halfwind Citadel, Heather and Picket Longtreader run into Heyward in a hall. They discover that he has joined the Halfwind votary order as an initiate after facing death on the battlefield and seeing with how much confidence the votaries fought. When Picket is afraid he has given Smalls bad advice about attacking the slave camp, he goes to Heyward, saying he did not know who else to talk to. Heyward tells Picket that Smalls is responsible for his own actions, and that while he may have erred in the advice, Picket is not like Kyle because his advice was hopeful and loving, and not cold or calculating.

Before the Halfwind army goes to protect Cloud Mountain, Picket sees Heyward tinkering by the fire, and smiles. Heyward is down in Rockback Valley working on the catapults during the Battle for Cloud Mountain, which pleases Picket as he knows Heyward's gifts are useful there. During the battle, he sees Heyward loading blastpowder barrels into the catapults. Seeing Heyward straining, Picket later helps Heyward with the catapults, saying that he thought Heyward had found his calling. Heyward sends a barrel at a hawk attacking Picket, almost certainly saving Pick's life.

Heyward creates the glider Picket uses to fly and fight the birds of prey. He instructs Picket on engaging it, then sends him into the sky with the aid of a catapult. This enables Picket to kill an eagle and then save Princess Emma. After the battle, Picket asks after Heyward, afraid that his friend has died. Helmer informs Picket that Heyward is alive, and fared pretty well. When Heyward arrived in the hall, Picket embraced him, saying that Heyward was the real hero of the day.

### *Ember Rising*/*The Archer's Cup*

Upon meeting Emerson, Picket is reminded of Heyward and wishes for the two to meet each other. Picket later uses the glider cape Heyward designed to enter First Warren. During the Battle for First Warren, Heyward helped Emerson and his team with the bowstrikers.

Emma mentions Heyward accompanying her and Jo on their mission to Halfwind Citadel, which inspired her to split the party touring the secret citadels prior to the battle for First Warren.

### *Ember's End*

Lieutenant Heyward (newly promoted) attended Emma's council after the Retaking of First Warren. During preparation for the Siege of First Warren, Heyward coordinated the defensive unit, with help from a team of Halfwind votaries, which, according to him, would have the defense prepared in around ten days. Heyward wished to accompany Picket, Emma, Cole, and Helmer to speak with the Terralains, but Emma told him he was needed for the defense in First Warren.

When Emma needed to know of True Blue, she asked Heyward to send one of the votaries to find Prester Kell, though not him, as she needed him. Heyward soon returned and the prester was fetched. Jo later noted that Heyward's team was setting up bowstrikers on the wall of First Warren.

During the siege of First Warren, Heyward joined in discussing strategy with Helmer, Emma, Lord Blackstar, and Mrs. Weaver. It is revealed that he and Helmer had been scheming for a long time to thwart the wolf invasion, and they told the small council of it. Emma sent Heyward to check on the primary line.

After the raptors set fire to many parts of the city, Cole Blackstar checked with Heyward to make sure the dam would still come down if needed. Heyward assured Cole that, while the primary line was gone, the failsafe he had set up should still work, and showed Cole the line to pull when he wanted the dam to blow. However, it did not work, and Helmer ended up blowing the dam manually. Sadly, Helmer died in the process. However, Heyward's trap worked very well, even better than expected, killing countless enemies and bearing many away.

Heyward participated in a second huddle atop the palace roof.

It is noted that Heyward helped design Newcity. Heyward and Emerson's team found that True Blue could create eternal life, and Heather described them as "flabbergasted".

## Personality and traits

Heyward is a perfectionist, always finding fault with the hedges entrusted to his care at Cloud Mountain. He would take his eye for detail to the extreme, so that he would seem silly, as he cared very much for the things that he had charge over - things other rabbits didn't care about. Despite this, he has a deep, feeling personality, and desires to do as much as he could for The Cause so as to make a difference in the world.

## Physical appearance

Heyward is tall and lanky. As a votary, he wears a blue robe.

## Trivia

* The name "Heyward" is of American origin. It is a variation of the surname "Hayward", which was an "occupational name for a person who protected an enclosed forest".

## References

1. ↑ [1]
2. ↑ [2]