Gyrshaldom

Gyrshaldom is the half-elf half-human hybrid half-brother of Valfrea Dragonheart and is Hakkon's secondborn child. Due to his complex elven name, most humans find it difficult to pronounce, so he prefers to go by the name Rune. He is 117 years old by the start of Daughter to Dragons.

## Biography

As the son of Hakkon, a divine descendant, and an elven scholar, Rune was born to a unique destiny. Hakkon met Rune's mother, Bayliniah, when he was still a young man, so full of passion and confidence, he easily swept her off her feet. She always said that after spending those weeks with Hakkon, she understood why the dragon-god, Draknadar, took a human wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to Rune after two years and seven months, longer than a human child but shorter than an elf. Hakkon was not there during those first years of life, having dedicated himself to his quest that took him all over the world, but he ensured that his child would grow up safe and prepared for when he would return.

Rune was raised on the road, travelling with his mother and their small entourage. She did her best to limit their exposure to other elves to keep his human heritage hidden. When she deemed that he was ready, she told him about his father, that he was half-human. He took it surprisingly well, as he felt it explained so much about him and why he was different than the elves that traveled with them. She taught him all she knew about the world and her people, including magical runography.

After almost thirty years of wandering, Rune was still barely an adolescent, but Bayliniah was ready to return home to the forests of her people. She feared for her son and called for Hakkon, telling him that it was time. She loved her son dearly, but she knew his father had a life for him that she couldn't delay any longer. When Hakkon found them, Rune said goodbye to his mother and would not see her for decades to come.

Now a part of Hakkon's retinue, he taught his son everything he could about humans and human culture. He taught him to fight, how to write and speak like a human. He taught him that his natural curiosity was a human trait, something that he could never truly explore while living with his mother. He taught him how to hide in plain sight, how to read human expressions and predict motivations. Hakkon knew that Rune was special and could be able to do things that neither humans nor elves could--understand both and use that knowledge.

At age forty-five, Valfrea was born. She was the elventh child that Hakkon had fathered and the only one to be born with the draconic gift. He felt jealousy for the first time when he and Hakkon discovered that she had the gift. His father saw this and explained to him that this changed nothing about how he felt about him and he would always love him no matter what. Then he explained that she was his little sister, that she was vulnerable right now and she would grow up looking up to him and knowing that she always had a big brother to take care of her. Feeling pride, a distinctly human emotion, Rune promised that he would take care of her and teach her while their father was gone. They went to the village Valfrea was born fifteen years after her birth, where they saw she had only aged to the point of a five-year-old, much to their astonishment. Rune decided to remain with her for a while and would write to Hakkon periodically to detail her progress.

Over the next ten years, he helped Valfrea's village raise her and taught her what he could about her heritage and their father. He trained her in their father's fighting style, but was also taught by the village warriors. By the time their father returned, she was twenty-five with the appearance of a child. Hakkon decided now was the time to join her with the rest of the world. He took Valfrea, her mother: Danaeya, and Rune and left for imperial territory so he could marry Danaeya and Valfrea could be his legal inheritor above all his other children.