Character guide

Princess Fiorimonde

major

Also known as Fiorimonde, the Princess Fiorimonde

Fiorimonde's father wants her married so a prince can inherit his throne, but a husband would discover her midnight visits to the old witch and put an end to her magic. Rather than give up her beauty, she devises a gold cord that turns each suitor into a bead the moment he closes his hands around it. Her maid Yolande watches the necklace grow and begins to suspect what her mistress is doing.

Prince Michael

major

Also known as Michael

Michael enters a court where princes vanish without explanation and the princess's gold cord keeps acquiring new beads. Where other suitors see only beauty, he suspects sorcery, and his courage sets him apart from the men who have already fallen. His pursuit of Fiorimonde places him at the center of the story's struggle between love and dark magic.

Arasmon

supporting

Arasmon leaves his beloved Chrysea to seek his fortune, carrying her memory as both comfort and burden. On the road he faces tests of loyalty that measure whether his devotion can survive separation and hardship. His faithfulness, or failure of it, becomes the emotional hinge of a tale about what love costs when it is asked to wait.

Chrysea

supporting

Chrysea stays behind while Arasmon seeks his fortune, her patience standing in quiet contrast to the trials he faces abroad. Her constancy is both a gift and a vulnerability, since waiting requires trusting a man she cannot see or guide. She matters because the story's question of whether love endures is answered, in part, by what she chooses to believe about him.

Princess Joan

supporting

Also known as Joan, poor Princess Joan

Joan is the sort of princess people call poor, not for lack of rank but for the difficulties that surround her courtship. A mysterious suitor pursues her heart, and she must decide how much of what he presents can be trusted. Her warmth and good sense make her the moral center of a tale about seeing past enchantment to the truth of a person.

Gervaise

supporting

Gervaise serves Princess Joan with a shrewdness that outpaces the courtiers around him, noticing what others overlook. When Joan's mysterious suitor creates confusion and danger, he becomes the practical ally she can rely on. His resourcefulness shows that in a world of magic and rank, plain wit and loyalty can still turn the tide.

Aldovrand

minor

A prince who becomes a bead on Fiorimonde's necklace.

Yolande

minor

Also known as little Yolande

A young girl who encounters magical dangers in the forest.

King Aldebert

minor

Also known as Aldebert

A ruler who schemes with other kings in a tale of cleverness.

King Pierrot

minor

Also known as Pierrot

A foolish king who is outwitted by his subjects.

the doctor

minor

A village doctor who treats magical ailments.

Princess Fernanda

minor

Also known as Fernanda

A princess who seeks a wise solution to a kingdom's problem.

Prince Florestan

minor

Also known as Florestan

A prince who falls victim to Fiorimonde's magic.

King Alderete

minor

Also known as Alderete

A king involved in the contest of cleverness.

Death

minor

A personified figure who appears in a moral tale.

King Lambert

minor

Also known as old King Lambert

An aging king who tests his daughters' wisdom.

Janey

minor

A village girl who encounters the pedlar's magic.

The Pedlar

minor

A mysterious pedlar whose pack contains enchanted items.

Jimmy

minor

A boy who is tempted by the pedlar's wares.

King Roland

minor

Also known as Old King Roland

A legendary king mentioned in a story within the book.

Doris

minor

A young woman who receives a magical gift.

Master Farmer

minor

A farmer who learns a lesson about contentment.

Prince Hildebrandt

minor

Also known as Hildebrandt

A suitor turned into a bead on Fiorimonde's necklace.

Prince Alderete

minor

Also known as Alderete

A prince who becomes a bead on the necklace.

Adrian

minor

A prince who is turned into a bead on the necklace.

Prince Sigbert

minor

Also known as Sigbert

A prince who becomes a bead on Fiorimonde's necklace.

Prince Algar

minor

Also known as Algar

A prince who is transformed into a bead by the necklace.