Squire Route Characters... as dogs! Part 1

While im working away on the current update, i thought of doing something fun since i was looking into dog behaviors and stuff.

Why not show readers what dog breed characters are most like??

Honestly, for some reason, I think this'll help readers familiarize themselves more with the characters in an easy and fun manner!

To begin, we have...

Lady Alicel Bridgewatch.

A serious young noblewoman who has spent most of her life training to be a knight. She is very business-like with others and likes to spend her time training or studying. She has few friends outside her family as a result.

Alicel wants to be a knight like her father, as she feels the responsibilities of being in a Macherlord family upon her. She truly believes in the teachings of St. Hytera and looks up to her as a model.

First entered Queen Adelina's retinue as a lady-in-waiting but quickly asked to be transferred to King Uriel's as a squire. She is now the appropriate age to find a husband, and her mother has been asking for grandchildren, much to her annoyance.

What do I think of when I think of Alicel?

The Dachshund

Like the Dachshund, Alicel is stubborn, clingy, and possesses a big dog attitude in a small body!

She's very protective of her friends, and treats the other boys as her brothers as she brought up an only child. The other squires and younger knights treat and love her as a sister figure in turn. However, this also means she regularly fights and argues with her fellow squires as well.

Though she hates being alone, she remains highly individualistic and fierce.

Alicel may not seem like it at first, but she's one of the more bloodthirsty of the squires, hence why I feel the Dachshund fits her best.

While a Chihuahua could have worked as well in terms of attitude, the Dachshund won out due to their history as a Badger hunting dog. Plus I find them so funny looking!

In Germany where they were bred, "Dachs" = Badger and "Hund" = Dog; Badger Dog.

Lord Orestes Silvermouth.

Cousin to Veriel and Lucina.

Sent by his mother and father to the royal court alone with only servants and guards. He came into your father's retinue as a page at first, but later changed his mind to become a squire.

Used to be teased for his weight, but has found a release in training that he didn't know was possible. Now in the midst of an explosive teenage growth spurt, he's one of the tallest boys in the group.

He's cultivated a close friendship with the Parsec children, a friendship based much on the fact the two families share Lymarkian blood. Like them, he inherited his features from his Lymarkian mother, being tanned-skin, blonde, with green eyes.

Orestes speaks Lymarkian fluently, thanks to his mother. Still possesses much of his love for history, the sciences, mathematics, and the study of languages.

He still feels a sense of abandonment from his ambitious parents who sent him away, and strives to gain their love again.

What do I think of when I think of Orestes?

The Border Collie

Just as the Border Collie is regularly cited as the smartest dog breed in the world, all the other squires would point to Orestes when asked who is the smartest in the group.

But while that was a reason why the Border Collie came to mind for Orestes, what sealed the deal was his tendency to steer his friends to not committing stupid mistakes. Like the Border Collie, Orestes herds his friends to safety.

He works hard, almost unhealthily so, on whatever is assigned to him. But if there's nothing to help him focus, he becomes irritated and prone to overthinking.

I'd love to see workaholic Orestes having a Border Collie as a pet!

Lord Themiel Parsec.

Themiel was sent to Blackwall on order of his father to train as a knight, as the March received more Blessings when the City-State of Oresteia fell to an imperial army led by Prince Uriel at the time.

He has a competitive side to him, but remains a good sport. He enjoys physical activities, but more if they're with someone else, as he dislikes being alone after he was sent to Blackwall with only servants.

His closest friends are Lady Cassiel Elwen, daughter of his father's closest ally, and your little brother, Aurelian.

He picked up his older half-sister's habit of flirting, which is usually reciprocated due to his being considered handsome. His training has given him an athletic build, with broad shoulders and powerful muscles.

With his blonde hair and green eyes, he has gotten many admirers. But still he likes to fool around. Hypatia, his sister has to constantly to remind him to not cross the line.

Themiel idolizes Philip, but suffers from insecurity as he constantly compares himself to him. He takes his training seriously, but focuses more on the chivalry part than martial side of being a knight.

He has blonde hair, tanned skin, and green eyes.

What do I think of when I think of Themiel?

Belgian Malinois

Though friendly around friends and family, Themiel by nature is cool under pressure, decisive in action, and incredibly intelligent. Our young squire also possesses an athleticism that commonly astounds those that witness his feats. He's also dangerous, in the sense that he has no qualms in killing any perceived threats.

All these qualities remind me of a Belgian Malinois, the dogs so favored by special forces, search and rescue, and more.

This may perhaps be a bit of a spoiler, as the usual characteristics many speak of the Belgian Malinois are in fact Themiel's real self, which will show in the Northern War to come.

Sir Renfred Raymond, Knight of Veldora.

In 581 A.L., Sir Renfred led the massacre against House Veldora during the Night of Tears in vengeance for the deaths of his older brother and sister-in-law.

Afterwards, he refused the title and instead gave it to his nephew Richard, who was 11 at the time, and became a Templar.

Years later, he now guards his great-nephew Charles with no children of his own as he practiced chastity so that Richard and Charles would never face a claimant.

Renfred is robust, strong, tall, and still deadly even in his advanced age thanks to his Awakened status. He is the current wielder of the Raymond Family Blessing, "Lightning's Strike", a spear made entirely of Blackroot. When the spear pierces flesh, it causes the same terrifying damage and effect of a lightning strike.

Renfred is now considered the ideal knight, and is somewhat responsible for Uriel's own commitment to St. Karvenir's teachings. The reason being that his current philosophy was forged from his time as a Templar, and the rage that pushed him to be so ruthless during the Night of Tears has cooled.

What do I think of when I think of Sir Renfred?

Cane Corso

Renfred -like the Cane Corso- is scary looking, always on alert, and suspicious by nature. But those who know him personally like the squires, he's revealed to be more of a softie than previously thought!

I chose the Cane Corso due to Renfred's history of being a protector and guardian, first the Duke of Veldora, and now the heir Charles, his great-nephew.

Cane Corso literally means "Bodyguard Dog" after all.

With Renfred's history and position as a guardian, it was perfect! Could've done the Cú Chulainn route and think of him as an Irish Warhound, but that breed reminds me more of our father, Uriel.

Lord Samuel Bridgewatch.

Son and heir to Marchioness Bridgewatch, he is tall, handsome, and naturally athletic. Samuel is currently training as a squire under your father, and dresses fashionably in the Argentian tradition.

His easy-going gregarious nature, coupled with his wavy-blonde hair and constant playful smile has garnered him many admirers; of which he fully takes advantage of to chase skirts. He takes the other skills a knight should learn to honor the Goddess seriously, and uses them to attract women to his bed.

With harp on hand, and a beautiful singing voice, he's managed to make married or promised women break their oaths.

Though without a doubt a philanderer who sweet-talks girls, he is only seriously interested in older women. Girls his age or younger disinterest him, as he has often told your mother and Lady Valerie when speaking of potential marriage with the queen's ladies-in-waiting.

Instead, he keeps a friendly, yet respectful distance from his female peers, firmly rejecting them when shown interest.

Now an official knight and of age, he has to look for a marriage with a noblewoman, as his mother has firmly ordered him to. He has asked for your help in this venture.

What do I think of when I think of Samuel?

Jack Russell Terrier

While the Jack Russell Terrier (JRT) is a smaller dog and Samuel is tall, the two share many similarities I think.

Samuel, like a JRT, wouldn't exactly be what you call 'threatening' at first glance. Both are high energy, call attention to themselves, and generally have large personalities. But the two are hunters through and through.

The JRT was bred to hunt and regularly chased foxes out of their dens, and has a strong prey drive that surprises many at first. Samuel, though normally seen flirting and being generally a nuisance to polite society at large, is at the same time fearless like the small canine.

I suppose you have to be, if you consider him risking the wrath of married men and sons in pursuit of earthly pleasures with their wives and mothers.