Character Encounter: Seren

Today I am participating in Kendra's marvelous Character Encounters blog link-up! We were supposed to meet a character at a playground, and were informed that it would be even better if we could work in a train. Luckily, we have a huge park near my house that has a kiddie train that circles the park, so it was the perfect place to meet up with one of my characters from The Orb and the Airship, which is the first book in the series that will be released once The Minstrel's Song is complete. (The goal is to publish The Orb and the Airship in 2016!)"Is my brother coming home?" a child's voice rang clearly in my ears above the noise of the train. My attention was split between the happy little boy on my lap and trying to keep my three year old from attempting to leap off the moving train as it chugged its way around the park, over bridges and past the playground. The late Spring sun beat down with an intensity I am never ready for, even after 9 years living here."Is my brother coming home?" the little voice asked with more force, this time it was accompanied by an insistent tapping on my shoulder. I turned and stared into the serious, green eyed gaze of a little girl approximately the same age as my eldest (six or seven years old). Her tiny nose was peppered with light freckles, and her bouncing blond curls rustled in the breeze created by the moving train. She was sitting by herself on the bench behind us."Seren?" I asked, for it had to be her. "What are you doing here?""I'm asking you a question. Is Grayden coming home?""I don't know yet," I replied, feeling a bit at a loss. "I haven't finished your story, I don't know how it ends.""But you're the author," she insisted, as uncomfortable with the answer of 'I Don't Know' as my own children are. "You have to know how it ends.""It doesn't work like that," I said. "I like to leave a little bit of room in the story for ideas to surprise me."Her eyes filled with tears. "But I miss him," she sniffled.I reached back and patted her head. "I know, sweetie. I'm sorry. But Grayden has a very important role to play. Dalmir needs him. The world needs him.""But why?" Seren wailed. "I need him, too! I need to know if he's coming home!""I'm sorry," I said lamely. Her sorrow struck me with physical force. I had written her that way. She adored her big brother, of course she would miss him and wonder if he was coming home. And of course she would find her way to our world to demand I answer that one, all-encompassing question. But that question was necessary, and I couldn't answer it. Even if I knew the answer, which I still wasn't sure about.Seren hiccuped and rubbed her eyes. "I knew you wouldn't tell me, but I had to ask. Can you at least tell me if he's well?""He's better than well," I told her. "He reached the Academy...""I know that," she said, her voice a little cross. "He sent us a letter telling us he arrived safely, but that was weeks ago.""Ah." Of course Grayden would send his family a letter, why hadn't I thought of that? "He's enjoying his classes, they're challenging, but he's excelling at them. And he's about to hear some very good news."This seemed to mollify her a bit and she settled back into her seat. "That's good. Our parents will be happy about that.""Where are your parents?" I asked, curious. I still wasn't sure how this whole character-encountering thing worked. How did my characters managed to slip through the barriers of fiction? Were they somehow contained by the limitations of Kendra's rules, or would they start popping up where I least expected them whenever they pleased? I wasn't sure if that latter thought was terrifying or exciting.Seren shrugged. "I think they went to look at the paddle boats," she said. "Ma was feeling a bit overwhelmed. This park of yours is noisy."I chuckled. The park would be a bit much for my simple country characters, with its train and carousel and other various entertainments in addition to the large playgrounds and the milling people. "So they did come with you."Seren gave me a look that told me she thought I was clearly an idiot. "You didn't think they'd let me come here alone, did you?""Well, of course not... but...""They're wonderful parents," she said, her tone a bit wistful as the train pulled into the station where we would disembark. "My whole family is wonderful. I'm lucky, really. I suppose I should thank you."I knew what she meant. Not many fantasy characters get a loving family, or even a whole family. But that was also one of the things that probably made Grayden's absence even more difficult."Mommy?" Leiana gave me a strange look as the train. "Who are you talking to?""Oh! Leiana, I'd like you to meet Seren!" I said, a thrill surging through me. "I think the two of you will really..." I trailed off as I turned back to look behind me. Seren was gone. Leiana was staring at me as if I'd suddenly turned orange. I gave her a little smile and shook my head. "Nobody, sweetie.""Were you talking to yourself again?" she asked, a grin starting to spread across her face."Yeah, I guess I was."