Prince Ethan is personally one of my favourite characters. I love his ruthlessness and complexity. His story is introduced in the short Ghosts of Grimwood tale, Fae & Fire, showing his perspective as a seven-year-old child caught in the chaos and terror of a terrible night which would come to be known as the Battle at Great Fall.
As spectral dangers rise from the deep, haunting a city completely unprepared to face such a threat, Ethan is faced with impossible choices as he strives to protect those he most loves: his mother and his younger brothers.
When the ghosts of dragons rise and lay waste to Grimwood Village, his youngest brother is just an infant in the cradle, and becomes Ethan’s favourite sibling. Ethan is equal parts indulgent and fiercely protective, leading to many long-suffering confrontations and hijinks as they all grow.
He carries his grandfather’s bone club as a point of both penance and pride, a constant reminder of what he fights to protect.
As Grimwood Ranger, Ethan wears a mask of bone carved into the face of a dragon and etched with decorative honeybelle flowers. The dragon is symbolic of both his combat style as a warrior and his greatest opponent, while the honeybelles represent the beauty and fragility of his loved ones, particularly his favourite brother.
The illustration above, sketched by Zack Castro, shows an adult Ethan as he readies to face his demons once again.
Prince Ethan is later encountered in Marmalade’s Love Potion, both in the Darkwood and at the Dark Moon Ball where, as First Scion of Royal House Grimwood, he represents the triumphs of his family and the legacy of his House.
If you would like to know the name of Ethan’s favourite brother, click the ‘reveal spoiler’ link below. Contains spoilers for the end of Fae & Fire, and Marmalade’s Love Potion.
Ethan’s favourite brother is Prince Steph, Princess Penelope’s beau in Marmalade’s Love Potion.
