The Crooked Room: Kanlei

Edit: Came up with a name for the game now, it's called The Crooked Room!

I wanted to finish a reference for Kanlei for 's Secret Santa which I'm joining - you still have time if you want to join, guys! You can find it here: [link]

Anyway Kanlei here is the main character of an old story of mine I've redesigned. The characters in it I kept are Vanessa, Merl, Ruin and Maelie if you know any of those guys. I removed everyone else though and redesigned it so I'm a lot happier with it now.

Name: Kanlei Padi
Age: 17
Occupation: Soldier
Weapon: Bow and Arrow
Likes:
Reading soldiers' memoirs and war philosophies (the exception to his no books and art mentality)
Pieces of work you can see effort in
Seeing the prince smile
Javu (an alcoholic drink)
Watching swordplay and swordfights
Dyed clothing/cloth
Spiced foods
Walking barefoot (particularly in streams)
Cooking
Eggs

Dislikes:
Long or hard to spell/pronounce words
Glass (he doesn't like reflections)
Wielding a sword
Cold weather
Long sleeves
Intellectuals who do nothing but talk

Skills: Knows terrain well, fish piking, can shoot his bow quite accurately, lots of stamina, decent arm strength (for carrying), basic herbal medicines and to a degree, negotiating.
Flaws: He wields a bow and arrow so when close to people he is often at a disadvantage, he overexerts training which can cause sprains and muscle pulls, he takes care to make sure the prince is alright but does not bother to heal his own wounds properly, he is openly disrespectful to nobles and soldiers who have not graduated through the ranks and he is generally not that strong nor fast in battle.

Personality: A eager to please boy, he is often found seeking tips and tricks from fellow soldiers in order to get better himself. Despite his outgoing and eager attitude Kanlei is surprisingly down to earth and his patience often surprises his peers. He is also very straightforward - he rarely reads and follows no gods instead choosing to stand on his own two feet and judge the world his own way. This would lead many to believe he is stupid which would be quite the mistake - Kanlei is, in fact, quite smart. Rather than fight an opponent head on he'd much rather use the terrain to his advantage and avoid the conflict altogether. Because of his decisions to avoid battles he has been called a coward; in actuality he has more than enough willpower to fight and even kill if needed. Due to his past he is quite brotherly to those who seek support and enjoys trying to help people with their problems unless they get a bit too personal in which he feels a bit out of his depth. Kanlei sometimes gets swamped with feelings of inadequacy which causes him to push himself - this perfectionist streak is something he and the prince share and thus, understand.

Background: Kanlei was born in the small village of Dhagir to a weaver mother and a farmer father in lower to average class. He grew up knowing pretty much the whole village given its size and began working at a young age for pittance though he mainly worked to simply do something during the day. Kids in such small towns had little to do - toys were too expensive and books even more so, plus, there was often too much to be done in the day to simply lounge about. When Kanlei was about thirteen, however, soldiers came to Dhagir in search of new troops to support the budding army due to the new war. Feeling like it'd be good to make a difference Kanlei asked for his parents' blessing and upon getting it traveled to the capital city where he trained with the other junior guards. The training was harsh especially since it was so much hotter in the capital but Kanlei refused to give in and in fact pushed himself more than the other recruits did often to his superiors' chagrin. He first met Svan Banhi when he was fifteen and was being punished washing the courtyard statues for overdoing his training and thus ruining his body. The young prince said nothing and Kanlei came away with a very confused view of him but upon seeing him (somewhat, his head was down) in the grand hall he began to realize that the prince seemed to be troubled - he seemed to be juggling two personas at once. After another punishment (cleaning the barracks dining room) for the same crime as before he went to where he first met the prince in the courtyard and saw him again. Upon doing so, the prince tried to walk away but Kanlei spoke before he could. They weren't deep words - he was just making simple conversation "the night is good tonight, my prince" he said. The prince mumbled a reply and Kanlei continued. They actually talked for so long the prince forgot to go to bed. Kanlei didn't realize this was the first normal conversation he'd really had until later. But when he did realize he made more of an effort to talk to him more despite their obvious class differences. The prince, Banhi, enjoyed speaking to Kanlei about the country's issues without judgement and about how he felt without prejudice and in turn Kanlei told him about common life and stories of other countries he'd heard as a child. During the story, the capital is attacked from the inside and the king, queen and Banhi's siblings are all slaughtered. Kanlei finds Banhi before the other soldiers (be they loyal or not) and he smuggles him out of the capital. Kanlei himself soon follows. They then journey together as Kanlei tries to keep assassins off their back and looks for a place that will house the prince.

Other:
He IS slightly racist; he doesn't insult or look down on lighter people or anything but he feels uncomfortable and like he can't trust them.
He often asks for things on Banhi's behalf as the prince is too ashamed to ask of such "poor people".
He is bad at cooking but often has to cook for people anyway. At least it's filling.
He often surprises people with his more "feminine talents" (cleaning, cooking, washing, stitching) though he doesn't consider them as such.