Ryu! He's been living in my head rent free since 6th grade!

A tragic Prince with a Curse, so original. Unfortunately for Ryu, Magic is banned in his and most other kingdoms. Those with Runes tend to be imprisoned, outcast, or closely watched for fear they'll use their magics to take advantage of the common elf or cause another Magic War.
Runes are VERY rare and appear on one's skin around the ages of 11-13, blessing/cursing them with a variety of magics.

Though in Ryu's case, he obtained his Cursed Rune by unfortunately catching the ire of the Dark Lord Sortilege himself. Originally the Curse turned him into an Imp, a punishment by Lord Sortilege for Ryu being a "Cowardly Pest" during his take over of Ryu's kingdom.
Ryu happened upon another outlawed Wizard (Though must less Dark Lordy) while on the run as an Imp, and the weird magician temporarily reversed the curse and brought Ryu back to his senses. For two years now they've been working on a "cure" to keep Ryu in his normal form with varying success. Potions and Magical Trail mix tend to keep the curse at bay.
But after encountering and rescuing a weird girl with even weirder round ears, the pair start to head on a journey to find a more permanent solution to both of their problems.

Ryu keeps the nature of his curse and identity secret, fearful of being hunted down by Sortilege, being thrown in prison for fear of "infecting" others with his curse, and even more afraid of facing the fact that he ran away and abandoned his kingdom and family in their time of need during Sortilege's take over. Not that the kingdom is there anymore anyway...

Fun Facts:
- The sword he carries was actually a wall decoration he grabbed in a pathetic attempt to stop Sortilege before dropping it, having it blasted miles and miles away, and trying to run away himself. He didn't make it very far. He found and reclaimed the sword when he returned home to find his entire kingdom missing. The sword stuck out of the ground on the edge of the now crater of his small kingdom. It's like it was just plucked from the ground.

- Long luxurious, or unique fanciful hairstyles or accessories are a staple of his kingdom. He tries to keep it lowkey by wearing it simply and a traveler's cloak. The odds of him being recognized are small, but not 0. He just can't bring himself to cut it.

- Ryu's comfortable with his more feminine side, preferring flowers over fighting, contrasting with his families lineage of powerful swordsmen and dragon slayers. It causes a bit of strain between his relationship with his father.

- Ryu has FOUR SISTERS!! Two sets of twins. That's a lot of sisters! They're each 2 years apart, Ryu being the youngest.

- Ryu attends public education rather than private. His kingdom is small and mostly traditional, but encourages him mingling with everyone regardless of status.

- He has a fear of magic and magicians, being taught the horrors of the Magic War, as well as a healthy helping of parental indifference towards it. Magic is still technically banned in the kingdom, but is more lenient in punishment than in Avondale. A few magicians live between the boarders of the two kingdoms, and are left mostly unbothered.