If our kingdoms should fall

Ardeus: king of Carthion

The third ruler was Ardeus, he ruled the kingdom of Carthion, with his wife, Queen Thalia, by his side. Ardeus was always considered a handsome man, with a young face and sparkling eyes, that shone when he let his sense of humour get the best of him. He had blondish- brown messy hair that often almost dropped down to his eyes, especially when flattened by a helmet.
He ruled the kingdom of Carthion, a land that had long winters but beautiful springs and moderately hot (although short) summers. His castle stood atop a cliff that overlooked a large valley, where bears and birds ran wild.
More than any bears or birds however, Ardeus had the most fondness for horses. He would ride in his spare time, often joined by Thalia, but would be perfectly happy to go alone. He did not hunt, his love of animals, while it did not prevent him eating meat, did prevent him from killing out in the wild.
Ardeus was many things as a ruler, cruel was not one of them. Ardeus was considered to be a passive king, who would not go into conflict unless faced with no other option. Some saw this as a weakness, an excuse for enemies to come too close before Ardeus decided to do something, others saw it as a brave decision to see the good in all. All knew, however, that Ardeus cared about his kingdom very deeply, and would be ashamed to see it go to ruin under his rule.
The king of Carthion was involved with his subjects, and did his best to listen and help them in times of poverty, starvation, drought, storms and any other obstacle that was thrown at his kingdom. While he was not always successful in his missions to do what was best for his people, Carthion was still thriving and had a strong army ready to defend at any given moment.
Underneath the brave persona Ardeus put on to his subjects he was fearful, he had known for some time now that his kingdom was considered the weakest, and most vulnerable for attack. He was anxious that his kingdom may be targeted more than any other if it came down to a war between kingdoms. This is why he worked so tirelessly to keep the peace between all kingdoms, he was allied with every kingdom but Infernium, for Haelios was friends with no one.
Despite the troubles Ardeus and his kingdom may have been facing beneath the surface, the king remained positive and cheerful, never missing an opportunity to fill his subjects with hope for the future, even when things looked bleak.