Charlotte Walker

Charlotte Walker is one of the main characters of the first installment of the As The Last Leaf Falls series. She also appears as a supporting character in the second and third installments of the series. She is a mercenary who came with her adopted brother, Caspe Walker, to the continent Neuer Welt to investigate a series of mysterious killings.

During the course of the story, she happens upon one of the last of a race of magical beings, Wambdi, and uncovers a mystery behind the New World's dark past, as well as her own.

Background
Charlotte was brought into a hard life, having not a coin nor a note on her family's name. For as long anyone remembered, theirs was a family for two, surviving on whatever means of livelihood Charlotte's mother could find. Day by day, living with the constant worry of what may come tomorrow, the young girl had found that there were precious little things they could cherish. A warm meal, a roof, a dry spot to sleep in; things normal to most were to them luxuries too far in between.

Charlotte's mother would often tell her to hold on to two things in life. Her "being her" was something that could never be taken by others, so she should always be herself; though complicated as it was to the young girl, she tried hard to put this to heart. Charlotte was also told to keep safe a memento that was passed down from daughter to daughter: a feather, encased in resin and made into a simple necklace. Which bird or animal it belonged to, even Charlotte's mother did not know. She would be told a fairy tale every night about the feather; how her great-grandmother fell in love in happier times, and how her heart was broken when they had to part, the necklace the only thing she had to remember those golden days by. As repetitive it was, it was for Charlotte a beautiful dream she could escape to when life seemed too harsh.

Time went by, and life only grew harder for the two. Jobs were harder to find, while the growing Charlotte only added to their worries. They eventually had to resort to stealing from the fields of the nobles who lived nearby, the Walker family. Shameful though this was at first, the two had managed to keep the act up for months, carefully moving from field to field to avoid suspicion.

Their luck soon took a different turn when one day, they were discovered by one of the nobles, Caspe. Moments later, in front of the Lord Walker himself, Charlotte's mother could only see that the worst outcome awaited them. Admitting their guilt, she pleaded the family head to spare her daughter the punishment. Surprised and angry at her mother for even thinking that, Charlotte does the same, even going into an argument in front of the Lord Walker. To their utter astonishment, the old noble simply chuckled at them, and asked them to come work for the house by being Caspe's servants. The two were struck speechless; with a nod, they could only agree to what was to them a miracle.

Thus started their lives in the Walker household. The work was as hard as ever, but it was the first time the young Charlotte ever felt like she was in a real home. They could eat three times a day, they have a decent place to live in, and there were children her age that she could relate to. She was a bit awkward around Caspe at first, but the young noble took a shine to the young servant and the mother soon enough. Over time, their relationship grew from a master and his servants to that of a family, a relationship that unfortunately brought the unwanted attention of the jealous nobles that hound Caspe.

Eventually, Charlotte has been able to save enough money to buy Caspe a present for his birthday. It was a small trinket at best, but the young servant swelled with pride as it was the first thing she has ever bought for another person. Just as she was going to place it in his room, one of the nobles saw her, and dragged her to the main lobby, accusing her of stealing from Caspe. The other nobles quickly followed suit, forcing Charlotte into a corner.

Try as they might, however, the young servant kept her silence. Wanting to protect her master's image, she kept quiet even as she and her mother were being thrown out of the manse. It was then at that time that Caspe had come home, and seeing the commotion, went to their rescue. To everyone's surprise, the young lord did not only defend the two, but he willingly left the house for their sake. Thankful and ashamed from their charge's kind sacrifice, the two stayed with Caspe, vowing never to let him experience the poverty they once did. The promise was left to Charlotte alone to finish, however, when her mother passed away in a harsh winter.

Years passed, as Caspe and Charlotte made a name for themselves in the peacekeeping business, adventuring all across the Old World fulfilling client requests. It was at the peak of their fame that they recieved their biggest opportunity yet: an investigation of murders in the faraway continent of Neuer Welt. Seeing this as their way to live comfortably for good, the two embarked on a journey that would change them forever.

Personality
Charlotte is responsible, mature, and a bit of a worrywart; the complete opposite of Caspe, and the one who usually acts as his voice of reason. Though naturally reserved in front of strangers, she is quite aggressive towards people she is accustomed to, as seen with her often nagging Caspe out of a drunken stupor. Despite this, she has shown to be a caring and attentive individual, acting as an emotional anchor to Windrell and Caspe on a number of occassions.

Curious and informative at heart, she gets interested with all sorts of things quite easily, and is prone to asking question after question; much to the irritation of some of the characters in the series. She also tends to bombard people with too much information when asked a question. Windrell managed to figure out a way out of this, using a large collection of books to keep her occupied for hours, a feat most are amazed at.

Because of her past, and the fact that she's had Caspe as her only companion for years, Charlotte has little awareness of her own femininity. This has been apparent in the stories in various aspects of her lifestyle: from preference in clothes, to keeping up appearances, and even choice in food. It is due to this that Charlotte looks up to characters like Akasha and Yoko as older sister figures, often taking down notes on their actions, to the dismay of the other two.

She has also a very trusting nature, something she inherited from her brother. Though not as vocal or as direct as Caspe is with his convictions, Charlotte has herself an almost childish belief in the goodness inside people's hearts. Seen as how she defended Windrell from Caspe in the first story, Charlotte is even prepared to risk her life for a glimmer of hope she sees in a person.