Prince Alfred Joseph Rêmulp-Terrobihn

Alfred Joseph, commonly referred to simply as A.J., is the second son of the four Rêmulp-Terrobihn children from Queen Arbina Joeanne and her late husband, King George I. He was born in Castle Lightpool, in Trias, on The Planet of Legends.

Appearance
Brown hair,

Personality
Serious and loyal, somewhat arrogant. He is quieter than his twin.

Early Life
Born Alfred Joseph Rêmulp-Terrobihn, he was the second born son of the royal family, and the third child of Queen Arbina Joeanne Terrobihn and King George Rêmulp I. Twenty-two minutes later, his twin brother, Arnold Jaxon was born, making him the youngest of the siblings.

Alfred Joseph and his brother were educated by a private tutor. They took lessons in all manner of courtly matters, and other subjects that included the more refined ways of expressing themselves. Their lessons included swordplay, heraldry and all the typical topics one might expect children of noble birth to learn. Their childhood friends included the fraternal twins, Razen and Arista, wards of the royal family due to their mother’s sudden death not long after their birth, and Flipp, who though a foundling, refused to stay in the kitchens. Eventually, a young boy joined their small group and the six were inseparable after that time.

Neither of the brothers had any prospect of becoming the king - both their elder siblings were in good health. Kitra, the heir apparent, is so much older than the twins that she was long moved away from Castle Lightpool to study her arcane abilities in seclusion prior to their birth. They only the most formal of relations with her, interacting when the family comes together for formal occasions. Criotec disappeared years before the twins were born, and has only recently reappeared, a changed man. He is distant, aloof to all, even his blood relations. The last time Alfred and Arnold saw their siblings was just after the fall of Castle Lightpool and the creation of the Red Dome.

The twins therefore had more leisure time than their older brother and sister, one making ready to be the Queen someday, and the other to be wed in an arranged but diplomatic relationship meant to strengthen ties to an over-seas kingdom.

As he grew, Alfred Joseph was attracted in the adolescent way to Arista, and would often dream of carrying her away to some foreign land where they would be secretly married. This lasted through their mid-teenage years, and perhaps would still be one of his fantasies had he not left the realm of his birth.

Leaving Home
When Arnold and Alfred were fifteen, they decided to leave home. Their initial intent was to go on an adventure and explore the realms in a way that royal guards and strict schedules never allowed. They took with them Razen and Arista, and the four secreted away into the wilds south of the castle. During the course of their two-week exploration, the four were separated when the brothers came upon a twisted tree. The tree beckoned them. They both went into the gnarled hollow that served as its trunk. Razen and Arista did not follow - for the tree closed after the boys went inside.

The tree was meant to be a trap for them, set by their uncle, the nefarious Blacklion. In his quest to destroy the Rêmulp-Terrobihn royal family, he heard rumors the young princes were missing. His intentions were to lure their mother and elder siblings into his power, using the boys as hostages. However, the plan went awry. Arnold and Alfred proved more than the soldiers who released them from the tree could handle. They fought their way from their captors prior to reaching the final destination.

Though no longer prisoners, they were no longer anywhere they recognized and were also alone. The twins decided to change their names, to hide their identities, for it was clear they were in a land ruled by Blacklion.

Avenebury
During the course of their adventures in the new realm, they came upon a small town called Avenebury. Avenebury was under the control of a gang of brigades who forced all residents to pay tribute to them. If they did not pay tribute, the brigades burned houses, destroyed livestock, molested children and did other unspeakable acts to the villagers. In return for the tribute, the brigands ensured the villagers were safe from Blacklion’s soldiers. This was what the townsfolk believed, so they paid their tributes and kept their heads down.

Seeing this injustice, the twins decided to act upon it, for all should be free to chose their behavior. King and country should not be a burden to the people of the land. Now A.J. and Ajax, the twins fought against the brigands, and eventually freed the people of Avenebury. This brought them to the attention, again, of Blacklion - this time as outlaws, for he did not know the true identity of these new saviors of his lands.

Blacklion sent his men to fight against these two rebels. A.J. and Ajax fought valiantly, however they were out-numbered. When the battle seemed lost, the two on the brink of once again becoming captives, the villagers rose up and allied with them. Several villagers lost their lives, but the greater number of casualties were the soldiers. In the end, the day was won and A.J. and Ajax were immediately looked to as leaders of the village.

One of the people that the twins met that day was the beautiful prostitute, Charolette Ann Sourberry, and the boy she called her ‘son’, David. She was indentured into servitude, and her ‘master’ had her turning tricks for his pleasure. Her master was killed during the battle (he was one of the brigands); however she still had a year left on her contract and not enough money to buy herself out of the contract. A.J. took up the contract, with few objections from those around him, and took Charolette into his service.

Charolette thought she was going to be his personal sex toy during her last year of service. However, during that year, he never touched her, treated her as an equal and eventually came to love him for his courage, his compassion and his kindness. Not long after she was freed, they were married. A.J. adopted David as his own.

During that year, A.J. and Ajax made a name for themselves across the lands as saviors to the people. They freed other villages from the clutches of corruption, and eventually gained a following of people who were known across the lands as the ‘rebels’.

The Green Dome
A thing happened at the tail end of the year. They encountered a woman who assisted them. She created a great Dome - green in hue and at nearly five hundred acres it was a massive structure. This Green Dome served as the rebels’ base, for it proved to be resilient against attack from the outside. It gave them a safe haven where the rebels could live when not in battle. They created an orchard, planted wild trees and cultivated those that were already there.

The Green Dome also provided protection to the rebels when the Great Plague came and destroyed all living creatures and plants in the world. It became a desolate landscape, a place where even a few minutes exposure was enough to begin drawing the life from its victims. Those who walked unprotected across the once verdant lands wound up aging faster and suffering all the ailments that they had within them simultaneously. One who harbored a cold, for example, would suffer from the cold. One who was a carrier for a worse disease would instead become its victim.

As the world changed, so did the interior of the Green Dome. The worse the outside became, the better the interior. The hills stayed rife with vegetation and grasses of bright hues. The air within the Dome collected a minor atmosphere so clouds formed, and rains could fall. No drop of water escaped into the lands outside. ‘

A.J. was elected the leader of the rebels, his brother feeling himself not mature enough to take on the massive responsibility of being the leader, and preferring to be the right-hand man. Ajax too had developed a wanderer’s spirit. He wanted to explore outside the Dome, so could not be the leader and risk all the knowledge of the rebels when he went on his sojourns.

Antenna
As it turned out, this precaution was a good one. During one of his journeys, Ajax and three other rebels were captured by Blacklion’s soldiers. Ajax had an ‘antenna’ implanted into his mind. The procedure left him with the telltale green scar on his forehead that showed everyone he was essentially under Blacklion’s control whenever the fiend desired him. Though this should have proven disastrous for the twins’ rebellion, the Green Dome’s properties included shielding from control by the antenna. As long as Ajax stayed within the gentle curves of their home, he was safe.

Ajax was interrogated during his captivity, forced to tell Blacklion much of what he knew. This was how their uncle discovered the whereabouts of his nephews. He redoubled his efforts to break through the Green Dome, still to no avail. The shielding prevented him from using antenna-soldiers to conquer it. These attacks proved beneficial to the rebels as they gained allies as soon as the soldiers entered the Green Dome’s protective influences and were no longer controlled by Blacklion.

A.J. and Charolette’s relationship continued to deepened and soon strengthened into the unbreakable bond of those couples who will remain together for all time. Recently she has borne him two children - a set of twins too, a boy and girl.

During the Company Chronicles
A.J. assisted Flora in her search for the Innocents when several of her companions journeyed to his home world and revealed that David is one of the Angelica’s chosen children. Charolette allowed David to go with the companions.

When the twins discovered that their mother was missing, they went in search of her, coming to assist the denizens of Castle Lightpool, including Warren Milrona and the other Daryndel.

Arcane Abilities
As with all those of the Terrobihn bloodline, he has the ability to use arcane. He has developed his natural abilities so he is a strong wielder. He is teaching his children how to use the arcane properly. He has not yet discovered the talent that all Terrobihn possess, the one that is unique to them.

Longevity
Like all those of the Terrobihn bloodline, Ajax is slow to age and so his physical age does not reflect his chronological one. He appears still to be in his late teens when in reality is he in his late forties.

Mundane Abilities
A.J. is strong and agile.

Parentage

 * King George Rêmulp I, his father
 * Queen Arbina Joeanne Rêmulp-Terrobihn, his mother.

Siblings

 * Kitra April - Older sister.
 * Criotec George - Older brother.
 * Arnold Jaxon - Identical twin of Alfred Joseph, 22 minutes younger.

Significant Other

 * Charolette Ann Sourberry - wife

Children

 * David Sourberry - Son, adopted.
 * Unnamed twins - Girl and a Boy.

Other Relations

 * Prince John I - Father-in-law
 * Prince Blacklion - Uncle.
 * Princess Zorlinda Raquel - Aunt.
 * Princess Cherryblossom Terrobihn - Aunt, deceased.
 * Prince Swiftwind Terrobihn - Aunt, deceased.
 * All of Raquel's children.
 * The rest of the Terrobihn Bloodline.

First Appearance
Prince Alfred Joseph was mentioned in Orphan Quest.

Random Trivia
When Arista described the attack on Castle Lightpool to Basil, Flipp and Razen, she mentioned that 'one of the younger princes' was there to assist in the defense of the castle. While there is no firm evidence (yet?) which twin this was, it is more likely to be Ajax because A.J. does not leave Zugonstar often.