Fantasy Careers is a blog series where I interview characters from fantasy books about their interesting jobs and unusual careers. Interested in taking part? Drop me a line through my contact form.
Elise: Today, I’d like to welcome Llan Tym to Magic Writer. Llan is Head Councilor of the Council of Four, and he lives in Central City at the heart of the Four Kingdoms.
Llan: Thanks for having me, Elise.
Elise: So, Llan, tell me a little more about the Council of Four and what your job entails?
Llan: Central City is the crossroads between the Four Kingdoms—Tykra, Laeto, Zetalon, and Varn, and the only place where our cultures intermingle. My job as Head Councilor of the Council of Four is to oversee the relations between the Four Kingdoms and to ensure that each kingdom is keeping within the laws the Council of Four set up to prevent an overreach of power. We regulate government and economic issues, or basically any conflict that arises between the Four Kingdoms.
Elise: Do you represent one of the Four Kingdoms in particular on the Council?
Llan: Yes, Tykra is my home kingdom. I have to know everything about Tykra’s political and economic situations to ensure that nothing is happening against the laws of the Four Kingdoms. Currently, the biggest problem the Council of Four is facing is what to do with Crown Princess Kylanore. After her parents tried to overthrow the other kingdoms and used alchemy to manipulate the very nature of our society by giving her and her brother more than their fair share of powers, I have had to watch her carefully while she is at Floures Academy to ensure that she will not cause any more problems for the Four Kingdoms.
Elise: It sounds like you have a lot on your plate at the moment, then! It must be a stressful job. What’s a typical day like for you when you’re at work?
Llan: Lots of meetings. *chuckles* If I’m not meeting with the other Councilors or traveling back to Tykra to meet with the king and queen, then I’m probably overseeing meetings with the Council Guard or the Headmistress of Floures. There’s always something that needs my attention.
Elise: I have to say, that sounds like many jobs in my world too! There must be parts of the job you enjoy, though, given that you’ve taken on such an important role?
Llan: Of course I enjoy my job. If I didn’t, why would I stick with it? Yes, there are parts of the job that are boring, tedious, and just unpleasant. I mean, who wants to sit in meetings all day to argue about politics? But knowing that what I’m doing is helping the people of not only Tykra, but all of the Four Kingdoms, is truly rewarding. It makes it all worth it.
Elise: Having a greater purpose in a job definitely makes it worthwhile. Did you need any particular training or experience to become a councilor?
Llan: When I first became interested in politics, people opposed me because my only work experience was actually as a merchant and not in politics. But after attending Floures Academy, I found that helping people was my passion and I gave up my father’s business as a merchant to become a Councilor. Everything I learned, I learned from my classes at Floures Academy and during my training as a Junior Councilor.
Elise: How did you manage to progress from Junior Councilor all the way to Head Councilor?
Llan: Typically the Head Councilor position is offered to the senior most Councilor, but instead I was offered the position after I single-handedly investigated and arrested the former king and queen of Tykra for their corruption.
Elise: Wow, that’s pretty impressive. So, just for fun, do you have any embarrassing stories about your job?
Llan: My first week on the job I accidentally managed to insult two out of the three other Councilors because I was so ignorant of their cultures. After that, I made sure to be more careful of what I said around foreigners.
Elise: Whoops! And finally, is Head Councilor your dream job, or would you choose something else if you could?
Llan: Absolutely. There’s nothing else I’d rather be doing with my life.
Elise: Excellent. Well, thanks very much for joining me here today, Llan.
Llan is a key character in Allie May’s novel-in-progress, Powerful:
Powerful
Her parents are in prison, her brother is on the run, and her powers are out of control. Now Crown Princess Kylanore has to restore balance to the government her parents corrupted. Under the watchful eyes of the Council of Four, Kylanore is sent to Floures Academy to control her water powers and study government and economics in preparation for her ascension to the throne of Tykra. While struggling to fit in there, she accidentally reveals her extra powers, powers that were an unfortunate side effect of her parents’ alchemical meddling.
When her brother reappears, he unveils secrets about the Council of Four that could destroy the Four Kingdoms. Will she keep quiet to protect herself, or will she join her brother on his renegade attempts at justice?
Allie May fell in love with fantasy and the impossible at a young age thanks to Disney, superheroes, and fairies. She began reading at the age of four and started writing as soon as she could hold a pencil. In high school, she won two Creative Communication contests and had her poems published. In December, her short story retelling, Rose & Thorn, was published in the anthology, From the Stories of Old. When she’s not at Disneyland, she’s working on her fantasy novel. On the weekends, you might catch a glimpse of her in the shadows as a lightsaber-wielding superhero.
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Awesome interview! Looking forward to learning more about Llan when Powerful is released. 🙂