Everyone makes mistakes, even though most just and honorable can falter, and Aydan Crow's existence is a testament to that. Aydan is a bastard, born to a serving girl who attended to Baron Redwyrm and Lady Helena themselves. So when the young woman showed up on her masters doorstep one evening with babe in hand nineteen years ago, the Baron opened his home to them and has never once seemed to regret his decision on the matter.
For his part, Aydan's life has been a good one. As a child he grew up alongside the Baron's own, and became fast friends with the Baron's son, Hanz, and the two would often find themselves in all sorts of trouble with a smile on their lips. He watched Rebecca grow up, at first joining in with Hanz to pull pranks on the girl, and then watching out for her as if she were his own sister, if he only knew...
It was four years ago that Aydan's mother came down with a bad flu, and try as they might, Lord Redwyrm's healers could do nothing for her, she was in the hands of the Gods. Aydan's mother asked to speak to her child alone, and their she admitted to him that his father was none other than the Baron himself.
She died before he could ask her anymore and to this day he has been unable to confront the Baron on the matter, for fear of finding out if his mother lied, or if she told him the truth.
Despite this tragedy, Aydan did not allow himself to become sullen. During his teens he maintained a somewhat rebellious streak, and was often caught getting into fights with other children, causing mischief and had developed a reputation among the serving girls, for which the older maids nicknamed him "Raven" a joking play on the surname given to him because of his illegitimate nature; Crow. Aydan's behavior ended up causing the Baron one too many headaches and chose to apprentice the boy to his Forrester Kristof. Aydan took to the old woodsman, and found in the man a trusted friend. Kristof taught Aydan how to hunt and track, how to move through the wilds. He gave the boy a place to channel is energy and Aydan took to the trade like fish to water. So it was with great pride that two years ago, Kristof retired and turned his duties over to Aydan.
Since the death of his brothers and their mother, Aydan has spent more and more time in the forests the surround the land, checking in every couple of days to see if his services are required, but rarely opting to stay the night. The reasons for this absence are twofold. First and foremost, Aydan loved his brothers dearly and their loss has shaken him, compounded by the fact that after four years of hiding it, Aydan had chosen to reveal to Hanz what his mother had told him. The second is that Aydan no longer feels as comfortable around his father, worrying that the man may think he is trying to replace his "true" sons, or if the man even knows at all. The one exception to this is Rebecca, having always been fond to her, Aydan now finds himself especially protective of the girl, feeling that with her brother gone it falls to him to make sure she is safe from harm and happy in life.
