Hadrian Kempe

“ ''"Death is too kind," he said way too easily, hands on the bars still. "My story is as important as yours, little fairy. Death can never change that." ”''

-Hadrian to Reed in the dungeons. Hadrian Kempe-Halloran is one of the main characters and antagonists in the Marilon series. He is the owner of the Potion Shoppe in town, and works as the Royal Magic and Potion Advisor for the queen. Hadrian is the current boyfriend of Makana Kekoa and Zayde Cole.

Early Life
Hadrian Kempe-Halloran was born on March 8th, at 10:10 p.m to Vanora Halloran and a human father, Orian Kempe. Shortly after his birth, his father abandoned him and his mother. At the age of two, his half sister Silver Hawken was born; her father lived with them for a few years. His early childhood was normal and happy up until his magic started to manifest in full, at the age of four; once his powers started to come in, his mother changed completely. Silver and her father stayed around for six more years before the two left for Silver's safety. Hadrian endured an abusive childhood starting at four, and lasting until age fourteen, when Vanora abandoned him.

Hadrian grew up with his mother and his sister in a house close to the sea and the town. The first four years of his life were normal; he was loved and well cared for by his mother, and encouraged to experience life to the fullest. As his powers began to manifest and grow stronger at a very young age, Vanora would quickly turn cold and calculated, and would soon start "training" Hadrian to be stronger. Her loving nature had disappeared completely. What remained was her hunger for more and more power. She would subject Hadrian to physical and emotional abuse consistently, making him believe that power over others was all that mattered in the world. Should he disobey her training, she would impose beatings, belittling and similar punishments on her son--most notably, though, would be her water punishments. Throughout his childhood, he would be subjected to water training, which consisted of teaching him how to control the water in the nearby sea; if he failed, or refused, she would bring him into the ocean and leave him to either keep himself alive through magic, or drown.

The abuse would continue even after Silver was born, and in the home. As Hadrian got older, the training and punishments got worse and worse, to the point where a desperate Hadrian would summon a demon to help him escape. This failed, and when his mother found out, she decided to incorporate the demon into her training. Hadrian would soon learn to tame and control the demon, who he named Nekane and tried to befriend. Over the years, Hadrian learned intermediate shadow magic, and was able to not only control Nekane, but wield weapons made of shadow. At the age of ten, after Silver and her father fled, Hadrian snapped after a rather brutal training session. Desperate for a way out, he pulled a shadow dagger and attempted to kill Vanora. He failed. Training continued on the next day, as if nothing had happened the day before.

Personality
Before the events of the Marilon series, Hadrian had a very rocky personality. By 14, he was struggling with the loss of his adoptive father, his sister, and his mother leaving him completely alone; because of this, Hadrian would adopt a cold and bitter personality in hopes of never being hurt again. While growing up with his mother, he was encouraged to abandon anything that might lead to failure, which just so happened to be any trace of kindness, compassion and childlike excitement. As his magic grew stronger, and his mother grew harsher, Hadrian adopted the advice his mother gave him and abandoned anything that could lead to failure. He applied this not only to Magic, but in general. In the years after his mother abandoned him, now a young teenager, Hadrian turned to vices such as sex and alcohol to ignore the pain of loneliness; he was forced to grow up at a very young age as a result of his trauma. When his mother finally left him, he promptly ignored the flashbacks and nightmares by diving into his work as a potion maker, and by finding boys to spend his nights with.

Book One
Hadrian's personality slowly changes throughout the series. When he is first introduced, he is seen being a rather arrogant, cocky boy, with a prickly attitude towards most people; he is easily annoyed, and quick to tell people to buzz off. He is shown to enjoy isolation and being alone, relishing in the peace and quiet he gets from being separate from others. He makes it hard for others to get along with him, but also enjoys the occasional person he can torment. Despite his insufferable attitude, he is seen to have an insatiable curiosity. Upon hearing a blood curdling scream deep in the woods, his initial plan of collecting potion supplies quickly turned sour, and despite his annoyance, he pushed deeper into the woods. His curiosity piques when he catches sight of Reed standing in a clearing with the flowers he is looking for. He is shown to have a soft spot for pretty boys. In the woods, it is revealed that Hadrian will do anything he needs to in order to get what he wants or needs--he is willing to harm and maim others to get ahead.

Book Four
By book four, Hadrian is beaten down and sick of being a pawn in somebody's else's game. He is no longer the arrogant and prestigious boy he used to be, and instead, is just trying to get through all the pain he suffered in the previous book. He starts to round out and become less of a dick, and more of an understanding and patient person. While imprisoned in the royal dungeons, Hadrian is subject to water torture and sexual assault at the hands of Reed, while forced to witness the continuous torture and mistreatment of his friends and sister. After the death of his mother, Hadrian is seen to be more defiant towards Reed, and more protective of Silver and those around him. He is able to rise to the occasion of breaking out of the dungeons. Before final battle with Reed and Lorelei, he is open to mending bonds with a few people, notably Aidan, and ready to start healing. At the end of the book, he is quieter than before, and almost in a constant state of mourning for a little while. He is able to rebuild physical aspects of his past, as well as repair bonds with Narcissa, Aidan, and Zayde among others.

Appearance
Prior to the series, Hadrian was relatively short for his age, and on the skinnier side. He often wore casual clothes, usually a pair of whatever jeans or sweatpants he could find in his room, and a t shirt; he'd wear sweaters and expensive looking coats during the colder months. His hair, naturally navy blue, would remain that color until around the age of twelve, when he started to bleach it to match his mother's hair color--a stark white. While Hadrian couldn't exactly match hers, he would settle for platinum blond, and continue to chemically alter his hair. At around age nine, as a result of his failed attempt to kill Vanora, he would gain the scar on the left side of his lips. He has bright green eyes, but unlike many witches, his eyes remain green no matter the amount of Magic he uses, or the frequency of his Magic use.

At the beginning of the series, Hadrian is a well groomed, well put together boy who dresses to impress; his hair is freshly blond at this time, bleached about a month prior. so his roots have grown in at about an inch. His eyebrows aren't bleached, though the blue pigment isn't as dark as it is on his head--these too, are well groomed and in perfect shape. He typically wears dark clothing, silver rings, and gold jewelry on his neck. On his left and right hand, he wears rings on the thumb, and every finger except the pinky; on both hands, his forefingers and middle fingers are adorned with smaller rings on the second knuckle. Bracelets are not an everyday accessory, but he is not opposed to wearing them. The necklace he usually wears is gold and two tiered, with the first tier at a loose choker length, and the second tier, a longer chain with a small pendant of clear fluorite. The second tier rests just under his collarbone. Hadrian likes to dress expensive, so he's no stranger to luxury brand items on his body. He wears an earring with a silver snack wrapped around a black gem on one ear. A typical school/work day outfit would consist of a t shirt or turtleneck, tight black jeans, and boots of a similar dark color; most outfits would be adorned with belts, chains, etc. Hadrian cares a lot about his appearance, and dresses that way without fail.

Hadrian maintains his appearance throughout the series, up until his mother starts to make a more stable appearance in his life. Around late book two, Hadrian begins to let his fears get to him, and, coupled with the overworking Aidan and Narcissa force him into, how much he cares about his looks begin to dwindle. Because he's too exhausted to keep up with his hair, his roots start to come in with a vengeance, and his hair starts to grow out a little. Still willing to put minimal effort into his appearance though, he dresses to impress for a few months longer before he finally gives up. Intricate outfits turn into whatever jeans he can find, and whatever shirt he hasn't worn in two days. As the winter months start to roll in, going out in expensive coats everyday turns into whatever cardigan he already owns. He stops wearing earrings and necklaces and bracelets all together, and only sticks to a few rings. When his mother gifts him a ring for Christmas, it's one of the only rings he wears everyday.

During the events of books three, he tries to dress his best for the most part, he doesn't put explicit effort into coordinating outfits down to the smallest details; because he is out on missions a lot, he makes an attempt at looking his best. However, when his mother returns for good, Hadrian is thrown back into the cycle he suffered during childhood. His hair grows out longer, more blue than blond. Dark circles become a frequent visitor to his face, and most notably, the mark on his arm starts to inch its way down his arms. His hair is frequently pulled back into a small ponytail, and he wears whatever he can find in his now messy room that is comfortable. By the end of the book, the mark will find itself peaking just outside of a sleeve, the tip of it barely reaching the back of his hands. Due to a punishment after training one night, Vanora takes one of his eyes. In turn, Hadrian wears a white eye patch all the time. By book four, Hadrian doesn't put any effort into his looks until the end, when he is finally safe; he starts to put more effort into his looks and finally cuts, and bleaches his hair back to the normal blond.

Silver Hawken
Silver is Hadrian's younger maternal half sister. They lived together for the first few years of their lives, and up until Hadrian was ten years old, Silver and her father, Richard Hawken would live with Hadrian and Vanora. For those ten years, the four would be a seemingly normal family in public. While Silver lived in the house with her brother, the two would become inseparable; often times, when Hadrian would have nightmares, he'd invite Silver to sleep with him. They were each other's comfort during a tumultuous childhood. When Silver was 8 years old, and Hadrian 10, Richard would make the difficult decision to take Silver with him, and leave Hadrian behind with Vanora. Because Hadrian would be taken out to the woods for training, Silver wouldn't know the extent of the abuse he suffered until years later, when the two of them reunite. After Silver's return to Marilon, they would once again become each other's only comforts through an unstable time; though the two are older and have their own lives, they spend most of their free time together. Lunch dates, dinner at Hadrian's house, and bonding with their Magic are common occurrences between the two. Despite Silver being Vanora's prodigy, and all of Hadrian's training being for nothing, the two are closer than ever. Because of their mother's control over them, both siblings have a white mark on their bodies that grows every time they use copious amounts of Magic at once, or use a burst of it.

Vanora
Prior to his magic fully manifesting, Hadrian had a tight bond with his mother. Shortly after birth, Vanora would spend most of her time with her son, opting to work from home in order to care for Hadrian, and give him the attention he needed. When Hadrian was around two or three years old, Vanora would begin to take him out to town every weekend, taking him around to the shops, the parks, and even the waterfront; the beach was a common option for their days together. Hadrian even learned how to swim during those beach visits, with his mother providing him the support he needed to learn--they would often float in the ocean together, Vanora careful to watch him closely. Just before his fourth birthday, Vanora would start teaching Hadrian how to call to his magic--these brief lessons in how to call to his power were done infrequently, and done benevolently. It was only after his powers manifested in full that Vanora changed. As Hadrian got older, and his powers grew stronger, their relationship would become almost non existent, fear based, and turbulent--a complete 180 from the relationship they had when Hadrian was a young boy. Their relationship would continue to be this way up until her death.

Hadrian does not remember much from his formative years. The only recollection he has of this time with Vanora is through the few photos she left behind.

Aidan Gale
Hadrian and Aidan start off having a rocky relationship, if one even exists. Towards the beginning, the two are clearly at each other's throats, Aidan finding herself annoyed with Hadrian's constant flirting with Reed, someone he finds to be interesting and worthy of his curiosity. They don't interact much at the beginning of the series, but by book two, the two are forced to be civil with each other. With Narcissa and Aidan needing Hadrian for their little potion plot, Aidan and Hadrian begin to have frequent conversations, usually surrounding the topic of potion making intricacies. Their interactions are scattered and few throughout book three. Towards the end, however, the two learn that, in order to survive the dungeons, they'll have to work with everyone, enemy or not. Hadrian and Aidan start to amend their relationship while imprisoned. During the dungeon break, the two learn to work together to save everyone else, and guide everybody out safely; when freed, the two begin to work on the things they said and did in the past. Hadrian, Aidan and Narcissa are best friends now, and find comfort within each other; when together, they are inseparable.

Narcissa Leroy
Similarly to Aidan, Hadrian and Narcissa didn't have much of a relationship until the girls sought him out for their potion plot. While Narcissa apologized first, and offered the chance of friendship, Hadrian didn't take the offer, and instead, decided on a revenge potion. He didn't have much of a relationship with Narcissa during the third book. After his kidnapping though, he finds himself in a cell adjacent to Narcissa's, and the two quickly become a comfort for each other. Once freed, he takes her up on that offer of friendship, and the two rekindle their relationship as the town rebuilds. Because of his proficiency in potion making, Narcissa, now Queen of Marilon, appoints him a place in her royal court.

Quotes

 * "He felt torn between wanting to be happy and wanting to be important; in this world, it was clear one could not have both."
 * “Cold seeped in and stung the skin, but he didn’t freeze. He didn’t have a reason to anymore."
 * "They say witches accused of dancing with the devil would drown for their sins. Innocent, and they would float towards God. What would a witch do when he was caught in the middle, a sinner with no crime?"
 * "'Look, if we have fairy boy with us, he's either getting socked in the face or his cock will be in someone's mouth.'" -Hadrian to Vanora
 * "You are nothing but a means to an end." -Hadrian's inner monologue whilst in the ocean
 * "'As much as we hate to admit it, memories keep the people we hate the most alive.'" -Hadrian to Silver
 * "'You're only as strong as the weak make you.'” -Hadrian to Reed
 * "I wouldn't be in this situation if you weren't a dog following orders. You're afraid, in some way. And it'll hit you like a stack of bricks the day you come to terms with it." -Hadrian, to Aidan

Etymology

 * Hadrian means “of the Adriatic” which is the sea that separates Italy from the balkan states. It was named after the Etruscan city of Atria


 * Kempe means “warrior”, and is of Anglo-Saxon origin
 * Nekane means "sorrow", and is of Basque origin
 * Kazuhiko means "first, harmonious prince", and is of Japanese origin. 和 (kazu) meaning "harmony, or peace";  彦 (hiko) meaning "prince, elegant, or boy"

Trivia

 * As a child, Hadrian was quiet, kind, and forgiving
 * His favorite flowers are bluebells, representing humility and constancy


 * Vanora would often take Hadrian into a clearing in the woods to practice his magic. This clearing is mentioned throughout the series, and has seen a few significant events


 * Kazuhiko, his familiar, was a found as a Kitten in the woods during a training session with his mother. He put the cat in his jacket pocket, and snuck him into the house when they returned
 * Hadrian was always a star potion maker, but he really started to excel after his mother left. By 16, he had opened and operated the Potion Shoppe all on his own


 * Despite being a sea witch by blood, Hadrian’s best form of magic comes in the form of potion making, Shadow Magic and Fire Magic


 * Hadrian has dabbled in other types of magic, such as blood magic and necromancy. He doesn’t have a favorite type of magic to use
 * He loathes green peppers


 * He loves to learn about topics hes interested in—magic is one of his favorite topics, so he knows a lot about it


 * As a result of the abuse he endured as a child, he has no problem hurting people to get what he wants/needs. After the events of book four though, he is a lot more hesitant to hurt innocent people.


 * He is a war criminal.


 * In the drafts, Hadrian owned a duck named Fergalicious Kempe
 * His favorite dessert is lemon cake, specifically lemon cake made by the royal chefs.
 * While Hadrian does not typically work with crystals, he will have a few in his home to promote peace and serenity, as well as a few to promote a clear mind and promote focus. In his shop, however, he sells crystals to other witches, and humans who may interested in crystal work.
 * Fluorite, the crystal he wears around his neck occasionally, promotes clarity by raising focus and concentration.

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