King Pepin XIX (Hauvon Expanded Universe)

King Pepin XIX is a main character in the Hauvon Expanded Universe fanfiction stories. He is based on The Good King in the cartoon series and comic books, who has no given name. Johan, Peewit, Dame Barbara, Maenad, and Count Tremaine serve under him. While people and creatures like The Smurfs live in the Cursed Country, they are considered allies and under his protection.

Background
Eighteen rulers before the current King of Hauvon have been named Pepin in the past couple of centuries, and because of this, each one was known more by a nickname than his given name. Because of the current king's fatherly, pious disposition and fair way of ruling, he is called "The Good" by most everyone.

King Pepin was a good ruler, but he was not the first in line for the throne of his kingdom. He had a younger sister, Anne, and a older brother, Nicholas.

As a youth, he was more interested in priesthood than marrying and starting a family. As a young man, he went to the Holy Land as part of a crusade. After he returned, he lived at the castle under the rule of his sister and brother-in-law and their small daughter Sabina.

Unfortunately, tragedy would strike in the form of a plague that killed almost all of Pepin's family except for Sabina and his nephew, Gerard. Pepin took the throne of Hauvon and guardianshp of Sabina, while Gerard was placed under the guardianship of his aunt Imperia, who assumed the position of Regent until Gerard became old enough to rule.

Personality
King Pepin is, as mentioned, a fair ruler. He feels that all intelligent beings and people under his rule have the right to earn a dignified living, and that all those in power should be competent, loyal, and just. He has slowed down from his younger days of adventure, but occasionally he does get bored with castle life and yearns to go on adventures, such as when he visited the Cursed Country with Johan and Peewit to rescue the Smurfs from Monulf and his dragon Fafnir.

He considers those in the court closest to him to be like the family he never had. He is Sabina's legal guardian and is technically a foster parent to Johan. Occasionally he does lose his temper, with Peewit, for example, and he has been known to be moody as well. On the other hand, the fact that he continues to employ Peewit for years despite Peewit being terrible at his job speaks for the King's benevolent nature.

Appearance
King Pepin is a man of about 60, with white balding hair and a white beard that was originally light brown. He typically wears a red robe lined with ermine fur, or a matching tunic and hose with his royal crest on the chest. His royal crown is unusually small.

Trivia
THDG was inspired to name the Good King 'Pepin' after the many, many kings and princes all named Pepin in Early Medieval Europe. Charlemagne had a brother named Pepin, a father named Pepin, and two sons named Pepin, for example.