Josten Lancaster (LD Stories)

Sir Josten is a squire for King Gerard who has a secret passion for literature and music. He is fifteen years old and has been serving his majesty as long as he can remember, but intends to become world renowned for his poetry and songs - he sings and plays a lute to lyrics he writes when inspired

Background Information
He is looked after by Mrs. Sourberry if he stays in the castle; when he is amongst the common folk, he takes up residency with the village minstrel whom he is good friends with. He learned all he knows of music and instruments from him, but his writing is a self-taught talent.

He usually works for the king as a spare musician, but on ocassion he has been sought out for other services such as delivering parchments to and from the castle, reading the proclamations written by the Clockwork Smurf, or riding to other kingdoms to summon another member of royalty. Though he is a skilled swordsman, he loathes being a squire and wishes simply to write, sing, and play the rest of his life - his wish cannot be granted, sadly, because he is not usually able to speak with King Gerard for more than a moment at any given encounter.

He grew up mostly on his own and is considerably philosophical for his age; his most valuable lesson learned is that one must remain humble through all achievements. Sometimes when he thinks he is alone outside the castle walls, he will play his flute to a tune he improvises on the spot - other times he will have his lute and make up lyrics to a song. The only time he has been caught in the act was by a fair maiden when he about ten years old.

Becoming a Squire
Though he did not catch the girl's name at the time, he realized that knights fancied her, so he courageously applied for the position with the Man-at-Arms the day after their encounter. Despite hating the idea of jousting and going into battle for the good of the kingdom, he wanted to impress her - luckily he did not have to give up his passions to do so. This is why he has remained a page and was eventually promoted to squire hood.

Meeting and Relationship with Johan and Peewit
Josten is first introduced to Sir Johan and his sidekick, Peewit, when they celebrate the king's fourteenth birthday - at the party, he makes his way through the crowd and bumps into them purely by accident. He spills his drink on Johan in an effort to avoid tripping over Clockwork, apologizes, and is rather surprised at his fellow squire's mellow demeanor. While he leads him to the launders room for a spare tunic, they engage in conversation: to his delight, King Gerard is as caring and humble as he had hoped, and he and the Clockwork Smurf both have an appreciation for the arts.

He and Johan discover that they both enjoy swordplay and theatre, but one likes fighting and the other does not. They establish a steadily growing friendship as time goes on. Peewit, on the other hand, is another story.

He is not amused by the King's jester for his lack of singing talents - though he admits his playing is decent, his voice distubs Josten greatly. He honestly tells him he is not good and offers to demonstrate how to "win the crowd the right way", bringing out his flute. Peewit becomes infuriated and storms off; this leaves Josten with a disgruntled Johan. Seeing his disapproving expression before turning away immediately reminds him to be humble about his position, even if he knows he is in the right, so since then he has not mentioned this event in their presence.

Meeting and Relationship with Falla
This section will be expanded soon!

Appearance
Sir Josten has pale skin, standard black eyes, and stands about 5'8 1/2" in American measurement. His white-blonde hair is thick and bushy with outgrown bangs, but is shorter in the back; he has a thin, but masculine figure. Further detail will come later.

Voice Actor(s)
The best voice actor for Sir Josten would be Justin Timberlake speaking in an English accent. He is a famous singer and voiced Arthur in Shrek the Third.