Grey

"Choices are never easy. There are good and bad options, but the most dangerous is to not make any choice at all."

- Iisak to Grey, A Heart So Fierce and Broken

Grey, also known as Commander Grey, is the former Commander in Prince Rhen's guard. He is also the half-brother of the prince.

Early life
Grey believed to have been born to a farmer couple and had nine younger siblings, who later turned out to be his adoptive family. They were humble. When Grey was young his father was badly injured, he became caught in a thresher, and dragged by a horse, he could no longer work, or walk. Grey helped his family as best as he could, but the family was forced to sell most of their land and livestock. He heard of the castle accepting ten new guards every year so he chose to apply to the Royal Guard and got the position as a guard at Ironrose Castle. He had to forswear any connection to them, but the family would be favored economically.

After the curse was set in place, three hundred and twenty-seven seasons later, he was the only one alive from the Royal Guard. He was the only one who survived and became the last person along with Rhen to still live in the castle. They became good friends, even though Grey had an oath to protect Rhen.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely
Grey travels through dimensions to find girls for Rhen, so one of them might fall for him and break the curse.

Harper sees Grey trying to kidnap a girl in Washington, DC, and decides to attack him with a crowbar. He ends up taking Harper to Emberfall. They instantly dislike each other.

When they are in Emberfall, Harper tries to flee but is stopped by Rhen and Grey. Grey shows Harper how to use a knife, and they start to get along. Harper tries to flee again later, but this time she gets into trouble with soldiers from Sylh Shallow. Grey and Rhen take Harper, and Freya and her kids to the Crooked Boar Inn.

Grey stands guard, and when Harper wakes up, they play with hand-painted cards and play a game called King's Ransom. Rhen comes downstairs, and Harper leaves, leaving Rhen and Grey playing cards. They talk about how Harper doesn't like Rhen and how he managed to get Harper to play cards. To that Grey responds: "I did nothing, I simply just asked."

Grey offers to pledge himself to Lilith in exchange that she spare Harper, but instead of pledging he attacks her and Grey transports them to modern-day Washington, DC. In a bid to save her life Lillith reveals the truth about him; that he is the late King of Emberfall's bastard child whom he had with a sorceress. He believes to have killed her and returns to Emberfall to his old home. There he has a conversation with his adopted mother, telling her that he knows he is not her son. He gets mad at her for letting him become a guard at his father's castle, but she reassures him that the King didn't know that Grey was his son. After the conversation, he states that he cannot go back to Ironrose, because of the risk of him being recognized as the true heir to Emberfall's throne. He asks his mother to bury his weapons so that they will not be found, and afterward he decides to leave his old home.

A Heart So Fierce And Broken
Grey is hiding in a small city, posing as a stable hand under the name Hawk, there he attempts to lay low to avoid the Rhen's guards who are looking for him. While here Grey befriends the boy Tycho, who looks up to Grey. Grey teaches Tycho some basic swordplay, but after Tycho catches him disappearing and then suddenly reappearing, Grey reveals the truth to Tycho, and begins to teach him more advanced moves.

When Grey encounters a scraver for the first time, he attempts to help him, offering him some water in his cupped hands, but the scraver bites his arm.

When the man meant to fight in the competition becomes seriously injured last minute, and is unable to fight without risking getting killed, Grey offers to take his place. However when he goes out to fight he is confronted by one of the guards from the palace who used to serve side by side with Grey. The guard cannot figure out where he knows him from, but Jake, who was traveling around Emberfall at the time recognizes Grey. Grey attempts to flee and frees the scraver Iisaak in the process, but upon one of the guards capturing Tycho Grey gives himself up so they won't harm Tycho.

Grey is transported back to Emberfall alongside Tycho by a contingent of guards. He refuses to answer any of the new Captain of the guard's questions about why he fled, only stating "For the good of Emberfall" The other guards are hostile to Gey, seeing him as a traitor after he fled.

Upon arriving in Emberfall he is brought before Prince Rhen. Grey again refuses to reveal anything and is locked in one of the rooms, next to the one where Lia Mara is being held. Harper comes to visit Grey and is emotional upon seeing him alive and well, immediately hugging him. Harper begs Grey to tell Rhen the identity of the heir but Grey stays silent.

After she leaves, Lia Mara emerges from the fireplace and they talk for a little bit. Lia Mara remarks on his relationship with Harper but Grey claims that there is nothing there, and that Harper is in love with Rhen.

The following day, Rhen grants Grey permission to leave his rooms and do anything he wishes in the castle. Grey visits Harper and they play King's Ransom, Grey checks on Tycho to make sure he is alright, which he is. Rhen invites Grey to dinner later and together they reminisce about the days before the curse, over a bottle of wine. Rhen states to Grey that "I always thought we should be friends" Rhen once again asks Grey to tell him who the heir is, asking him not to make him this, but Grey still refuses to reveal that he is actually the heir. Grey returns to his chambers again.

Grey is brought in front of the king and his court and is strung up in chains, but Grey is shocked to see Tycho has also been strung up in chains. Grey has his guards continually whip them. Grey loses control of his magic after seeing the toll is taking on Tycho, and puts everyone in the room to sleep apart from Lia Mara, Harper, Zo, Jake, and Noah. Lia Mara helps an unconscious Tycho out of his chains, and Harper and Zo help them escape unnoticed. Harper stays back to see if she can help calm Rhen and stop him from going after them.

Together the four of them and Iisak flee, and try to outrun Rhen's guards and cross into Lia Mara's homeland. Iisak teaches Grey how to access his magic, by biting him in the wrist forcing Grey to heal himself. With some more practice he is able to heal his injuries and then Tycho's.

Grey becomes more and more fond of Lia Mara as she proves how smart and determined she is. After they shoot down a moose for dinner, Lia Mara helps him carry it back to camp, he encourages her, telling her that they are nearly there and not to give up. Lia Mara begins to develop feelings for him and vice versa.

Jake and Grey however are getting on each other's nerves as Jake resents Grey defending Rhen and Grey pushing them too hard not giving them a chance to rest. They run into some trouble in one of the towns they pass by as Rhen's guards catch up to them. Grey uses his sword and his magic to fight, Jake defends Grey from an attack and they fight side by side, with the help of the townspeople they manage to push back the guards. Grey uses his magic to heal people injured in the fight. Grey refuses to stay at the inn the townspeople offered, not wanting to put them in danger again. This upsets Jake who knows that the others cannot handle the pace Grey is setting. They eventually come to an understanding though and Grey gives letting them rest the night.

Upon crossing into Fell Farrow they are met by guards and taken to meet the Queen, who wants Grey's assistance to invade Emberfall. While Lia Mara is locked away, the Queen pushes her youngest daughter and heir to the throne onto him, in hopes he will fall for her, however he is not interested in the ruthless sister, sending notes via Iisak to Lia Mara. During a ride through town, she challenges Grey to a race, and in her eagerness to win she nearly tramples a woman. Grey stops to help her and decides that he can wait, as he takes his sweet sweet time at the pub, chatting with the guards.

The Queen devises a test to prove Grey's loyalty to her, and brings out Lia Mara, ordering him to kill her. Grey refuses.

Grey sends a letter to his half brother Rhen, giving him 60 days to surrender, or else prepare for war, in the letter Grey begs him "don't make me do this"

Physical description
Grey is described to be tall and muscular. He has brown hair and brown eyes.

Harper
Harper and Grey didn't have a good start, after he dragged her from her world into Emberfall. Over time, they end up getting well along, trusting each other, and becoming great friends. Harper teasingly calls him Scary Grey. It is implied in A Heart So Fierce and Broken that he may have had feelings for Harper and she could possibly have had feelings for him. "but Jake's not you" in reference to when they were escaping the castle. This might have been had he not been sworn of any sort of family and Rhen had not been there. Instead they remained great friends.

Rhen
Originally a relationship between prince and guard, Rhen and Grey formed a friendship because they spent so much time together fighting the curse, Rhen let himself be tortured so that Grey would be spared. However after finding out they are half-siblings, their relationship becomes more complicated.

Jake
Jake and Grey had a rough start, with Grey dragging Harper along with Jake and his boyfriend Noah to Emberfall in an attempt to save them from being shot. The two have been at odds, their opinions often colliding. Over time, the two of them grow to respect each other - so much, that Grey sees Jake as one of his best friends.

Tycho
Tycho looks up to Grey, seeing him as a sort of big brother, and Grey is also very protective of the boy. Grey teaches Tycho how to sword fight and under his guidance he becomes a great swordsman, he also joins the guards to be like Grey.

Lia Mara
Grey and Lia Mara are deeply in love. Grey respects her intelligence, compassion and tenacity. At the end of A Vow So Bold and Deadly it is revealed that Lia Mara is pregnant with Grey's child.

Trivia

 * Upon becoming a royal guard you have to swear off family for 10 years, not visiting them, not speaking to them, pretending they don't exist. Lilith tried to convince Grey to abandon Rhen by threatening his siblings, but Grey refused to leave and so Lilith killed all of his siblings