In The Dragon Princess by E. D. Baker (the sixth book in the Tales of the Frog Princess series), near the end of the story, we meet the ice dragon Audun. The character immediately charmed me. A special relationship formed between Millie, the protagonist in The Dragon Princess, and Audun, but the story quickly ends with Millie returning home and Audun staying in the frozen north. (The cute dragon on the cover caused me to pick up the book. I am glad I did.)
The next book in the series, Dragon Kiss, picks up Audun’s story as he goes on a quest to find Millie and win her heart. Following him on his quest, we learn of his honest nature, his heroism, his kind heart, and his cleverness. I became quite fond of him.
The last book in the series is A Prince among Frogs, which continues Millie and Audun’s story.
What was it about Audun that made him so special to me? The better I understand how E. D. Baker made me feel affection for Audun, the better I will be at helping my readers love my characters.