Peder Doterson

Peder Doterson is Esa's older brother, Doter's son, and Miri's childhood friend. He is currently betrothed to Miri Larensdaughter.

Biography
Peder works in the quarries alongside the other villagers. He is described as tall and lean with a head of tawny curls. Peder and Miri grew up as childhood playmates, and as they hit puberty, their affection for each other blossomed into romantic love, a fact that they both feared to reveal. Whereas Miri considers herself scrawny, useless, and undesirable compared to other village girls, Peder is discouraged by his belief that Miri desires to marry the prince. Throughout the novel, Peder seems to have a special connection to Miri, as he is able to hear her pleas for help (when bandits held the academy girls) when even her own father could not. In addition, Peder has considerable artistic talent and finds a passion in carving Linder, a hobby that is discouraged due to the need for extra hands to help with mining. However, as conditions improve due to Miri's skills in commerce, Peder is able to spend time on his hobby and looks forward to the day when he can formally study from a skilled artisan.

Appearance
Peder is described to have a head of tawny curls and he has blue eyes, and when he smiles the right side of his mouth pulls higher than the left.