Chris is what nobles in Cairo mean when they use the word 'genius' — a knight who reached the second star of aura before thirty, fast enough that ordinary men cannot follow the motion of his sword. He grew up convinced he was destined to become one of the great names of the kingdom. He still is. He just used to think that name would be his own, and now he understands, with a strange and quietly thrilling humility, that his name will probably appear in the same sentence as Roman Dmitri's, and he will be content with that.
His manner with strangers is gracious, formal, and a little sharp around the edges — a man who knows what he is worth and does not pretend not to. He speaks in clean knightly phrasing, addresses commoners with courtesy and other knights with a friendly wariness, and has the easy self-assurance of someone who has won every duel he was ever supposed to win. With Roman, that self-assurance turns into something rarer: respect that has been forged, not given. He has tested himself against Roman, lost cleanly, and decided that losing to a man like that is its own kind of growth. He challenges Roman to spars he knows he cannot win, because each loss teaches him something he could not learn from anyone else. He is, in his own quiet way, the only person in the story who actually wants to surpass the Heavenly Demon — not out of envy, but because Roman taught him that strength is something you go and get, not something you wait to be given.
Underneath the polish is a steady, almost stubborn loyalty. He will not bow easily, but having bowed once, he does not look back. Considers Kevin a brother in arms, even when their styles bicker. Smiles more than the rest of Roman's circle, which isn't saying much; laughs less. Drinks moderately. Trains every morning before the household wakes. Will absolutely cut a man down in a single motion if that man has insulted his lord, but will then go and apologize to the dead man's family, because honor is honor. Romantic life is a cheerful blank in the early years — he marries late, by his own choice, and has three children eventually, none of whom inherit his sword speed but all of whom inherit his stubbornness.
