In case it's not obvious by now, Silas' mom is no longer around - she died of tuberculosis when he was six years old and now he is the only heir to the throne. Which is one reason King Richard wants to ensure his safety.

On a happier note, it's cameo time again:

The guy in the glasses to the left of Silas is based on someone named Pastor Chris: one of the coolest people I know. :-)

Going counter-clockwise, the left-handed golden armor guy is Xander Taerg, based on my friend Alex! Perhaps you remember him from before.

The soldier with sandy-colored hair next to Xander is a character named Vanyel. He's a cameo of a good friend of mine named Nathan. In real life, Alex and Nathan are friends, so it makes sense that in the story Xander and Vanyel are buddies too.