Trivia / Protector of the Small

• Reality Subtext: Alanna spells out the reason Kel is important, that as a normal person without any magic abilities, no one can say she doesn't completely earn every bit of her glory. Pierce's motivation to tell a story about a Badass Normal was concern that young girls reading her books wouldn't find Alanna and Daine's accomplishments relatable to their own lives, and wanted a heroine they would relate to and find inspirational.
  • Kel's discovery of the attack on Haven was written shortly after the September 11th attacks. While the story had been planned for a long time already, Pierce has said that atmosphere definitely contributed to the way she wrote the scene.
• What Could Have Been: Pierce's original idea was that Wyldon would become the main villain, defecting and leading an army against Tortall rather than accepting a female knight. It wasn't working, and she changed him to a Jerk with a Heart of Gold after talking about it with her husband, much to the better.
  • Tortall: A Spy's Guide calls back to this, producing a letter Wyldon sent to an ally when he accepted the post of training master, in which he mentions that they've discussed the measures they could take to repeal or overturn the proclamation that women could be knights, though it does seem like he's only interested in legal recourse.

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