Andrew Mendes

Elias Jeremiah Aurelius, also known as Andrew Mendes, is the main protagonist and the narrator of The Golden Thief trilogy. He is the lost prince of Aurelia and the true heir to the throne.

Early Life
Andrew Mendes was born to Elijah Aurelius and his wife, Diana Aurelius, in the Kingdom of Aurelia. For the first year of his life, he lived as Prince Elias Jeremiah Aurelius of Aurelia.

The Fall of Aurelia
Nearly a year after the birth of Prince Elias, Markus Aurelius conspired against his older brother, King Elijah, and planned to dethrone him. Born without magic, the line of succession automatically skipped Markus and went straight to Elijah who possessed magic. As a result, Markus always resented his brother because he felt that Elijah in a way stole the throne from him. Markus knew he couldn't dethrone his brother without help. He embarked on a journey to the Gods' Temple in hopes that they could grant him magical abilities. He was disappointed to discover that magic cannot be created nor destroyed, it is a form of energy granted by the gods themselves. However, it can be extracted and contained. So, Markus made a deal with the goddess of fate, Moyra that dispelled magic from Aurelia, containing it inside a powerful stone. In return, Markus had to give up his soul and free will to Moyra who bestowed upon him a harrowing fate. She said that his decision to upset the balance of power within the universe will be his greatest downfall and she explains how he will die. Markus placed it inside an amulet and thus the Amulet of Aurelia was born, but only when one wears the necklace can they wield magic. Now, Markus is the most powerful man in the world. He returns to the palace and sets it ablaze, burning it to the ground and killing almost everyone inside. However, Queen Diana's handmaiden, Sasha managed to save the prince and escape the fire. She fled into the Dross where she and the prince have been hiding ever since. Sasha gave him a new name: Andrew Mendes. She never told Andrew of his true identity because she feared that it could get him killed if anyone found out. In the first couple of years, Sasha managed to make a living in a textile mill in the Dross, but when Markus blockaded all trade with neighboring kingdoms, the factories shut down and she lost her job. To make ends meet, Andrew started stealing off the streets as a pickpocket, but over time he became a skilled thief that began taking jobs from various clients/employers to steal for them. Various crime lords such as Kade Judah even tried to recruit him into their organization but he always refused, not wanting to pledge his loyalty to any gang. After completing one of his jobs for an anonymous client, Andrew takes the money he received and gambles it all away at the Compound during Fight Night. Andrew suffers from compulsive gambling. He got the disorder after his father died three years ago from gunshot wound from the cross fire between rivaling gangs. He started gambling to relieve his depression and anger. He knows that gambling every Friday Night is bad and it takes a toll on his relationship with his mother, but he cannot stop. The thrill of money is too great for him. So when he returns after gambling all of his money away that night after he bet on a trained gladiator from the Crimson Blood syndicate over the mysterious woman (Morgan), and finds his mother terribly ill, Andrew feels ashamed and guilty because now they have no money to afford medicine. He goes into the Golden City and steals some medicine from an apothecary shop, but is caught. A guard chases him and Andrew manages to escape but drops his necklace in the process, believing it will stop the guard from chasing him if he thinks that is what he stole. It is is most prized possession that his mother gave him, but he doesn't realize that it is the heirloom that identifies him as the prince. To anyone just looking at the necklace, its a normal necklace but when presented to the king he knows instantly its the princes necklace. He is astonished. There is no way the prince survived, but the King sends General Alekhine to hunt the thief down and bring him to the palace. Throughout the story, Alekhine tracks down the Shadow Thief and near the end, he finds his mother and kidnaps her, using her as a bargaining chip to lure Andrew to him. When Andrew returns home on the eve of the wedding, and finds the message left by General Alekhine that said if he didn't turn himself in by midnight before the wedding, he would kill his mother, he forgets about the heist and goes to find his mother, but he is stopped by the Chancellor who shares that he never cared about the debt. He just needed Andrew's skills as a thief to steal the Ark which possessed the Soul Compass to find the lost prince and return him to the throne. All along, Andrew thought Crimson Blood was a sinister gang, but in reality they were the cornerstone for the rebellion and uprising to restore the true Prince to the throne. Andrew doesn't listen. He bypasses the Chancellor only to be met by two of his goons who knock Andrew out and bring him back to headquarters.

Andrew returns home just in time to give his mother the medicine, but when she notices the necklace is gone, she freaks out. Andrew is confused because he didn't realize the necklace meant that much. She is too weak to explain and falls back unconscious. The next day, Andrew receives a message from another anonymous client to meet him. Andrew just expects this to be another job, but when he gets there, he realizes its a trap. Two men hit him in the head and he goes unconscious and kidnap Andrew. They bring him to the Headquarters of Crimson Dawn where Andrew meets Chancellor Judah who he owes a large debt to. The Chancellor offers him a deal to repay back his debt. Andrew must infiltrate the Royal Vaults and steal the coveted Ark of Aurelia in thirty days or he will kill him and his mother. If he succeeds, the Chancellor would grant Andrew fifty million aurei and he won't kill him and his mother. Andrew has no other choice than to accept. The Chancellor provides him a group of strangers to assist Andrew on the heist. He doesn't really trust any of them, but he's forced to work with them to complete the heist. They are all aware of the actual plan and purpose of the heist.

The Crew

Kade Judah-The Chancellor and mastermind of the entire plan who recruited all the members.

Andrew Mendes-The Shadow Thief who was recruited for his notoriety as a thief and the leader of the crew.

Morgan Clarke-The Night Wolf who was recruited for her skill as a fighter and the Chancellor's personal assassin.

Sylvia Landon-"Silver" who was recruited for her role as an escort into the royal wedding.

Seth Chau-The Prince who was recruited

Personality

Andrew is weary of others actions and is often skeptical with a big guard up. He doesn't trust people because of his circumstances as a poor boy trying to survive. He is extremely cynical of those living in the Golden City, believing that everyone in the Golden City are selfish, greedy, and impudent. He could be seen as selfish himself, but its just that he puts the survival of his mother and him over anything else. He is also cunning and mischievous, stealing whatever he can to get by. Even though he hates anything to do with the royal family, he is deeply traumatized by the murder of the guard who tried to arrest him. He had never killed anyone before in his life and feels regret and remorse toward his action.

Physical Description
Andrew is described as lean andskinny and weak because of malnutrition from living in the Dross his entire life, but he also has an extremely handsome face, described as soft and radiating like the sun. Andrew has short, chestnut hair that is uneven and messy due to cutting it himself with a knife. He also possesses vibrant golden eyes, burnt with twinge of brown like honey, which is confusing to him because both of his parents have gray eyes.