Root Oakley

Root Oakley is the esquire and friend of Quenelda de Winter. He is one of the main protagonists of the series. He is a gnome. He lives at Dragonsdome, and owns the dragon Chasing the Stars. His father was the SDS scout Bark Oakley (now desceased). His mother is not named. He has a talent for art.

Root started off as an apprentice at Dragonsdome, but after his father (Bark Oakley) died, from a poisoned hob-goblin barb, Earl Rufus de Winter (he promised Bark that he would look after Root) made Root Quenelda's esquire. Tangnost Bearhugger mentors him.

Root is terrified of dragons, and dislikes the fire breathing battle dragons most of all.

At first Quenelda is mean to Root, but when he stands up to her, she realises that she has been mean and they become friends. Root is also friends with the esquire Quester. Root learns to fly dragons, and especially likes the dragon Chasing the Stars. He is later given the dragon Chasing the Stars by the Earl Rufus de Winter for his bravery at the Winter Jousts.

Quote from The Dragon Whisperer
"Pa was gone. He was all alone in the world. What would he do now? Root wondered. Where would he go? He couldn't think straight. He couldn't even move. The hob goblins had once more killed his closest kin. He had been barely six years old when a banner had wiped out his village - he had been picking nuts and berries in the forest when the attack came, and was the sole survivor out of a hundred and fifty peaceful gnomes. Hearing the screams, he had hidden in the undergrowth and stayed there long after night and silence fell, too afraid to move. Finally, as dawn turned darkness into shades of grey, he had crept home to find his family lying like broken dolls in the ruins of their home. The SDS had found him three days later, filthy, starving, and frazen, and had reunited him with his grieving father, stationed at Dragonsdome. But now the evil creatures had taken his father away too; what would become of him?"