David, the novel’s 12-year-old protagonist, changes from a boy to a young man over the course of his journey to the king’s castle. Throughout childhood, David has a special closeness to his mother. He loves to read alongside her and treasures old fairytale stories as his favorite books. When she’s sick, he performs superstitious routines, hoping that they might save her if he does them perfectly. His mother’s death brings guilt and anger, and David harbors resentment towards Rose and Georgie. David struggles to fully accept that his mother is dead, and he must face his fears and grow in maturity on his journey before he can finally face reality.

When David enters the other world, he is fearful, dependent on the Woodsman, and still feels anger towards Rose and Georgie. However, as he progresses on his journey, he shows bravery by defeating the Beast and enchantress, learns to be independent and travel alone when needed, and finds himself missing Rose and Georgie. David also learns that the black-and-white worlds of his stories do not accurately portray the real world. He discovers that justice should be tempered with mercy, and knights and soldiers do not always win the battle or even need to fight every battle.