At the start of the series, Lief is the son of a blacksmith who lives in the run down city of Del. He is (as Barda describes him)'A young hot-head' and spends his time roaming the streets and both tempting and dodging trouble. On his 16th birthday he leaves Del on his father's quest to find the magical gems missing from the belt of Deltora and the heir destined to wear it. Lief is tempted in many ways and by the end of the first series we see that he has grown not only in bravery and strength, but also in wisdom and patience.

Lief is very courageous and extremely trustworthy. Only a few times does he considered giving up the quest but the thought of his friends or allies suffering always helps him to continue. The second series sees the charaters questioning their trust of one another as they plot to save the slaves in the shadow lands. In the third series, Lief must take the belt around Deltora to awaken the ancient Dragons which must then help him destroy the sisters of the North South East and West.

If you pay very close attention, you will be able to spot in the eighth book that Lief's hair is, in fact, dark. And if you pay special attention to Isle of the Dead (third book in The Dragons of Deltora series) you will find out that he is at least eighteen.

(Source: Wikipedia)