Fion Areth annoys me like nothing else - too dense, too blind and so on. He seems above average intelligence, but is completely unable to think beyond his preconceptions. I can imagine characters blinded by prejudice - other characters in the books are believable in their prejudice, but given less evidence, others have turned their ideas around. He is a rare, poorly written character. An example of a prejudiced character well written would be the widow of Merior, I can't remember her name.