The History:
Sven's past is one that was riddled with misfortune. He was born into a family that could barely sustain itself. His father, Trent, had began cursing Sven's name the moment he came into the air, as he claimed it only meant more labour for him. While his mother, Izabel, tried to care and protect Sven as much as she could, it was a difficult task under the harsh conditions they already lived in.
When he was at the age of two, his younger sister, Lilian, was born. Once more, Trent had began cursing, this time putting more focus on his sister than on Sven. For the next four years, Trent had barely managed to scrap food and provide for his family, and his anger only grew as time passed. At the age of 6, he had left for a period of time, only to return with fresh supplies and an expression Sven had never seen on his father before. After his parents discussed something, his mother Izabel had left the house. When Sven asked about the departure, Trent simply ignored his son.
Following this, Trent began to take his son on hunting trips, while leaving his daughter under the care of Izabel's parents, Sven's grandparents. These trips would set Sven on the path to become a hunter, and his father Trent served as his mentor. It would take several years, but at the age of 14, Sven would pass his father in his hunting skills. It still appeared as though Trent felt nothing but resentment towards his children. At this point, Trent began staying at home, looking over Lilian as she trained to become a housewife, much like how their mother was.
Upon becoming the main provider of the family, Sven once more approached his father and asked about the whereabouts of his mother. Trent answered bluntly, stating she is paying off a debt that he made, in order to be able to raise them. Not believing, Sven set off, and found out that was the truth. Izabel was more than glad to see her grown up son, but also informed him she still had several more years to serve before their debt was done. Not wanting to leave, Sven was eventually convinced by his mother to go and take care of his sister.
More years passed, and Sven had began to make a name for himself as a local hunter. At the age of 19, he saw his mother return home. A year later, and he had yet another sibling, a young brother that was named Francis. His brother's life, along with his mother's freedom, would be short lived.
One night, Sven was woken up by an odd smell in the cabin they lived in. Getting up, he discovered his father had managed to acquire some liquor, and had passed out on the ground. A lit candle had fallen into the puddle of spilled liquor, and the flames were already growing. He managed to grab his sister and get her out of the cabin, but by the time he went back inside, the fire had spread, blocking his path to his father, his mother, or his young brother. Soon enough, the supports of the cabin gave in, and collapsed on top of Sven.
He woke up, wounded yet bandaged, to the sight of his sister and grandfather. While Lilian was simply glad to see him, his grandfather appeared grim and informed Sven of what happened. The rest of the family had perished in the fire, and they barely managed to get him out. Not believing what he was just told, Sven fell into despair. Both the lives of his mother, who had just barely regained her freedom, and his young brother, who barely saw the day of light, were now gone. Without thinking much of it, Sven began drinking much and allowed him to fall into a deep hole. His hunts were being hurt, and his relationship with his grandfather and sister too.
It wasn't until a couple of months later, when he met Ariana. To him, she came like a blur of light in the middle of the night. She stood over him with a lantern, and provided him with some warmth, in the shape of a poor blanket. From that moment, they would began interacting. Ariana was nice, and enjoyed Sven's company. Sven found her to be the guiding light he needed in a dark time. Not long after, they decided to jump into it and wed. Sven felt as though his happiness knew no bounds, and it appeared as though Ariana shared his feelings. His remaining family, Lilian and Allister, welcomed Ariana with open arms, clearly thankful she helped Sven so much. It was Ariana who taught Sven the basic skills of the Herbalist, as she was one herself.
Over a year passed, and Sven would encounter his most conflicting moment in his life. Ariana gave birth to a daughter, and she named her Liana. Sven did not argue, as he found the name to be beautiful. Shortly afterwards, he discovered Ariana had stopped responding to him. He called to his grandfather and the local physician, but it was to no avail. He learned that the labour had taken too much from Ariana, and she passed from the weak state her body was in. Looking at his daughter, all Sven could do was embrace her, giving her a quiet promise that he will always be there for her, and that her mother will always be watching.
Raising Liana, Sven found fascinated by how the girl acted. She always appeared to be curious by the things around her, but it also appeared like she was anything but naive. It certainly made him feel a bit more reassured, to know that she wouldn't just immediately trust whatever or whoever came to her. it certainly annoyed his sister, who had moved to their grandfather's place to help take care of him. And still, much love was given to the young girl, along with the freedom to explore what her heart desired.
When Liana was five, Sven was called to arms. Without much option, he left Liana with his sister and grandfather, before going to fight. It would be a bloody and terrible fight, but one where they would manage to defend against the opposing forces. During this, he fought alongside a man that went by Duncan. The two would become brothers at arms, their bond strengthening with each passing fight and day. Eventually, they would be allowed to return to their lives, but Sven kept in touch with Duncan, with the two visiting each other when they could. Upon Duncan's rise to Lordship, Sven had some concern that their meetings and their nature may change, but it soon became clear this was not the case. The two kept meeting each other, and still treated each other the same as before, even if they had different ranks in society now.
As time passed, he began noticing Liana's interest in herbalism. Being reminded of her mother, Sven decided to teach Liana everything he was taught about herbalism from her mother, and everything he learned afterwards. It wasn't long, however, before she began studying things that were beyond his knowledge in the field. Her fascination also seemed to extend to Archery and fencing, so he trained her in Archery, while getting his good friend Duncan Ashwood to train her in fencing. While he had some concerns about the choices she was making, he decided to let her explore the many options life had to offer.
To honour Ariana's memory, who he knew would've wanted Liana to explore the world.
And for Liana's bright future.
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