Soldier

Backstory

"The world was never kind to me, so I made my own."

Solider was born the son of a small time merchant and a mother who he never learned much of. She had taken off, or so he was told, at an age before he could remember a face. He was never destined for greatness- never destined for much at all. At a young age he read stories and fables- book after book in order to try to find a purpose. He found, however, that the heroes in the stories... They were never real. They were always just a fiction- a lie about those who slew the dragon or saved the princess. No heroes existed- not where he could see them.

So why shouldn't he aspire to be the first?

Solider took up training for magic in secret, much to his father's distaste. He learned to wield a spell book, though perhaps not so well. It wasn't hard to tell that while Solider had a gift for magic, his skills in any sort of real combat would result in him getting absolutely destroyed by the competition. And destroyed he was. The other kids would try to play fight with one another, and Solider quickly found that he couldn't keep up with even the best of efforts. His losses soon resulted in teasing from the other kids- which blossomed into bullying. Solider hated the feeling, but he didn't say much about it. He became an oddly quiet kid- stuck in his head dreaming of heroes and warriors instead of talking with the other children about their village life.

After some time, Solider began to work by his father's side. He had quickly found that while he was sure his father was a normal dog, there was something odd about him. He could never place why the horns were sprouting- why he grew so much slower than the other children, but he began to fantasize. Could it be that his mother was something special? Could he be special just like the heroes in his books? Eventually, he decided to confront his father... His dad had nothing of it- instead growing angry at his sons flights of fantasy.

"You'll never be anything special! Get it through your head! You'll never amount to anything!"

The words hurt, and for a while Solider believed them. He wasn't anything special, nothing interesting. He couldn't have a life of adventure. He was just the child of a merchant- just another boring kid with a boring life. He tried to do well with it, but... His mind wandered. His dreams grew bigger. He was failing at simply jobs because of his daydreaming- messing up his father's work by just being unable to pull his heads out of the adventures he found there. He loved dreaming- being asleep, if only so that he could just... escape. His father was furious with him. The words he yelled only grew crueler.

"You can't do anything right, can you?! Why can't you just live in the real world for once!"

And one day, it was too much. He wanted a life outside of the small village- a life that felt special if only because it was wrong. If nothing else, maybe if he left he could ruin the dreams- break himself so that he realized that what he had always been told was true. He was no hero- no adventurer. Maybe the outside world would prove that. So when the recruiters came, he jumped at the chance. Train to be a Solider who serves the Royal Family? "Become a Hero," they said, "Save the kingdom!" How could he ever pass up such words?"

So he disappeared with the King's army and began his training. He honed his magic only so much- still falling flat and far behind in comparison to so many others. They said he couldn't focus, that he was too lost, but he could be so strong if he would just figure it out. The training was... Hard. The fights harder. The first time he was ordered to kill his hands shook with the book in a tight grip... By the last time it didn't shake at all- and the smile he had worn had faded to nothingness.

Solider had changed into what his name would imply. He was a fighter for the kingdom- a killer for them. He didn't hesitate if it was an order. He didn't care what they did or why- if it was an order that was all. There was no questioning. Solider did not find adventure, he did not become a hero. He only became yet another pawn.

But... Something changed that. The king called for many of his warriors at once- asked them to stand in a line. Rumors floated through the barracks about the young prince Aliice finally choosing his Retainer. Solider was one of those placed in the line- standing at attention. When the young prince walked out- something in Solider... Reverted. His smile broke across the cold expression and when he looked down at the Prince he couldn't help but laugh. They had been told to introduce themselves- tell the prince what they did, and so Solider did.

"I am the Solider of the Darkness, the great fighter and slayer of evil! I stand before you, your highness, to offer you the greatest power within the kingdom! I offer you the power of a thousand beasts- of a million warriors! The power that only I, Solider, can harness and control! I offer you the services that only one who has touched the darkness in his heart and tamed it with his mighty hand can! That only one with the blood of a dragon running through his veins could begin to understand!"

And the young prince laughed.

That was all it took to change Solider back- to turn him, in a way, into the hero he so wanted to be. He was chosen by the Prince, and he was very pleased. He would go on to tell Aliice story after story- tale after tale of fake adventures he had been on. Embellished tales of wars where instead of fighting other soldiers he fought monsters and demons.

But he didn't know of the test. It was a tradition, as it seems, that all Retainers be tested to prove their loyalty to their princes. Two assassin were sent in the late of night to 'kill the prince'. Fakes, but neither of them knew that. When Aliice was in danger- Solider found that he didn't hesitate. Nothing in him could stop him from protecting the young prince who had returned his smile- in a way, his childish behavior. And when the fake assassins went to kill the Prince- or so he thought, he defended. He was not strong enough- not truly able to do much against them. His injuries were great, but in the end- the prince was unharmed. Solider proved himself. Even if he wasn't the best fighter- he would give his life for the prince... Seems that was enough for the king.

Since, Solider has stayed by Aliice's side. He found quickly that, while Aliice has grown, he himself has not. He's still a bit childish in build, though he frequently comments that he is likely older than most of the other's around. "It's the dragon's blood!" "My build hides the darkness in my soul." He claims many things as to why, but really, he has no idea why. He's bee traveling the world with Aliice, and now that the war has started, he accompanies Aliice as his guard.