Gawain Blaiddyd's Links
Gawain’s respect and admiration for Garland is unmatched. His unwavering determination and headstrong beliefs of what’s right and wrong is something he as a leader strives to mimic. Meeting him for the first time was a delight and he was fascinated with his life in the mountains and his beautiful pegasus. It’s scared of him but someday, surely, with enough sugar cubes PERHAPS it will be convinced. He wants to be a good leader and gaining Garland’s respect and support feels crucial to his success as future King. After the Duscar genocide and the death of his parents he feels himself begin to spiral. His kingdom feels divided… and the looks of disgust from Garland nearly makes him tear his skin off in shame at his failures.
The prince...? He actually met him on their first day, having no idea who he was, and hit it off very well with him. He even tried to drag Phyllon along to make friends, but his friend must have had better perception than he when he was immediately startled at the sight of Gawain. Garland still laughs about it, but a couple years later after the revelation of his father's participation in the Duscur genocide, his laughter is a lot more hollow and humorless. He pities Gawain, for having to represent that situation... and detests the noble families of the Kingdom of Faerghus even more, disagreeing with Gawain's stance on them.
Madan is quiet but his presence is strong. He walks into a room and the chatter quiets for a moment, something he admires. He seems like a friend worth keeping and after some sparring sessions he sits with him in a sunny patch of grass to relish in the comfortable silence and look up at the clouds.
The prince. He should be protected. Things won't go wrong if he's safe.
A fellow house leader! Other students seem unsettled by him but he respects a fellow leader. Perhaps they should all come together for a chat or spar, it seems like a valuable meeting for them all!
A disappointment. A whole kingdom wasted. No matter... it's still just as easy to infiltrate their ranks, he just has to put up with the stink that comes with the worship of false gods.
Luzia seems to see right through what’s on his mind. Sometimes his attention in class wavers or he’s caught staring off into space lost in thought. He’s embarrassed at getting caught but when he’s called after class to discuss his difficulty paying attention, Luzia is a lot more understanding than he’d expect. She’s a good professor, he’s eager to learn from her even when his brain isn’t all there.
Luzia is a bit concerned about his growth. He is a very dedicated fighter and is relatively easy to get along with, but she can only imagine the weight of his crown when he's being pulled around by the collar to answer to tricky political situations. A few noble houses are revolting against their status in the Kingdom, and especially the sensitivity around the situation of Duscur... even the peace between the Holy Kingdom, Empire and the Alliance is quite shaky. Poor boy.
When his mind becomes too clouded with thoughts, worries, and his future he finds himself wandering into the Church of Seiros to sit and clear his thoughts in the silence. Emrys feels akin to an angel visiting him and just a few words from his mouth eases his mind and extinguishes his worries to this warmth he feels like nothing else can imitate. It’s almost addicting and he has to stop himself from visiting too often when his thoughts become unbearably difficult to manage. There are countless people he doesn’t want to disappoint but he feels as if it’d be crime to all that is holy and good to disappoint Emrys. His name is affectionate on his tongue and he becomes uncharacteristically agitated at slanderous comments. His time with Emrys is a bit of respite and he’s awfully well versed in literature, so it’s a bonus when he helps with his homework essays!
Gawain seemed a bit like a lost puppy, when he first stepped into the church. Emrys knew he should pay special attention to the prince, and he was right. He extended his arms to him and spoke the kindest verses of scriptures written in his mother's name to him, and how the Goddess protects all who deserves her love and ensures that good will thrive. Emrys sees that good in him, and does not mind reminding him of this, even as he questions himself after all of his missions. Perhaps he's helped him with homework... what? It's the will of the goddess he get a B+...!
Aritene is very very dear to him. He's kind and understanding…. especially when he’s standing there with a failed math test and a sheepish smile asking for help. What kind of pathetic prince is HE to not even be able to handle simple mathematics?? Ari is non-judgmental however and he finds himself at ease sitting with him in a library wrapped in HIS shawl learning proper ways to solve equations. The community Aritene creates amongst the house members is an INSPIRATION. It’s incredible! The bond they all share suddenly feels unbreakable! Aritene is incredibly valuable to their house and provides a perfect balance to his style of fighting. He wears his gift to him proudly on his chest and hopes to someday return the favor to him for all the help and care he’s provided him. Aritene is undoubtedly important, he couldn’t possibly lose him…
Despite the natural conflict that could've resulted from their different... Statuses, Aritene considers Gawain to be one of his closest friends at Garreg Mach. Initially, Aritene was a bit wary to interact with his fellow house members. The lofty prince seemed a lot closer to the ground holding a failed test... Aritene, who has a lot of knowledge due to his prior studies, felt compelled to help! In the end, his little study group became one of the main connectors he has to the Blue Lions. His happiest times at the church are spent in the library with his comrades - partially due to the quiet familiarity of their meetups, and partially due to disliking combat missions as a whole. Even though he was brought to Garreg Mach in bad circumstances, his friends in the Blue Lions make it feel like fate. Aritene thinks him and Gawain make a great duo, since Gawain can cover his weaknesses and vice versa. He really wants to spoil him, but he feels awkward giving gifts to people who seem like they have it all... He's saving some homemade gifts for the study groups successes, so he has an excuse to finally give them out.
Lucian definitely reminds him of himself and his own current ongoing struggle. Princely duties are nothing to scoff at and he wants Luci to be a GREAT prince just as he hopes Luci will help him become a great prince too. He finds himself exchanging knowledge with him and finding nice quiet meetings in the garden to chat about what’s on their minds. He has a killer sweet tooth so it usually ends up being a “Let’s stuff our face with cookies and whine” session.
Gawain is a wise and talented class leader, but Lucian mostly clings to him for their shared goal. Truly, he, too wants to be a great prince, and they originally bonded over the very idea. Eventually, though, they grew closer instead during their study sessions under the tutoring of Aritene. There is no way Lucian would rather spend his afternoons.
Daphne brings such an endearing personality to Blue Lions. She’s sweet and kind and bubbly and Gawain finds himself smiling at her antics more often than not. She’s just so likable and her pink bubblegum hair makes it even easier to adore her. He finds great value in her ability to strategize from the skies and he occasionally invites her to join him while he’s strategizing by bribing her with a promise of tea and cookies so they can devise plans from both the land and skies!
Ahhhh~ the prince! So handsome!! Her heart flutters looking at him... she could droop off of Calia's saddle from staring too long. There's many, many handsome boys in her class, but his princely aura is something else! Maybe she's spent too much time reading romance novels, but she daydreams of falling into his arms! Ahaaa~ Yes she's paying attention in class, professor~!