From the moment he drew his first breath, Timo's parents knew that he would be a child riddled by trouble. Of course, not all of these troubles were evident at his birth, however, they'd all rear their heads as he aged.

Firstly, in his homeland, Olatta, it was considered quite the misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone in the country knew that it would be the eldest of three children that would most frequently make mistakes, make the worst mistakes, and inevitably fail first in everything they did, where second and third children would succeed far more often. Being the baby in a family of three was a great blessing. Everyone knew that the youngest of three children were luckiest, more inquisitive and intelligent, and more successful in everything they did. This is where Timo's troubles began - his birth as the eldest.

His trouble doubled at just three years old when his mother was struck by oncoming traffic and killed. Timo had been involved in this same accident, and it resulted in the loss of his left arm and a great, jagged scar that stretched from one cheek to the other and across the bridge of his nose. From this day forward, it was clear to Timo's father that his son had no chance of inheriting his business, as blacksmithing was hard work that required two hands. Timo, of course, was far too young to understand just what he'd been cheated out of. He only understood that his mother would not be coming home again and that his father was very, very heartbroken for it.

When he was four, his father remarried a young and pretty, well-to-do lady from a neighboring city. Her name was Amelia, and she was a compassionate woman who went on to give Timo two brothers. The older of the two was named Bernhard, the younger was named Matthias. While Timo was not her son by blood, his step-mother never showed her two boys any kind of favoritism over him. In fact, due to him missing an arm, she found herself having to coddle him more in his earlier years than she did either of her boys. She grew attached to him because of this, but she also did not show him any special treatment.

As time went on, another thing began to deeply trouble him. He had been born in the wrong body.

It was an uncommon curse to be sure but not one that was unheard of. Timo's father was friends with a family whose daughter had also been born in the wrong body, but that child had been born to wealthier parents who could seek out skilled witches and wizards in order to help their girl.

Timo had not been given any such luxury. While Amelia was born to a wealthy family, she was also a middle child out of five siblings, and she would not be inheriting any of her parents' fortune when they passed away. Try as his mother and father might, Timo's family would never be able to afford him a spell or potion to soothe his suffering and break his curse.

Once Amelia told Timo that it was a shame that he'd been cursed in this way, as he would have made such a pretty wife for a good man. Timo knew well enough that Amelia meant no harm in this, but even so, it bothered him that Amelia didn't consider that such remarks might make him uncomfortable.

"You know, now they have prosthetics available for people like you. If you wore one, no one would even guess that you were missing an arm at first glance. We could afford one, if you wanted one."
"Missing my arm doesn't bother me," Timo said simply. It was the truth - it didn't bother him. He'd lived more years without it than he had with it, and he saw no good reason in wasting what little spare money they had on something he neither needed nor wanted.

"It's the same with that scar." She said, "You have such a pretty face, and you'd be so much prettier if you'd let me teach you to cover it up,"

"My scar doesn't bother me either,"

And, of course, being born with improper features meant that Timo was also unfortunate enough to not be given his proper name at birth, and he had to search restlessly for his real name, Timo, for years. By the time he was eight years old, he picked a new name for himself, and when he told his parents and brothers what his new name was, they didn't dispute him, even if they found the shift awkward. Bernhard, shy as he was, would sometimes forget that his brother had changed his name, address him by his birth name, realize his mistake, apologize, and proceed to hide from him for the rest of the day because he thought that Timo would be mad at him.

Of course, it did frustrate Timo, but he had insisted on his change of name at only eight years old, meaning that Bernhard was just four years old, and because Timo was kind by nature, he would always seek out his younger sibling. It was never difficult to find him, as he would always hide in one of three places - in the cabinet under the sink, in the closet beneath the stairs, or under his bed. When Timo found him, he would coax him out of hiding with a sweet he nicked from his parents. Bernhard would apologize with eyes full of tears, tell Timo he was trying to remember his new name, but it was hard for him, and he would, usually, begin to cry. When he cried, Timo would tell him it was ok, take his face in his hands, and kiss his cheeks. After that they'd hug and go sneak sweets out of the pantry. It nearly became a ritual.

Matthias never once took part in this, as he never got confused about his brother's name change.

As the three grew older, they began to act like more traditional siblings, with spats over this, that, and the other thing. The three could argue over anything, but the most common frustration among the three was the simple fact that Matthias was the youngest, and thus foretold to be the most successful. Matthias, of course, relished in this, and he would frequently use this fact to taunt his two brothers. Matthias knew this issue annoyed Bernhard the most, as he was the most frequently ignored of his siblings; their parents often felt the need to help Timo do everything, on account that he was missing one arm, and in a similar way, they often gave ample amounts of attention to Matthias in order to prepare him for a life of great adventure and thrill. Because of this, Bernhard was often left to the side to fend for himself.

Because Matthias was so adept at getting on his older brother's nerves, it would sometimes turn violent. They would shout, scream, and tear each other's clothes as they wrestled on the ground. It was always Timo that had to tear them from each other and send them to different rooms of the house to calm down. Afterwards, he would spend the rest of the afternoon mending their clothes.

Despite the obstacle of being one-handed, Timo had become quite skilled with a needle. He'd figured out how to wedge an embroidery hoop between two objects to keep it still while he worked. After seeing that he'd become proficient in stitching, Amelia bought him a stand for the hoop, knowing it would see good use, and Timo went on to use it often.

In the beginning of spring one year, when Timo's mother and father were preparing to select an apprenticeship for their son, Timo's father took ill. He was sick for months before finally passing away.

A sense of dread washed over the house. All three boys had been very close to their father and loved him very much. He had never been too busy for them and always looked out for their best interests. He was a good and kind man, and the weight of his loss was a burden that all four members of the household bore.

It wasn't long before people on both sides of their family appeared to grieve with them. The family from Timo's father's side couldn't stay to visit very long, as they all had only been allowed a day or two to come and console their family and grieve their loss before they had to go back to work. Amelia's family, however, were wealthy business-owners, so they could stay and care for their kin as long as they pleased.

Among the family that came to visit were Amelia's parents, Arthur and Antoinette Kirkland, as well as two of her brothers, Alfred and Matthew. Timo hadn't seen his step-mother's side of the family very often when he was growing up, as they were often far too busy handling affairs elsewhere in the country. As such, he took no real comfort in their presence. In fact, he felt nervous with them around, rather disliking having to share his home with people that were - frankly - strangers to him.

It wasn't difficult to work around them, though. Timo found that they didn't seem interested in caring for him and his brothers, and only appeared interested in consoling Amelia as she worked through her pain. Amelia's family was so keen on keeping her company that it was almost as though they were smothering her. None of her three sons could access her at all when all of her time was spent hiding away in their father's study. It was as though the three brothers were left completely alone in their own home in the aftermath of their own father's death…

Truth be told, however, Amelia found little comfort in her family's appearance. While it always made her happy to see them, it looked to her that they only really had an interest in catching her up on the latest gossip and fashions in the country's capital; they didn't lift a finger to help their daughter do any work as she prepared her husband's funeral. The most they could be bothered to do was sit with Amelia in the study as she worked, as opposed to forcing her out into the sitting room. Anything and everything else was far too much work for them.

While the boys grieved, Amelia began working on settling their remaining finances, as well as hastily making plans for her children's apprenticeships. The family had little money to spare before her husband died, and his funeral would cost them quite a lot of money. From morning to evening, she sat at her late husband's old desk and ran figures forward, backward, upside down, and sideways. After a week or so, just hours after her husband's funeral, she approached her children to discuss what she came up with. None of them had even changed out of their funeral clothes.

She sat down on the edge of Bernhard's bed and gave her son a tight hug around his shoulders. She asked briefly how her boys were doing before easing into the topics of money and work.

"These last months have been hard, haven't they?" She asked. The boys only nodded in response, solemn looks on all their faces. She gave them a moment of quiet before continuing.

"School isn't an option for the three of you anymore," She said sadly. "Between the expenses of keeping you fed, maintaining the forge, and so on, it's simply not something we can afford any longer." The three boys blinked at her, but Matthias was the only one who spoke.

"I want to keep learning," The littlest brother murmured.

"And you will," Amelia promised. "You know Mr. Bondevík, don't you? The man that lives in the house on the hill?"

Matthias nodded. "You mean the wizard?"

"The very same," Amelia confirmed. "He's a family friend, and you're rather young to be going out to work, so I thought it would be best to settle you into a long, quiet apprenticeship that will give you useful skills for whatever you choose to do afterwards. How do you feel about that?"

"Well he's nice enough," Matthias said with a nod and a sigh. "Alright,"

Amelia looked relieved when Matthias did not protest - her youngest boy had a tendency to resist something when he was not interested in it.

"And me?" Bernhard asked quietly. His brows were knit and his eyes were wide - the corners of his mouth were turned down. He looked nervous about what his mother had arranged for him.

"It was rather lucky, the way things worked out for you," Amelia said. Bernhard looked skeptical, but he didn't speak. "A friend of your father's in the next town over came and spoke to me at the funeral today. He said that he would be willing to take you on as an apprentice as a favor to your father. I say it's lucky because he's a smith as well. I know you wanted to learn to do your father's work and take over the shop someday."

Bernhard looked absolutely stunned, like he'd never have expected his mother to do something so good to him. "I-" He swallowed hard, looking like he might cry. "Thank you,"

"There's only one catch really," Amelia said, and Bernhard's face dropped in an instant. "Most of the money from the wares you and Ludwig make here will be given to Mr. Bondevík so that he can adequately look after Matthias - feed him, clothe him, et cetera."

Bernhard looked absolutely horrified. "That's not fair," He said.

"I know it's not ideal, but Matthias-"

"It's always about Matthias, isn't it!" Bernhard snapped, much to the surprise of Timo and Matthias. Their brother was usually so calm and quiet, more often one to simply take whatever misfortune life handed to him. This was unusual for him, to say the least.

"Ber, please-"
"No! No, this isn't fair! Why should I have to dedicate my time and money to make sure Matthias gets the best education? Because he's the baby? That's absolutely ridiculous! If that wizard were as good at his job as he says he is, and if he were as good of a friend as you say he is, then he wouldn't need to charge you to teach Matthias because it wouldn't put a dent in any of his profits! Why do I have to be the one to carry Matthias all the time? Why is it me? I didn't ask for this, and I didn't ask for a little brother! I don't want to share anything I do with him! He's already taken enough from me!"

That shocked everyone into silence, and before any of them thought of something to say, Bernhard got up and rushed off. Timo looked at Matthias and his heart broke seeing just how hurt he looked. Timo knew that Bernhard often saw Matthias as an inconvenience because of the way the family treated them, but he also knew that Matthias looked up to Bernhard a lot, and hearing his brother say something like that must have shaken him to his core. He was still just a little boy after all…

Timo was the only one to get up and go look for his brother.

He felt like a little boy again, like when he had to go searching for his baby brother because he'd forgotten his name. He found himself walking downstairs to the kitchen on instinct, but he didn't realize it until he was there. He might be a little old to hide under the sink now, Timo thought, looking around. He made his way over to the pantry anyway, thinking that maybe Bernhard would want something to eat when he found him. He pocketed a tin of black licorice for himself and a bar of chocolate for his brother before leaving to look for him elsewhere.

He remembered that one of the places Bernhard used to hide as a little kid was in the closet under the stairs. He stopped when he reached it and turned the knob, but it didn't budge. It was locked. "Ber?" He murmured. "Are you in here?"

"Go away, Timo," Bernhard groaned from the other side.

"No chance," Timo said, turning around and leaning back against the door. "You should let me in instead,"

"I want to be alone."

"Oh?" Timo asked, fishing the licorice out of his pocket. He started to eat it as he spoke. "Even if I told you I stole sweets for you? You're really going to make me eat them alone? Rude, really,"

When Timo heard the click of a lock, he leaned forward just fast enough to avoid falling backwards as his brother opened the door. He slid into the little room, closed the door and locked it again before sitting down beside Bernhard. He took the chocolate out of his pocket and handed it to Bernhard, who began nibbling on it right away.

"You going to be ok?" He asked softly.

Bernhard's face was blank, as it often was. He thought for a moment, not really sure what to tell Timo. While it often appeared that Bernhard was very stoic and had no emotions to feel, it was quite the opposite, and few people aside from his brothers knew this. The truth was that Bernhard often didn't know how to explain or properly express his thoughts or feelings, and this had been the case since they were young children. The more he thought about what to say, the less came to mind, and the less that came to mind, the more stressed he became, and once the stress was too much for him, he simply broke down and cried.

It was rare that Bernhard was driven to tears anymore, but as Timo watched him, he guessed that now would be one of those rare occasions. He was proven correct just a few moments later. "It's not fair!" Bernhard said furiously. "He's always been the golden child because he's the littlest - they've always coddled him and praised him for doing nothing, and it's always at our expense! Really, when was the last time either of our parents showed us attention or care like they do with him? And now I have to give him the money I'm going to make to pay for his school? That's unjust! I haven't even made a penny yet and it's all going to him-" He choked on his words and leaned his head back against the wall.

Timo understood perfectly. Their parents often meant well, but the way that they tried to prepare Matthias often meant that they left Bernhard and himself out in the cold. "I know," Timo murmured, reaching over to pat his brother's shoulder. "But just think of it - once you two have finished your apprenticeships, you'll ever have to bother with each other again. You can at least look forward to that, right? At least you get to keep the forge," He looked around the closet and sighed. "And the house too,"

"I suppose," Bernhard sighed, resting his chin on his hands. Tears still dripped off of his face, but he wasn't sobbing anymore. "I just wish she loved me the way she loved Matthias,"

Timo looked at his brother for a moment before setting his licorice down. He scooted closer to him, and like when they were young children, he took his cheeks in his hands, kissed his forehead and wrapped him tightly in a hug.