"Sit up straight Eren. Oh you got a crease here…" My mother Eleanor said, going over my clothing for the second time. We were going to a soiree held by Howe in Amaranthine. I wanted to scratch at the puffy clothing. Fergus next to me was wearing something similar. He looked at me and chuckled.
"It itches." I said.
"You'll get used to it." Fergus chuckled.
My childhood was ordinary. Aldous made my brother and I study everything we needed to know about the kingdom, about our families, and of everything we needed to learn. Mother Mallol taught us the Chant and the Chantry teachings.
I grew up in a golden age. My father and his friend Howe defeated the Orlesians and took back our country. I will not deny that I was spoiled when I was growing up. There was nothing to worry about. My father was the Teryn of Highever, a man who denied the throne, a kind man that treated many as his equal. He was generous, he was strong, and he was my hero.
Once I reached fourteen years of age, I threw myself into my training.
"Ugh!" I groaned, lying on the ground and staring at that blasted sun.
"Come on brother! Don't tell me that's all you got!" Fergus laughed. I growled and got up, getting the shield that was knocked from my hand earlier.
"Be quiet Fergus. One day I will beat you." I said, getting into my stance. Fergus laughed.
"Truly such fantasies will never become into reality!" Fergus taunted.
"Fergus stop riling your brother. Pup, give him a wallop for me." Bryce chuckled from the sidelines. I nodded and rushed my brother, bashing my shield against him. He had the advantage of size but I was smaller which meant I was a smaller target. I did a pommel strike at his face and did a low blow at his feet. Fergus grunted in pain before I slammed against him again.
He got up quickly and knocked me flat again by slamming his shield on my back. I fell face first into the ground. I coughed up a few bits of dirt. It got into my eyes as well. Fergus laughed before I wiped out the dirt from my eyes. I saw a shadow over me and I saw my father. He chuckled before patting my head.
"You will get there pup. All it takes is practice and getting up again." Bryce said. I took his outstretched hand and nodded. I got into my stance again. My body felt sore but I would never slip a chance to impress my father.
By the time I hit my late teens, that didn't matter much anymore.
After years of honing my skill with the blade and shield, my father gave me the job to go and manage the guard. They accepted me, not because I was my father's son, but because I proved myself. I fought against their lieutenants and won. I was able to hunt down a slaver's cave and save the people they were taking.
All in all, I grew popular.
As my popularity surged, I began gaining interest among the women in Highever.
The more I patrolled with the guards, the more attention I gathered from the opposite sex. As a young man with absolutely nothing to lose, I decided to wet my whistle…more than once.
Many of them were only trying to use me for my position. I would never make any promises though. Some knew their position. Of course I was careful about it. That didn't mean mother wasn't as clueless as she let on.
"Eren. May I have word with you?" Eleanor said.
"Not now mother. We have a batch of new recruits that I-ow!" I exclaimed after she didn't listen to me and grabbed me by my ear. "Mother!"
"Will you listen or will you ignore me?" Eleanor said.
"Ow! I'll listen!" I said. She let go of my ear and took me toward the balcony that overlooked the courtyard. It was beautiful in spring. On clear days you can nearly see the Waking Sea.
"I have heard some unsettling rumors about your…bed practices."
"Mother!" I said, my face flushing. She raised her hand.
"I know that you are a young man and will face your temptations. Of that I had to deal with your own brother…" Eleanor shook her head and sighed with disappointment. It nearly broke my heart. "But there are rules. I must ask you to stop meeting those women. I understand you have been helping our city by taking over the guard but this mess cannot continue. This is my warning to you as your mother. Pray that I don't come here as the wife of Bryce Cousland."
Mother left me on that balcony and sent Roland Gilmore to keep an eye on me through my rounds in the city. I was left slightly humiliated but continued my job that father gave me to keep this city safe.
I made sure that my affairs were more private from then on.
Then everything changed on one fateful day.
I was on my way to greet the new recruits when I nearly got mauled by a pack of mabaris. Their handlers were screaming that they had locked onto something. I followed them and saw a blood soaked woman wandering in the courtyard. She turned toward the mabaris before falling to the ground. I did a high pitched whistle and made them stop.
I ran toward the woman and turned her over to see her wounds. Miraculously, she had no wounds on her but there was blood all over her. Her clothes were shredded and she seemed pale. I gathered her in my arms and took her to Aldous who knew more about healing herbs as our own residential healer was absent.
My life would never be the same after that day.
Eren's life was pretty good wasn't it? Then he lost it all, poor Eren.
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