Sigwald VI Gibraltar Agolith

"Then it shall cost him his life instead"

There once was a very normal boy...if you consider being the crown prince of the largest kingdom in Tearithia to be normal. On the 19th of Sigallon, 199 Y.o.S, with dark hair, brown eyes, and a slightly tanned complexion, Sigwald VI Gibraltar Agolith was born. Eldest son of King Franko Agolith, and Queen Kaêla Agolith of the Sha'Kri Islands. His first name was given to him by his father to honour the king's late brother, Sigwald V Agolith, and to continue the family tradition. The name Gibraltar was given to him by his mother, but carries no known meaning aside from the fact that it's from her home country.

Early life

Gibraltar spend most of his early years in a separate wing of the Royal Castle, where he was taken care of by maids and servants. When he was young, his mother would often visit him to play. But as he grew older these visits grew rarer and rarer. Only seeing her at the monthly family dinners where she would uninterestedly ask whether he was doing alright. When Gibraltar was five he was granted a personal maid, Elina, by his father, and they grew close very quickly, she read him books, looked at the garden with him and went everywhere he went. Gibraltar showed a keen interest in the guards and knights stationed in his wing and would often talk with them. In particular an somewhat older knight, Sir Daiva Henara, who showed great interest and care in the education of the young prince. To the dismay of his commander, Sir Radier Tellion, Sir Daiva felt like a grandfather to Gibraltar. Unlike other nobles, Gibraltar did not grow up around aristocrats and therefore lacked the skills you would assume any young prince to have. Instead, he often tended to the gardens, watched as the bread would rise in the oven and listened to the kitchen staff complain about another tax increase.

Kidnapping

On a beautiful day in Aerowyn, 12 year old Gibraltar and his maid Elina were roaming the market district in search of a bouquet of white lilies. The birthday of Sir Daiva's wife was coming up and Gibraltar wanted to give something extra special. After a couple of hours of going from florist to florist, and stopping at a bookshop from time to time, they finally found the perfect bouquet. Whilst decorating the bouquet with ribbons and such, a group of guards approached them. They wore the same blue and white uniform that all of Sir Radier's men wore, but something felt off. They claimed that the King has requested Gibraltar's presence and were to escort him to the castle quickly. With no reason for doubt, Elina urged Gibraltar to join them and that she would finish up the bouquet. The young prince followed the soldiers, but soon realized that they had deviated from the normal pathway to the castle. Before Gibraltar could do anything, a sack was put over his head and he was shoved into a cart.

Captivity

Gibraltar was held captive in a bandit camp, somewhere in The Danneafold. He slept in a cold cell with a number of other prisoners, of which most were similarly  aged boys of Sha'Kri descent. The leader of the bandits, Ordis, was a tall, muscular brute that would beat anyone up who would go against him. Gibraltar quickly realized, however, that the actual brains behind the operation could be credited to the vice-leader, Leandro, whom he would often talk to. Leandro claimed that it was all business and nothing personal, and that he wishes to return him safely. The ransom had already been placed, and it would only be a few days for a response to arrive. The vice-leader was eager to hear stories about things inside the royal castle and would give more or better food as payment. 

Premonition

After a handful of days, early in the morning, a royal letter arrived. The entire camp roared with energy, and as they prepared to leave, Gibraltar was left wondering what was going on. Late in the afternoon, Leandro slowly walked over to Gibraltar with the letter in his hand. He starts to read aloud, "To the Arrows of Twilight , who thought to outsmart the King..." A deep pause fills the room with a heavy silence. Instead of continuing, the vice-leader passes the letter to Gibraltar. As the boy starts to read, Leandro slowly walks outside whilst sulking. The world starts spinning for Gibraltar, as he starts to realize what the letter entails. Within the darkness of his cold and lonely cell, something changed in Gibraltar. The crown prince of Agolith died that day, and their passing left an emotionless husk in its place. By the time he comes to terms with the truth, he crumples the letter and whispers, Then it shall cost him his life instead.

That night, Agolithian forces ambush the camp and start slaughtering all the bandits. Leandro rushes to the cells and sees Gibraltar hunched over in the corner of his room. The vice-leader, shocked, darts his eyes around in search of an escape of sorts. After a few seconds, he jolts awake and grabs one of the Sha'kri boys and throws him into Gibraltar's cell. He undresses both of the boys and exchanges their outfits. Smoke fills the room as the roof is set ablaze. Leandro grabs some basic survival gear and hastily dresses Gibraltar up. "They've come to slaughter us all. We know too much, we've been betrayed." He allows the words to settle in the air, as he still can't believe it himself. "You must run, hide, escape this terror. You must enact the revenge we both so desire." Leandro stares in the soulless eyes of the boy for a couple of seconds before handing him a dagger. "The Sun Burns the Just", he softly says before pushing Gibraltar outside. From here one, Gibraltar's memory falters. Vague words and blurry images fill the void of his memory, but those few moments before will forever stick with him.

Keep moving forward

After being saved by an older woman who was living in the forest, Gibraltar aimed to travel to Elderville, as their apolitical status would keep him safe from his father for at least a while. Before Gibraltar left, the woman gave him spare clothes, some rations and a small pouch of gold, as well as some words of comfort. He gave her a heartfelt hug, and went on his way to the city of knowledge. The following years were spent studying and learning the ways of the rogue, as he felt those skills would be most helpful in his plan for revenge. It was time for a new chapter in Gibraltar's life, one hopefully safer and more comfortable than the previous one. Fortunately, it wasn't for at least a number of decades before he met Morcidus the Grey and decided that it was time to enact his long sought-after revenge.