Young Fitz
After moving to Edana with his family, Fitz had made himself known to most, but not many truly knew the quiet man, or what he was like. He was a controversial person, to put it simply. While some loved him with all their hearts, he also managed to make some peoples’ blood boil. It was not always on purpose, but Fitz was Fitz, and that was something he did not want to change. Behind those dark emerald eyes was a serious man, who felt strongly for certain things and barely anything for the rest.
Fitz was born to be the bastard son of Lucius Vathmor. His real mother’s memory he cherished above all, while the wife of Lucius, Ameliah Vathmor, turned out to be a rather decent “mother” as well, despite the cold treatment she kept giving Fitz since he was a toddler. Fitz was an unwanted child in Ameliah’s eyes, a result of his father’s adventures “down south”.
Lucius Vathmor was hard not only on Fitz, but especially his half-brother, Bryce, throughout their childhood. Fitz would never forget the long days of beatings, and he would certainly remember the day his father actually fired a crossbow at Bryce across a dinner table, in pure anger. The bolt had not missed Fitz by much. Had it been on purpose, to deliver a message? Fitz would never know. A day without their father slapping at least one of the children across the face was uncommon a thing, and those days were usually ones during which Lucius was absent. Committing either heroic deeds or adultery, it did not matter where his father was, as long as he was not present.
Fitz’s relationship with his father was like a coin, really. One side of that coin presented his burning hatred for the man, while the other side great respect. Lucius Vathmor was his father, after all, and a courageous man. A fine example to a son who wanted to perfect himself, especially in the ways of combat. What made Fitz hate his own father was his silence about particular matters, such as the death of Fitz’s real mother. How had she died? Fitz was forced to wonder, until he reached the age of twenty-three, when it turned out that Ameliah had played a part in her death so malicious it made Fitz loathe Ameliah until the day the evil step-mother was gone… Fitz never revealed his true feelings to the woman. He did not trust her. Ameliah Vathmor had murdered his mother, “the whore”, and kept the facts hidden from Fitz until, one day, he discovered her bodyparts by accident. From Ameliah, Fitz had only learned that adultery warrants the third party’s death. What a strange family it was…
What of his half-siblings? They all knew he was the bastard, and often they treated him with spite. Fitz was their father’s mistake. A mistake. But Fitz knew from the look in his father’s eyes that he wanted him to achieve greatness. It made Fitz feel special. Lucius Vathmor never said it aloud, but Fitz knew… And in time, Fitz learned to look at the others in a new light. Until that point, Fitz had respected them as brothers, and sisters, but it was time for him to face the facts. He ruthlessly aimed for full heritance.
After his father’s death, Fitz was made Patriarch of House Vathmor. Lucius Vathmor had been slain by a giant. Fitz had sworn to Ameliah that he would avenge his father… But he never had any intention of doing so.
The bastard had inherited more than the other sons, legit sons, and Fitz did not even stop to think how they felt about it. It was not how he had wanted it to be, but he accepted the title, for he wished nothing more than to honor his father’s memory. He had – after all – been the only thing in the Vathmor family for Fitz that was genuine and true. His father was his only idol. Slowly, his half-brothers matured as well, gaining power within Mercadia. The daughters of Ameliah and Lucius mattered little to Fitz now.. He had what he wanted so far, and since his half-sisters did not even bother saying hello to the bastard, Fitz decided to open a new page in his life, without them in it. It was cruel, he knew, but it had to be done.
It took far too long for Fitz to start valuing positions of power his father wanted his sons to have, and when he did… It was already too late, and his half-brothers were occupied with new duties in their respectable “jobs”. Ivan was made Duke, later King. His younger half-brother’s crowning was an opening for Fitz. An opening he did not want to miss. For too long had Fitz focused on perfecting his swordsmanship, and not on what truly mattered. He had to act. And act he did. He was later appointed Duke of Edana.
Fitz was always the quietest man in any dinner parties. It was not shyness, for he felt he was being social, when he in fact wasn’t. This often affected his luck with women. His eyes were mostly what caught people’s attention, for they were the color of dark emeralds, and filled with mystery. This presented Fitz with opportunities to talk to women he thought he was interested in, but his quiet, anti-social nature effectively worked against him having any success. He had it all so easy, but always ended up alone instead. This bothered Fitz, and he envied Bryce because of his network of connections, and women both beautiful and hideous too.
Fitz Vathmor knew he was meant to do great things, with a woman who truly knew him standing by his side no matter what fate might throw at him. It was his heritage from the creators themselves, he believed.
