A Song for Winter: Bad Habit - Hiding Pain

Chapter 8: Bad Habit - Hiding Pain

    William hides the true source of his emotional pain. He won’t ever reveal it to anyone because he still feels the guilt from that night. The night the Wintersong-Drackonas clan died and William’s parents sacrificed their lives to save their son. Claiming his quest is a mission to avenge his dead clan and the source of his anger. This is only a partial truth because the full truth is too painful for William to admit so he lies by omitting the truth to hide his real emotional turmoil. It eats at him on the insides but he denies the truth to prevent tears from flowing. On the night William’s clan died and he lost his parents, he also lost his wife and young daughter. 

 

    It was in his youth that William met Julia, a grey lynx with black spots and dark green eyes. Julia was found orphaned on the frost plains by Clan Drackonas hunters whilst looking for wild game. She was adopted by the clan and raised as a shield maiden. Quickly taking to the spear and shield, Julia found herself training alongside and against William. As the two grew they fell in love with each other, marrying under the light of a full moon. The pair made the perfect couple so much in love with each other. Shortly after being wed, Julia became pregnant, bearing William his daughter, Jaina. That little girl became William’s world. His urge to fight and inborn rage subsided as all he wanted to do was give his daughter the world.

 

    Barely two years later Clan Bloodfang marched across the frozen expanse to attack the united Clans of Wintersong and Drackonas. William didn’t want to leave Julia and Jaina but he knew he was needed in the front. Julia and a contingent of Drackonas shieldmaidens were in charge of protecting the children of the clans. On the frontlines, Clans Wintersong and Drackonas were set to emerge victorious when the sky split open revealing a swirling purple portal. From the swirling mist stepped a massive eldritch entity. Words failed to describe the being as just looking at the confusing mess of appendages, eyes, mouths, and tentacles was enough to induce fits of madness in some and blind others. It was at this point that William’s memory failed him completely as if someone put a mental block on him. The next thing he remembers is waking up covered in blood and ice, surrounded by the bodies of his fallen clanmates.

 

    All the carnage surrounding him and William only thought of two people, Julia and Jaina. He rushed quickly to where they last holed up, only to find death. Led by Julia the shieldmaidens fought valiantly to save the children but in the end, were slaughtered and set ablaze. William never found Jaina but with the fire, he was left to only assume the worst.  Left with absolutely nothing William forced himself to bury his feelings. He thought he had to be strong for everyone that was lost. Now he holds on to these emotional burdens by himself, never telling the truth about them. William will continue to claim that he’s on a quest to claim vengeance for his dead parents. When the truth is that the guilt he feels over not being able to save his wife and daughter has put him on a destructive path seeking to find some sort of redemption.

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