Born and raised in the Crème Republic, Madeleine lived a cushy life – though, not one that was free from hardship. As a passionate young artist, Madeleine couldn’t fathom the idea of shouldering his mother’s role of Knight Commander once she grew old – especially when his own father had been needlessly cruel to him in his preparation of the role. His mother’s approach was gentle, sweet, and reassuring — doing everything in her power to soften that burden. She promised that she’d never make him step up for a position he believed he wasn’t fit for. A stark contrast would be his father, attempting to toughen him up through harsh training due to his own belief that his mother was being too “soft” on him. He never once received his father’s blessing, nor so much as a stare from his father due to his obvious disinterest in the knights. Training was forced; it was cruel, it was hard, and it was everything Madeleine dreaded. That looming threat of responsibility filled him with dread, but after an unprecedented attack on his family, Madeleine finally got a taste for the paladin life. The praise, the victory, the satisfaction that came from protecting his loved ones; he wanted more. It was then and there when he realised why his mother had pursued such a position in the first place. For the first time, he felt powerful — as if he were finally worthy.
He got to stand up as a protector on his own terms. saving those not out of obligation, but from his own need to serve. It felt good to protect those from hurt he’d never want to bestow on anyone. Not after he’d lived a life full of hurt himself. At times he’d look back at his own rough training and feel a sense of relief that others wouldn’t have to endure it – that nobody would ever need to lift a finger again once he was present. After many trips outside of the Republic, and his eventual inheritance of his mother’s role, Madeleine now leads the knights through several missions, bringing peace to the land whilst making his mother proud.
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