Oswald’s life sucks ~or~ how to make an asshole.
Some might wonder about various personality traits of Oswald. Yes, he’s secretive and he has a tendency to kill things for no apparent reason. Yet there is a reason why he does the things he does. The short answer is, his life sucked pretty much all his life. He was orphaned at an early age and had his soul unknowingly given to Odette, the Queen of the Dead, so that he can wield the Belderiever… Then things got worse.
SO, let’s start from the beginning. Once upon a time, in the kingdom called Titania, there lived two princes and a king. Now, the oldest prince, Prince Edgar, fell in love with a common girl. Of course the king LOVED this idea. In order to ensure that his love would not jeopardize the kingdom and because nothing his father said would convince him otherwise, Prince Edgar renounced his claim to the throne and retreated far away from his former kingdom. But this was not enough for the king, and he had assassins sent out to execute his former son and wife. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you view things, the assassins were not told that the now-married couple had a son. Oops.
Oswald was found and adopted by a fairy named Melvin who seemed to have been nearby at the time. In time, Oswald looked up to Melvin to be his real father and greatly resented the fact that he was orphaned. Seeing that he had skill in swordsmanship, Melvin entrusted Oswald with a powerful sword, the Belderiever. Through the use of this deadly blade, Oswald was able to become a shadow-like monster that could totally decimate and kill any target in his path. What Melvin DID NOT tell Oswald was that in order to claim the Belderiever as his own, Melvin had to contract Oswald’s soul to Odette. He ALSO failed to mention that the knights that he used to test the Belderiever suffered extreme physical and mental anguish and eventually became mindless creatures of shadow and empty rage. So Melvin isn’t going to win any parenting awards here, people. Worse, becoming a being of shadow made everybody believe that the “Shadow Knight” was a detestable and malevolent being. Some even feared that if his shadow were to touch your own that your soul would be consumed. Oswald didn’t pay this talk any mind though. All he cared was what Melvin thought.
For all he knew, though, Melvin was a standoffish and noble fairy. In fact, Melvin himself was the younger brother of Elfaria, the queen of the fairies. In order to receive his adoptive father’s affections, Oswald would plunge himself into whatever task he assigned Oswald with completely reckless abandon. Go and kill Hindel, the dragon of the mountain, despite the fact that dragons were extremely powerful and had scales that no sword or arrow can pierce? Gladly. Enter the castle of the country you are war with and spy on your enemies? Sure! (He sees Gwendolyn for his first time that way) Be a one man army and fight the valkyries forces, who outnumber you by about a hundred to one? With pleasure. (He spared Gwendolyn’s life in this battle) Everything he did, he did for Melvin and without a second thought. But out on the battlefield a Halja, the harbingers of death came to claim Oswald to their queen, Odette, as per their contract. Oswald refused to believe this… but was troubled when the cost of using the Belderiever began to wear away his health.
The big turning point came after Elfaria was killed in battle. Her daughter, a rather snot-nosed brat named Mercedes, was put into a position of queen and was completely overwhelmed by her new position. Melvin sought this opportunity to form a coup in order to seize the kingdom for himself - but one which ultimately failed. Blinded from overuse of the Belderiever and on the verge of death, Oswald sought out Melvin to comfort him as he was about to die, something like “You did good, son.” Instead, Oswald got “You are pathetic. I should have given the Belderiever to somebody more suited.” When Oswald asked what he was to Melvin, his assdoptive father said, “You were nothing more then a tool in order for me to reclaim the throne. You never meant anything to me.” Then he died. Oswald had no motivation to even TRY to stop the Halja from claiming his life.
So now Oswald was in the land of the dead and he had a lot of time to really consider the direction of his… er… former life. The biggest realizations that he concluded was that he would have died with dignity if he knew that his father valued him. He also determined that he had lived his life without ever loving anybody and without feeling anybody else’s love. When he entered the lair of Odette, he realized to his dismay that she was no better then Melvin - she did not value Oswald as a person and instead only wished to use him as a tool. When she eventually lost interest in using him, he would merely be discarded and forgotten about. Not knowing what else to do, he was forced to do her bidding. Fortunately, the first task Odette had assigned for him was to defeat the intruder in her realm… who happened to be Odin (he has a bad habit of stealing her jewels and using them as weapons, you see). Oswald handedly defeated Odin, and was on the verge of killing him but Odin piqued his interest when he told him that he would be willing to take him out of the realm of the dead. Realizing that he stood a better chance of finding a meaningful existence outside of a megalomaniac’s care, he agreed.
Realizing that Oswald was a deserter and extremely powerful, Odin decided to use him to his own ends. You see, he was the one the fairies were at war with and the whole source of the conflict was over this gigantic machine that was capable of making weapons called Psyphers (similar to Oswald’s Belderiever). The problem was the key to operate the machine was swallowed… by a dragon. Odin offered Oswald many things if he were able to kill the dragon - a spear that was a Psypher (Gwendolyn’s spear), then a castle, and finally his daughter’s hand in marriage. That last one is what clinched it for Oswald and so he agreed to face this dragon… who happened to be Wagner, the king of dragons. This battle was almost fated to begin with, however. You see, Wagner was really really REALLY angry that his best friend, the dragon of the mountains Hindel was killed and wanted REVENGE!!(remember him =O?) So in what can only be described as a duel of the fates battle, Wagner and Oswald engaged each other, with Oswald being the ultimate victor.
Immediately after slaying Wagner, Oswald found the key that would power the machine - a ring. Odin, who was waiting in the wings for this, appeared behind Oswald and demanded that Oswald give him the ring. Oswald refused, reminding Odin that the deal mentioned that he need only slay Wagner - and that he had no problem returning to where they were in the land of the dead if he decided to back down from his deal. Realizing that he was stumped, Odin was good on his promise. He finally gave Oswald the spear, the castle and Gwendolyn.
But there was a catch. Gwendolyn had slain a high-ranking general in Odin’s army and so was punished with a deep slumber. The only way she would be able woken up is with a kiss - and the conditions of the spell would be that Gwendolyn would love whomever she kissed with all her heart and soul. A twinge of worry came to his heart, for he was beginning to love her very much. Yet he would be no better then all the others that used him if he were to kiss her… and how would she then be able to return his feelings if she had no choice in the matter? So instead of kissing her, she let her sleep as he attempted to find a way to break the spell. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be anything to do this. Odin’s spell was simply too strong.
But there’s another catch. Before Odin promised Gwendolyn’s hand in marriage to Oswald, he had promised her hand in marriage to King Onyx of the fire kingdom (diplomacy, you understand). So, in order to get his wife back, Oswald entered the realm of the fire kingdom (an active volcano) and fought his way through King Onyx’ vulcans. Here is where the second GRAND BATTLE OF MANLINESS ensued, where Oswald and Onyx both fought to the death for who was to be Gwendolyn’s husband. In the end, Oswald won… but realized that despite the fact that Onyx had her long enough for him to kiss her, he didn’t. This is because he knew the full effects of the spell - that while the spell would make the person to experience feelings of love, their heart still remained their own. King Onyx knew that Gwendolyn’s heart would never be his, and so would rather have her sleep eternally and be his own. Oswald laughed in relief - he was gladdened by Onyx’s words and felt sympathy for his anguish (he really did have feelings for Gwendolyn). He then offered his blade for Onyx to be used in any battle where his life would be on the line. Oswald also warned him that if he ever stepped another foot towards Gwendolyn while he still drew breath that he would chop off his head.
He returns Gwendolyn the castle and ponders what she would think of him when he awoke. Would she hate him? Will she run away? In the end, he didn’t care what the consequences were… he had nothing left.
“I want… to see my reflection in your eyes. I want to hear… those soft lips speak my name. And if, for a moment… a smile lights your face, I will truly live. No one controls me now. From now on, I act on my own… for you.”
(Coincidently, there IS more to this story… but that’s another chapter for another day).
Essentially what all this means is that he has a serious chip on his shoulder for anybody who uses anybody. He has a great distrust for people in power and is especially cautious of anything who is undead/shinigami/spirits of death. He also has SERIOUS social issues. If he’s being antisocial or quiet at camp, he probably just doesn’t know you well enough to trust you with his thoughts. If you get on his good side, however, he will be a loyal and stalwart companion and will gladly lay down his life for you. But far and away the one person he will TRULY do ANYTHING for is Gwendolyn and woe be to you if you harm her in any way.
SO, let’s start from the beginning. Once upon a time, in the kingdom called Titania, there lived two princes and a king. Now, the oldest prince, Prince Edgar, fell in love with a common girl. Of course the king LOVED this idea. In order to ensure that his love would not jeopardize the kingdom and because nothing his father said would convince him otherwise, Prince Edgar renounced his claim to the throne and retreated far away from his former kingdom. But this was not enough for the king, and he had assassins sent out to execute his former son and wife. Fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you view things, the assassins were not told that the now-married couple had a son. Oops.
Oswald was found and adopted by a fairy named Melvin who seemed to have been nearby at the time. In time, Oswald looked up to Melvin to be his real father and greatly resented the fact that he was orphaned. Seeing that he had skill in swordsmanship, Melvin entrusted Oswald with a powerful sword, the Belderiever. Through the use of this deadly blade, Oswald was able to become a shadow-like monster that could totally decimate and kill any target in his path. What Melvin DID NOT tell Oswald was that in order to claim the Belderiever as his own, Melvin had to contract Oswald’s soul to Odette. He ALSO failed to mention that the knights that he used to test the Belderiever suffered extreme physical and mental anguish and eventually became mindless creatures of shadow and empty rage. So Melvin isn’t going to win any parenting awards here, people. Worse, becoming a being of shadow made everybody believe that the “Shadow Knight” was a detestable and malevolent being. Some even feared that if his shadow were to touch your own that your soul would be consumed. Oswald didn’t pay this talk any mind though. All he cared was what Melvin thought.
For all he knew, though, Melvin was a standoffish and noble fairy. In fact, Melvin himself was the younger brother of Elfaria, the queen of the fairies. In order to receive his adoptive father’s affections, Oswald would plunge himself into whatever task he assigned Oswald with completely reckless abandon. Go and kill Hindel, the dragon of the mountain, despite the fact that dragons were extremely powerful and had scales that no sword or arrow can pierce? Gladly. Enter the castle of the country you are war with and spy on your enemies? Sure! (He sees Gwendolyn for his first time that way) Be a one man army and fight the valkyries forces, who outnumber you by about a hundred to one? With pleasure. (He spared Gwendolyn’s life in this battle) Everything he did, he did for Melvin and without a second thought. But out on the battlefield a Halja, the harbingers of death came to claim Oswald to their queen, Odette, as per their contract. Oswald refused to believe this… but was troubled when the cost of using the Belderiever began to wear away his health.
The big turning point came after Elfaria was killed in battle. Her daughter, a rather snot-nosed brat named Mercedes, was put into a position of queen and was completely overwhelmed by her new position. Melvin sought this opportunity to form a coup in order to seize the kingdom for himself - but one which ultimately failed. Blinded from overuse of the Belderiever and on the verge of death, Oswald sought out Melvin to comfort him as he was about to die, something like “You did good, son.” Instead, Oswald got “You are pathetic. I should have given the Belderiever to somebody more suited.” When Oswald asked what he was to Melvin, his assdoptive father said, “You were nothing more then a tool in order for me to reclaim the throne. You never meant anything to me.” Then he died. Oswald had no motivation to even TRY to stop the Halja from claiming his life.
So now Oswald was in the land of the dead and he had a lot of time to really consider the direction of his… er… former life. The biggest realizations that he concluded was that he would have died with dignity if he knew that his father valued him. He also determined that he had lived his life without ever loving anybody and without feeling anybody else’s love. When he entered the lair of Odette, he realized to his dismay that she was no better then Melvin - she did not value Oswald as a person and instead only wished to use him as a tool. When she eventually lost interest in using him, he would merely be discarded and forgotten about. Not knowing what else to do, he was forced to do her bidding. Fortunately, the first task Odette had assigned for him was to defeat the intruder in her realm… who happened to be Odin (he has a bad habit of stealing her jewels and using them as weapons, you see). Oswald handedly defeated Odin, and was on the verge of killing him but Odin piqued his interest when he told him that he would be willing to take him out of the realm of the dead. Realizing that he stood a better chance of finding a meaningful existence outside of a megalomaniac’s care, he agreed.
Realizing that Oswald was a deserter and extremely powerful, Odin decided to use him to his own ends. You see, he was the one the fairies were at war with and the whole source of the conflict was over this gigantic machine that was capable of making weapons called Psyphers (similar to Oswald’s Belderiever). The problem was the key to operate the machine was swallowed… by a dragon. Odin offered Oswald many things if he were able to kill the dragon - a spear that was a Psypher (Gwendolyn’s spear), then a castle, and finally his daughter’s hand in marriage. That last one is what clinched it for Oswald and so he agreed to face this dragon… who happened to be Wagner, the king of dragons. This battle was almost fated to begin with, however. You see, Wagner was really really REALLY angry that his best friend, the dragon of the mountains Hindel was killed and wanted REVENGE!!(remember him =O?) So in what can only be described as a duel of the fates battle, Wagner and Oswald engaged each other, with Oswald being the ultimate victor.
Immediately after slaying Wagner, Oswald found the key that would power the machine - a ring. Odin, who was waiting in the wings for this, appeared behind Oswald and demanded that Oswald give him the ring. Oswald refused, reminding Odin that the deal mentioned that he need only slay Wagner - and that he had no problem returning to where they were in the land of the dead if he decided to back down from his deal. Realizing that he was stumped, Odin was good on his promise. He finally gave Oswald the spear, the castle and Gwendolyn.
But there was a catch. Gwendolyn had slain a high-ranking general in Odin’s army and so was punished with a deep slumber. The only way she would be able woken up is with a kiss - and the conditions of the spell would be that Gwendolyn would love whomever she kissed with all her heart and soul. A twinge of worry came to his heart, for he was beginning to love her very much. Yet he would be no better then all the others that used him if he were to kiss her… and how would she then be able to return his feelings if she had no choice in the matter? So instead of kissing her, she let her sleep as he attempted to find a way to break the spell. Unfortunately, there did not seem to be anything to do this. Odin’s spell was simply too strong.
But there’s another catch. Before Odin promised Gwendolyn’s hand in marriage to Oswald, he had promised her hand in marriage to King Onyx of the fire kingdom (diplomacy, you understand). So, in order to get his wife back, Oswald entered the realm of the fire kingdom (an active volcano) and fought his way through King Onyx’ vulcans. Here is where the second GRAND BATTLE OF MANLINESS ensued, where Oswald and Onyx both fought to the death for who was to be Gwendolyn’s husband. In the end, Oswald won… but realized that despite the fact that Onyx had her long enough for him to kiss her, he didn’t. This is because he knew the full effects of the spell - that while the spell would make the person to experience feelings of love, their heart still remained their own. King Onyx knew that Gwendolyn’s heart would never be his, and so would rather have her sleep eternally and be his own. Oswald laughed in relief - he was gladdened by Onyx’s words and felt sympathy for his anguish (he really did have feelings for Gwendolyn). He then offered his blade for Onyx to be used in any battle where his life would be on the line. Oswald also warned him that if he ever stepped another foot towards Gwendolyn while he still drew breath that he would chop off his head.
He returns Gwendolyn the castle and ponders what she would think of him when he awoke. Would she hate him? Will she run away? In the end, he didn’t care what the consequences were… he had nothing left.
“I want… to see my reflection in your eyes. I want to hear… those soft lips speak my name. And if, for a moment… a smile lights your face, I will truly live. No one controls me now. From now on, I act on my own… for you.”
(Coincidently, there IS more to this story… but that’s another chapter for another day).
Essentially what all this means is that he has a serious chip on his shoulder for anybody who uses anybody. He has a great distrust for people in power and is especially cautious of anything who is undead/shinigami/spirits of death. He also has SERIOUS social issues. If he’s being antisocial or quiet at camp, he probably just doesn’t know you well enough to trust you with his thoughts. If you get on his good side, however, he will be a loyal and stalwart companion and will gladly lay down his life for you. But far and away the one person he will TRULY do ANYTHING for is Gwendolyn and woe be to you if you harm her in any way.