The House of Stronghand

King Ladwick Stronghand, King of Wittering and Duke of Terse (Terse is a state of Wittering, where
the capital, Reces, is located) married Queen Johanne Stronghand. This was an arranged marriage
thatseemed to go well. Johanne was the daughter of Jaq Justward, the Duke of Done (pronounced
like one would say “doun” in Afrikaans, Done is another state of Wittering, south of Terse; its capital
is Robert’s Town), and his wife, Partentia Justward. The ducal family of Done is the most noble, after
the Royal family. The royal family is also the ducal family of Terse.

Ladwick and Johanne had three children: Carell, the eldest, and twins Partentia (named after Queen
Johanne’s mother) and Rossliza (named after King Ladwick’s mother) who is five years younger than
Carell.

The twins had a great relationship as children but got into a love fight when they were 18. When the
twins were 17, the duke of Farland (another state of Wittering, furthest west from Reces and very
mountainous), Emil Jagome, his wife, Ellew Jagome, and their sons Edzee, Eriq and Emith (from
youngest to oldest) visited Reces for the first time. At first sight Rossliza and Partentia fell madly in
love with Emith. Emith was a player, and the twins were blind. He saw that both liked him and made
each of them think that he liked them. Naturally there came a rivalry between the two sisters and
their once close relationship became one of hatred. But then one day Ladwick and Emil had the
marriage of Partentia and Emith arranged because this would create a family bond between the
Stronghands and the Jagomes. Rossliza was devastated. She cried day and night in her tower room
and sought comfort with her brother who asked his father for the marriage to be called off, but
Ladwick refused. Rossliza also told Partentia that Emith showed feelings her too, but Partentia didn’t
want to believe Rossliza because she believed that Rossliza only wanted to sabotage the marriage.
On the day of the wedding (after the wedding, during the celebration), Rossliza jumped from the
window of her room (which is high), killing herself. Since that day Rossliza’s room was closed to
everyone. A few days later, Emith and Partentia left for Farland (East-Farland) and a year later
Partentia died of mountain fever.

(Shorter version: Partentia ended up marrying the Duke of Farland’s son, Emith Jagome, with whom
Rossliza was madly in love with. The relationship between Carell and Partentia wasn’t bad but his
relationship with Rossliza was better. Distraught because of unrequited love, she jumped from her
window in the Reces castle.)

Since then Carell never wanted to see Partentia, and he never wanted to forgive his father for letting
Partentia and Emith marry, because he thought the loss of Rossliza their fault. (Many years later
when he was king, he still kept Rossliza’s room as she left it and locked it)

Carell’s mother usually wanted to take his side during arguments, and sometimes did but Ladwick
would get angry when she doesn’t take the King’s side. Sometimes out of fear she has to choose
Ladwick’s side.

Carell hated his dad because he let Emith marry Partentia instead of Rossliza. He saw his dad as a
hypocrite in views of religion. His dad usually lashed out at him when he got stressed, which was
most of the times. But King Ladwick knew he had to get Carell ready for the throne so getting the son
he didn’t like (or hated) frustrated and irritated him and Carell could see how his father felt towards
him. He told himself that he never wants to be the father to his children that his father was to him.
What irritated Carell more was how people loved his dad, and in Ladwick’s defence, he was a good
and fair ruler, but Carell didn’t like how he was a completely different man to his son and his family.

When Carell was 36 his mom died of an illness (cancer, but because no one knew about cancer in
Wittering, the just called it an illness) at age 57 (she was 21 when she had him). A week later his dad
died in his sleep. Aged 68. The people rumoured that the king couldn’t cope with the death of his
wife. This story angered him more, because this he knew could never be true.

(Partentia was 18 when she got married. She was 20 when she died in Farland of mountain fever.
Rossliza jumped from her room at age 18, on the day of Partentia and Emith’s wedding. Carell is 5
years older than them. So he was 23 when Rossliza committed suicide)

13 years after the death of Rossliza (the amount of years after the death of Partentia doesn’t matter
because Partentia didn’t matter to Carell) his mother and his father died.

Carell was close with his mother and was with her when she died, but his father went to bed
(apparently thinking that sleeping was a higher priority than staying at his wife’s death bed) . A few
hours before her death, Ladwick went to bed, but Carell stayed. So that is why he didn’t believe the
story that his father died because he couldn’t handle losing his wife because how could you go to
sleep while your wife is dying?

His father’s death did come as a shock to him, though, because that meant that he was king. He
didn’t feel ready but told himself that he should look and act tough to be the part. His tolerance for
the people who adored his father wasn’t much. He reacted with anger when his advisers tell him
how to rule or that he is wrong because his father told him he was wrong too many times.

Carell’s ultimate goal was to have a son and to be the best father he can be to that son. Out of
desperation he purposefully made a woman pregnant one night in Oaksleaf. When he realized what
he had actually done, he abandoned her (the next day) because he was afraid that if she got
pregnant and had a child that he might fail to be the father he wants to be. But he left her money (in
the form of a signed paper) to make up for him not being there.

18 Years later he realized his mistake. The biggest mistake he could make in his dream to be the best
father ever: he abandoned his child. By this time he knew that the woman actually got pregnant and
gave birth to a boy (Regison). A boy who was now 18. He decided to track down this boy, to bring
him to the castle and be a good father to him. This being his biggest personal goal, he didn’t care
about the mother, but only his son. That is why he didn’t care about having her killed when his men
went to get his son. His excuse to his advisers as to why he wanted to get the son now was because
he has to get an heir before he dies.

What Carell (and his men who went to find his son) didn’t know was that Blanche (Regison’s mother)
had another child (Cail, with another man), two years younger than Regison. When his men came to
Elowsyel (where Regison lives), Regison wasn’t home, but outside of town. The king’s men found
Blanche and killed her because she fought back and thought that Cail was the king’s son and took
him to the king.
Regison found out that it was on the king’s orders that his mother was killed and brother taken, and
hated the king right away.

At the end of the story, Regison gets to Reces to find the king and have revenge.

King Carell found out that Cail wasn’t his son, but Regison. Now Regison, his son hates him and
wants to kill him. Without wanting to, he failed to be the father he wanted to be, and he became the
father his father was to him, to Regison. His only and most important goal and childhood dream was
ruined. The people he loved (his mother and sister, Rossliza) are dead. And the person he wanted to
love, hates him. Should he be react like he would react to anyone who hates and defies him, and
fight his son, or would that just make him a worse father than he already is? He only saw one way
out.

Regison is in on his way to the king.

Carell rushed up to Rossliza’s room, the room that was locked since her death, when he realized
his end might be near because he wanted to smell his sister again. Feel love again. Then just as his
sister he jumped from the window.