Garmay's Backstory
Jan. 10th, 2012 12:31 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
garmayzayaIt began with the courtship of Alonza Gallo. She was the daughter of Mereb Gallo, an adviser to the king of Hyrule. Such a position afforded the Gallo Family a great deal of honor, but they were only a twig on an aristo family tree, and for the most part, lived in relative peace, outside of the capital city, on a large, country estate. With only a handful of servants, Alonza participated a great deal in the household work and, as such, often went to the local farming village of Saria to purchase household staples. And it was in Saria where she met and fell in love with a landed farmer by the name of Antonio Zaya.
The flirtation was scandalous to Mereb and he would have put a stop to it then and there, but Alonza was soon pregnant. She and Antonio married and settled in to his ranch in Saria, where she gave birth to her first son, Kay. A year later, their second son, Bandon, was born. Both Kay and Bandon, along with several other children in Saria, were born with brown eyes. Gossip spread throughout Hyrule, whispers that the farmers of Saria had tainted blood, as Hylians were always born blue-eyed. Although this was not the case, the rumors were enough to ignite old prejudices and soon, Saria was considered a backwater place. Hylians with a Sarian accent were shunned from more "civilized" society and as their farms failed, Saria became the prostitution and vice capital of Hyrule.
Lack of business from aristo families, combined with Antonio's love of ale, led to a strain in his relationship with his wife. Alonza often sought comfort outside of her marriage. This, in turn, led to a brief affair with a Human traveler from Holodrum named Ember Saroya. He was a healer, with kind eyes and a sad disposition. Alonza thought nothing of the fling until she soon realized she was pregnant again. This time, she gave birth to twins, a boy called Lucas and a girl named Skye. Although their green eyes and the unusual shape of their ears made it very clear that the children were not of Antonio's blood, they were given his name and he raised them as his own.
This was not much of a blessing, however. Antonio's drinking got worse and worse and he became abusive to all four of the children living in his household, especially Skye, who Alonza feared he would one day view as a potential mate. Kay took the brunt of his anger, fiercely defending his brothers and sister. When the twins were eleven years old, however, word of Antonio's temperament finally reached authorities. Thanks, in large part, to the influence of Mereb, the children were taken from Antonio and Alonza and placed into the care of Alonza's older sister, Malar. Malar was a missionary and was horrifically strict with the children, though less abusive. With good intentions, she began to give them lessons in reading and writing, in the hopes that they would become missionaries. It was doubtful, with their thick Sarian accents that they would ever amount to more in Hyrule.
After a year, the children decided they could no longer tolerate living with Malar, as they were accustomed to the freedom that came with neglect. By then, Kay was seventeen and felt he could sufficiently take care of his brothers and sister, so the decision was reached that they would sneak off in the middle of the night. They pooled their money and meager possessions to obtain a raft and supplies and they traveled, by river, out of Saria and far from Hyrule.
It was around that time that Skye took on the nickname "Garmay," an ancient Hylian word for "rain on the river" or "reign on the river' (no one could remember which it was). Her well-intending brothers treated her like a boy and, at the age of twelve, she had no problems with this. Indeed, as a final act of defiance against Antonio and Malar, she cut her hair short and started wearing trousers. Soon, Kay was often telling people that he had three brothers. Although they often had to battle with the elements and with dangerous strangers to survive, their lives were relatively happy. The children lived from one day to the next, scraping enough money together to get by and seeing more of the world than any Hylian ever dreamed of seeing.
Garmay grew up to be extremely active and curious. Her favorite things to do were swim, climb trees, and fish. As she traveled with her brothers, she took time to learn everything she could about local customs. Her remarkable memory often helped her and her brothers to get out of scrapes when they returned to old cities. The one skill she did not possess, however, was the ability to read or write, because, in spite of Malar's efforts, Garmay had never had the patience to actually do her lessons. In fact, Bandon was the only one of them with much of a gift for language. Kay, meanwhile, was their defender. Lucas, with his pretty eyes and his gift for music, often served as their breadwinner when they had to panhandle. On the surface, everything was perfect, though inner tensions boiled as Lucas yearned to know who his real father was, Bandon longed to find a girl, and Kay fussed over finances.
When Garmay was fifteen, she wandered off from her brothers to explore a wooded area near their campsite. There, she ran into a fugitive hiding in the trees. Having gone far too long without anything female, he made a grab for her and she panicked, running away. By the time she regained her courage and returned to the campsite, her brothers were gone and Garmay found herself very much alone for the first time in her life.
Eager to find her brothers again, she started to frequent some of their old haunts, visiting old friends and favorite sites. She was unable to locate them, nor hear any word of them, so she eventually decided to settle in the kingdom of Catalan, in the hopes that they would find her there. The King of Catalan, a young man named Artem Barr, took a liking to the urchin and brought her into his court, occasionally calling upon her when he needed to know something about the cultural customs of a visiting ambassador or royal. He was very tolerant of her tomboyish mannerisms and allowed her to live as a boy. She fooled no one, of course, but the fact that he permitted it endeared him to her.
A Hylian living in the court, named Arrio Chain, also took a shine to Garmay. Since she had virtually no training in any of her innate, Hylian magic, he started trying to train her. Garmay had very little patience for the lessons, but she did come to see him as a favorite uncle and did her best to tolerate the lessons, though she made no progress. Just when she started to show some potential, however, word reached her that Kay, her beloved brother, had been found dead, washed up on the bank of a river in a kingdom bordering Hyrule. She quickly rushed to the scene, where she found Bandon and Lucas. Bandon had taken a position as court translator for a noblewoman living west of Hyrule. Lucas, meanwhile, had become a groom to an earl. Neither of them had any idea what had happened to Kay, but it was quite clear that he hadn't drowned, as he was the strongest swimmer among them.
Being the sibling with the least obligations, Garmay volunteered to bring Kay back to Saria. There, she learned that Alonza had died and Antonio had remarried. Malar was, naturally, furious with the children for what they'd done, but Garmay was now at an age where she was considered an adult by most races in the realm. She made it very clear that she planned to return to Catalan. On her last day in Hyrule, however, Ember Saroya paid a visit to Malar's house. He was there to express his condolences over Alonza's death, but it became readily apparent that he was Lucas and Garmay's father.
Eager to know more about where she came from, Garmay demanded that Ember take her to meet his people. Ember was a highly respected healer, at this point, still living in the kingdom of Holodrum. Unfortunately, Ember's wife didn't take kindly to the sudden appearance of a bastard child. Both Garmay and Ember were thrown out of the household before Garmay had the chance to ask a single question.
Garmay took ill following the disaster with the Saroya family. Ember did his best to care for her, but realized that her Hylian physiology was beyond the capabilities of a healer of even his talents. It was a simple virus, really. But he didn't understand it. He sent for Arrio Chain who took Garmay back to Catalan. There, she recovered and elected to remain in the household of Arrio Chain and his wife, Kera Ahton. This proved to be a wise decision on her part, because Garmay was growing up, faster than the average Hylian, and required the care and advice of a female. Kera readily stepped into the role of surrogate mother for Garmay, teaching her what she needed to know.
As she went through puberty, she also started her lessons again and was soon able to read and write a little bit, as well as perform some of the most basic of Hylian spells. As a halfbreed with a thick Sarian accent, she knew she would never be fully accepted into Hylian society, so Garmay eventually made the decision to try passing as a Human.
The flirtation was scandalous to Mereb and he would have put a stop to it then and there, but Alonza was soon pregnant. She and Antonio married and settled in to his ranch in Saria, where she gave birth to her first son, Kay. A year later, their second son, Bandon, was born. Both Kay and Bandon, along with several other children in Saria, were born with brown eyes. Gossip spread throughout Hyrule, whispers that the farmers of Saria had tainted blood, as Hylians were always born blue-eyed. Although this was not the case, the rumors were enough to ignite old prejudices and soon, Saria was considered a backwater place. Hylians with a Sarian accent were shunned from more "civilized" society and as their farms failed, Saria became the prostitution and vice capital of Hyrule.
Lack of business from aristo families, combined with Antonio's love of ale, led to a strain in his relationship with his wife. Alonza often sought comfort outside of her marriage. This, in turn, led to a brief affair with a Human traveler from Holodrum named Ember Saroya. He was a healer, with kind eyes and a sad disposition. Alonza thought nothing of the fling until she soon realized she was pregnant again. This time, she gave birth to twins, a boy called Lucas and a girl named Skye. Although their green eyes and the unusual shape of their ears made it very clear that the children were not of Antonio's blood, they were given his name and he raised them as his own.
This was not much of a blessing, however. Antonio's drinking got worse and worse and he became abusive to all four of the children living in his household, especially Skye, who Alonza feared he would one day view as a potential mate. Kay took the brunt of his anger, fiercely defending his brothers and sister. When the twins were eleven years old, however, word of Antonio's temperament finally reached authorities. Thanks, in large part, to the influence of Mereb, the children were taken from Antonio and Alonza and placed into the care of Alonza's older sister, Malar. Malar was a missionary and was horrifically strict with the children, though less abusive. With good intentions, she began to give them lessons in reading and writing, in the hopes that they would become missionaries. It was doubtful, with their thick Sarian accents that they would ever amount to more in Hyrule.
After a year, the children decided they could no longer tolerate living with Malar, as they were accustomed to the freedom that came with neglect. By then, Kay was seventeen and felt he could sufficiently take care of his brothers and sister, so the decision was reached that they would sneak off in the middle of the night. They pooled their money and meager possessions to obtain a raft and supplies and they traveled, by river, out of Saria and far from Hyrule.
It was around that time that Skye took on the nickname "Garmay," an ancient Hylian word for "rain on the river" or "reign on the river' (no one could remember which it was). Her well-intending brothers treated her like a boy and, at the age of twelve, she had no problems with this. Indeed, as a final act of defiance against Antonio and Malar, she cut her hair short and started wearing trousers. Soon, Kay was often telling people that he had three brothers. Although they often had to battle with the elements and with dangerous strangers to survive, their lives were relatively happy. The children lived from one day to the next, scraping enough money together to get by and seeing more of the world than any Hylian ever dreamed of seeing.
Garmay grew up to be extremely active and curious. Her favorite things to do were swim, climb trees, and fish. As she traveled with her brothers, she took time to learn everything she could about local customs. Her remarkable memory often helped her and her brothers to get out of scrapes when they returned to old cities. The one skill she did not possess, however, was the ability to read or write, because, in spite of Malar's efforts, Garmay had never had the patience to actually do her lessons. In fact, Bandon was the only one of them with much of a gift for language. Kay, meanwhile, was their defender. Lucas, with his pretty eyes and his gift for music, often served as their breadwinner when they had to panhandle. On the surface, everything was perfect, though inner tensions boiled as Lucas yearned to know who his real father was, Bandon longed to find a girl, and Kay fussed over finances.
When Garmay was fifteen, she wandered off from her brothers to explore a wooded area near their campsite. There, she ran into a fugitive hiding in the trees. Having gone far too long without anything female, he made a grab for her and she panicked, running away. By the time she regained her courage and returned to the campsite, her brothers were gone and Garmay found herself very much alone for the first time in her life.
Eager to find her brothers again, she started to frequent some of their old haunts, visiting old friends and favorite sites. She was unable to locate them, nor hear any word of them, so she eventually decided to settle in the kingdom of Catalan, in the hopes that they would find her there. The King of Catalan, a young man named Artem Barr, took a liking to the urchin and brought her into his court, occasionally calling upon her when he needed to know something about the cultural customs of a visiting ambassador or royal. He was very tolerant of her tomboyish mannerisms and allowed her to live as a boy. She fooled no one, of course, but the fact that he permitted it endeared him to her.
A Hylian living in the court, named Arrio Chain, also took a shine to Garmay. Since she had virtually no training in any of her innate, Hylian magic, he started trying to train her. Garmay had very little patience for the lessons, but she did come to see him as a favorite uncle and did her best to tolerate the lessons, though she made no progress. Just when she started to show some potential, however, word reached her that Kay, her beloved brother, had been found dead, washed up on the bank of a river in a kingdom bordering Hyrule. She quickly rushed to the scene, where she found Bandon and Lucas. Bandon had taken a position as court translator for a noblewoman living west of Hyrule. Lucas, meanwhile, had become a groom to an earl. Neither of them had any idea what had happened to Kay, but it was quite clear that he hadn't drowned, as he was the strongest swimmer among them.
Being the sibling with the least obligations, Garmay volunteered to bring Kay back to Saria. There, she learned that Alonza had died and Antonio had remarried. Malar was, naturally, furious with the children for what they'd done, but Garmay was now at an age where she was considered an adult by most races in the realm. She made it very clear that she planned to return to Catalan. On her last day in Hyrule, however, Ember Saroya paid a visit to Malar's house. He was there to express his condolences over Alonza's death, but it became readily apparent that he was Lucas and Garmay's father.
Eager to know more about where she came from, Garmay demanded that Ember take her to meet his people. Ember was a highly respected healer, at this point, still living in the kingdom of Holodrum. Unfortunately, Ember's wife didn't take kindly to the sudden appearance of a bastard child. Both Garmay and Ember were thrown out of the household before Garmay had the chance to ask a single question.
Garmay took ill following the disaster with the Saroya family. Ember did his best to care for her, but realized that her Hylian physiology was beyond the capabilities of a healer of even his talents. It was a simple virus, really. But he didn't understand it. He sent for Arrio Chain who took Garmay back to Catalan. There, she recovered and elected to remain in the household of Arrio Chain and his wife, Kera Ahton. This proved to be a wise decision on her part, because Garmay was growing up, faster than the average Hylian, and required the care and advice of a female. Kera readily stepped into the role of surrogate mother for Garmay, teaching her what she needed to know.
As she went through puberty, she also started her lessons again and was soon able to read and write a little bit, as well as perform some of the most basic of Hylian spells. As a halfbreed with a thick Sarian accent, she knew she would never be fully accepted into Hylian society, so Garmay eventually made the decision to try passing as a Human.
