[IMG]http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u79/SharpshooterJack/markerGerald_zps253683a8.png[/IMG]
[h3]Duchy of Pelgaid, secluded pond[/h3]
Part of Gerald wanted to tell Jillian “you had better be sorry,” wanted to keep spewing venom in her face, to sneer, scowl and generally do everything in his power to ensure that she pulled back and kept her distance from him. This woman... he had only known her for a day, and already he was telling her things like this? [I]Feeling[/I] things? She was dangerous, an uncontrollable element that could all too easily interfere with his plans and get in the way of achieving his goals; he had to get rid of her.
Yet at the same time, part of him – the shriveled, starving part that still derived nourishment from social interactions and urged him to be empathetic – wanted to keep her around, draw her closer, get to know her better... and felt that he had been unfair to her. And yes, logically he had been; though he had told her a little about the abomination that was Dennis Remdal, he knew that he had not told her nearly enough for her to understand the depth of his hatred for the man, or his vicious objection to being called by that name. That part of him wanted to explain, but how could he ever do that? There were so many things, and many of them would probably not even convey the full impact they had had on him even if he described them.
But in the end, he still felt like he had to try.

He closed his eyes, and the glow in the emerald of Omni died out completely. “I was nine when my mother met Dennis Remdal. She was just a poor single mother and commoner, abandoned as she was by my birthfather, and struggled to make us a comfortable life. Then she was hired as the live-in maid of the Remdal estate, and some time after that she married the Baron Remdal himself, and suddenly I went from just ‘Gerald’ to ‘Gerald Remdal, stepson of His Lordship’. Out of nowhere I was living a life of luxury and I was permitted a proper education, as well as entry into the Academy. All because of the Remdal name.”
He sighed. “And everyone knew that. Have you ever [I]seen[/I] Dennis Remdal? The toll of magic and an unhealthy lifestyle has made him obese, and even in his prime I doubt that he was any kind of handsome... but he is rich and one of the most powerful men in Zerul. The people considered my mother little better than a common whore for marrying him – perhaps they still do – and I was little better; the whoreson leeching off the baron.”
He opened his eyes and stared intensely into the campfire. “My mother was never a prostitute, but that’s beside the point. Back then I admired Dennis, though, and was in awe at the new life he gave us, but I very quickly learned to hate the Remdal name. Everything I did and achieved – my knowledge, my magic, my position as instructor at the Academy, even my wife – were all ultimately accredited to the Remdal name. It was never ‘Gerald’ that accomplished anything, it was ‘Remdal’ or ‘the baron’s stepson’. It was my work, my effort, but the Remdal name reaped the benefits of it all.
And as you know, the second I brought shame to the Remdal name, Dennis made sure to get rid of me. Had me exiled. And then I started truly learning just who Dennis Remdal is...” He shook his head woefully. “Remdal, the remarried widower whose first wife died under suspicious circumstances soon after they discovered that she was barren. Remdal, who was rumored to buy the support of other nobles not only with money but with the bodies of his slaves, and who made sure to destroy the business and reputation of any who stood against him. Remdal, whose enemies had a habit of mysteriously dying.”
Gerald’s hands clenched into fists so tightly that he started trembling. “Remdal, who said... treated... who...” By now he was speaking through clenched teeth, his face a grimace of utmost abhorrence and rage. “...told me to replace my wife, like she was just a [I]thing[/I]. Said it was [i]for the best[/I] that she died so I could find someone [I]better[/I]! With a blasted [I]title[/I]! A better [I]name[/I]!”

He finally looked straight at Jillian, his mien softening uncharacteristically. “I’m sorry to have shocked you, but words alone cannot express how much I hate the Remdal name and being the son of that demonspawn. Please... Jillian... never call me that again. It... hurts me more than you know.”