Rook Wednesday: Children - Kalais Aldwir
For the Rook's Roost Community. Prompts found here
Kalais Aldwir as a child in clan Irnehn, trying their best to pay attention to their Keeper's lessons. Made using this picrew
What was your Rook like as a child? Do they have any fond memories?
Kalais overall was a pretty quiet child. What they can remember of their very early first three years they look back on very fondly. Their mother loved them very much, played with them and presented them with gifts when she could.
Switching clans after their mother's death and living with their father's clan, Kalais was nervous, but eventually started coming out of their shell over the next three years. They started playing more with the other children and was a very active and lively child. Though they often felt confused and uncertain about their place with their father, who never seemed to want to spend time with Kalais, hardly spoke to them except to scold. It felt very different from the care their mother gave them before.
Then, of course, things change drastically again when their magic manifested. Kalais spent the rest of their childhood very lonely, though not by their own choice, becoming quiet and reserved and focused on their studies, believing that doing well listening to the Keeper's lessons meant keeping their place in the clan, and hoping controling their magic and proving themself would earn the clan's forgiveness and trust again, as well as hoping their accomplishment would earn them their father's affection.
How does Rook view having children in the future? Do they have any now?
Thoughts in general: Kalais never really thought much about if they wanted children. For most of their time growing up, they didn't even think they would find love and get married. So they never had to think about if they wanted any in the future. They get along fine with the children of the Aldwir clan that run around camp, but those children have parents who are the ones mostly responsible for them, Kalais is not the one raising them.
When Kalais happens to think about it/or is forced to think about it (depending on canon, will speak more on that in a moment), they are anxious about the idea. They did not grow up with a parent or parent figure who cared about them. Their Keeper Nolaren would have been the closest to one, but even then, Nolaren seemeed to make it very clear that theirs was a teacher & student bond, she is there to teach Kalais dalish history and ways, and how to control and use their magic. So Kalais does not have a great example to pull from in terms of how to be a good parent and they would worry about messing things up.
Why/How did they end up needing to eventually think about this?
Game canon: Kalais ends up accidentally pregnant. After feeling sick a few days in a row, Emmrich insists that the visit a healer/doctor to determine what is wrong and how to treat it. When the healer tells them the news, Kalais doesn't know how to take it. They know Emmrich has spoken on wanting a family once, that when he was younger he dreamed of having a family and children. But all their worries and fears about not knowing how to raise a child, or if they even want to go through the experience as a nonbinary person. They do end up discussing the options with Emmrich who is nothing but supportive of whatever Kalais decides and emphasizes that he is happy with the family they have with Manfred and their friends from the Veilguard and that the decision belongs only to Kalais and that they should do what would make them happy/most comfortable. Spending a little more time thinking about it, Kalais decides to go through with the pregnancy and eventually gives birth to their son, Rupert Varric Volkarin.
Kalais and Emmrich go on to eventually adopt a dwarven baby girl who was found at/near Tearstone. They name her Lace Ellanora Volkarin.
My canon: The topic comes up in conversation with a friend's partner. Their friend had expressed a desire for children, but the couple are unable to have any biological ones of their own which does sadden them a little. Kalais, reflecting on their partner Beck (belonging to @wickedadaar) wanting a pet and subsequent adoption of a cat, realizes if Beck ever wanted any children, they wanted her to be able to have that opportunity and experience. They are still anxious about doing things wrong, but they want to share in that experience with Beck if that is something she desires. It is, however, not something they will bring up themself. At least not at the moment. Kalais has expressed to Beck that Kalais wants to give her whatever she wants and to share in those opportunities though.
(Maybe once the two are married for a time, Kalais might tentatively broach the subject if Beck hasn't said anything yet.)
(all that said, they are certainly willing to help babysit other's kids)
How do children view your Rook? Do they tell stories or are they still relatively unknown?
They get along fine with children. The Aldwir clan camp has plenty that run around and often speak with Kalais and any other visiting Veil Jumpers, asking for stories about what the organization has found, places they have been/discovered, artifacts they have found and what it does. The children generally look up to them as a role model already prior to the game events, and they would become even more so after, often looked at with awestruck wonder by the children who had heard what Kalais had done and accomplished and would ask for those stories.
