As the only child of the Valerius household, expectations for Gared were always impossibly high. His future decided, he grew up with no option to deviate from the path laid out for him by his parents and familial duty-- accordingly study, tactics and training were the norm, built into his schedule even in his earliest memories. But with both parents preoccupied with careers in the military and one entirely uninterested in her son, Gared spent the majority of his time around servants who were content to spoil their young master to gain his favor. Though the required learning was there, it was structured around fun- playing with the old gardener who was like a dear uncle, or snatching bites of the cook's dishes before they were done. His father was content with Gared's progress- slow but steady was better than nothing at all; his mother Tatiana however, didn't share the sentiment. While in the past Gared had longed for his mother's attention, having it at all times now meant his life had become a living boot camp under her unforgiving gaze. For a year he subjected himself to her strict expectations and stringent rules, but to no more of her approval than he'd had before it all began. Frustrated, he began to push back against her tyrrany, lying about where he'd been and what he'd been doing-- shuttering away at the sight of her and putting up iron defenses. His mother, never one to be outdone, was equally frustrated with his lack of drive and ambition. Though the once problem-free life Gared had lived made him a reluctant opponent, almost every night in each others' company devolved into shouting matches-- disgust for his mother and bitter tears for Gared.

Tired of fighting, he accepted his lot in life after a heart to heart with his father- who believed that while Tatiana's methods could be gentler, her purpose was one that he supported. Gared would serve, and he would inherit, and so it was right to prepare now rather than later. Together they comprimised by letting Gared go to a military school rather than staying at home with them- and he pounced on the opportunity to escape home. Blissful years away from his mother soothed the constant undercurrent of anger that had defined his preteen years, and he improved greatly with the tutelage of more forgiving educators. Yet his reprieve was cut short when Gared was suddenly called back to the estate; his father had been injured in the attack on Belport and forced to retire from active duty. Seeing the state of his crippled father shocked him into action. Angry all over again, he was for once on the same page as his mother- eager to put everything he'd been learning to use in getting revenge. Gared enlisted at once despite the protest of his father, overruled by his mother who was at last proud of her son for making the right choice. He spent a discontent year stuck in basic training as a new recruit- and then as the aide of a knight for another. Through the secret machinations of his father, he ended up missing the conflict with Koben almost entirely. By the time his mother had her way and pried him from the confines of errand work, he was stuck in skirmishes with Delverne on the Cantish border rather than fighting red uniforms in the North.

Though war had never suited Gared, his introduction to it with dragon fire was a unique taste of hell. He returned from the border unsure of his choices in the wake of the destruction wrought at Veron. With the loss of the pegasus farms, his fellow flight regiment compatriots turned to the more powerful, reptilian alternatives. But Gared found himself reluctant to do the same; he had seen their unpredictable nature first hand at the border of Cantor, and was wary of their terrible power. Dragons were impossible to connect with in the way a rider could connect with his pegasi, and the steady companionship of his mount had always been a source of comfort to Gared in the midst of his first experiences with true bloodshed. As his convinctions wavered, the Kingdom's unity splintered; and with the sacking of the Academy and the unjust imprisonment of many, Gared found himself spurred into action, falsely using his mothers name to help aid in Sunan's escape. Gared had never been able to find his own way in Miras- always living in doubt of what he was doing and why, magnified ever more since King Silvan's ascension to the throne. Though he cared little for the politics behind the Civil War, he hoped to find a semblance of freedom from his predetermined future on the other, less traditional side. He escaped himself with the help of his Uncle Orland to shelter with an old mentor in Amedra. His initial impression of life there was not everything he had hoped it would be- Gared was a stranger in the city, teetering between the edge of familiarity with the culture in Amedra and then again being entirely baffled by the differences. As he does his best to acclimate with the help of those around him, he continues to avoid addressing the elephant in the room- after years of being cornered into one speciality, his only talent lies in combat. And no matter how he loathes it, he should make himself useful and fight-- this time, for East Miras.

(Luckily, the Gods have seen to it that this is probably not going to be a problem he'll need to address anytime soon, and he is mostly preoccupied with dealing with the fallout surrounding that! He's more than happy to play soldier when it comes to search and rescue.)