As the second son of the ambitious Earl of Heldar, Lars was a celebrated arrival for all the wrong reasons. The Earl and his wife were enthused with the spare only until it was clear that his disposition was very different from that of his sweet-talking, charismatic elder brother. Lars was an awkward child, stammering over words and slow to learn new things. His faults were glaringly embarrassing for his flashy parents, and while he was not neglected nor unloved, the favoritism heaped upon his brother very distinctly affected Lars and everyone else on the estate. His only solace from a gnawing sense of loneliness was the very older brother in whose shadow he stood, and the friends his brother had gathered around him. Yet these friends were Balthazar’s friends, not his. And his brother, impatient with Lars’ dim-wittedness, pitied more than liked him. But Lars’ accidental discovery of one of his brother’s most fiercely guarded secrets was enough to dry up what little pity Balthazar had felt for him, and a wall was firmly erected between them. Though Lars, truly admiring his brother after years of hearing his praises sung by everyone around them, endeavored to overcome the gulf between them, his efforts were in vain.

The blow of losing his only lifeline was softened however, by the arrival of a younger sister. He adored Gabrielle, partially because she adored him. While their parents had little patience to play with a toddler and Balthazar had too much pride to sit through tea parties or let her put bow ties in his hair, Lars was happy to do anything she wished. For the first time, he was number one. Lars was second to nobody in the eyes of his sister, and that recognition changed him deeply. Though he appeared ever serious and quiet, he grew to understand that it was by no fault of his own that he had always been second best, but rather the silliness of his parents that had eyes for no one but their beloved eldest. He recognized that it was the failings of his brother that had thwarted Lars’ attempts to mend their relationship— not his own. As his eyes opened to the reality of his situation, his confidence grew— and Gabrielle bolstered it. As she grew older, she became equally aware, and so it was that Lars and Gabrielle were thick as thieves.

A desire to be worthy of his sister’s love and admiration made Lars feel that he wished, for once, to be something more than his brother’s spare. But he was blocked at every angle by his mother’s stubborn refusal to let her second son join the military— for now that war was looming on the horizon, she could not be prevailed upon to willingly let one of her children risk his life. No matter how less preferred Lars was amongst his siblings, she wished for him to stay near, and Lars did not wish to lose the little favor he had with his parents for being the best behaved of the three. Most of all, he could not bear to leave his sister, who he knew at the time secretly did not want him to leave and possibly never return. He sat at home and stewed throughout the war, his hopes to join the military and make a way for himself in the world seeming all but a pipe dream until months later, their mother’s bloodline came to the fore. At last, his time to shine had come, and he was eager to join the Ostzepter expedition and prove his mettle. But bad luck was ever upon him, and a riding accident made the trek an impossible task. Once again, Lars was left behind while his brother basked in glory that was entirely undesirable to him.

The loss of such an opportunity translated into Lars finally reaching his tipping point. He was at last able to let go of his admiration for Balthazar, something he had always held onto in the hopes of someday repairing their relationship. But he was beginning to recognize now that his brother was not somebody to be idolized. The final nail in the coffin came with the dragon fire that swept Koben City, impressing upon him the consequences of his choices thus far. He was unable to act, unable to protect-- truly and honestly useless to those dearest to him. Lars was determined that he would not live with eyes and ears closed to the world anymore, and no longer would he allow his parents to decide what he could and could not do. Machinations aided by the more clever mind of his sister were put in order, and he determined that he would join the military as soon as their plans could be set into motion. With the rumors of conscription looming over the Whelcliffe incident, he bit the bullet and announced to his family that whether the draft came or not, he intended to enlist- and make his own decisions from now on.