viktor/louise backstory
viktor dieldrin is @terrors-of-nightraven character
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For as long as anyone could remember, Viktor Dieldrin had been a disturbed child. From his unsettlingly tearless birth, to his distinct obsession with his father's practices in necromancy, Viktor’s childhood was a perfect explanation to why he ended up the way he did. The untimely passing of his mother only added to his unfortunate upbringing, as his father wasn’t exactly a family-orientated man. Nannies were in and out of the Dieldrin manor daily, none being able to deal with the young master for long before escaping the manor in a fit of fear for their own lives. However, Mr. Dieldrin didn’t care to find a solution to the nanny problem. Instead, another nanny was hired, and the vicious cycle continued.
For Viktor’s tenth birthday, his father gave him a dog. Louis XVI he called him, reminiscent of the immaturity of the late king of France. No matter how immature and utterly juvenile Viktor found this animal his father had gifted him, he did find some comfort in it. Louis would listen to anything he said; He came when he was called, he stayed when he was told. He depended on Viktor to survive. It was Viktor’s first taste of control and power, and he couldn’t get enough of it.
It was late on a weekday evening, during the early months of autumn. Viktor was in his back garden with Louis. He had been training Louis for weeks now and had decided to give the animal some playtime as a reward for doing a good job. The two were playing fetch, when one lopsided throw sent the stick Viktor was using hurdling over the hedges into the neighbouring manor’s yard. A faint, girlish squeal was heard as Louis went bounding around the hedges to find the stick.
“Louis! Louis XVI!” Viktor called out, while making no attempts at going after him just yet. He scoffed at the lack of response, muttering under his breath, “Stupid mutt…” He followed the path his dog had taken around the hedges until he found himself in his neighbours yard. He was surprised to see a young girl crouched down next to Louis XVI, petting him with a gleeful expression.
Viktor had never met his neighbours. He seldom left the house throughout his childhood. There was no need when you had servants to do things for you. That being said, Viktor had hardly realized he had neighbours at all. They were obviously wealthy, considering the size of their manor, but nowhere near as wealthy as the Dieldrin’s. The young girl crouched on the ground had starkly white skin and long black hair. She looked up as she could hear Viktor’s footsteps approaching, and he could see she had yellowish green eyes and a gentle expression. An expression that reminded him of the dog she was petting.
“Is this your dog?” She asked timidly, smiling as she turned her gaze back towards Louis XVI. She scratched behind his ear and he leaned into her hand happily. “Isn’t he just lovely? I’ve always wanted a dog..”
Viktor watched her with a puzzled look. Why anyone would ever give so much affectionate to such a stupid animal he couldn’t wrap his head around. He didn’t understand the point of it. “Yes, he’s mine,” Viktor deadpanned, his eyes glued on the two curiously. “Why are you doing that to him?”
The girl looked back at Viktor, her expression now just as puzzled as Viktor’s. “Doing what? Petting him?” She asked. When Viktor nodded, the black haired girl broke into a fit of giggles. “What do you mean? He liked it, see?” She started rubbing Louis XVI on his belly and the dog rolled onto his back, his tail wagging and leg shaking joyfully.
It took awhile for the girl to explain to Viktor why anyone would show affection towards animals, and at the end of their time together he still didn’t quite understand. However he learned lots about the girl. He learned her name was Louise and that she was the same age as Viktor. She was an only child and her parents were frequently out of the house on business trips so she, like Viktor, was also raised mostly by nannies.
One thing that stuck with Viktor is that she had begged her parents for a dog but they forbid animals in the house. Out of pity, Viktor promised to start meeting Louise in her back garden once a week so she could spend time with Louis XVI. Once a week became twice a week, then three times, until the two were spending time together nearly everyday.
Viktor enjoyed Louise’s company. She was meek, obedient, excitable. It was almost as if he had another dog, which he was actually growing to be quite fond of. The two would take Louis XVI out on walks, talk about their home lives. Viktor could go on for ages about his interest in necromancy and medical science and Louise would sit and listen to him ramble for hours. She actually began developing her own interest in medical science because of it.
It was when the two of them were thirteen when things changed. They were playing out in Viktor’s front yard with Louis XVI, when a squirrel suddenly caught Louis’ eye. Louis XVI chased the squirrel right towards the road, and no matter how much Viktor shouted, the dog didn’t turn around. Out of the heat of the moment, Louise sprinted after the dog, trying to catch him before he ran in front of the oncoming transport. By the time she reached them, they were both in the middle of the road. A loud honk was heard, followed by a sickening thud, then silence.
Viktor’s whole world went dark at that moment. His ears rang, his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach. He was running out to the road before he realized what he was doing. Right past his now late dogs body, he dropped to his knees next to Louise, the blood draining from his face. She was covered in gashes and developing bruises, her arms and legs were bent in ways they shouldn’t be bent, and she was losing a lot of blood fast.
Looking around for some kind of assistance, Viktor realized that the driver of the transport had already made his escape. Due to the secluded area they lived in, nobody else had seemed to notice the crash either. Panicked, Viktor touched Louise’s cheek softly.
“H- Hang in there, ok?! I- I’m going to fix this..” He stumbled over his words, reluctantly leaving them in the street to go get his dad.
Viktor and his father brought Louise and Louis into Viktor’s father's lab. Mr. Dieldrin declared it was too late for both of them; They were both too mangled and damaged to be brought back.No matter how hard Viktor cried and begged his father, he refused.
Crushed by the loss of the only two things he had cared about in the world, Viktor went mad with the idea they couldn’t be brought back separately, but together. He spent months toying with the two corpses in his father's lab. He collected new body parts to rebuild her body, spent hours stitching her back together, and hours practicing his necromancy.
Eventually, when Viktor was fourteen, he was standing over Louise’s long dead body with the final steps in hand. It took him over four hours to complete the final magic needed to bring her back, and when he was finished, he rested his head against the bed she laid on and prayed that this last year hadn’t been for nothing.
And then, he heard it.
“V- Viktor..?”
His lips split in a wide, almost deranged grin.
“Welcome back.~”