Esther Ashur

Prodigious Squire, Esther Ashur: PT 1

Young Age in Lost Hills
Esther Ashur was born in 2199 in Lost Hills in California, during the reign of High Elder Rhombus. She would never meet her father; who was a Paladin, having died on mission only a few months before Esther’s birth, and his body and armor were never recovered. Esther’s mother, Shaph (pronounced Shah-ff) Ashur, was a well known knight Banneret, an engineering manager, though only one of many in the large Lost Hills chapter. Shaph would do her best to raise Esther in her earliest years, though with her heavy work as a Banneret, it was not uncommon for young Esther to be left to roam the Civilian Quarter of Lost Hills on her own, where she would be taught manners and learn about aspects of life in her home as an explorative toddler. As such, Esther met all sorts of people very early on, and was generally cared for greatly while her mother was busy with her duties. This served to temper her educational mindset before even starting pre-schooling, and was considered a very pleasant and well mannered child even by the paladins, when they would sometimes see her while off-duty. At this age, Esther would never come to grow especially attached to anyone in particular besides her mother; though she loved all she met most equally. For a young child to live in such a way is not abnormal in the Brotherhood of Steel; after all, the duties of a knight, scribe, or paladin are greater than that of a parent, and such those duties come first, always. When Esther and Shaph were together, the two certainly cherished it. In fact, Esther distinctly remembers once seeing the High Elder, Rhombus, walking the halls; his towering stature, yet kind expression toward her leaving an impact on young Esther, as silent as the interaction may have been.

At age four, Esther’s mother, Shaph, became pregnant again; the father being another Knight. This came as a surprise to Esther, who had never met the man before. Though he seemed nice enough, this Knight never cared much for Esther, and vice versa, they did come to live together for a time. The two rarely bonded, and, in fact, Esther grew to dislike him only because he took Shaph’s attention away from her. Esther never voiced these feelings, of course, and she did her best to come to terms with the situation despite feeling somewhat neglected by her already often absent mother. Esther also began formal pre-schooling, where she was a favored pupil of her instructors for her exalted manners and general good behavior. Esther picked up a love for learning, aided by pleasant interactions with her instructors and fellow students. Later, Shaph gave birth to a second daughter, Kassia, but complications during delivery left Shaph bedridden and hospitalized after the fact. Kassia was cared for instead by a wet nurse immediately after birth, and Esther spent all her time outside class with her mother. Two weeks later, Shaph was dead. 

The news was heartbreaking to Esther, only five years old at the time. To some extent, she blamed Kassia’s father for the event, though Esther knew to say such a thing would never be fair to him; but she would still hold a silent grudge against him for it. Esther would mourn her mother for weeks, and would be present for her funeral ceremony, but would not bear witness to the disposal of the body. Shaph’s death would weigh on Esther heavily in the following months as she struggled to settle back into her normal life. Her education suffered for a time as a result, and she was offered temporary leave by her instructor for grievance; Esther did not accept it however, instead opting to work even harder toward her learning to help ease her mind further. The support she gleaned from all she knew was greatly supportive during this time. Her upholding her rigid manners and attitude, despite her pains, gave her further respect from the adults around her. As an equal child of the entire chapter, Esther often bounced around different quarters in her free hours, and she was always welcomed. At nearly six years old, after a day of schooling, Esther left the instruction room and headed back into the Civilian Quarter; but on her way, she encountered who may have been the last person she expected to see.