#let's post this now when the dash is dead so i don't murder anyone's dashboard

[cavaliant]

Headcanon: Reinhardt’s childhood and family

(Wordcount: ~1500 what the fuck)

//This...got a lot longer than expected when @clericallis prompted me to write something serious (Light, I blame you as usual and you don’t have to read the whole thing omg). Here is my take on Reinhardt’s past growing up in Friege, his relationships with his parents, sister, and Ishtar, and how this all affects his motivations and character. Obligatory readmore and apology to mobile folks here.

~

I don’t think it actually states this anywhere in the game, but I like to think that part of the reason Kempf (a minor noble of Friege) hates Reinhardt so much is because Reinhardt has become so famous for all his achievements and titles despite not being a noble. Kempf and Reinhardt were both stated in-game to have become generals rather young, but Reinhardt is more well-known and also holds the position of personal bodyguard of the heiress (later Queen) of Friege, Ishtar. It’s no doubt a very high honour to be personally entrusted with her safety and well-being.

This leads me to his parents--I imagine his father was a Mage Knight of Friege as well, albeit a lower-ranking one. His mother was a mage from a reasonably well-off family, and thanks to her husband’s position within the castle she managed to secure a post there and eventually become a Mage Knight as well. Both of them were rather adamant social climbers--constantly looking for opportunities to curry favour and impress the right people to increase their own connections and social standing.

This didn’t change after Reinhardt was born, in Gran Year 747. His mother likely hired a nursemaid and later a tutor so that she could continue her duties (and mingling with the castle folk). As Reinhardt began to grow a little older, his parents began asking him to demonstrate to them what he’d learned, rebuking him if he’d gotten anything wrong, and interjecting with their own lessons every now and then. 

These lessons quickly grew to become cherished parts of Reinhardt’s early life, because they were some of the few times his parents would devote their time and attention to him. While not outright neglectful of him, their attitude towards him was rather distant, and their standards were high. Affectionate words or touches were nearly unheard of, and praise was sparse and hard-earned, only appearing when he was absolutely perfect.

Despite his young age, Reinhardt quickly displayed a natural talent for both magic and swordplay. His life was laid out for him at the start--it was clear that Reinhardt’s parents expected their son to follow in their footsteps and take a position at the castle--the higher, the better. Of course, they didn’t expect a child not even in his teens to jump straight to a high-ranking post, but they still expected him to be diligent in both his studies and his training in order to develop that natural talent further and hopefully impress one of the higher-ups when the time came to enlist.

When he was 11, Reinhardt’s younger sister, Olwen, was born. Again, a nursemaid was hired, and later a tutor, but it was clear that Reinhardt’s parents favoured their eldest child, especially after Olwen turned out to not be the same kind of child prodigy that Reinhardt had been. That isn’t to say she wasn’t talented, but their parents definitely didn’t put the same amount of energy into molding her into the ideal Mage Knight of Friege when their son already looked to be well on his way there.

Thus, she often turned to her elder brother whenever she had questions, and he quickly found himself taking on the role of her mentor. As mentioned in canon, she adored him, followed him around, and wanted to be just like her perfect, admired older brother. Reinhardt, for his part, greatly enjoyed spending time with his precious baby sister, the first person to love him unconditionally. 

He didn’t think about it at the time (or any time after, really), but his parents only ‘loved’ him when he was useful to them--and he wanted their approval very much, so he did indeed try his hardest to fulfill their expectations and the roles he was given.

As Reinhardt entered his teen years, some higher-ups indeed began to take notice of promising new recruits. In part due to his parents’ bragging about him and in part due to his natural talent, Reinhardt was hand-selected alongside a few other knights in training to be introduced to the young heiress of Friege, Ishtar. Her parents had decided that they wanted someone who was, of course, old enough to be a competent fighter, but also young enough that they would ideally befriend and grow attached enough to Ishtar to give them an additional motivation to protect her with their life.

Eventually, Reinhardt was chosen, both for his skills and how he got along with Ishtar, and he started being groomed into becoming the ideal devoted bodyguard. He and Ishtar were encouraged to spend time together, to better foster his attachment. He was very formal at first, mindful of his parents’ expectations, but young Ishtar wanted to see him as a friend, and soon encouraged him to be a bit more relaxed with her. 

His parents were, of course, immensely pleased by this--to have their son in a position so close to the royal family was a large achievement indeed. They actually did praise him for this, although at the same time pressured him to be the perfect bodyguard and to not mess this chance up. (Of course, they bragged about how the son they clearly raised well accomplished this to anyone who would listen.)

Some time after Thracia’s conquering of the Manster District in Gran Year 762, (maybe ~Gran Year 765?) the Kingdom of Grannvale invaded the Thracian Peninsula and annexed the Manster District. Reinhardt’s parents both died in this conflict, being part of the reinforcements sent by Friege to aid their Grannvalean allies. This left Reinhardt (age ~18) as the sole guardian of Olwen (~age 7). If anything, this only increased his protectiveness of her, his only family left. Due to the 11-year age gap between them, he eventually began to feel a little parental in addition to brotherly, which is why even with her being 18 years old when FE5 takes place, he still thinks of her as a child, the little sister still following in his footsteps.

(As a side note, I also imagine that Olwen’s youth at the time of their deaths was the reason she didn’t grow up as rigidly formal and duty-bound as Reinhardt, since she wouldn’t have been influenced by their parents’ emphasis on fulfilling one’s role and serving the royal family for her entire childhood like her brother.)

As Ishtar entered her teen years, Reinhardt (now a General in his early twenties) started taking more care with how he acted around her again. Despite the lack of romance between them, he eventually became aware of the rumours that sprung up around the castle about their relationship, and didn’t wish to fuel them by acting inappropriately familiar with her. 

I imagine Hilda also assumed Reinhardt had romantic feelings for her daughter, but other than warning Ishtar strictly not to act on them (bastard children would be shameful) and to dismiss him if he ever acted on them, she turned a blind eye to the assumed attraction. This was simply because if Reinhardt was in love with Ishtar, then that would only mean he’d probably try even harder to protect her.

By the time FE5 begins, in Gran Year 776, Reinhardt (age 29) has become a General famed for his dependability and exploits in battle, and has also become a close confidant of Queen Ishtar, who is engaged to Prince (and then Emperor) Julius of Grannvale. Despite the lingering whispers about their relationship, Reinhardt’s devotion to Ishtar is purely platonic, but runs very, very deep. Perhaps the closest thing he has to an actual friend, despite the difference in rank separating them, Ishtar is as precious to him as Olwen is. This, of course, eventually leads to his downfall in chapter 22 of the game at the River Thracia, when he is unable to choose between the two most important people in his life.

~

The takeaway from this is that, although Reinhardt’s actions (and failures to act) in FE5 are his own decisions, I wanted to create a feasible backstory to explain why his priorities and motivations are the way they are. In particular, why he initially treats Olwen like a child, why he’s so fixated on being useful and fulfilling his duties correctly, and why he devotes himself to people so deeply. 

This also helps explain my headcanon of how he is deeply taken aback by affectionate gestures, and though he is used to graciously accepting praise as a famed General, he doesn’t really expect it from someone close to him, particularly if it’s something that has nothing to do with his ability to be useful. He’d also probably cry if someone told him they love him and wouldn’t REALLY believe it until much later.

Anyway...it’s past 4 in the morning and if anyone actually read this monstrosity, 1) I'm sorry, 2) I love you, 3) I hope this provided a believable explanation for my portrayal of Reinhardt on this blog. Thank you.