For this month's Beautiful People post, I'll be digging into the childhood of Porcia, the daughter in the household my MC Milo belongs to.
She actually won't be keeping the name Porcia, because after a little more research into Roman names, I found daughters' names were usually derivatives of their family name. That would make her name Cassia, which I like too, especially since Porcia is actually derived the word for pig. :) I didn't know that when I originally named her.
But as I'm only about half way through the first draft, she'll keep Porcia for now so it won't be confusing.
1)What is their first childhood memory?
One of her clearest early memories is of a time her father brought a pet quail home from his travels, and it would follow Porcia about the garden.
2)What were their best and worst childhood experiences?
Hmm, her first four years of life were a pretty good experience, until the birth of her little brother Junius. He cried constantly, and took all of Mother and Nurse's attention, leaving Porcia rather lonely. But Milo, who would have been about 12 at the time, would be around to cheer her up.
3)What was their childhood home like?
She and her family still live in her childhood home in the city of Salonae. It's not a mansion, but it's a fairly large home with an open atrium, garden/courtyard, and an upper level where the family bedrooms are. Her father often had guests over for business deals, and sometimes he would ask Porcia to sing for them after supper. She would be shy at first, but her sweet young voice always garnered lots of praise, and she enjoyed the attention.
4)What’s something that scared them as child?
Storms always frightened her- the way the sky would grow dark in the day time, the howling wind, and the house shaking thunder. Her nurse would tell her it was just Jupiter showing off his power, but that never gave her much comfort.
5)Who did they look up to most?
Her mother, who always seemed so put-together and patient, even with her little brother's fiery temper. She also looked up to Milo, even though he's a slave for her family. She admired his kind heart, and how he would be there for her when she needed him, even if it was just to bring her spirits up.
6)Favourite and least favourite childhood foods?
Porcia has always loved sweets, her favorite being a kind of fried doughnut with orange cream inside. Her least favorite food was a crushed herb salad, that her mother loved, but she could never stand.
7)If they had their childhood again, would they change anything?
Sometimes she wishes she would have tried to get along with her brother better, but other then that, no.
8)What kind of child were they? Curious? Wild? Quiet? Devious?
Porcia was a pretty well behaved child, although she had her moments of willfulness. She was fairly quiet, and spend a lot of time playing alone.
9)What was their relationship to their parents and siblings like?
Her father was gone quite often, but he always tried to spend time with her when he was home, and would be her gifts from the places he went to. Her mother was busy, but Porcia stayed close with her. And then there's Junius. You've already gotten a glimpse of their relationship. They never got along very well, and he was always messing with her things.
10)What did they want to be when they grew up, and what did they actually become?
Porcia knew she wouldn't have much choice in the matter, as soon as she was old enough, her father would find someone to marry her. She hoped she could do as good a job as her mother had done. As you know from the Valentine's edition of this linkup, she marries Quintus, and she gets a little taste of having a family and household of her own before the storms come.
