FanChar:Highwayman Myth:Bess

Template:FanCharOwnership

Bess
Biographical Information
Birthplace	Parousia, Empire of Grandall
Birthdate	December 10, 1590
Age	16?
Physical Description
Gender	Female
Height	5 feet 3 inches
Weight	117 lbs
Blood type	unknown
Weapon Information
Weapon	None
Relationships
Family	Grandfather, Giovanni: she doesn't know Grandmother, Maria: Alive, but doesn't know Adopted uncle, Sheamus "Jack" McNoil: Alive, but doesn't know Uncle, Ryunosuke: Alive, but doesn't know about Stepmother, "Goldback" Jane: Alive, but doesn't know Father, Myth, alive but doesn't know. Unnamed mother.
Series Information
First game	Soulcalibur V
Appears in	Soulcalibur V

Bess is the the daughter of a landlord in Parousia, the capitol of Grandall. Her mother had inherited the Inn from her own parents. However, Bess only knows of her Father by reputation and stories spread throughout the land. She is actually the daughter of the notorious highwayman Myth, an outlaw said to be the Outlaw King.

Conception

Many years ago, the highwayman Myth wound out in Parousia. He wasn't even there to cause trouble, but he still ended up fighting some of the elite soldiers who wanted to keep their emperor from knowing that one of the most dangerous men alive was currently outside of the castle gates. There was no peace for the Highwayman, as one by one he would be challenged by an elite soldier of Grandall. And one by one, they would lose. Even Girardot himself lost to the Highwayman. However, none of them lost their lives. It was after Myth defeated Girardot, that any of them would listen to his words. The soldiers made an agreement with the highwayman in secret, Myth would leave town within a few days and no one in the castle would learn of their defeats.

Myth ended up their due to his wandering around after the Astral Chaos had taken Cassandra away from him. Not to mention that he failed both Rothion and a young Patroklos in returning Sophitia and Pyrrha to them. He was basically trying to run away from his failure, despite the fact he still had the rapier that Rothion forged for him as a reminder. Not to mention his curse that he gain on his journey with Cassandra meant he couldn't ever stay dead.

Upon his final night in the capitol, he had awoken from a drunken stupor in bed with the then landlord's daughter. Apparently she had been smitten by the infamous highwayman and didn't mind bedding the drunken Myth. However, this forced the Highwayman to leave sooner than he expected because if the landlord found him after this... the highwayman would probably be killed only to reveal his curse to everyone. When he left, he didn't know that she was with child from their one-night stand.

Act:I, Sub Chapter: I

Bess' true heritage was hidden from the rest of the capitol. Only her mother, who became the current landlord, her mother's parents, and Girardot knew. If anyone else had known the truth of who her father was, she would had most-likely been either killed or had a harsher childhood. However, Bess always wanted to meet her father. And as fate would have it, her "father's successor" would come to her after the Mantis War where he was forced to join the Grandall Army.

When she heard that the notorious highwayman had returned with the soldiers of Grandall as a member of the army, she had to meet him. She was hoping to meet her father, but instead she met a man who looked only a few years older than her. When she accused him of being a fake, he told her the story of how "the original Myth made him his successor" and she bought it. However, he appeared shocked when she told him her secret.

When she brought the "current" Myth to meet her mother, he mother requested a word in private and sent Bess away to run the daily errands. When Bess returned, the highwayman left and her mother told her to stay away from him, even if he visited the inn. However, Bess ignored her mother's warning and would go to the shoppe where the highwayman worked to visit. She wanted to learn more about her father. Myth complied, as "a favor to her father".

Often she would be seen frequenting the shoppe or hanging around the highwayman. However, he would try not to get too close to her. When she asked him, he told her that "her father would skin him alive if the original Myth found out that his successor was messing around with his daughter". Each time, she would laugh it off. But he still kept his distance, despite the fact he would be right next to her.

One day, the inn had a strange visitor who went by the name Jane Smith. This woman was obviously a foreigner, looked like a mix between Asian and Indian (India). However, she paid for her room and was treated like any other guest. Bess originally admired this woman who was her height for her exotic beauty. However, that ended with the highwayman came to the inn with a key to the woman's room after the woman had returned. Bess didn't want to accept what was about to happen.

When Jane returned her room keys and said that she was leaving, Bess noticed that the highwayman hadn't left yet. After Jane left, Bess and her mother checked the room to find the highwayman shackled to the bed, only wearing the blanket. Immediately, her mother told Bess to leave while she helped the highwayman out of the predicament.

Over time, she had also caught the eye of Leonardo Angelo, the commander of the unit called Gladius. However, she had no interest in the "false war hero". This caused him to form an obsession with her, as his ego made him think he was the most desirable man in the whole Grandall army and that any woman he sought should bend down to his will. In reality, he was only being delusional. But any time that he'd approach her when the highwayman was around, she'd cling to the highwayman to force Leonardo to retreat. Eventually, he would go to far.

Leonardo grew jealous of the highwayman and eventually decided he had enough. In his own mind, Myth was lower than dirt. No woman should refuse him over dirt, and he planned to punish them both. He plotted with his vice-commander Johann Krieg, who sought his own vengeance against the highwayman over not being allowed to get his bounty. It was decided that all of Gladius would do something normally unforgivable. At least in their eyes they would be forgiven for it by Strife Astlar himself.

One night when the moon was fool, Gladius barged into the inn. They had gagged Bess and bound her to the foot of her narrow bed. It was there, that Leonardo had forcefully taken her virginity. Afterwards they had tied her up to attention, with many a sniggering jest. Then they had bound a musket beside her, with the barrel beneath her breast.

Outside, they waited for the highwayman to come. But what they did not expect was Bess wriggling against the tight knots they tied. The color on the parts that held her wrists became died with her blood as the tip of one finger touched it; the trigger now was her's. She strove no more for the rest. Up, she stood up to attention, with the barrel beneath her breast. She would not risk their hearing, she would not strive again.

As the highwayman came into view, she pulled the trigger, taking her own life just to warn him of the ambush. When Gladius checked the corpse, the highwayman charged in their direction with his rapier brandished high. As he ran, he yelled a curse to the sky. But before the highwayman could get to them, Gallagher from the unit Relic grabbed and restrained him. Gallagher was only an inch or two shorter than Krieg, and almost just as strong. But that didn't mean it was not difficult to restrain the highwayman.

Impact After Death

Bess' death actually caused a great impact on a few other characters. Myth was left with the regret of never being able to tell her the truth of her parentage. And her death was a reminder that he would outlive her, though it happened too soon in his opinion. It also caused a bigger rift between him and Bess' mother, who wished that Bess' death would haunt him until the end of time and that he could never find happiness again. Though he was able to find happiness later on, Bess' death is one of the crosses he still bears; other than losing Cassandra to the Astral Chaos and failing to bring Sophitia and Pyrrha home. Not to mention that when he found out that Goldback mothered a child of his, he decided to stay out of the child's life in hopes it would have a better future.

As for the others impacted, it also caused a major impact on the Grandall Military. Gladius was disbanded and it's members punished. After their whippings, all of Gladius was forced to spend the rest of their days keeping the castle grounds. Though they were unofficially reunited as part of a hunting party for those who supported Girardot's Rebellion, all but Krieg were slain by an amnesiac Myth. Krieg was transferred to the Grandall Navy by request, where he stole Grandall's grandest warship during the final battle of the Arthia's Revolution and escaped the country.

Girardot who knew the truth had talked with Myth after Bess' death. He knew that Myth's loss would slowly affect his ability to keep calm and his secret a secret. Girardot even used the lack of justice for Gladius' actions to get Myth to join the Rebellion he was planning. As Myth didn't want anyone to suffer like he did, he joined. He knew that Bess would want her father to do the right thing and help Grandall's oppressed people.

Trivia

• Bess was actually one of prettiest girls in Parousia, but her belief in saving herself until marriage actually turned guys off.
• Bess actually had feelings for the man whom she thought was her father's successor, but couldn't actually tell him because he acted more like a brother. In truth, she was satisfied with having the "new Myth" as a brother as she felt it made her closer to her father.
• Myth actually tried to get Ky to go out with her instead of Raiko because he knew what kind of woman Raiko really was. And he actually trusted Ky with his daughter.
• She was inspired by a character of the same name from the poem "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes. But instead of being the Highwayman's lover, she was the highwayman's daughter.