The Villain's Ascent

Chapter 1

Faye Dunaway was born into the care of Freesia and Gabriel Dunaway, who were indifferent to the birth of their first child.  They quickly tried for another child and were rewarded with the birth of a son whom they named Benjamin.  

Faye spent the first years of her life in solitary, accompanied only by a few maids, and her tutors. She had little contact with her family, preferring the quiet company of books and games of chess played against her tutors. By the time she was eight, she had exhausted the books in the Dunaway family library; boredom turned her to a new pastime: the art of sword fighting. 

Although it was clear Fayre was an intelligent child in the ways she conducted herself, the Dunaways thought otherwise. Faye was scorned cruelly by her family. Her mother instead preferred to dote on her beloved son. Her father spent his time hidden away in his office, or away traveling for business. Benjamin grew to be an arrogant child, content with the sole attention of his parents.

Faye learned to conceal her emotions, and hide her true intentions. She often studied late at night, dueled with various sword-fighting masters and knights. She grew accustomed to her lonely life; to the insults whispered behind her back. Once she might have cried into her pillow, but not anymore, Faye had grown.

The other noble families noticed the tension between Faye and her family, and soon enough Fayre was relentlessly taunted by their children. " Hey Dunaway, how does it feel to be a classless whore", sneered David Paltrow. 

Swallowing her bite of pulled pork, Faye smiled, " I don't know, David ask your mother. I'm told she has experience in that area".  The tips of David's ears turned red, signaling his embarrassment. The Paltrow lord married a prostitute early in his political career, causing a bit of a scandal.

Since the Dunaways never protected their daughter, Faye was accosted by jabs at whichever party, gala, and event she attended.