-Parents didn't want a child, but at the time it was illegal to abort
-Souri knows she's unwanted throughout her entire early life, though her parents try to be good parents- they love her, but she regardless feels like a burden, which isn't far from the truth
-Souri was raised more so by the citizens in her poor village, who welcomed her like family into their community. Unlike many other towns, the citizens in this community treat each other like relatives and build upon each other to stay as afloat as they can together. Souri's parents are a part of this village machine, though more antisocial than most
-Souri lived on a mountain near a river, so the typical job in her village was fishing- an underpaid job, as fish were the lesser and more common of the nation's currency. She was also raised near a mine, which she visited often to watch the working criminals. We kept this institution of criminals working in mines as recompense, but Souri made it in her mind that they'd do it to become better people rather than as mere punishment with guards standing above them ready to abuse if they stopped for even a moment.
-Childhood friend/Pretty much older brother Kahn Gina (whose father died and mother was a criminal working in the mines), plants the idea that molds her future of making a better life for herself. Despite desiring to be a Mens' Gymnast, he's an awkward toughie who draws tattoos on himself- until he gets his first permanent one illegally at 15- and shaves with a single blade (not like he has much of a choice anyway. SLUMS) Together they build each other up confidence-wise; she loves seeing him happy and he hates seeing her self-conscious, which is a thing that happens when you have to fight for your own parent's genuine attention.
-Note: it's not entirely the parents' fault. It was a bad situation- they live in the slums and it's hard to take care of yourself, let alone a child. Her parents are trying their best, but they can't give the attention and care every growing child needs- and this affects her self-esteem, making her grow to be a people-pleaser who subconsciously wants everyone to like or be proud of her.
-Really, every village on her mountain is poor. They called it Workman's Mt., which already puts them on a lower status in the system. Aaaand guess where this series of villages is located? The aboveground of Mage Mountain. So of course this results in occasional tiffs whenever Mages escape the mountain. This is my understanding, but I'd like Eve to correct if I'm wrong when she reads this- because of the government's choice to allow Mage residence but restrict their living like the Native Americans, Mages were essentially kept in Mage Mountain, rarely allowed to leave unless certain representatives retrieved needed supplies. More than often some would escape, and those who were angry would spur uprisings. Once again, if I'm off, correct me.
-So things come to a boil when Souri is 14 (Kahn at this point being 17, though recently not in town as he was being professionally trained for the Olympics). A trio of three male Mages break out from the Mountain and travel upward looking for supplies. They were poor but powerful, though on their way to starving. At this point they were enraged with the outside world. They reach our village and demand resources- resources we can't give because we're also dirt poor. But we offer what we can that's not damaging to our economy. One in particular doesn't see this as enough and, though for an understandable reason, releases pent-up frustration on the wrong party- starting fires in the village. Angry citizens lash back and a fight breaks out between the two oppressed peoples. In the end, a government-sent craft reaches the town and takes away the surviving mages, as one was killed in the fight. Souri stares at the corpse from behind a visiting Kahn's protective stance as silent villagers come up to take away the dead or injured fighters, as the people sent by the government had no intention to tend to them. The next couple of days are somber- Souri's home was burnt down in the destruction and her parents' are struggling to find out their next move. Villagers disperse to move to different locations instead of fixing their former homes, destroying some of the built-in family foundation. Others try to remain upbeat but everything is broken inside and out. Kahn decides to leave after trying to help. After seeing her burnt down house and the reluctant and secretly distraught looks on her parents' faces when they realized they still had a child to care for in now worse circumstances, Souri decides to leave with him, leaving a note for her parents in apology for everything (you can guess what she means by everything).
-Souri and Kahn go together to a station where he will return to his training center in one of the more wealthy cities. He tells her about what it looks like and how he lives, and she gets in in her mind that she wants to be there with the uppers. When he's about to leave he fervently offers to smuggle her, but she denies saying she wants to get there on her own.
-For the next 5 years she lives as a nomad on Workman's Mt., moving through different villages and seeing for herself different cultures and lifestyles, but she never stays anywhere long. She has no desire to be caught and turned in as an orphan by guards.
-As she grows she learns of her own personal desire to be a representative, a politician. She's always had a knack for language and she desired to be the voice of an oppressed people. So she does everything in her power during those last three years to get into the Kingdom. And she does, when a kind guard in one village that she'd grown a rapport is called back to be a representative in the kingdom when a politician dies of old age and he offers her to be an all-around servant of sorts. She's 19 when she does this. Later on she learns that this guard is a part of a rebellion in the works, and immediately signs on. She knows that she'd be of most help as a government member, so she works hard to get recognition and a job upgrade, with her guard friend giving regular praise of her abilities to the other members. When another politician 'dies', Souri is finally given a job. Some years later the rebellion is in full swing and Souri meets Trevelayn, who's working in the same department of battle planning as herself. They do. Not. Get. Along. Souri thinks Trev is too Mage-centered and Trev thinks Souri is too Human-centered. There are other conflicts, but this is the major one. Neither realize that both parties have been experiencing the same struggles. Eventually they get along and become great friends, the rebellion wins, and they somehow become the government that we are today because we haven't figured that out yet.
-Oh, and Kahn and Souri are reunited in their 20s (idk how old we're supposed to be so I'm not specifying) when Kahn wins his 1st Olympic medal and she rushes to find where he's living. They're besties again now.