I will endeavor to keep this as brief as possible... let's see first his description:
You see before you a man. Not too much to look at really. Broad shoulders, fairly muscular, but not like some overly brawny idiot. Also of note I suppose is his red hair, and his mostly charming disposition. He carries a sword at his side, and uses his patience as a kind of shield.
He seems a little on edge as you look at him. Perhaps he is waiting for something, or deciding a course of action. He looks off to the Northeast and, while a few tears trickle down his face, he clentches his knuckles in a death grip... muttering something fluently in the Old Tongue.
Then he takes note of you and looks down at his hands, unclentches them, smiles with a twinkle of merriment in his eyes, and walks off humming a happy toon... Funny thing is you've never heard it before. As he walks away you notice that him and his sword, though not one... are certainly blood relatives... as if it is his brother or a sister that he looks after with a brother's love.
You decide that he may not be the best with the blade, but he is certainly able to fend for himself if the need arises.
Other than that he looks like any other Noble you've seen, save he isn't one of the more arrogant ones by far. He seems more like the son who would have liked his father to have been a farmer. Or maybe even a beggar...
Now his story.
He was born to a woman of noble birth... and his sire was the King of the Lands of Hardon. Gar was an unknown number of attempts at having a child his Father had made... and the only success. Not that his father had any problems.... he just waited too long to have a family at all... figuring there would always be time later. The kingdom was enough to worry about... and he didn't think he'd be able to give a family enough time. He fretted that he'd not give them the love they deserve.
Gar's mother on the other hand had just never really thought about it... not until a cryer came through telling of the King of Hardon's desire to have an heir. She was noble enough from her father's side even though her mother wasn't with her red hair and her following of the way of the leaf *hinthint*. She sought him out and out of all the ladies hoping for his hand... only she was doing it not for power... just out of a sense of duty. He needed a family... she wanted a family too.
They fell in love a month after the marriage. And so they were in very high spirits 9 months later... but stillbirth claimed the child. Their family remained childless.
They were both determined... and over the next 5 years they had lots of attempts... no successes.
On the 8th anniversary of their marriage... they rekindled the flames of their love, and tried again... if they failed so be it.... "the Wheel weaves as the wheel wills for the fullness and sake of the pattern of the ages... not for any individual wishes". 8 months later *yep early* Gar was born. He was a correct weight for a normal infant... nothing odd save that he was a month early. There was a complication though... and it was too great to be healed... and the healing that was done gave her a month only. Determined and saddened they made that month the happiest they could... certainly happier than their whole marriage... for now they were a family.
When she passed into the warm embrace of the Mother, and ascended to the Creator Gar's father did not grieve. She had asked him not to, and he would not... he would raise their son to the best he could do.
Gartuck -as he liked to be called- was never a problem... he listened to his tutors and absorbed everything he could. He sat under a favorite tree in one of the main orchards populating the fertile lands of Hardon, and would spend hours reading when his schedule permitted. Never did he have want for his tutors were his friends, and his father loved him and on occassion told him stories of his mother. So well told were they he felt he knew her. Like she was just on envoy to another kingdom and could return anyday. He wasn't an idiot... he never expected to, but it was a fun fantasy.
When he was old enough his remaining tutor taught him diplomacy and some of the many arts of war. He didn't tell him much in the way of subterfuge, which unfortunately left a gap as later Gar wouldn't have a clue when it came to double meanings. But he did teach him the sword, and Gar did well at it. Nowhere near the skills of a master, but not too shabby at all. He more than fulfilled the ability to kill a few trollocs, before being overwhelmed. With the war so recently over there was always the fear of it restarting1.
As time went foreward Gar got a little better, and better at the affairs of state. Then one day... tragedy struck... he attained marrying age -as far as his father was concerned that was 24 and no sooner. And soon he was being whisked away to meet this prospective bride or that, but none suited him... all so far hoped to marry him in the hopes of becoming a Queen of a prosperous land. Fortunately his father wasn't pushing this... his father didn't want his son to be distressed -and point of fact Gar's father had never had the pressure at all. He also didn't know how to apply it, so Gar went around... meeting this and that. Never happy with any of them. Sure some were beautiful... and some were very intelligent to. But some he could never see as more than friends. Too bad his tutors had never taught him about women. Swifts and Swallows, Honey flies and dandolions he knew well... but nothing of the acts of courtship, or reading body language. Oh well his life went on.
One day on a stopover from one of these ill-fated meetings... he met this woman... she was beautiful... almost beyond compare... but that isn't what struck him. What struck him -like a baseball bat to the forehead- was when she approached him, introduced herself as Malinara Kravatein and asked him to marry her. He asked her if she knew who he was. She did not. He told her, and she nodded and asked if she could marry him then. He was awestruck... she didn't wanna marry him for power or money... she just wanted to marry him.
He didn't know what to do... and so since his father's weasely advisor was with him he asked his advice. Now this weasely man by the name of Mordeth2, looked slyly at her a pleasant grin on his face and told Gar to go ahead -you see he figured she was bluffing... all explained in ^ - and Gar couldn't find a reason not too as he soon found out she was intellectually inclined, and fun to talk to. Gar used the trip back home as the "could I get to like her enough to marry her" test. She passed.
His father was elated... he'd always hoped Gar would be as happy as he was when it came to marriage... and this looked like it would end up that way. Gar's father had always had an uncanny knack for judging people's character, and all those feeling pointed that she was genuine... if oddly saddened by this. This marriage would be a good one.
And they wed. They spent the honeymoon in the little town where he'd met her... her home town to boot. Oddly enough it was Mordeth's too and so he came along... and for some odd reason he was quick to anger of late... and wouldn't discuss it. Gar just figured weasels were always unhappy, and dismissed it.
He tried to learn more about her... but she'd just divert him... in a very effective way, and he'd forget that he wanted to talk. A whole month went on this way... till one day Gar received word that somehow a fist of Trollocs had gotten through and were hard running this way... and nothing would be left alive. Trollocs do that. Some could try to get away in time... but as they would then be scattered they would be quick pickings should they get caught. The town held a quick meeting... they would stay... so that Gar and his wife could get out in time... they would try to hold back the horde... as long as they could. Gar tried to protest but the mayor knew that should gar die... the kingdom would be ruined as the king wouldn't remarry. For the good of all he must get back. Resigned and depressed he thanked everyone in the town, and memorized their names before mounting up but before he could get his horse one inch foreward... Mordeth told him of a way to survive the attack... he led them to the cart that he always brought with him and unveiled the things that were under the tarp. Two odd tubelike... almost coffin looking shapes. He told Gar that should he be sealed within the device would shield him from the trollocs. They wouldn't see this as something worth attacking. He said that with 2 Malinara could be saved too. Gar asked what Mordeth would do... surely he would perish. For a brief second Mardeth looked happy to hear the concern... then he said that he would ride off now... and come back for them after the fist had moved on. "In case they don't open after the threat is gone." Malinara tolg Gar that this looked to be a good idea, that she had heard of such devices before. That it should work out as planned. That said and the mayor's worries remembered Gar climbed in, after seeing Malinara enscounced.
Some information and hindsight have since reminded Gar that a little while later he awoke... Malinara sitting on his chest tears streaming down her face, and concentrating on his chest... staring at it and concentrating. She'd seen him wake and told him,"Everything will be alright ... go back to sleep," and he had... instantly.
He next awoke -memory has no doubt about this- behind a long dead and abandoned farm... grass long grown tall as the tube. And he looked over to his side... seeing the other tube there... but the lid had cracked in. He frantically climbed out and pulled the lid off. It came away in two sections... to reveal... bleached bones... the cloth of Malinara's dress now in tatters... covering pieces of the corpse. It was too much... he couldn't take it... somehow they'd been asleep long enough that something had happened to her. She had died in her sleep. There was no apparent agony in the death... with the cracked lid the device had tried it's bet to keep her alive... and fortunately had kept her asleep.
Gar knew nothing of what to do with the dead... he lovingly placed the lid sections back. Seeing no better resting place than to leave her in peace. She'd been undisturbed till now and he didn't see how she could now... except for the split it was a good seal. And in a depressed daze he walked away from the area... mostly naked... beard overgrown, hair too long and dragging... he felt 5 years older... and didn't know how he'd gotten here...
He wandered for a few weeks... catching rabbits, and cooking them for food... finding streams to drink from.
One day he found a farm. They welcomed him in. They clothed him, and when all -he and they- realized he couldn't speak in the same language, Tharin Nedeal, the owner set to teaching Gar the new language. When it was found that Gar spoke the old tongue... the lessons went faster.
Soon he left them... off to find his home... to see what was left. He'd heard how long he'd been asleep and almost couldn't believe it. He had to see some proof. Tharin spoke that he was descended from one of the people he knew from the Castle, and that his family was always loyal in hopes that someone would calim the throne properly. Gar felt he had a bit of a purpose... to get his lands back if possible. No one had any claim he'd heard...
He eventually made it to Caemlyn, and worked for a while for a man named Eldrick Tobin keeping abndits off while Eldrick worked his cartographic wonders. Soon Eldrick moved on.... unable to continue paying him what he had. They parted company under smiles and Gar told him if he ever needed someone to watch out for him to seek him out. With all this new experience Gartuck decided to become a mercenary.
It soon became apparent that his old sword skills -old now that all those forms and styles have changed almost unrecognizably into newer more deadly forms which easily block his in 75% of all cases. He decided to learn the sword all over again. The best place he remembered to do that was at the White Tower in Tar Valon.
He was accepted into the ranks of trainees, and picked up the new way things were done when it came to blades, and permanently gave up the shield as he was now better than he was before. Moving up fairly quickly in rank, he soon found himself instructing. He found this to be his new home... he felt he belonged here... and he truly dreaded his short absence from it3.
He of course had his run ins with the Novices in training to be Aes Sedai... but what trainee doesn't4. Some time later he came to be the Master of Trainees for the Tower. It is around now that something odd happened, he'd always watched the sunset... since it reminded him off her... way off to the west as her distrubed grave was *see 3* And more and more he remembered what had happened before... and sometimes found himself almost walking in that direction. But also of late he'd thought he'd SEEN her in the area -he'd seen Malinara wandering around the TOWER! And one day while talking to Daron this apparition of his departed wife came to them binding them with the POWER in flows of air. She spoke that she knew where her remains were. That she must have them back, and that if she did not she would bring the White Tower to the ground! Gar feeling obligated since it was he who hadn't buried her agreed instantly. And a few days later he and Daron set off to the farm. They stopped in Whitebridge where something bad happened to Gar. He lost control completely of one of his hands... it moved about like a marionette's hand... he couldn't stop it. It soon passed, but it only gave them the want to be off as quick as possible.
The next morning the spirit greeted them at the farm, told them of what they must do, and what they would face. They went off, and after a while Fain left and they found the remains... and Tharin who had been captured all this time *see 3* They took the body back to the farm... where after doing some odd things with the Power... Malinara opened a window in the air, which lead all the way back to the Tower Stables, and as they stepped through... she somehow blew herself up... leaving nothing behind.
And since then Gar and Ilse have gotten closer... *see 4* And this all is fading into memory... IT is presently a few months *IRL and ROLEPLAY_WISE* after these incidents. And Gar is planning a big trip to go to his homelands *trip info IC for Tower only*
There you have it... Gartuck Harn in nice text... *rubs hands*
UPDATE: Gartuck has since then passed on his duties to others and gone to try to salvage something of his former homelands with the goal of their renewed glory the Light willing.