How Valkyrie Are Made

• You are born a child within House Johannsen
  
• You are stolen as a child at or before the age of 8, your memories wiped and your training begins.
  
• One parent is part of the Order and brings you to the Johannsen. Or the Johannsen 'insists' you come to be presented for training
  
• You are blessed as a mortal and turned into a swan: You are taken back to the House to be trained

Born into it: There are many swan knights who mate, even some kept in swan form for that purpose. Warriors mate as well, with each other. These tend to be the members of the Order that lead rebellions and take over the House. Many are disaffected as it isn't a wondrous thing to them to be born there. Their taste for the real world tends to exceed their love of home.

Stolen: If a child who is mortal shows signs of talents that would make a good swan knight, they are stolen from their parents by no later than the age of 8. Their memories are wiped and they are retrained in the ways of the Order. These tend to be loyal and good children who adore this life and don't want to rock the boat.

Parentage: One of your parents is a member of the Order and either brings your willingly or is told to bring you in for training. You can imagine that if a child resulting from an 'undesirable' union of swan knight and mortal occurs they might be hidden for as long as possible so that the Johannsen's eye doesn't fall on them. Many 'unlooked for' off spring are hidden rather than brought forward. The first time their wind rider abilities surface the jig is usually up and Father 'insists' forcefully that the child be presented.

Blessing: This can be the most benign of punishments as it will let someone lead a life again eventually, although they will be in swan form for three to six decades. Most other punishments carry instant and final death.

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