An 8 year old boy and his mother are forced out of their elaborate mansion owing to a crime committed by the boy's father (the government/chancellor seizes all of the family's assets). What are some reasons the boy would want to earn back the favor of the government in hopes the property will be granted back to him? Even if it takes him the next 50 years trying to earn it back. In other words, what is so special about the family's estate that the boy not only wants to get it back, but needs to get it back? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Genre is science fiction/space fantasy Only thing I can come up with is that it is their family's ancestral home. But I have the character in question risking his life to earn back the favor. I don't know if this is believable enough.
Sci-fi–space-fantasy yes? Can the house have hidden attributes/properties that set it apart from others and only accessible by the family line? I'm thinking stargates, access to the under-planet, a hidden trove of rare minerals, relatives with valuable ancestral DNA in the crypt or maybe the house's position on the planet is of a significance of which only the family is aware...
My initial reaction was just that for some people, the place they grew up can be very important. I know I'm still homesick for where I grew up, and I haven't been there for ... six years now, I guess? But I don't see myself risking my life to get back there. You could still make a case for it being the last place he was happy, all of his good memories are there, he's built it up to such a degree in his head that's it's more the idea of the place - it symbolizes childhood and family etc. But it does seem a bit shaky (less so if you're willing to genuinely portray your hero as dangerously obsessive for putting his life on the line for a house). Could there be something hidden on the property that's especially important to him or his mother? Something they weren't able or allowed to take with them but that they could be sure is still there?
Is it possible the home and all it's assets involve more than just material possessions? Is there hired help that are now cast out as well or forced to serve a ruthless master? Or on an even grander scale, the assets involve titles and the father a type of feudal lord. Now a whole people are being oppressed or cast out. Would give the boy a more altruistic goal to fight for then just "it was mine, give it back" Alternatively, buried treasure. When in doubt follow the money.
If he had lots of trauma/nastiness in his later life, the family home could be the only place he ever felt safe. Or you could build a culture where respectability/prestige is based in large part on the ownership of an ancestral estate - a landed gentry kind of idea.
It is a symbol of unity and safety. It can eve be considered a sacred place if you will. There by removing them from their home is a breaking of that bond and feeling of unity and safety. So in a way he is trying to re-bond the brokenness that his father created.
This is the sort of thing that first came to my mind. Perhaps the house or property has something hidden on/in it that could be extremely damaging to the family if it became public knowledge.
Perhaps it is something the boy himself uncovered and he needs to make sure it doesn't get into the wrong hands.
Maybe I can just make him a king of some kind? ANd so he wants to get back to his small kingdom/fiefdom?
- Sentiment, a desperate need to recover his childhood. - Mom or Dad worked so hard to get the home, and he owes it to their memory to get it back. - He promised Mom or Dad he'd get it back. - The person who has it loves it and he wants it back to have revenge against that person. - The bones of his ancestors are buried there. - It contains some ancient ruins or archaelogical site or other feature that he values. - It's geographically significant--it's at the confluence of two rivers, it's at the highest point in hundreds of miles and that allows him to watch for invading armies. - It's historically significant. I guess this is somewhat redundant with the ancient ruins. - It's agriculturally significant--the silty soil of the Widget Valley and the mineralized water of the Gadget Spring mean that the grapes/cheese/flowers-suitable-for-perfume that can be grown there are unmatchable elsewhere. - The agricultural significance ties with family history and family identity--he wants to grow the grapes and make the wine that his family is famous for. - It's the primary nesting place for the Whatsit Bird, a symbolic symbol of power for his family/country/continent. - The land and a title go together, and the title gives him position and power.
