Gosh, you threaten to kick a Royal Knight out of your house ONE time...

As a child, this version of Hubert is more assertive than his canonical self, displaying clear leadership traits in the way he constantly checks in on Cheria's well-being, takes responsibility for Sophie, and protests Bryce's treatment of Richard. His relative confidence is rooted in knowing that he'll be the next lord of Lhant; it gives him an internal north star that he can use to orient his thinking and decisions. Far from feeling trapped by the role, Hubert is happy to grow into it, to have a goal to work towards. The result is that he takes to his lordly responsibilities much, much more easily than Asbel does in canon.

Hubert does remain rather skittish, however. It takes quite a bit out of him emotionally to stand up against Bryce, a perceived authority figure who also has a less-than-agreeable personality. He is aware of his personal flaws to a fault, beating himself up over how he handled the situation with Bryce despite the fact that it ultimately turned out fine. And although he is technically trained to handle a sword, he isn't wholly at ease with wielding one (he holds a one-handed sword with both hands). Regardless, Hubert is ultimately comfortable with the idea of overseeing Lhant one day.

Following the trauma in the catacombs, Hubert is understandably shaken to his core. All of his insecurities, previously only simmering under the surface, now begin to boil over, and seven years of training at the knight academy seemingly do little to prevent them from spilling out. He is much less sure of himself and his skills, and his softer, sensitive side surfaces to the point of him shedding tears or being close to doing so several times over the course of the main story. He is continually frustrated with his apparent inability to correct course on his mistakes. No matter the progress he's made, he feels as though he'll never be good enough to do what he needs to do as the new lord of Lhant in the wake of Aston's death.

***

THREADLOG

1. What is a hero? A nerdy little pile of secrets.
2. Real lords build pillow forts
3. Meeting the brother he never had