Tomislav was born in a time of major changes; the outbreak of World War One, the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the formation of the State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs (later commonly known as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia). As such, he grew up in a different enviroment compared to those in France, Germany or even the Soviet Union. This culturally different upbringing meant Tomislav was rather unsympathetic with the causes of any of the great powers during World War Two. Tomislav had enough problems to worry about at his own frontdoor to care much about the lands far away. Growing up in a comparatively poor country with high political tensions between the country's various ethnicities, Tomislav needed to steer carefully in society, avoiding the predominantly Serbian and Croatian radicals in his area who would bring trouble to the house of anyone they disliked. Things became harder when in 1929, all political parties were banned and the radicals became even more incensed and violent, the Serbs always fighting the Croats and the Croat always fighting the Serbs. The cycle of violence simply would not end.

All the turmoil in the world did not concern Tomislav all that much. When Tomislav was twelve, his father died from a lung condition. Tomislav's mother worked by herself through the days and nights afterwards to keep bread on the table and a roof over their heads. Life was hard, but Tomislav didn't mind, Tomislav just wished he could find a job so that his mother would never have to work again. He would take care of her, make her smile, and he would smile back at her.

Despite all the unrest and his family's poor finances, Tomislav managed to enroll and do well in primary school and high school, but couldn't continue his education further due to the poor state of the family's finances. Tomislav worked as a hired hand whenever he was needed, mainly moving industrial objects such as large crates and machinery. However, this job was unstable, and the earnings were not enough to guarantee that food was constantly put on the table, even with his mother's meager wages added to the calculations. When the opportunty to enlist in the Yugoslav Royal Army came, Tomislav did not hesitate and served there for a year, soon later, Tomislav learned that the German Wehrmacht was recruiting for foreign fighters at a higher wage to the Yugoslav Royal Army. Tomislav did not hesitate to join and served three years at the Wehrmacht without seeing any action. While serving, he was fortunate to have met a very caring officer, described by many as a 'soldier's soldier'. Tomislav would regularly engage in conversation with the officer and described to him his worries about his mother and their financial woes. A few months after talking to the officer, he recommended Tomislav to a Romanian noble family that was temporarily in Yugoslavia on business. After some deliberations, the noble family hired Tomislav to work as a servant, seeing that the new prospect offered extensively higher remuneration, Tomislav gave up his post in the Wehrmacht with the officer's permission and took up the job as a servant in the hopes of shrugging off the constant struggle for food his family had always faced. Tomislav's sharp wit, good manners and non-intrusive attitude made him not just a servant, but a respected member of the noble family for eight years. This relationship was even deeper with the only son of the family, Anton. Tomislav treated him as his own son, ensuring he was well cared for and as well educated at anything he could teach the young boy. Tomislav hears his problems and tries to steer him on the right path, even though it could be difficult at times with Anton's impulsive nature. Tomislav's care made Anton a bit more settled, at least enough to avoid getting himself into bigger problems.

With time, Tomislav moved with the noble family to Romania. He would send money and small care packages back to his mother every week and write letters to her. Tomislav's duties also expanded with time and increased from serving meals and cleaning rooms to being a proper butler, managing two servants and a maid under his authority and even responsible for the overall care of all the children in the noble family. His relations with the noble family's social circles also improved over time, whether it be with the servants under his authority or people of higher social status. Everyone knew they could trust Tomislav with anything; from Anton's mischievous pranks to a nobleman's scandalous affairs, people felt comfortable enough around Tomislav to entrust him with any piece of information. Tomislav in turn would give them advice, provide a solution or just keep it to himself, never to mention it again.

But good things cannot last and in 1941, the Kingdom of Yugoslavia was invaded by the Wehrmacht. Rumours soon began circulating in Romania about ghastly events in Yugoslavia regarding both the Wehrmacht and the Yugoslav rebels, Tomislav became increasingly worried for the wellbeing of his mother. When his mother failed to send a letter three weeks in a row, Tomislav pleaded with his employers to be allowed to go to Yugoslavia and return with his mother. After a few discussions, the noble family gave their blessings and Tomislav set out with a week worth of supplies for Yugoslavia.

Having served in the Wehrmacht for three years without any engagement with an enemy, Tomislav's combat prowess impressed his peers and officers alike. Though not an elite soldier, his marksmanship can be compared to any other man and his obedience and discipline made him well liked amongst all officers. His duties were usually defensive, digging trenches or guard duty, but Tomislav was the equal of any veteran when the time came to fight. This range of skills served him extremely well in his trek to Yugoslavia. The journey was fraught with danger and Tomislav found that he had to use his firearms on more than one occasion to deter bandits.

Upon returning to his hometown, Tomislav was greeted by a grisly sight; burnt-out homes and an abandoned town. What used to be a quiet little community was now well and truly dead. But one house on top of a little hill was still standing, no fire marks or any signs of upheaval, a small symbol of normality in a sea of desolation. Tomislav ran up the hill and entered the place where he had called home for all his childhood, fearing the unthinkable. The wooden door that always jammed when he was young could not hold back Tomislav this time. He swung open the door, hoping to see his mother for the first time in eight years, but was greeted by... nothing. The damp silent breeze pushed past Tomislav and into the house, and Tomislav, as if guided by the breeze, staggered slowly through the hallway. Nobody in the kitchen, nobody in the living room and nobody at the top of the stairs, waiting to give him a warm hug like the days of his youth. Tomislav walked up the stairs, there is only the two bedrooms and the bathroom upstairs, his chances are running out, and he knew this. Nobody in the bathroom, and as he opened the closed door of his old bedroom, he knew there was only one room left to find his mother, and Tomislav desperately clung to that hope, so much so he could feel his stomach churn and water in his eyes. Tomislav opens the last door, and against all the backdrop of this silent land, against all the blackened buildings and the scorched earth, lies an old woman sleeping peacefully in her bed.

Tomislav is a strong and proud man, but even he could not hold back the flood of emotions that overcame him as he ran towards his mother. After all, despite everything a man can go through, he will always be a child in the presence of his mother. Tomislav knelt beside his mother's bed and touched her aged but soft skin, and as he did so, the woman opened her eyes. It had been eight years, but the woman recognized her son as if they had been together only yesterday. She opened her mouth but only a faint sound came forth, she was trying so hard but her body was betraying her. Finally she stopped and raised a hand to her face to embrace Tomislav's hand, and for the briefest of moments, Tomislav felt the same warmth of a mother's hug as when he was but a child. Then his mother smiled, that same smile that he had yearned for for so many years, that same smile he had worked for his entire life, that same smile he trekked through dangers aplenty to see, and finally he has seem it. But this moment was not the same as Tomislav had imagined, he did not feel complete, he did not feel happy, instead, the smile created a void within him, an emptiness that could never be filled as his mother's smile continued, as if frozen in time; forever, ceaseless, eternal.

Tomislav's character is one of unqestionable loyalty to those who he respects, cares and loves. This comes from the love he showed to his mother and the care he showed to the family he was serving. But this bond that has kept him going through the years is also perhaps his greatest downfall, as when the bond is broken, he lies broken. After burying his mother, Tomislav made a much simpler journey back to Romania, catching a ride on the carriages of some gracious merchants. Usually, this kind of generosity would have earned his friendship, but Tomislav didn't care for any of that now, his spirit was weak, and his will lies broken.

Tomislav arrived at the noble manor to find it in a state of chaos. The manor was a mess and the servants were in disarray. The husband of the family was dead and the widow was wailing uncontrollably for her mischievous son, who had joined the army to fight. The woman was a shadow of her former self, and perhaps in an act of total desperation got on her knees and begged Tomislav to bring her son home. Tomislav was shaken, as in that almost absurd scene in which an esteemed noblewoman throws herself at the mercy of her servant, Tomislav saw a glimpse of what could have been his mother; tears in her eyes and desperate to see her son returned once more from a land far out of her reach. Tomislav, whether driven by the need to help this poor widower or to honor the memory of his mother, agreed to do the noblewoman's bidding. His task was not easy, but he would have a much better chance of success than most others due to his good standing with the Wehrmacht, rejoining the army shouldn't be too much of a problem, and it was the best place to start this search as any.

Thus, once more, Tomislav sets out to reunite a mother with her son.


Tomislav Novak story background contributor: Seth_Kiparis