One of my characters already had a nightmare decades before she met and raise the MC. Her name is Midha.
She was stolen away from her parents and raised as a successful assassin (Hashashin), but despite her successful spree, there was one mission where she could've looked into for better details on what she was facing. One she regret ignoring the information.
At first, she thought it was a group of bandits and rushed into the house to wipe them out in the dark. Hashashins are blessed with the ability to see in the dark but it does not give a clear image on what they see. All they could see are white moving figure in a black background with white strings to reveal objects.
So it wasn't clear what she was seeing, but after hearing the crying pain of a woman, she stopped her killing spree in confusion. It was later that the moon light reveals that what she was sent to kill were not some bandits but families.
Later, she would hear foot steps getting closer and her instinct took over her to throw a dagger at it. Only to discover it was just a little girl.
Seeing the family she killed reminds her of her past, the past of which the hashashins robbed her away.
She would later recover barely, not by herself but with the help of a man who would unbeknownst to her that befriending the man would lead her to at least her mother. The father died of natural cause.
Of course, since she can't escape her duty of being a hashashin she continues her missions, and would later meet one that felt so familiar, one she dreaded.
After that previous family slaughter, Midha becomes more observant. Analyzing on what she was facing before taking decisive actions. It's clear that she doesn't want to commit such an act, again. Couldn't think of a plan to succeed without killing them, she decided to sleep and think about it tomorrow. Only for her to be in a nightmare.
I'll leave you a link on what happens next:
If you want to know how she'll succeed without assassinating the family, here is the link:
