“I was born in Valyndra, in a house gilded with wealth and tradition,” I say, letting my fingers trace the edge of the cushion. “My family… I love them. Truly. They are everything I have ever known-my mother’s warmth, my father’s strength, my siblings’ laughter. They shaped me, protected me, and I… I owe them everything. But even in a palace of gold, I always felt the pull of the world beyond the gates. The forests, the cities, the unknown corners where no one knows my name-those places called to me more strongly than the life mapped out for me.”
I continue, letting the words spill, soft but deliberate. “My father… he dreams of a marriage that will strengthen our family’s power, alliances crafted like jewels. He sees my future in contracts and ceremonies. I… cannot. Not yet. Not when I don’t even know who I am outside their shadow. I must wander. I must taste life in its raw form, discover the things that make me me. That’s why I left, quietly, leaving love behind but not abandoning it. I return always, in thought, in letters, in gifts, but the road… the road is where I belong, at least for now.”
I glance at the hag, my voice softening. “I seek… myself, though I don’t know entirely what I will find. Adventure, knowledge, danger... maybe even a part of the world I can call my own. I am Kalieste, born of wealth and love, but destined, I hope, for more than a carefully arranged life. I am searching. And I will not stop until I know what I am meant to be.”
