Role

Chapter 12

______ followed her brothers and sisters around from the time she could walk,
desperate to have a best friend that wasn't Mother. Conren was too busy, and
would send her out of his room so that he could practice his fighting forms
with Asteli. Her oldest sister was a bit more kind, and would sneak into
______'s room late at night to demonstrate a few of the simpler stances.
Eventually, they'd both fall asleep from sheer exhaustion, but Asteli would
always test her on her ability to recall her footwork a few weeks later.
Melirene and Tisus included her in a few of their adventures, but when they
climbed up the walls of the guilds, they'd stare down at her from the
rooftops. Tisus was the first one to break the news to her:

"How are we supposed to show you these secret places when you can't even keep
up with us? You're going to get us caught. Go practice, and let us know when
you're brave enough to scale the sides of the Palace."

When Mother and Father were busy ordering supplies, ______ would sneak out
back and try to climb the sides of the stable walls. With bruised knees and
splintered-pierced hands, she would throw herself at the wooden slats, digging
her fingertips into crevices that pinched hard enough to leave blood blisters.
By the time she was skilled enough to try and climb the palace walls, Tisus
and Melirene spent most of their days within their own guilds, and their
promise to her was forgotten.

Mother would remind her that she always had a home at the Inn, but that wasn't
what ______ wanted. All of her siblings were out making coin and swapping
stories while she was learning to bake butter cookies for guests. It wasn't
fair that she was born last. If *she* had a sibling, she'd take them on all
the adventures in the world. Why didn't they do the same for her?

Friendships with other children in Hamsah Mu'tazz were left to wither as her
companions were pulled away on merchant ships or trips to Galadon. Everyone
had a purpose - and no one ever put ______ above the expectations of their
family.