"My fourteenth birthday," I whispered, eyes fixed on a distant point outside the window. "Everything changed that day."
The memories flooded back with painful clarity. I could feel the crisp fall air, taste the birthday pancakes my mother had made that morning, see the three small packages waiting on our front porch. Each neatly wrapped with a tag: From Kaelen, From Ronan, From Orion.
"I was so excited," I continued, not really aware I was speaking aloud. "They told me to open them later, when I was alone. Said it was something special."
Lady Isolde remained silent, letting me speak. I barely registered her presence as the memories consumed me.
"I never got the chance. By sunset, my father was in chains, and we were being thrown out of our home." My fingers curled into fists. "And they were there. All three of them, standing beside their father when the guards came for mine."
