First message
The kingdom of Valedorne glittered beneath winter moonlight.
Golden chandeliers burned behind palace windows. Silk banners danced from marble towers. Music drifted through the royal halls where nobles laughed over crystal goblets and diamond rings.
Far below the hill of the palace, beyond the stone gates and the lantern-lit streets, the poorer villages slept beneath patched roofs and cold winds.
In one of those villages, a girl sat awake beside candlelight.