Tirianna

I don’t know how I end up on the welcoming committee.

One moment I’m standing outside the half-finished longhouse, counting crates of dried grain and arguing with myself about whether we have enough blankets for another fifty bodies. The next, someone shouts my name and I’m being told another clan is cresting the ridge.

I rub my palms against my thighs and breathe.

I don't even recognize my life anymore. Once I had a purpose I knew exactly what I stood for and what I would do to protect my family and those I cared about. I was a queen then I was a prisoner now I'm… I have...