Adopted by the King

It is unknown where Ebyana was born and to whom, but before her first birthday she was placed on the steps of the orphanage of Oghard. She spent her youth there among other abandoned children, under the care of the cruel Lady Aina. She was constantly made fun of because of her looks: her bright blue eyes were uncharacteristic in Haqunland, and her brown skin was lighter than that of most haquns. For this she was often called “khraja”, which means “pale” in the old haqun tongue.

When she was five, the king visited the orphanage, and to everyone’s surprise, he adopted Ebyana, technically making her a princess. The king brought her to Hiquar, the capital of Haqunland. There, in the castle, she lived the life of a princess among her new family: her father King Hakhun, her grandmother Ujha and her brother Prince Hakhan. She grew fond of Ujha, but the prince never quite warmed up to her, feeling jealous of the new princess his father brought home from the orphanage.

In turn, Ebyana was jealous of Hakhan. As a princess she spent most of her time learning how to be a proper little lady: how to behave, what to do and what to say. On the other hand Hakhan was taught how to ride and how to fight, which were much more interesting in Ebyana’s eyes. She was quite lonely and bored as a child, so she read a lot, but reading only satisfied her curiosity up to a point. In her early teens she started sneaking out of the castle to meet new people and learn from them. Being open and inquisitive, she made friends easily. Her new friends taught her more about the world, and she even picked up new skills, like riding a horse.

Running away

The highlights of Ebyana’s childhood were her trips abroad with the king. Hakhun frequently visited the neighboring country of Liqénia to meet with its allied ruler, King Strykt, and he sometimes brought Ebyana along. Strykt had an illegitimate son called Sandrin, who was the same age as Ebyana. They often played together as children and they grew very close.

Hakhun had always been protective of his adopted daughter, but over the years he became more and more radical. Ebyana’s constant sneaking out and her dangerous adventures with Sandrin caused him to practically lock Ebyana in her room, not allowing her to go anywhere or do anything without supervision. For a while she wasn’t even allowed to visit Liqéna with her father. Tensions escalated between father and daughter in this stifling environment, leading to many arguments.

The feeling of being locked away caused Ebyana to take a drastic step: she decided to run away from home. She used her acting skills to trick the guards in front of her door, gathered food and stole her brother's dagger, and, filled with both excitement and dread, she ventured out into the unknown. Her plan was to go to Liqénia to visit her childhood friend, Sandrin, but being an inexperienced traveler, things didn't go smoothly.

She got lost more than once, she was pursued by her father's men, falsely accused of seducing the married captain of the ship, and she was even conned by a group of pirates before eventually escaping and ending up crossing paths with the mage Haellenne Einarfíj. Heallenne was on an important mission: she carried the Medallion of Magic, the ancient artefact of the elves, and Ebyana, feeling she finally found a quest where she'd be able to prove herself, eagerly joined her.

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You can check out Ebyana's full profile on Toyhouse!

The story does not end here: Chapter 1 coming September 5!