solar flare

It had been such a nice day, Asha remembered it so vividly. She'd been celebrating the end of the blight by going off on a walk by herself. Not exactly a big party, but while the blights had been going on, going off on her own was a rare treat. Her mother had always said one of her flaws was being too trusting, but she was really just too young to understand what that could really mean, and now she was paying for it.

Asha was curled up in a ball on the cold, hard floor. She wasn't great at casting magic without her staff and even with her staff; she was no match for the ancient elves that guarded her. Asha had only been learning magic for a few years, and a lot of it she was still rubbish at. She flinched as the door opened and the light shone in. She rubbed her eyes, trying to adjust. When she saw who it was, she tried to back up away from them, but she could only go so far. A tear slid down her cheek.

W... When my mother finds out what you've done, she'll come for me and you won't like her when she's angry. At the command she got up off the floor and sat, not because she wanted to do what she was told, but because she was afraid of what might happen if she didn't. I don't know why you took me, Kieran is more important to mother than I am. Not that she wanted him to take Kieran, though Kieran was probably a lot better guarded than she was, and a lost less trusting.