Lady Ari,Teri's mother past

The six travelers sat across a table in a hall, their breakfast spread before them. Elley leaned forward, her eyes fixed on Melovine.

"Melovine," she said, "we're still waiting for the rest of the story your father shared with you."

Melovine nodded, setting her bread down on the plate. "Ah, yes," she thought, trying to recall where she had left off. "I remember now."

She continued, her voice steady. "Lady Ari's gaze met the king's—a mix of gratitude and defiance warring within her. She and her assistants departed, leaving the king to falsely claim that he had dealt with them out of anger."

Years passed, and Teri's mother, the Herl saintess, remained in the Herl kingdom. One fateful day, a report reached her: three strangers had entered the kingdom. Their attire marked them as non-Herlians, and they were found unconscious by the seaside.

The three men—Varouge, Ereen, and Hoself—were brought before the elders and the saintess. They appeared no older than eighteen.