Kiara

~Kiara~

The Youngest Daughter of Nira and Leon



Story

Kiara had thirty-three older siblings and two parents who loved and cared for her. It was awful.

She could never do anything on her own. Whenever she wanted to explore a new place, there was always at least one sibling who volunteer to accompany her. If she ever wanted to learn a new skill, there was always a sibling that would insist they help teach her learn how to do it. She could never have a boyfriend or girlfriend either, not when she had a ridiculously large army of overprotective family members who would usually scare them off in a day.

Of course, the fae knew her family did everything for her with the best intentions and that their worries weren’t that outlandish. Her family had, after all, gained many enemies over the years that wouldn’t hesitate to harm Kiara. However, if Kiara was being honest, she was tired of being coddled all the time. She wanted to do things independently and make her own mistakes, rather than spend the rest of her life living of off her family member’s life advice.

This was the real reason Kiara had decided she wanted to be a healer. She had wanted to prove to herself and the rest of the world that she could help others with her skills and abilities. She didn’t need her siblings or her parents to help her.

Kiara made this clear to her family members on the day she announced she was going to travel to an elite healer’s boarding school in the Gladekeeper’s realm. She would pay for the school with her own money and she would not let her family members help her. Period. Kiara had expected her family to understand this.

Although, Kiara felt like all the wind had knocked out of her when her father shot down her idea.

“Kiara, I can’t let you—“ Her father began to explain from his seat on his throne.

“What do you m-mean you can’t?” Kiara demanded as tears started to blur her vision. “You’d let my older siblings go! I know you would!”

Her father’s blue eyes glistened with pity as if Kiara were some pour little hatchling who had lost a toy. Kiara hated that look. She had gotten it from all of her family members for as long as she could remember. For years the look had made Kiara feel weak and useless, but now, all it did was make Kiara’s blood boil.

“I wasn’t asking for your permission, Father.” Kiara snarled. “I’m leaving, tonight.”

Then, before her father or mother or any of her siblings present siblings present in the throne room could say a word, Kiara stormed out of the room.

“Kiara!” Her father roared from his throne. “Let me explain!”

Kiara didn’t even glance back.

~

Kiara had been absolutely horrified when she discovered her parents had sent guards to keep her from leaving. Never in her wildest nightmares had she thought her parents would go to such extremes to keep her from leaving and the realization that they actually were was making her stomach turn over.

Had she spent all of her life as a prisoner to her own family without even realizing?
Kiara felt hot tears riveted down her cheeks as dodged the guards and dashed down the hall towards her escape: an open window with curtains billowing in the wind.

How could parents not trust her to be capable of living on her own?

Kiara jumped onto the window’s ledge and felt the cool air brush against her scales.

“Kiara, please stop!” One of the guards shouted some place far away.

Did parents truly think she was weaker than the rest of her siblings?”

Kiara whipped a tear away from her eye and stared out at the vast expanse of sea that surrounded her home. It doesn’t matter what my parents think, the fae told her herself as she fixed her gaze on the horizon, where sea met sky. Their thoughts don’t define me. I define myself.

Then, the fae jumped off the window sill and dove into the unknown.