Disclaimer: I do not own the Circle of Magic Quartet, The Circle Opens Quartet, or any further works in that fictional world. All praise goes to Tamora Pierce.

Summary: Young girls, before they are forced into adulthood, have simple dreams. Girls want to be beautiful, sometimes to be a noble or a princess, and to be loved. So why do they look to me?

WHY: THE TALE OF A GOOD ROLE MODEL

I first met my real family when I was ten.

I never thought that we would become as close as we are now. Meeting Briar and Daja, I even said that we were being punished by being forced to live in the same house.

We are such an oddly matched group. Sandry, Lady Sandraline Fa Toren, the Great-niece of the Duke. Briar, a former street thief and proud of it. Daja, trangshi, a Trader, the people I had been raised to hate. And me, Trisana Chandler, the unwanted daughter of a merchant family.

We grew close, and love each other, yet I am still insecure.

Who would not be? Sandry is beautiful, kind, a noble (possibly even the next Grand Duchess, if the Duke had his way), and can make friends with anyone. She can be a bit naive, too quick to believe in the good in everyone, but still everyone loves her.

Briar is totally incorrigible, and drives me mad when he calls me 'Coppercurls' and tries to tug on my hair. But he is a good boy – a good man – at heart, with a roguish charm and a streak of mischief that is carefully hidden whenever Rosethorn is around. The brother I always wished my own was like.

Daja was an outcast, unwanted, bad luck. Just like I was, and through no fault of either of ours. But while she mourned, she never broke under it; never let people see that it hurt her. An even temper, and unconventionally beautiful in the dark-skinned, lithe and well-built way.

I am insecure, and envy them. For all that Sandry lost her parents to a plague; she still had friends, and a Great-Uncle who loved her. Briar never had a family to lose, but formed his own, be it with plants or people. Daja's family drowned, but they loved her, even if they didn't understand her love of smithing and metalwork.

My family thought I was a curse, possessed by spirits, or an elemental, because strange things happened when I was upset or angry. My parents told a complete stranger that they never wanted to see me again. My other relatives passed me around, shunting me off to the next as soon as they could. The longest I ever stayed with one was three years with Aunt Uraelle, who was bed-ridden, and it was easier to keep me around than it was to hire a servant.

My siblings all had at least some control over their magic. Briar didn't know it was magic, but drew comfort from plants, who loved him. Sandry didn't know why she was so drawn to all things to do with weaving, sewing or needlework, just as Daja couldn't explain her near-taboo love or smithies, but aside from the subconscious pull, nothing seemed too out of the ordinary.

I was tested for magic, and pronounced ungifted, yet I made it hail indoors, or called lightning from a clear sky, when I became agitated. My lack of control caused people to shrink away from me, and I hid it behind a mask of anger, which was not hard, as I have a temper in the first place.

So why, whenever we go somewhere, do young woman always flock around me?

I found myself actually blurting out that question yesterday, to a plain-looking girl with wild brown hair and a lanky frame, who looked at me with a kind of hero-worship. Why flock to the bad-tempered bookworm, when there is a noblewoman, a girl's dream of a roguish mage, and a strong, determined woman to look up to?

She smiled, and told me that it was because I was 'real'.

She said that I wasn't born into a position of wealth and power. I couldn't charm people off their feet with a cheeky smile. I wasn't physically imposing enough to freeze people in their tracks with a glare. I had grown into my body, losing my baby-fat, but I would never be discribed as 'willowy'. I had a temper, and showed it. I struggled to gain control over my power. I was as happy, or happier, spending time with books as with people. If not for my being a mage, I would have been just another girl in the marketplace.

Sandry, Briar and Daja are seen as ideals, something to strive for, but never achieve. I, the lover of books, the not-beauty, the merchant-class, the one who occasionally snapped at people, was someone that a young girl could become, if she wanted and tried enough.

I was Tris, and I was the achievable dream.

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A/N: Something that popped into my head during a conversation about the Tamora Pierce books. My friend asked which of the Winding Circle four I liked best, and why. Tris isn't pretty, or a noble/practically princess, or a smart-aleck youth. She is the slightly-overweight, average-looking bookworm with an occasional temper, who has trouble controling her powers. She is the one character out of the four that the target audience can actually relate to and aspire to be.

Of course, you are free to disagree with that, but I'd love to hear what you think.

Thanks, Nat.