Blue Harbour, Tortall:

The short, red headed boy ran down the banks of Blue Harbour, making sure his older sister didn't find his hiding place. He hid inside the long beach grass.

It was a chilly, spring day; one of the first days he was able to play with his siblings, and he was glad to have gotten out of the stuffy house for once. The sun was warm on his bare arms and the grass was itchy on his feet.

As his attention was taken away from the game, his gaze wandered to the ocean. A lonely boat drifted towards the shore. The boy was curious; no boat had ever dared to come this close to shore unless they wanted to come ashore. As this boat came closer to the shore, the boy saw that there was no one aboard. He stood up hesitantly.

"Galen, that's no way to play the game." She said with her hands on her hips and a mocking smile on her face. "I've already found you." The boy, startled, turned around swiftly with a worried look on his face. "What's the matter? Did you step on a pair of porcupines or something?" His sister asked, jokingly, but the only thing the boy did was point. He was smart for his young age of seven, and he knew when something was wrong. His twelve year old sister looked where he was pointing, and her mouth turned into a frown. She started walking towards the beach to where the now beached boat lay swaying with the waves. She shivered slightly as a cold wind blew her golden hair out of her eyes.

"What are you doing, Lalita?" Galen asked and hurried by her side. He looked as if he didn't want her to do it.

"I'm going to see what this is all about. Go find father instead of worrying. Make yourself useful." He ran off hesitantly. His brave sister would need his help even if he was 5 years younger than her.

Lalita walked slowly towards the boat, afraid something would jump out and scare her. If that happened, it would just be her silly uncle, playing tricks on them again. Before she could think anymore about what was in the boat, she saw what was in the boat. It almost made her scream, but she shut her mouth quickly.

In the boat lay a dead man with a written note in his hands. Beside him lay a child wrapped in tattered cloth, still alive.

Whoever may pick up this note, please take care of my dear Kaden. I love her dearly, but sadly my enemies have found me and wounded me badly. I crawled back to my boat and sailed out, hoping that someone would find me. If you have read this note, please don't abandon her.

Blue Harbour, Tortall, ten years later:

Kaden sat on her bed. She had that look on her face; the look she put on when she was thinking really hard about something.

All these years, she had grown up thinking that her parents were Duke Nash and Dutchess Sada of Blue Harbour. Just this moment, thay told her that she had other parents, not knowing who they were. She was furious, a little. She had a temper, which she could hardly control.

She thought that these lovely brothers and sisters she had were her own, but they weren't. Her life was a lie, and she knew it.

"Kaden," Her younger brother Tamas said from the doorway of her room. He and his twin sister, Panyin, were always tagging along behind her. Maybe it was because they looked up to her, but Kaden didn't know. "Supper."

She hopped off her bed and walked out the door with her younger brother beside her. She wondered what it was going to be like knowing she didn't know her parents.

Her parents. She kept wondering about them. Are they alive? Are they dead? Where do they live? Who are they? She knocked the thoughts out of her head. 'No more thinking about it.'

She thought one last thing before she shut her mind off. 'It's too bad, though. I don't know why I never knew they weren't my parents. My black hair has no place in this family.'