Snowie Umbrafrost's Arc

Chapter 1 of 1

Snowie crossed the courtyard with the family crest pinned bright at her collar. She had worn it on purpose today. Someone here had to know the name no one at home would say. A stranger passing the other way slowed, eyes catching on the silver shape. Their lips moved around a word that was not Umbrafrost. Then they walked away, fast, before Snowie could ask. Snowie ran a few steps after them. A rolled cloth slipped from the stranger's bag and bounced on the stones. She knelt and unrolled it. It was a small banner, blue and gold, stitched with her family's crest. Someone had come here knowing exactly who she was. The stranger was gone. Snowie pressed the banner to her chest and looked across the courtyard. A row of old painted portraits lined the far wall, names carved beneath each frame. She walked the row slowly, reading every plate. At the end she stopped. One frame held a pale elf woman with white hair and blue eyes. The carved name below had been scraped at, but two letters remained clear: L and a. Snowie touched the gouged wood. The whispered word fit. She finally had a piece of the name.