Aly’s first memories weren’t those of a loving mother or nursemaid, nor even a doting father. Instead, her memories were of gentle hands on her face and a gravelly voice speaking soothing words to her. There was no face for her to associate with the voice and hands. From the beginning her world was made up of scents, sounds, and touches. The only thing she could see was darkness.<br/><br/>Garath, her guardian, had found her as a baby in a back alley. The kind hearted old man had taken her home with him and done his best to raise her; a task made no easier by her lack of sight. He had made no secret of her origins and that he was not related to her except in kindness. Still, he had never specified if the alley he found her in had been in Himmelbrook or some other city on his travels. Since taking Aly in, he had stopped traveling altogether. He told her that a man of his age was too old to travel anymore, but she knew that ultimately it was her presence and shortcoming that kept him home. Though he had done his best to teach her to function on her own despite her limitations, he still had not allowed her to leave the large house they shared without him to escort her.<br/><br/>The townsfolk had taken the occasional sight of the small child, now woman, with the sightless pale blue eyes, in stride. Garath, a weaver of magic and an oddity himself, was well known for his kindness and unquestioned in his caring for the poor girl. When she came of age to marry, and Garath didn’t bother to seek a spouse for her, no one questioned him. What man could afford to keep a woman who could not care for her household?<br/><br/>It was around that time that he had given her a Familial in an attempt to bring her some form of the vision she lacked. A ferret, modified by Garath’s magic weaving to a greater intelligence and bonded to Aly, allowed her to see for the first time in her life. The images the small creature projected to her mind lacked depth and some color, but Aly did not notice, nor miss, that lack. Finally, she had pictures to associate with what she felt and experienced. More than that, she was given something she had not known she was missing; light. At her excitement, Garath had chuckled and chided himself for not thinking to give her a Familial sooner.<br/><br/>That had been a year ago. Since Garath’s death and the subsequent locking of her home, almost two months ago now, Aly had clung to the companionship and vision offered by her Familial. Kadyle Hesson’s estate was large, and navigating the halls, even to get to the small room she had been given, would have been near impossible without the help of her ferret she affectionately referred to as Jin.<br/><br/>The unquestioned leader of the now-prosperous town, Kadyle, had been generous to take her in after Garath’s death. Everyone Aly met told her so, and she was inclined to agree. What would she have done if Kadyle had not taken her in? She owed the man much, and so far he had asked for nothing from her except to accompany him to meetings and small events.<br/><br/>His requests to take her with him places was at once exciting and unnerving. Exciting, because she had never been taken anywhere except the market and a few small shops in Himmelbrook. Unnerving, because she was constantly on unfamiliar ground and had to rely heavily on Jin’s eyes. Yet, Kadyle was only ever courteous. The picture of a kind benefactor providing for a poor, broken soul. If he looked at her oddly on occasion, she was unaware. Even if Jin’s eyes had caught it, Aly was not familiar with recognizing subtle expressions.<br/><br/>Standing next to the fountain near the entrance to Kadyle’s estate, Aly wondered why he had asked her to come<i>here</i>. The dining hall or his study would have made more sense. Yet, already she knew that the man who had taken her in was less predictable than Garath had been. Perhaps he enjoyed the slight chill bite to the morning air? It smelled like autumn outside, made even more apparent by the ferret jumping through the piles of leaves that had blown against the side of the fountain base. Glimpses of leaves and the small crunchy bugs hiding beneath flitted through her consciousness before she cut off the connection to Jin. The constant movement was disorienting.<br/><br/>She let him play, though he stayed close. Knowing that Kadyle would be meeting them, Vokalt was never far away. The great wolf often harried Jin and set the ferret’s nerves on edge. Under natural circumstances, the ferret would have been prey, so it was natural that they not get along perfectly. So Kadyle told Aly reasonably when she had objected to the wolf’s treatment of her small companion.<br/><br/>A pull on her long skirts, she felt Jin climb up her lithe frame to perch on her shoulder. Feeling the familiar slight pressure-like feeling on her mind, she opened herself to the ferret once more, focusing on the picture of Kadyle, with Vokalt close beside him, coming toward her.<br/><br/>Aly didn’t understand the concept of beauty in the way that she had overheard other women talking about Kadyle. Was he better looking than other men? She struggled with the concept. He had a<i>look</i>, certainly. His hair was dark, where some other men’s was light. He stood tall where some others slouched. His belly did not stand out like many of the older men she had seen. Did that make him beautiful? Desirable, even?<br/><br/>Aly knew that she liked the way he treated her with courtesy, and the way the strength in his arms and hands guided her when they were together. His presence was commanding, guiding even, in a way that she didn’t need eyes to see; it could be<i>felt</i>. For now, she would just strive to be grateful to him.<br/><br/>She gave a small curtsey as he approached, hampered somewhat by the balancing ferret on her shoulder.