Mialla is, by birth, of the nobility - she may be a bastard child, but her mother is noble born. Due to the fact her mother's pregnancy was public knowledge and it was believed up until the delivery she was pregnant with her husband's child, simply drowning Mialla at birth and forgetting there ever was a little bastard was not practical; sending her off to a convent was deemed unpolitical - she might still be useful as marriage material. Maybe not to secure an alliance, but to reward a faithful retainer. With that use in mind, she was fostered out to a relative, to be raised as lady of the court.<br/>Being half elves, Mialla grew slower than a human, reaching (physical) maturity when she was twenty years old. She had made good use of the time, learning to entertain, to be polite, to listen and think. She also learned the stories and legends of the nobility and the church; she also discovered she had her elven father's sense of adventure, and as soon as she was allowed, she spent much of her time first in the gardens, then the parks and forests, and learning more stories and legends from the servants.<br/>Mialla decided it was time to leave when she learned that plans were being made to marry her. She had, from observation, no interest in being either a polite, good noble wife, nor in presenting that front and playing the intrigue games her peers found so fascinating. The alternative, as she saw it, was to discard her name, her rank such as it was, and any position in polite society she might have had. As a travelling songstress, she would be literally nobody. No lord's subject, no city's citizen, not beholden to anybody - and in the view of the established population, a lawless vagabond. To her, the decision was easy.<br/>Mialla has been on the road for two years now, and life has proven to be as difficult as she expected. On a good day, she could sing for a meal and space in a barn; on a bad day, she slept curled up in a tree. Her repertoire qualifies her to sing both at a rural inn and at the hall of the local lord, whereever an entertainer is wanted or needed, and she manages (mostly, by frugal living and picking where she sings) to at least maintain a good appearance and not starve. It helps her to deal with these conditions to remember that she chose them... but she has learned to keep the little romantic for when she sings.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Hooks</div><div class="spoiler_body">Her family might be looking for her.<br/>Being of the "travelling people," any property crime in town is likely to be laid at her feet<br/>Being of the "travelling people" and female, any unscrupulous resident might consider her unprotected game<br/>More positively, Mialla's collection of foreign stories and song might well make her a popular entertainer<br/>Mialla is landless, lordless and expected to leave soon. She might be asked to partake in dishonorable dealings<br/>For amusement and depending on how common elves are: Is that girl Eztli's get? (For the record, no, she's not... but if one only sees elf / half-elf...)<br/></div></div>