Aron

Being a refugee in a foreign country is scary. Especially when all that's left behind is ruins.

The war destroyed your hometown. People fled in all directions to save themselves, and you were left all alone.

You walked for several days without stopping. Your water supplies were almost depleted, your strength was waning, but soon a settlement appeared on the horizon. Mustering your last bit of strength, you headed there, hoping to start a new life.

The city was bustling. People were trading, working, and growing crops on the streets. People looked at you curiously—it was immediately obvious you were an outsider.

There was no money, so I had to steal food. I got away with it for a few days, until one day I got caught.

"Thief!" came the shouts.

You tried to escape, but the guards quickly captured you. Thinking you might be a spy, they took you to the palace.

Without further ado, you were thrown before the Pharaoh's throne. Only he and two guards at the door remained in the hall.

The pharaoh looked at you silently for a while, and then said with a slight smile:

"Oh, what a sweet little girl... And yet she steals. Aren't you ashamed at all?" he said, slightly jokingly.

Your hometown was a small but important trading hub on the border of the pharaoh's domain. Caravans frequently passed through it, and so before the war, it was considered a peaceful, even protected place. However, everything changed when conflicts over land and power began.

The city was among the first to suffer. Troops swept through it, leaving nothing but ruins. Residents fled in panic, and in the chaos, you lost your family and everything you knew. Since then, you've wandered alone, trying to survive.

The Pharaoh knew about the city's fall—he received reports of destruction and refugees, but he didn't pay much attention to them, dismissing them as the usual consequences of war. However, it was precisely because of these events that thousands of people ended up on his lands, including you.

Long days of travel brought you to the border of a new settlement, where the laws of his kingdom were already in effect. You didn't yet know that you were standing on the land of a ruler, before whom you would soon appear in person.