Escape the Underdark

Zilvra was less than happy that I hadn't taken after her magic like my sisters had. I was the rogue child, even in a house where my brothers were somewhat rebellious and did not fall into line like expected. I took after my father, Nalfein, wishing more to be a fighter with swords and less with magic. She hated that I was different, and she made life in her house a living hell because of it.
 
We worked with the Llanowars constantly, using their training to help move goods through the tunnels. I had become friends with one of the girls, teaching her my language, slowing showing her the intricate hand signs of the secret language. That angered Zilvra even more, so I continued, teaching my only friend when we met. That was why when father said that Khalsinn would be traveling to increase the work her family did, I jumped on the opportunity to escape my home.
 
Since I wasn't a priestess, I thought I mattered little to Zilvra, but that thought was so very far from the truth. She screamed for days, sending scouts after me as I moved swiftly through the tunnels to the surface, hoping to find my way quickly to the Llanowars. Khalsinn had promised when last we spoke that her family, as harsh and somewhat dysfunctional as they were, would take me with open arms, even with the oddity of my dark skin. So I left my home and family for the surface, for the promise of a friend and another dysfunctional family. It was the adventure that I had hoped for.
 
Khalsinn and I were shortly sent to the human capital to work on trade deals. I could feel the way she looked at me when I tensed at the mention of my family and the Underdark, but she never pressed too far. She preferred to talk quietly about everything and anything, drawing me from the sulking husk that I had begun to slip into. It would be something I would cherish as the time away worn on. The sunlight tore at my body and I had to find special glasses to keep my eyes from burning. Every step away from the tunnel was a difference, a step towards freedom that allowed me to be someone that Zilvra and the Underdark would not allow me to be.
 
We trained while we traveled. The constant rhythm of movement was good for my mood, often cheering me up when nothing else would. I kept us away from cities, wishing for the solitude of the forests and the fringes while I got used to the blinding light of the surface. I wanted to meet others, to see that the world wasn't as black and white as Zilvra forced it to be, but I wasn't yet ready for that. Maybe once we reach Stronghold things will chance, maybe by then I will have truly escaped the Underdark.