Ayana was shy, quiet, always with her nose in a book or exploring the wildflower fields looking for dye plants. She honed her craft until she was the only girl in the village who knew how to make dyes as colorful as she did, happy to be independent... until she was married off, and her parents died not too long after. Trapped in a relationship with a man who was neglectful in the best of times, she struggled to decide if she should remain headstrong in what she wanted, or give in to his demands.

Until that handsome bard came around, and reminded her that she deserved kindness and love and joy. That she didn't need James. When the time came, she chose to break free and assist the Bard on his journey in an instant. Now, exploring the countryside, travelling town to town, diving head first into what was quickly becoming a god-defying quest? She wouldn't want to be anywhere else!

She's gotten used to making herself smaller, quieting herself down, not bringing undue attention to herself. But not anymore. She's still got her head on her shoulders, knows when to speak and when not to; but if she feels some kind of way, she will tell you. And she'll stand up for what she cares about, whether that's you dirtying up her work or threatening something nefarious.

Ayana was raised in Dearhart village, as the only daughter of a farmer and his housewife who dabbled in dyemaking. She grew up feeling the weight and pressure of her parent's expectations on her back, especially once her mother passed and left her as the sole caretaker of her father when she was still a young girl. Expectation to always serve, always obey, without regard to any of her own desires.

A Man Would Never Know His Bride

When she was arranged to marry James, the popular and handsome hunter in their little village, she was hoping she would finally be able to breathe easier once out from her father's constant demands. Indeed, things were great for awhile--he was loving, kind, gentle, charming, and so so sweet to her... until a few months in. He changed. Instead, she found herself under James' constant demands, urging her to 'be a better housewife' and use her dyemaking skills to earn them money, without even giving her any sort of love in return. It did not help when her parent's house was caught aflame, her father dying in the blaze, leaving her utterly alone in it all. As she droned on in a mundane village, slogging through chores and a loveless marriage, she saw no form of escape from it all. Even when James started blatantly sleeping around with other women in the village, she tried to keep her head low and settle herself into her role of loyal housewife.

The Moon Will Sing A Song For Me

But when a mysterious bard wanders into her town, she quickly finds herself drawn to him. He's kind to her, listens to her, respects her in a way no one else in this damn village ever has. It isn't long before she finds herself thinking about him and his songs, yearning to visit him, spend even the slightest bit of time with him. When her friend Beatrice and her husband come to all the wrong conclusions, Ayana finds her whole life upended within a day. An angry mob is whipped up to kill the bard, but she manages to warn him first, and together they flee the village she's known her whole life.

She's devastated, sure, it only makes sense to be. But in a sense she welcomes the change of pace, and quickly falls in love with the adventure her life has become. Embarking on a journey to see a world she'd never dreamed she'd be able to, searching for clues to a mystery spanning the pantheon of the gods, finding love in an unlikely place; with a man who she was quickly doubting was just a man.