Ileana

Story:

Ileana’s father had never hid the fact that he regarded them as his biggest mistake. A former Royal Guard, Adrienne was stripped of his honor and job when he allowed himself to be seduced by a notorious pirate, who after Ileana was born, made off with a good chunk of the kingdoms wealth. With Rosa gone and Adrienne disgraced, he took Ileana and left the kingdom, sailing out to his old home in the south.
When Ileana was just 5 years old, Princess Blaze was born. While her birth was a joyous event for the Kingdom of Sol, it marked the day Ileana’s life would be forever changed when news reached the little island they called home.

Adrienne concocted a plan upon learning of the new princess - one that would surely put him back in the royal family’s good graces. His plan was, quite simply, to raise Ileana into the perfect soldier. A gift, from him to the Princess - a servant who could fight and protect her and the kingdom at all costs.
And so when Ileana was just 7, their training began. Adrienne’s regiments were harsh, and his criticism even harsher. Ileana’s days and nights were full of training, never any time to play or make friends. They were home schooled and never allowed to leave Adrienne’s property.

By the time they were 16, all thought of rebellion had left them. Their only reprieve was the marks they inflicted upon themselves, spiteful of their fanatical father’s desire for perfection… and partially because of a growing frustration towards themselves. Nearly 10 years of training and they still weren’t good enough. Ileana was lonely, but had quietly accepted this life with no other options.
At 19, however, change would finally come - the Princess’ 14th birthday was coming up, and Adrienne, ill and living on borrowed time, decided now was the time to present Ileana to Blaze. Ileana was placed on a ship, and sent on their path to meet the Princess their entire life had revolved around, whether they liked it or not.

As fate would have it, however, Ileana never made it to the Kingdom of Sol.
The ship that carried them came under attack by pirates. Ileana fought valiantly, but they were soundly defeated, and along with the other surviving crew members, were brought on board the pirate ship and awaited judgement from the captain - who turned out to be their own mother, Rosa.
Unfortunately, this would prove to be a rather uncomfortable reunion; Rosa could not be more different from Ileana, and regarded her offspring as a stuck-up brat, as she expected Ileana to be at least somewhat like herself. While originally planning to simply drop Ileana off at the next dock, Rosa’s plans changed when she learned where Ileana was originally headed - and with that, Ileana became a hostage. 

After various failed attempts at escaping - in whichever way they could - Ileana finally managed to slip away when the crew made landing on the outskirts of the Kingdom. But their troubles are far from over - during the months they were dragged along with Rosa, forced to attend as she and her crew pillaged towns and committed atrocities, Ileana had been spotted and now they themselves have a hefty price on their head.

Now, Ileana moves quickly between towns, never staying in one place for too long, fighting off mercenaries that want their head (and that reward), trying to avoid being recaptured by Rosa’s crew and trying to eke out a living with mercenary work until they can figure out what to do next.
They have, at the very least, gained a reputation as a kind soul, known for paying off the bounties (or “accidentally” losing them) on the poor and hungry, whose only crimes were stealing necessities. They may think they’re alone, but their kindness will not go unnoticed.

The big question that hangs over their head, however, remains: What do they want? What is it that they hope for, in the end? They’re unsure, and frankly… it scares them.