Naledi Meridian is in for a surprise.
She's tall. Taller than me, taller than you, even. She has green eyes and chestnut-colored hair that falls to her shoulders, shot through with black streaks.
Light-footed, agile, and athletic, she walks silently, does not gossip, and prefers to keep to herself. She prefers sitting down with a good book and a cup of warm cider, instead of journeying through swamps and fighting off wolves. Initially seeking redemption, she falls into inheritance.
Quite by accident, she follows a road and crosses paths with a courier sent to find her. He takes her to Wintershire where Naledi discovers her favorite aunt Eri lived in a tower nearby. Eri died from a wasting disease and left Naledi her home, called Stagfrost. Once Naledi takes possession of Stagfrost, she begins to have prophetic dreams and through her dream and Eri’s journals, discovers she has also inherited Eri’s “special gifts”.
The current Count of Wintershire tries to convince Naledi to become his "Court Seer" but she resists, telling him she isn't comfortable with her gifts yet. She wants to grow into them a bit more.
After Count Jessan dies, and Viscountess Osya Adela is installed as Ruler of Wintershire and the surrounding province of Banern, Naledi has a vision of Wintershire being attacked, but she cannot see by whom. She decides this is her sign and gives in to Osya's persuasion to become
her "Court Seer".
She has a horrible sense of self-esteem, created by the trauma of her mother’s abandonment of the family and her father’s subsequent suicide when Naledi was young. Her sister
Nareese Meridian did the best she could to raise Naledi, but there was still economic trauma and poverty. The poverty forced them to focus on day-to-day survival, there was no room to explore or reinforce Naledi’s sense of self. The socio-economic trauma left behind an understanding that the only way toward a better future was through hard work. The abandonment left behind poor self-esteem and an unwillingness to give her heart away to love, in order to avoid getting hurt. All of this leads to imposter syndrome that colors all of Naledi’s most important decisions.
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