A life of petty crime meant being in and out of trouble with the law, and she found some small protection by working under the crimelord Gaedren Lamm. He was cruel and exploitative, but it was marginally better than prison, and his ragged band of urchins became the only family she had ever known. The thought of moving up in the world rarely even crossed her mind; she’d live and die in the gutter where she belonged, and Gaedren never failed to remind her of that.
As she grew, though, so did her rage. One can only experience so much injustice before it becomes impossible to stay silent. It was easier to contain her temper when it came to her own troubles; however bitter and angry she felt, silence had always ensured her own survival. It was more difficult to bite her tongue when it came to the treatment of the other children, especially those younger than herself. Though she tried to bury it, all too aware it was a dangerous game, her hot temper could turn Gaedren’s attention away from the others and towards herself. She was older and stronger, she could handle it, and in this twisted way, she could protect them. For a while.
Inevitably though, she got too old and too impudent to be a useful little Lamm anymore, and although she put up a good fight, was unceremoniously beaten and left to die in the gutter where she belonged… Except she didn’t.
Perhaps she was blessed by some sympathetic deity, or Gaedren was too arrogant to ensure he’d finished the job, or that flickering flame of rage inside her simply refused to go out. Whatever the reason, she opened her eyes the next morning, somehow feeling better than ever before. Her brush with death had changed her, and now, perhaps, she finally has the strength to change the rest of the world—whether it likes it or not.