Finally, a new illustration! This is for the story that falls the earliest on the timeline (so far) at 876 DH: “Embers Fade to Ash.”
Shy of her race as a hind of wolves, Sweet Saenna runs alone. Soft in the dawn her voice rings lilting, Lovely as the woodlark's song.
– From “The Ballad of Saenna”
Saenna made every effort to stay silent. Her glimmering dress, though muted in hue, was hardly meant for concealment. At least she had remembered to take her knife, but she missed her familiar strap and sheath.
– “Embers Fade to Ash”
“The Ballad of Saenna” is still remembered in Geren’s time, six centuries after the actual event. It describes the first meetings between the hermit Saenna and the Master Shapechanger, and her rescue of him. “Embers Fade to Ash” is the story behind the ballad.
I couldn’t have pulled this illustration off without getting hair and clothing for Saenna close enough to evoke the story, so my grateful credits go to Mada Hair for V4, Farissa for V4, and Rococo Countess for V4.
Populus nigra / Black Poplar from PlantCatalog also merits special recognition in this illustration.