CHAPTER TWELVE
Fourteen Years Ago
She was turning six.
Normally her parents would get her a small frosted muffin from the local bakery and present it to her on her birthday. Her mother would sing her a song that her mother had sang to her when she was a child, and her father would give her a speech about the importance of getting older and learning something that would make her a valuable member of the community.
Jovanna’s father was a farmer. They had the largest field of wheat in the region. Her father didn’t make enough to be wealthy, but they never went hungry either. Her mother helped with the planting in the early spring, but she normally spent her time sewing clothing that would be sent to the castle for the nobles. Since the styles in the court seemed to change as often as the
