I am a daughter of a Byzantium trader... my father traveled the silk road, trading fine silks, precious metals... beautiful stones... his travels took him far ... into lands ruled by the Nile... here he encountered a dark beauty that stole his heart... he worked feverently on the greatest trade in his life and won her heart as he brought my mother back to our city of Constantinople.... her heart brightened as she danced her way around her new home as dancing was forbidden in her native home for several generations.....
In time I was born, bringing joy to my mother as she envisioned my dancing alongside her around the fires.... my father was gone often on trade routes.... I missed him greatly but rejoiced when his travels brought him back home. He shared with me the tales of his travels, the sights and sounds sparkled as he wove stories for me while I sampled delights he brought back from far away lands... My heart filled with each journey and story and I counted the days until his return from every caravan....
But into each life heartbreak must come.... the day came when my father did not return home.... my mother's light dimmed as she tried to keep a brave face... but she no longer danced or spoke of her homeland....
I tried to stay hopeful... but time passed ... and mother had to take more work to keep our home.... my heart broke more each day as I yearned to know where my father had gone...
That is how it happened... one day I decided that I must know what had befallen my father.... I packed what mother could spare and set off on my quest to follow the spice trail and see the lands my father spoke of... I spend my days trading and nights visiting campfires as I search for answers and my father....