Fathia’s mother was a lonely woman. Her husband did not even allow her the privilege of tears. The only time she allowed herself to cry was below the warm waters of the River of Cats. The warm river watched and loved her – and he cried as she cried. The river’s tears impregnated her, and when the pregnancy began to show, her husband banished her to a tower in his keep, for he knew that the child was not his. Fathia is a teardrop as a result of this union. She learned to escape the tower and wander within her father’s court – in disguise.