Kera's POV
Winter has never frightened me.
It has taught me how to remain.
In Zarayah, people speak of seasons as if they pass cleanly from one to another. They do not. Winter settles. It lingers. It watches. Those born into it learn patience before they learn pride.
I am nineteen winters old.
The stone of the inner courtyard is cold beneath my boots, familiar in a way warmth never has been. House Nivara stones remember silence. They remember endurance. I have grown up listening to them.
"Kera."
Amaya stands beside me, already slightly ahead, as she always has been. She is secure in her body, in her voice, in her presence. People notice her without being told to. I have always admired that about her.
"You're drifting," she says. "Stand properly."
I straighten without argument.
Amaya has younger siblings who rely on her. Leadership clings to her naturally. She adjusts my cloak, decides where we stand, answers before I speak. It has never felt cruel—only certain.
My own home was quieter, sharper in different ways. My parents were married, but harmony never quite lived with us. My father came from the Autumn House, carrying memory and distance into Winter's stillness. They spoke often. Too often. I learned early how to disappear into corners.
Only my brother ever noticed when I did.
The bell sounds.
The Gathering of Asha begins.
Men and women step forward—Spring, Summer, Autumn. Some glow with warmth. Some feel clarity. Some feel nothing. No one is praised. No one is shamed.
When Amaya steps forward, her Asha responds with steadiness. Ambition finds its footing easily.
Then my name is called.
"Kera of House Nivara."
The pause that follows is familiar.
Winter-born always bring a pause.
The elder does not touch me. Cold gathers quietly in my chest, steady and grounding. I do not feel powerful.
I feel capable.
"There," the elder says.
Nothing more.
When I return to Amaya's side, she studies my face.
"Well?" she asks.
"Winter is still winter," I reply.
She nods, satisfiedI do not know yet that this will be the last quiet moment I am given.