Emmaline Hale was born to a noble family in the medieval kingdom of Camelot. She was always a precocious child, and showed great talent for music and poetry from a young age. Her parents encouraged her talents and enrolled her in the best schools available. As she grew older, Emmaline began to feel restless. She longed for adventure and excitement, not the sedate life of a noblewoman. She snuck out of the castle one night and made her way to the local tavern, where she met a group of travelling musicians. They were so impressed with her singing that they asked her to join them on their journey. Emmaline hesitated at first, but eventually made up her mind and ran away with the troupe. She travelled all over the kingdom, performing in taverns, castles, and even royal courts. Wherever she went, she won over audiences with her beautiful voice and moving storytelling. Eventually, Emmaline settled down in a small town near Camelot with the man she had fallen in love with during her travels. She continued to perform occasionally, but mostly focused on raising her family and helping to run their tavern. She was contented and happy with her simple life… until one day, everything changed. The king of Camelot unexpectedly announced that he was retiring and abdicating his throne to his daughter princess Gwendolyn. Princess Gwendolyn was very different from her father – whereas he had been a just and fair ruler, she was cruel and ruthless. One of her first decrees was that all bards and minstrels were to be banned from performing throughout the kingdom on pain of death. Emmaline refused to give up her music without a fight. She continued performing in secret, risking everything to bring joy and hope to her people during dark times. When word spread of her defiance, other bards began joining her performances – until one night they were caught by the guards. Emmaline was arrested along with all the other performers and thrown into prison awaiting execution.. To be continued...