Lara

My dearest Cassia,

Do you remember the stray cat you tried to rescue when you were seven? The one that hissed and scratched and refused to be helped? You sat with it for three hours anyway. Patient. Quiet. Unafraid of its claws. That is who you are, Cassia. Not the title you carry or the will you hold. The girl who sits with the wounded thing when everyone else walks away. Never forget that.

With all my love,
Lara