Brimblewisp

First, I’m sorry it’s been a while. It’s been about a month since I last posted, and between starting a new job, keeping up with schoolwork, and trying to balance everything else, Brimblewisp had to sit quietly in the background for a little longer than I intended.

I’m still figuring out how to make room for everything without completely overwhelming myself, but I haven’t forgotten about the blog—or Everwhyn. I’m hoping to ease back into posting instead of putting pressure on myself to immediately return with some perfect schedule.

When I first introduced Everwhyn, I gave you a glimpse of the story and promised that I would eventually share more of its world and characters. Since Kestrel is one of the main characters at the heart of the story, she felt like the right person to begin with.

So, after a slightly longer break than planned,

It’s finally time to meet Kestrel.

When I first introduced Everwhyn, I described Kestrel as a young woman who has forgotten that she doesn’t have to carry the world alone. Since she is one of the main characters at the heart of the story, I thought it was time to introduce her properly—or at least as properly as I can without giving away everything that happens to her.

Kestrel is the daughter of Duke Edmund, but her title doesn’t mean she has lived an easy or particularly happy life. After losing her mother, Delphine, she was raised by a father who is usually absent and a stepmother who has never treated her like a daughter. Her younger half-sister, Seraphina, learned from her mother’s example and has spent most of her life making it clear that Kestrel doesn’t belong.

The one member of her family Kestrel is genuinely close to is her older brother, Sebastian—usually called Bash. He is protective of her and would come home immediately if he knew what her life was really like. Kestrel knows that, which is exactly why she hides it from him.

Bash is away serving in Everwhyn’s military, and Kestrel doesn’t want him distracted or worried about something he cannot fix from a distance. When she writes to him, she tells him about her garden, what she has been baking, and everything happening around the estate that won’t make him want to abandon his responsibilities and rush home. She sends him care packages filled with his favorite things and always includes enough for him to share with the other soldiers.

It is one of the clearest examples of who Kestrel is. She takes care of everyone else, even when doing so means hiding what she is going through herself.

The Life Kestrel Has Made

Kestrel doesn’t care much about being the daughter of a duke. She would rather spend her day in the garden, experimenting with a new recipe, cooking with the estate’s chef, or painting than attending a formal dinner or worrying about what the rest of the nobility thinks of her.

The household staff are also more of a family to her than most of the people who share her name. She works beside them, listens to them, and shares whatever she bakes instead of treating them as though they are beneath her. They are some of the few people who know the real Kestrel rather than the version her family presents to everyone else.

More than anything, Kestrel wants peace. She isn’t dreaming about status, expensive gowns, or earning a place at court. She wants a quiet life filled with the things and people she loves.

Unfortunately, Kestrel is much better at caring for other people than she is at admitting when she needs someone to care for her.

She has a habit of keeping everything inside and convincing herself she can handle it. She understands why the people around her behave the way they do, but that sometimes makes it easier for her to excuse behavior she shouldn’t have to accept. It also means that most people don’t realize how much she has been carrying because she has spent years making sure they never see it.

Kestrel and Bramble

Then there is Bramble, Kestrel’s closest friend and almost constant companion.

Kestrel found Bramble as an abandoned kit with a badly injured paw and nursed the little fox back to health. Bramble never really left after that and has since grown into a much larger and more intimidating fox than anyone expected.

Their relationship is one of my favorite parts of Kestrel’s character. They don’t need words to understand one another. Kestrel can read Bramble’s moods through the smallest movements, while Bramble seems to recognize feelings Kestrel is trying to hide before anyone else notices them.

Bramble is also far less interested in keeping the peace. Kestrel may be willing to remain polite, but Bramble has no problem making an opinion known—especially when Kestrel’s stepmother or sister is involved.

Where We Meet Her

At the beginning of Everwhyn, Kestrel has found a way to make her life bearable. It isn’t perfect, and it isn’t necessarily the life she would have chosen for herself, but it is familiar. She has her garden, her baking, her painting, the estate staff, and Bramble.

She has also convinced herself that this is enough.

Then an unexpected opportunity gives her the chance to leave home.

Taking it means walking into a future she knows very little about, but it also means making one of the first major choices that truly belongs to her. Kestrel doesn’t know what is waiting for her beyond Willowbrook—or how much her decision will change both her life and Everwhyn itself.

Of course, I know. I’m just not telling you yet.

For now, I’d love to know: Would you risk an uncertain future for the chance to finally choose your own life?

~CC