Philippa’s life had a decent start. Her mother had died in childbirth, but she had an older sister and a father who loved her dearly. Her father was the seneschal for a wealthy nobleman, and this afforded his girls an education that many were not so blessed with. Philippa was not a noble, but she was around them enough that she was learned about riding and some falconry in addition to more scholarly pursuits. She even had courses in etiquette.

She was only twelve when everything went terribly awry.

The nobleman’s heir was just a little older than her sister, and he had an intense sadistic streak. He also wasn’t used to being told ‘no’. Philippa witnessed him raping her sister and strangling her to death with his bare hands. The girl told her father, and he took a stand against the noble household, but that household stood behind that favored son… were willing to do whatever needed doing to keep that ugly secret from coming out.

Her father was killed for speaking out, and they wanted very much to silence Philippa as well, but Philippa managed to get away and hid within the large city. She had nothing of her old life but the clothes on her back, and half starving, she wound up being taken in by a street gang made up of orphans and runaways not unlike herself. She stayed hidden amongst their ranks for nearly two years, learning how to beg and to steal when she had to… whatever it took to survive.

But they found her again… were relentless in their search in case she should ever come back… and because the young nobleman wouldn’t have minded seeing the life drain out of her body as it had her sister’s. The leader of her little gang got himself killed trying to defend her, and unwilling to lead danger toward those of her friends who remained, she took his clothes… contriving to disguise herself as a lad and get onto a naval ship as a ship’s boy. She was slight enough of build that by binding up her chest tightly, it might just work…

She has been pulling off that deception—going now by the name Phil or Philip—for the past four years. She has seen bloody sea battles with other naval ships and with pirates, and she is nimble and quick in the rigging of a ship. The sea became her comfort… that frigate her home.

Unfortunately, that too was taken from her. There was a newcomer aboard the ship… a man whom she recognized, though vaguely. He had worked in that same noble household and was quite loyal to the man who had killed her sister. Guessing at her secret, he tried to rape Phil… and he told her too, that the nobles still pursued her… that her sister’s killer was half mad with pursuing her… that she would be found out.

She had taken a shiv from her old friend amongst the street urchins, and she used it that night… She trembled for a good hour before she found the strength… until the shock wore off enough that she was able to wrap him up, weighting the body, and dumping it over into the sea.

That close call has caused her to desert the naval ship that had provided her sanctity. Fairly certain that the noble pursuing her does not know of her guise, she has decided it would be safer to continue her deception, and that is how she has come to this place in the guise of a young man… though she is not opposed to taking on others.

Whatever it takes to survive…