Harper lived a charmed life the first few hundred years. Born to one of the most powerful Summer Court water nymph families, she had one older brother, Nahoi Kai, and a twin brother, Makaio Kai. Her mother and father were rulers of some of the largest rivers in all of Arethil. Her mother ruled the Drawa River and her father the Baal-Asha river. They met on chance, traveling back to summer for the yearly tithes and realized they were mates. After they completed the joining ceremony and merging their two clans, they quickly had Nahoi. Harper's mother was known for her beauty, even among the higher fae, and it is rumored that she was tricked into sleeping with a duanan of questionable origin, becoming pregnant with Harper and Makaio.

Harper's father didn't hesitate to raise both children as his own, neither children nor sibling knowing anything was amiss. He intended to raise them as future rulers of the clan, to one day rule the freshwater nymphs of the major rivers.

Harper was close with her parents and siblings. She and her siblings were known for playing and their bells of laughter babbling along the river shores and summer court fountains, a constant sound of joy and mischief.

Then came the Second Great Reclamation War, 6,500 years ago. Her father was inscripted and barely survived. He refused to talk about what happened. Since losing the war against Winter, taxes skyrocketed for the lesser fae, the Kai clan severely affected. Years passed until they were eventually unable to pay the system. The entire Kai family was arrested in a power play by the Summer Queen and thrown into a summer labor camp, mining for gold and working the fields.

Harper's life went from joy, freedom, and playfulness to darkness, pain, and survival. She spent 1,000 years in the labor camps. And in that time her mother, father, and older brother died from the brutal labor, lack of water, or were executed. She and her twin managed to survive, even with the multiple whippings to her back and her dry, cracking skin. At some point, her brother was taken away and she lost track of where he went. Alone, she didn't think she'd survive much longer.

Just as things seemed the darkest and she was ready to give up, she and a small group of others were broken free by Elio of the Dusk Court. She was brought to the Dusk Court boundaries for the Proving but turned the test down. She wanted to find her brother. And she was offered a position at the Winter Court to serve Queen Mab as the primary Groundskeeper. With a charmed acorn of water around her neck, she is able to leave the water for long amounts of time but always does better if she is able to submerge at least once a month.

Names she is known by:

• Lady of the Water
• House of Kai
• Lost Princess