When Arista came to Heidelmere, she wished to be away from all politics, all court intrigue. No doubt she would have come by herself, had that been an option, and barred herself in Evensong Castle to live the rest of her life in solitary confinement. You don't even understand why she felt she had to flee, but you knew that if she had to do so, you would make sure that where she went became a home, and not a prison. So you insisted on accompanying her, as did Melody, and the Hegemon directed Elite Garthain to accompany her as well.
So the four of you have made your home here, for the past several years, while the rest of the Linked Worlds tore themselves apart, and those three of you in service to Arista have watched her withdraw into herself more and more. And you have found your heart more and more, no longer in your own possession. You have said nothing to Garthain, for you could not bear the pity in his eyes, and you have said nothing to Arista, for she would understand, and that would be all the more painful. Melody, you think, has seen, but she keeps her counsel to herself.
It has not, perhaps, been the home you would have imagined for yourself as a girl, but Evensong Castle has been home, even for Arista. Now, though, as news comes of the fall of Ridena, of the death of the Nomarches and the fall of all you remember, and as a messenger and much of the Court arrives to speak to Arista, you think it will never be home again.