Naxi Qar Xath

Naxi Qar Xath is the daughter of Kiose Qar Xath, Trade Lord of the Jade Gates. Born in 388 AC, Naxi was descended from the Pureborn of Qarth and was once considered to be a Flower of Qarth. During a raid on the Isle of Qal Naxi was taken prisoner by a prince of Yi Ti. Naxi would spend four years as a slave in Meereen as a Red Grace, before she was sold and taken on a ship to Westeros, where she ended up under the wing of Rohanna Lynderly. After nearly a year and a half of servitude Naxi ran away, liberating herself once more.

Appearance and Character
Naxi has the traditional look of a woman of Qartheen heritage. Her hair is a soft white, almost as pure as snow itself. Her eyes are a very light white, and some might mistake her for blind if they do not know her. Her skin is just as pale as her hair, and she looks the albino in Westeros, an oddity for all to see. She has a rather vacant look most of the time, belying the intelligence underneath. Naxi stands taller than the average woman. She favors rich textured dresses, akin to the ones that women would have worn in Mereen. While quite scandalous for a woman in Westeros, Naxi feels most comfortable with as much skin bared on her stomach as possible, while still preserving her modesty. She favors long, flowing skirts as well. While dancing, she often wears bells on her fingers or hips.

Despite her outwardly very courageous and risque appearance, Naxi is actually a very nervous girl. She usually keeps quiet around strangers, to the point where many consider her a mute. When she opens her mouth she's far from graceful, stumbling through her words and generally embarrassing herself. She's earnest at heart, but was taught during her slavery to keep quiet, as few people wished to hear her opinion. She spent months at a time without speaking, and this affected her temperament in her adulthood.

Childhood
Naxi Qar Xath was the first daughter of Trade Prince Kiose, brother to one of the high oligarchs of Qarth. As niece to an oligarch, she enjoyed a great deal of privilege, coupled with the fact that her father enjoyed great wealth ruling over the Jade Gates- the center of trade in the Further East of Essos. Land traders from Yi Ti and Lhazar brought her fine gifts of silken dresses and spices for her rooms, birds in golden cages to hang above her bed, and great eunuchs to stand watch outside her door while she slept. A ship from Asshai brought saffron to burn for protection, and a Shadowbinder offered to divine a fortune for the newborn, which Kiose politely declined.

Naxi was the light of the court of Qarth, as the only girl in the royal family born as of yet. Her uncle the oligarch granted the young girl her every request, and travelers of great renown were often greeted in Qarth by Little Naxi sitting on the throne in her Uncle's stead while he was off in the gardens as a jest. She had her run of Qarth, and the people of Essos knew that sating Naxi was just as important as sating the oligarchs themselves. The child was sufficiently spoiled by the age of four.

Flower of Qarth
With the birth of her two younger sisters, and her uncle's only daughter, Naxi became the ringleader of the group of Qartheen noble girls around her age, known as the Flowers of Qarth. They were content to romp around their homes in the grand city, as Kiose had formally transferred Naxi's tutelage to her aunt, the Lady of Qarth. The group was so named for the lilies in the pond in which they would meet after they broke fast, around which they would decide what games they would play and which servants they should pester for sweets.

The group grew to include the daughters of other Trade Princes, and featured honorary members such as travelling merchant's daughters and the rare servant girl. Anyone who earned the favor of the Flowers was eligible for membership. As a jest, the group declared the Green Grace of Meereen to be such an honorary member of the group, and when the Grace famously heard of her entrance she was quite tickled, sending the girls a cart laid heavy with sweets for them to share. The group was never large, and members were constantly leaving as they moved away from Qarth or simply never returned to the palace to play. However, the distinction of being a Flower of Qarth lasted long, and one of Naxi's former Flowers ended up marrying her uncle's firstborn son.

All good things must come to an end, and Naxi, former head of the Flowers, was taken back to the Jade Gates after her mentor, the Queen, fell ill. While the Flowers continued on without her, she was forced to abdicate, naming her uncle's daughter as ruler after her.

Misfortune at the Jade Gates
Naxi Qar Xath returned to the Jade Gates sullen from her loss of friends. She took to her studies with some reluctance, and preferred to sit in the gardens plucking at her lute over learning her arithmetic or history. Her father grew increasingly frustrated with her lack of obedience, and wrote to the Warlocks for advice on how to handle his sullen and disobedient daughter. At their behest he sent her to live at one of his summer houses with strict tutors, where she would be forced to learn and grow more fond of her father as he would allow her more freedom.

Naxi suffered at the summer house, where she spent all of her waking hours learning and training to become a great lady. At the time it was assumed she would either marry a Wise Master of Yunkai or her own cousin, the Heir Apparent to the throne of Qarth. Either way, she was expected to become cultured and elegant. There was no time for her to run around in the streets and spend her father's money on new dresses and perfumes. Naxi became withdrawn, and was diagnosed with a fit of depression.

The day after her tenth birthday raiders from Yi Ti laid siege to the Jade Gates. Lord Kiose and his family were all tucked away in their fortress, safe from the raiders, but Naxi's household were far from said fortress. Her tutors made a valiant effort to guide the small girl through the panicking crowds, but her bodyguards were struck down by raiders and the small girl was taken to the leader of the slave raid, a Yi Ti princeling looking for glory via conquest. When the identity of Naxi was revealed, her captor initially made a ransom offer to Naxi's father, but the girl was taken to the slave market before she could be returned. The prince had double crossed the House Qar Xath, collecting double the sum. The Qartheen house was unable to respond due to having to pick up the ruins of their city.

Flower, Chained
Naxi was taken on a slaver's ship from the ports of Yi Ti, bundled into the bowels of a ship with people that once would have bowed to her in the streets. The people she lived with for the three weeks she was at sea had little sympathy for her, as they had their own troubles with being taken prisoner by the warlords of Yi Ti. If Naxi had thought herself lonely at the summer house, she now considered that to be small potatoes, as her tear ducts dried up from crying constantly.

The ship Naxi was ferried on eventually arrived at the port of Meereen, where the occupants of the boat were marshaled to the heart of the slave empire of Essos, the slave markets of Meereen. Naxi was thoroughly inspected by the men in the markets, and offered to the Graces of Meereen. In a twist of irony, the Green Grace, the woman who Naxi had once invited to be a Flower of Qarth, officiated the purchase, sending Naxi to the cult prostitutes, the Red Graces. Being too young for sex work, Naxi was given the job of tending to the elder dancers, helping them with their complicated outfits and making sure they were properly bathed and perfumed. In exchange for her service, some of the kinder dancers taught Naxi the movements necessary to entice and seduce. During her times as a wallflower in service to the Graces, she learned the skills of eavesdropping. Many did not notice her for her looks- despite her Qartheen heritage she was just another serving girl, and men were willing to talk openly about plots and schemes in front of her.

Unfortunately, Naxi never got the chance to become a dancer for the Graces. At the tender age of fourteen she was sold again, as part of a bargain deal by a merchant from the far West of Essos. Naxi was once again bade to board a ship and live in squalor as she was ferried to the opposite end of the world.

The Courts of Westeros
Naxi was only in the Free Cities of Essos for a very short time. After two weeks of being a servant in Lys, she was again bundled up onto a ship, to serve as a handmaid and translator. Naxi had been exposed to very many languages during her time in service to the Graces. At the courts of the Vale, Naxi caught the eye of a certain Lady Lynderly, at court at the same time as Naxi's master. Snakewood could always use more servants, and Naxi's master was willing to strike up an under-the-table bargain. At the age of fourteen she was bought by the illustrious woman and taken back to Snakewood, where she was put to work.

Westeros was vastly different from anywhere she had been before. Naxi was constantly cold, used to the arid climate of Central Essos. Still, the work of cleaning was much easier than she could have hoped for, and she earned the eye of her masters by showing diligence. While not officially a slave (she was never formally emancipated), as she was informed that the practice was illegal in Westeros, she was still expected to work, and work she did. Her stint in Meereen had broken her highborn spirit. To avoid any scrutiny for her exotic looks, she took to dying her hair with crushed berries and other natural tinctures, which unfortunately only made her stand out more. Typically her lady will cover with a story, as the girl herself tends to freeze up when questioned directly.

Rohanna Lynderly took notice in the girl after she saw her dancing in the servant's quarters after cleaning, her hypnotic movements sparking an idea in the lady's head. In exchange for less work and better living conditions, Naxi would serve as the spymistress of Snakewood, doing as her lady commanded. The work of going back to Qarth is one that she is building up to- few in Westeros believe her stories of noble heritage, and the boats that she might hire are far out of her price range. For the moment, Lady Lynderly offered her a better living situation than sleeping on the streets and selling her body for money.

At Long Last
No woman wishes for slavery. Naxi was liberated after a year and a half following the death of Rohanna Lynderly and left, packing only the essentials and a bit of money to ensure her travel would go uninterrupted. It was easy enough to buy passage to King's Landing- Naxi desperately wished to avoid any possible attacks by pirates in the Stepstones, as slavery was the last thing she wanted to endure again.

Work came easily for her in the capitol. Naxi could find good jobs as a scribe, pinning her hair up underneath a hat and wearing baggy clothes to conceal her figure. It paid well enough, but having to constantly conceal herself was far from ideal. And, truth be told, she had grown fond of children, taking care of them seemed natural after her time as a Flower of Qarth.

An opportunity came to her that almost seemed to good to be true. Gareth Tyrell, Lord of Highgarden needed a governess and tutor for his multiple children, and Naxi's experience under another noble lady made her confident enough to take the position. It seemed she was destined for a life of taking care of the children of others.

At Highgarden she felt secure. The climate was warm- and if she closed her eyes and sat in the gardens it almost reminded her of her own home in the Jade Gates. She was paid well enough, not that it mattered in the grand scheme of things, and for the first time in nearly seventeen years Naxi felt at peace with her position in life.

Family

 * Syballo Qar Xath
 * (m.) Naxi Illawarem
 * Syballo Qar Xath
 * (m.) Ylari Qar Xath
 * Irros Qar Xath
 * Pyat Qar Xath
 * Tybessa Qar Xath
 * Kiose Qar Xath
 * (m.) Ezza Qar Vaes
 * Syballo Qar Xath
 * Itho Qar Xath
 * Naxi Qar Xath
 * Marra Qar Xath
 * Xuti Qar Xath

Household Members
See House Lynderly