Aya Li Qiao

Art by Henry

Princess Aya Li Qiao is the eldest daughter of Empress Li Ling Qiao and the heir to the Imperial throne.  Born for the sole purpose of one day replacing her mother, instead of a child out of love she has struggled with understanding her place from a young age. Her mother is very strict and constantly pushes for Aya to be better in everywhere and was never really there emotionally. Such a way of raising resulted in a young girl who always felt the only way to earn her mothers love to constantly prove herself. So she strives to learn and understand the political intricacies as well as mastering the family martial arts.  She has very little friends outside of her family and palace staff, any outside social interaction almost always being for the sole purpose of learning how to deal with people as a princess and sitting in on meetings regarding law or trade.  Most of her free-time is spent training instead of hanging out with others leading to a more introverted princess who rarely has the patience to really deal with those outside her circle and struggles to define herself beyond the fact that she is the daughter of a loved and feared Empress.