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Kessa grew up in a minor hold beholden to South Bend Hold where she was raised by collective effort of the hold - more specifically, the elders whose job seemed focused on raising the young. She never knew her mother - some fly by night woman prone to get involved with men but leave behind any babies bared. Luckily, she knew her father well. He was an active member of the minor hold, having become a major part in its daily functions and wealth. He also came to expect a great deal from Kessa. He was mostly a boss rather than a father. Hence, her life basically consisted of earning her keep like everyone else; doing whatever jobs she could find to keep her from being assigned a task she did not like.

In time, when she matured, she grew to have a strong crush on a charming young man who was a part of the woodsmiths, working in their region. Most of the time he would be lumber jacking, and in the evenings when the logging crews packed it in for the night, she worked hard to earn his attention. It wasnt an abnormal behaviour for a girl to have a crush on a boy - certainly it made the aunties giggle at her mischievous attempts to make him laugh. When it did seem the woodsmith was finally giving her the time of day, an unfortunate accident caused it to end suddenly; the healer at the minor hold could do nothing for the young man.

This devastating occurrence caused her relationship with her father to flourish more than it had for the turns she had been alive. Although he never really understood the workings of love and emotions - or so he said - he attempted to do his best to make sure his daughter recovered from the horrific tragedy. It seemed to work, for a time - until she kept on encountering constant reminders of her first crush. She became depressed, so much so that for days at a time she would not rise from her bed to carry on with her workload in the Hold. It worried her father and the local healer.

Father and healer determined then it would be best for her to experience the world and open her eyes to the hundreds of options and paths awaiting for her. They hoped it would ease the saddness and return her spirit.

The next time a dragon rider came by, they requested her to be taken as a guest. It took several months to earn a reply, but when they did, Kessa was packed up on the back of a blue dragon and taken abroad.

Continue Reading: Part-Two