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Description

At five feet, two inches, nineteen-year-old Kaysa 'Kay' Halsen does not look like a knight. Her midnight black ringlets seem all the blacker in comparison to her pale skin, which is saved by the copious freckles sprinkled over the bridge of her nose from appearing 'translucent'. Her intense and knowing gaze is only made all the more haunting by her heterochromaticism: with one eye the color of sea glass and the other the blue-gray of a stormy sky, few who look upon her for the first time find themselves undisturbed by her glance.

NOTE: Kaysa is mute (see history).

Personality

For all her overbearing (if petite) appearances, Kaysa is a light and charming girl. While she does suffer from something of a hero-complex, her desire to help everyone and everything in danger is sincere and well-founded...if perpetuated by the idea that everyone needs her help. Undoubtedly, Kaysa is prideful, though she is saved from arrogance by compassion and sincerity. Stubbornly optimistic, Kay is often accused of being slightly soft. These accusations remain unproven...as well as unheeded by our heroine.
((Think Prince Charming from the Disney movie 'Enchanted'.))

Equipment

Kaysa, while a decent swordsmen and melee fighter, prefers archery above all else. Therefore, she carries with her a bow, specially crafted for her shorter arms, and an embroidered leather quiver, given to her by her mother when she finally realized her daughter would never be a lady-in-waiting. She also carries a small dagger with a bejeweled hilt, and a pouch for carrying coins, medicinal herbs, and whatever knick-knacks Kay decides suit her fancy. Finally, Kay wears around her neck a small wooden whistle, a gift from her older brother when he learned his sister was to be a knight. The whistle bears the inscription, "For my sister, who never needed a voice to be heard."

History

Kaysa was born into a family neither rich, nor poor. The family lived on the outskirts of a noble estate, with whom they were in good standing. Kaysa's mother, Alliane, was the lady-in-waiting for the Sir Brennan's young daughter, Leah, and Kaysa, her younger playmate. Kaysa's brother, Aidan, was the stable hand, and her father, the head of security for the estate. It was through him Kaysa learned her archery skills, soon overtaking her brother, and several of the younger pages and knight in training at the estate. As she grew older, her skill grew, and while she was highly talented, her ability went largely unrecognized, until she was eleven years old.

Kaysa was returning one night to her family's home from an extended date with Leah. Even from several hundred yards away, the faint orange glow on the horizon told her something was wrong. Though her brother and mother were still at Brennan's house, she knew her father had been laid up with an illness. With no regard for her own safety, Kaysa sprinted for the burning wreckage of her house. She was able to rescue only his bejeweled dagger, and lost her voice to the smoke in the process.

Instead of mourning, however, Kaysa was determined to carry her father's name, and so became a guard at Brennan's estate, her skills in shooting eventually surpassing those of her father. It was not long after she was knighted, receiving her gifts from her father and brother.

Kaysa Halsen's Story