No one who saw the girl playing with the other boys and girls would have given too much thought about her.  They might have noticed that she seemed to be a natural leader, might even think that it was a shame that she had not been born a boy.  Others might smile to themselves and think that she would be a perfect wife for a mayor, so that her skills would not go to waste, but then they would become involved in some adult matter or another and not give much more thought to the young woman.

For Riona’s part, she knew that she was different, but she could not quite explain it, nor did she spend much time in thinking about how she was different.  Whatever the differences were, they did not keep her from playing with the other girls and boys in the village of Eesta, nor did it make the adults treat her differently.  

For someone from outside of Eesta, there was nothing about Riona to draw their attention, to make her stand out from all the other children.  She was a cute child, but so were several others of the children.  Her hair was a rich brunette with some auburn highlights from playing outside, but several of her playmates had similar hair.  Her eyes were the kind of hazel that seemed to change with her feelings, but even that was not rare among the children of Eesta.

While most people, including Riona herself, did not understand how different the young girl was from her peers, for two people, those differences were absolutely crucial.  And yet, it was also important to them that she not yet draw any attention to herself.  The time would come, and as much as Iamor and Tyrresa looked forward to the day when Riona would come into her own, they were also frightened by it.

***