Larsa Báltu, from “House of the Seventh Minuet,” is a young man from Northern Sweden, a region also known as Sápmi. In fact, Sápmi covers the northern regions of several Scandinavian countries and a small part of Russia. This is were the Sámi (also written Saami) people live. They are the indigenous people of Scandinavia, with their own culture and traditions, and you can learn more about them here. I definitely encourage you to learn more about them and do your own research! They are also known as the Reindeer People, and used to be called Lapps, or the people of Lapland, but that is no longer a politically correct term.

Larsa loves his culture and his family, and he’s studying agriculture in order to serve his community. When he’s not busy with college, he helps out with the reindeer and spends time doing crafts. He is the second-youngest of several children, and even though he (with his little sister, who’s scarcely 11 months younger than him) is the baby of the family, he loves babies and kids, whether it’s babysitting or just playing. He even hopes to be able to adopt some of his own some day. (And by the way, his family doesn’t mind at all that he likes men; they love him no matter what.)

Even though he’s light-hearted and playful, Larsa is also kind and responsible. He knows when it’s time to get serious and make wise decisions; he’s not afraid to ask for help when he needs it, and will take the time to think things through and use his resources. Because of this, the council is his home town helped make sure he got into the agricultural program at Umeå University. After a couple years studying there, he signed up for the foreign exchange program, which is how he ended up in Portland, Oregon.

It was in Portland where Larsa met Killian, and he couldn’t be happier. Killian is finished with college, but that doesn’t stop him from helping Larsa with homework and gaining a better understanding of the wider world.

Soon enough, I’ll post my drawing of Larsa; it’s nearly done. I’ll also share background on the other characters for you to read in between chapters. I’m thinking of drawing Evander soon; I really like him as a character. Until then, happy reading!