Unfortunate as it was that Xaviera was born a girl, she brought tremendous joy to her parents when she entered the world, for they had tried for a long time to have children without success. She enjoyed a privileged upbringing, benefiting from the position of her family as rulers of a small but wealthy city-state, Tyria. She was educated as a child in the appropriate skills for a woman of her class: handicrafts, etiquette, horsemanship, reading and writing, music, and courtly ritual. However, when it became clear that her parents would have no more children and that Xaviera would have to follow her father to the throne of Tyria, new tutors were engaged to educate her in kingly arts: economics, leadership, strategy, diplomacy. She became an apprentice to her father, just as he had been an apprentice to his father as heir.

Xaviera grew up under the influence of her father and grandmother, an indomitable battle-ax of a woman whose wisdom is often packaged in vulgar one-liners and gruff, abrupt bon mots. Xaviera's mother died when Xaviera was fourteen, but her memory was cherished by the royal household and the princess followed after her mother's footsteps, keeping up her practice of music and remaining pious as her mother had always wished.

When her father died, Xaviera became Queen of Tyria by the exercise of law. She delayed her coronation until the end of her mourning period -- in part out of respect for her fallen father and in part because there is lots to be done, including finding a way to address a mounting pirate threat menacing the trade routes vital to Tyria's stability and prosperity. As she solidifies herself on the throne, Xaviera looks abroad towards potential allies in hopes of stabilizing her power base and her city in a potentially volatile region.