Morgan was twelve, and this fair was a right-of-passage for him. He was secretly glad that his father was away, and that Perin had to come to take him. Perin was a legend, walking among men. He knew that this time, Perin would not hide the truth from him. He might finally hear the history of his family’s oldest friend.
“Why don’t you wear your weapons?” he asked the tall, dark elf . Perin rarely rode a horse, but seemed to be holding himself back, waiting for Morgan’s ride to keep up. Even when he looked up at Morgan, there was a presence in his face. His voice was full of command, so unlike the other elves who visited the town.
“Let me hold on to my illusions, just one more day.”
“How can you wish to be anything but the soldier? You are a legend! You have a name that people whisper. Everyone knows you. They know your deeds, and your past. People watch you. How can you not love that?”
Morgan’s childish enthusiasm grated on Perin. He loved the young man, but wished he had been home longer, had tempered the youth’s thoughts. He didn’t want to repeat the mistake he had made with Morgan’s father.
It was time to talk to Morgan. It was time to teach him.
He needed to learn fear.
“We’ll camp inside the tree line tonight, and finish out walk tomorrow. Gather wood for the fire, Morgan.”
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The RudeDawg
Known in these Forgotten Realms as Perin LightEyes