Looking around furtively as if unsure of any protocol, the small one places the page face-up on the altar, takes a knee, and whispers a small prayer, and then departs as quietly and quicky at it came.
To Darius and Kenshin, when they find it, the letter read such:
Da,
I am writing you this letter because I needed to talk to you. I think about you all the time. Mamma is well and misses you too. Meshet Lingenbuckle is still her gardener, and he is doing a good job keeping up with the chores for Ma or at least thats what she said in her last letter. I try and send her a letter with money every month or so, but it's not always that easy.
I have some good news for you. I recently became a Knight! Well,it's more like a helper Knight, but Knight is still in the name. It was one of my best days. I had to take an Oath and I'm afraid my hand will cramp if I try to write you out the whole thing, but bascially it means that I perform my duties as the Prince (The Prince!) commands, and that I protect the weak, the innocent, and help those who cannot help themselves. It's a lot like what you used to tell me to do around our village, but now I do it everywhere. I miss you. I was proud of being chosen as a Knight, mostly cause I know you would have been proud of me, and because I have new friends that have dedicated their whole lives to helping others. The other Knights names are Phelan, who recently became my brother since I don't have any family here and I needed some but I'll talk about that later. I think Phelan is the nicest man next to you Da I've ever met. Amelia is his sister, and mine now too. She's pretty and she has a beautiful smile, but she doesn't show it all the time. She's a great warrior though, and she can teach me a lot I think. Same with Edana. Amy says she's not usually so smiley, but she smiled and laughed a lot the day I took my Oath to be a Knight. She is a great warrior too, and can help my sword-work I think. I like her a lot. Then there's a sneaky guy named Shard who doesn't much like hugs, a kinda grumpy elf named Hyel who isn't nearly as grumpy as he pretends to be, and me for now. My Oath means I can't come looking for that Ork who killed you right away, because I have to do some things first for the Prince, but I made a promise on the day you died, and I will keep it. I'm not a Lily Gristlegrinder. It just might take more time is all.
The next day after becoming a Knight was my worst day. I took a big sea boat (I know! it was huge!) to a city called Morell, and these theiving 'Lings has stolen stuff and they were hurting my friends and hurting me too. I tried to tell them to stop cause I didn't understand why they would do that? Why would they try and hurt others? Phelan says there is evil in the world and it doesn't always take the shape I would like it to, which I think means that some people are evil. I took an Oath to protect people, Da. So I took my sword. And I stuck them. And they died. They died because they wouldn't stop. And they died because I had to make them dead to protect my friends. My heart is still sore over it. I've cried and cried until my tears were gone and then cried some more, but it doesn't stop the hurt in my chest. "The weight of the sword" Phelan and Amy called it, which I think just means that it's hard to kill a person, which I can tell you it really is. I know I did what I had to do, and I know they were wrong, but that doesn't seem to help.
I'll be strong, cause Ma would tell me I need to be. I don't ever want to embarrass you, Da. I wish you were here cause you'd know what to do to make my heart better I think. I miss you. So much.
*The remainder of the letter,another paragraph or so, is tear-soaked and illegible*
