Adrenaline surged through my veins as I fingered Knucklebones the Ogres’ massive tusk, tucked into a deep flap of my inner cloak, and shared words of our native tongue with Sae’eana Fisvanna, the stunning elven girl. The entire scene made me feel like a man. If only father could see me for he would find honor in the way I harnessed my magic to protect the party in battle, integrity in the way I severed the fallen ogre’s tusks and bequeathed one as a symbol of good will to the accommodating brewer gnomes, and dignity in the way I confidently spoke to the lovely elf.

Oh how I would love to bring Sae’eana Fisvanna home to the Magnificent Moon Arc Highlands, where she could meet my parents and see me crowned prince. I bet she would never believe I am heir to the throne if I told her now, nobody would. This is why I must continue to grow in mind, body, and spirit, before returning home to accept the position of Prince.

Frosty thoughts of home come and go like flurried snow, as I continue in my attempts to charm the pretty maiden. Her marvelous emerald eyes have captivated every part of me, and each toss of her golden strands melt the snow that my soul is made of. Though I only met her today, her voice brings me home. Maybe it is the familiar dialect, or possibly it is something greater. Only time will tell.

In the morning I think I will prepare “change”. I hoped to save the Ogre’s second tusk as proof of my victories for my father, but that bastard caused Sae’eana much more pain and grief than he did me. My glory doth not surpass her pain, so Sae’eana shall own the splendor of the beast who caged her. Such an obnoxious piece does no justice for a woman of such grandeur, so I shall morph it into a wristlet to wrap the maiden’s delicate, battered forearm. She will introduce beauty where no creature would ever expect.

As I grasp the jagged edge of the enormous tusk, I feel victorious. His defeat replaced a piece of my insecurity with confidence, and added a beautiful asset to our group. I have found great fortune in my journey thus far, mostly from those I have met .Dagmar offered shear brilliance with his ploy to trick the Ogre, and Lilyth Windemere unmanned the filthy fiend with her audacious attack, just today. Each of the others has contributed to our budding excellence in their own way.

I still find uncertainty in myself as well as the world I am in, and why and how I ended up here, but I have always been a fan of a good mystery.