"Tell me about Mother."
"What exactly would you like me to tell?"
"Everything."
"Everything is a lot."
"Everything!"
"Alright, alright.
"Your mother was the most beautiful person to me. Her long coal hair curled about her head like a lion's mane. Her blue eyes were as light as dawn but thrice as bright. She was tall and willowy, towering over many men, myself included. She carried herself like a warrior, eschewing the ways of a lady for the life led by the sword and shield. She was strong enough to wrestle a bear, skilled enough to disarm ten men, wise enough to know when to stand and when to fall, charming enough to win my heart, and brave enough to give her life to protect you.
"She was raised by the monks of the northeast, tutored by the sages of the southwest. She learned to fight from the barbarians of the east, and she learned how to barter from the trader merchants of the west. She courted many of the nobles of the capital, creating scandal with both lord and lady. She led armies to defend against the demons from the dark. She managed treaties with the faen elves of the light.
"She was bold, bright, and fresh. Arrogant and stubborn when she wanted something. But she knew and showed kindness and generosity. She helped those in need by teaching and building and giving people a chance to prove themselves. She revolutionized cites and brought prosperity to those who would listen to her.
"She fought dragons and tyrants. She saved children and civilizations. She created myth, she lived legend. Her story seemed endless and will live on from hearth to hearth and nestled in deep in musty libraries.
"But there was an end. It was her last story. It wasn't her fight. She could have come home and let someone else handle the greatest threat this land has seen. She could have stayed safe and sound. But she couldn't really. She couldn't sleep with a sound mind knowing she wasn't the one to secure your safety with her own hands. She loved you that much. She loved you enough that she had to defend your happiness herself.
"So she went out to face the oldest blackest darkness. Her friends carried her through the fight. It was a terrible battle with clashing steel and flying arrows and screaming magic. Many fell but no one retreated. They all fell except your mother. She fought and fought. But it took everything. It took all but her last three words to defeat the oldest, blackest darkness for all eternity. She couldn't come home though. She was too broken, too weak, too hurt. All she had were her last three words and the promise from the wind to carry her words home.
"The first word was the name of her people, telling them they were cherished for their unity and the reason her story was so bright.
"The second word was my name because she loved me and kept me dear. It was a plea for me to stay strong without her, to understand her legacy, to continue her work. And I will because I still love her with all my heart, soul and mind.
"The third and final word was your name. You smiled brightly when you heard your name in her voice even when she was so far away because that word, your name, was so full of love, hope, promise, and more emotions that language cannot describe. You were her world, her heart, her reason for everything she did. She would have done everything again just to see another one of your smiles.
"She died before the wind could deliver the messages. So maybe she did see your smile. Maybe that was her reward for sacrifice, for everything that she had done."
"I love Mother!"
"I know you do. I do too."
"Why are you crying?"
"Because I wish she was here. I wish she could see you."
"Her stories are here. You are here."
"I will always be here for you. i will one day write your stories so that your stories can sit next to your mother's"
"I'm going to have great and grand adventures like Mother!"
"I'm sure you well. You will be as great or greater than her."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
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