“Tell me again! Pleeeeeeease.”
The old man chuckled, settling into his chair and leaning back. “Again? Didn’t we do this one yesterday?”
“Yes but it’s my favorite. Oh pretty please?” Big hopeful eyes stared at him as the child rested her chin on his knee.
“Well, alright. Since it is your favorite…
Sarinia Juniper was the third head of the Champions of the Shield. She was strong, courageous, fair to her soldiers, and—”
“Beautiful!”
Another chuckle was drawn from the man. “Yes, I’m sure she was, but I was going to say ruthless to her enemies. Wherever she went the bandits fled in terror. Sarinia was tough on her people too. She trained them constantly until they were the strongest in all the land. They say she could take on a band of fifty bandits with only ten men beside her and win with no casualties.”
“And her spear.” The child breathed, eyes sparkling.
“That’s right, her spear was a work of art and magic. It was said to glow white right after striking a killing blow.”
“But no one knows why!”
“Ah, perhaps you should be telling me the story. You are correct. No one knows why it did or what that glow meant because she would never tell. Nor would her second, Linus, the mage who enchanted it.”
“Where is it now?”
“No one knows. She retired from the Champions of the Shield with Linus and no one heard from them again.”
The girl sighed and hugged the man’s leg. “They got married and lived happily ever after. I’m going to be just like her when I grow up.”
He smiled and patted her head. “I’m sure you will. Just keep up your training.”