Dear Arenya,
We are so proud of you!
You told us before you left that you wanted to keep up to date on everything at the farm. We bet you’re so busy with all your schoolwork and your new friends that we just seem like a couple of old-timers now, but in case you do still really care about our old apple farm, the harvest is going great. Your friend Daniel has been helping us out so much. We were sure it would be a lot harder to get everything done with one less pair of hands on the farm, but Daniel is super strong and super willing to help, even though he said some of his demon friends don’t like him “hanging out with Followers”.
But tell us what’s going on with you. We’re sure you have so many new friends now, and are serving The One Above in all sorts of new ways. You know what the Dragon Sages said [The Fifth Gate, Page 3-7-2]: To Serve The One Above in your own town is a high calling, but to bring his word distant even higher. We hope you’ve been having enough to eat, and are learning all sorts about being a BladeMage! Our little dragon is all grown up now! :D (that was your father’s smiley, by the way!)
When we heard Daniel was going to the city, we knew we just had to send a letter. It’s hard to get a letter from here to the city, but it’s a lot easier to send one back we hear, so even if you don’t finish your letter in time for Daniel to bring it back, hopefully we can get it soon!
Tell us everything you’ve been doing. Don’t leave out any detail! That was your father again - it’s okay, Ari. Don’t tell us anything you don’t want to.
You may grow up and move on from us, but remember: The One Above watches over you, and as long as you serve him, he will serve you back.
We are so proud of you! Love,
Mom and Dad <3
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Dear Mom and Dad,
You wouldn’t believe all the things I’ve been up to! I’ve met all sorts of wonderful people here. The city is really interesting. There aren’t many Followers, but I met this one professor named Professor Kazurist. He follows the Crown of Three and he knows all about focuses and Followingand ; he’s so smart! But I won’t shan’t go on about him forever.
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Do you remember Cartalis? She and I became super good friends. She’s helping me write this letter, too, so I can get all the words rightuse proper diction. We met some musicians, too. Cartalis and me I[1] weren’t sure what to think about them at first but we ended up getting along really well. They’ve even helped test out my new focus!
Oh, yeah, the focus! We made a really amazing sword we named Shamir. Cartalis and I worked sooooooo extremely sooooooo extremely sooooooo [2] hard on him, but he’s so beautiful and amazing magnificent! Professor Kazurist liked him so much that he let us into the graduate labs even though we aren’t graduate students![3]
But anyway, someone else from the band is also a Follower, though she doesn’t know much about it. She’s one twentieth dragon or so[4] but she even thought I was a drake! I wanna wish to convince her to come to the next Great Feast, but she’s a little unpredictable absolutely Dortald-Blinded Xelax-Wack insane[5], so I don’t know if she’d be interested.
So yeah! Things have been good here, though not really what I expected. I can’t wait to see you again, though. I’m really happy Daniel has been so helpful and that you wrote such a lovely letter! Thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you for the apples. They were soooooooo[6] good!!!!
May the One Above guide us all through this life and the next, and protect us from the perils of the Overseer as in times past.
Love, Arenya Ari Your Little Quarter Dragon
[1] A common mistake, so all the more important to correct.
[2] She insisted.
[3] That’s not what happened. In truth, XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Arenya scribbled this out and bade me promise not to write it again. ’Tis not worth the argument.
[4] 1/16. I did the math.
[5] I wrote this in when Arenya wasn’t looking. Hopefully she won’t notice. It is far more accurate than her version.
[6] She did, however, agree to keep the number of Os consistent, after some debate.
The elegantly scribed portions are from a friend. Your daughter’s vocabulary is improving, though mine has begun to slip a bit from picking up the odd bit of slang from her. She asked me for any suggestions, thus the corrections above. Most of the letter is from Arenya, however. Fare thee well, Alavian, Talvun.