To Hadaronos,
The Shining Tempest, Protector of Ethios, The Great Silver Dragon and Honorable Judge, I write this letter to you with the hope that it finds you well and with the intent to make amends for my folly during the trial over which you presided. I first want to thank you for sentencing me to my three day stay in prison in Ethios. It has given me time to ponder what transpired during the trial, as well as to process recent events in my life. It matters not what the details are, but suffice it to say that I was in a depressed and somber state of mind when I spoke to you and it clouded my judgment. As a result, I misspoke and I fear my words left a negative impression of me on you and those who were present in the room. I don’t like the way things ended and I would like to express my regret for offending one such as you. It wasn’t my intention to anger you and I can see now why my words were offensive to you.
The truth is, while it isn’t an excuse, I wish to explain that I am a fool when it comes to the workings of the world. I was not raised as a dragonborn, but in the wilderness by a tribe of Loxodons that took me in after they discovered me wandering the wilds to the north as an infant. I have no memory of my parents and owe much of my life to the Loxodon who raised me. I have much to learn about the traditions and culture that surround dragons, dragoborn, and the people they interact with. While ignorance may not be considered a crime, it has placed me in unfortunate situations where I have offended people due to my lack of understanding of their background and culture. Compared to one such as you, a great dragon that has lived many of my lifetimes, I am but a child. My life is but a moment, a passing thought, the beat of a heart compared to yours and I understand I have much to learn about this world and the cities that populate it. Particularly, I have much to learn about my kind and my place in the world. You stated that I should be counted lucky to be within the walls of your city and that in other places I would be taken as a slave. Your words made me realize that there is history and status surrounding my race of dragonborn that I know very little about. I feel it would be beneficial if one such as you were to explain to me that history so that in the future I won’t open my mouth and insert my clawed foot, or as we said it in my Loxodon tribe, “talking through your trunk.” There is no obligation for you to do so, and I can search out this information on my own, but I trust your judgment more than my own to know what is actually true concerning these matters. As I said, I am but a child in the ways of the world.
I understand now that Ethios is precious to you and seeing its people, its buildings and the splendor of it all, I can say it is a city over which you must be justly proud. I can only guess how long it must have taken for the city to grow to what it has become today, and I’m sure you could tell stories of what it has endured to reach its current state of glory. As a personal note, Commander Shephard of the Silver Core is a close friend of mine and seeing her battle prowess and overall goodness after months of traveling together, I can say that any city that produces such a fine warrior and friend such as her must be a place worth living in. She has saved my life on numerous occasions and I owe my life to her. I may have had a negative interaction with one of the individuals within the city, but my impression of your city is not based on that person, it is based on Commander Shepard and others like her. Perhaps if I am allowed to stay in Ethios again, I will meet even more like her, good people who are genuinely making the Allenia a better place.
In all of this I simply wish to express my regret for any offense that was taken by what I said during the trial of the three bugbears. I wish we could have met under different circumstances and I wish I could have presented myself better towards you, the great Shining Tempest. It is an honor to have met you. It is not every day I meet a dragon, much less an Ancient Dragon such as yourself. I wish I could undo what I said, but I can only move forward, not back. My skills are limited to song and the sword, however in an effort to make amends for what happened, I wish to offer my services to you. Should you ever need an able fighter, or perhaps a bard for a day, I humbly offer my skills should you require them. I will close as I began with the hope that this letter finds you well, and also with the hope that I can repair any damages I have made towards you. May the blessings of all that is good in this world rest upon you and the fair city of Ethios forever.
With humble sincerity,
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