Now you’ve met young Brand. I have here a bit of doggerel written by Brand before he went with his mother to meet Ember that first time. It’s from his student workbook. I wasn’t planning to share this but on a whim today I decided to, anyway. Call it a bonus.

Brand’s sometimes teacher, also the village healer/magician, assigned Brand the task of writing every day into a workbook, to be presented for review and critique at each lesson day. Penmanship and composition were judged and, if necessary, gone over each time. But the magician had other reasons for analyzing the meanderings of Brand’s thoughts. –The Scrivener

FROM BRAND’S NOTEBOOK

A POETRY by Brand

Prince Sobhard rode out
On a fair day in June
To slay him a dragon
And rode humming a tune

But dragons had been hunted hard
Not many were still to be found
Thus all Prince Sobhard discovered that day
Was a babe dragon dying on the ground

Prince Sobhard alighted, regarded the babe,
And reflected upon the hunts' toll
He scooped up the babe and rode back to his home
Saying "I won't have this death on my soul"

The babe dragon healed and it grew in his care
And within his estate walls it played
Until one day instead of the dragon he found
In its place was a fair young maid

"Dragons have magics" She held out her hand
He took hers and together they drew
"My love for you has worked magic in me
"And I think you have love for me, too"

And so it came to pass as in legend
The Prince and a Dragon Maid wed
And they happily lived ever after
As all his great legends have said

Finis