Leaning back against a large neatly manicured hedge, I crossed my arms as I focused critically on my companion’s movements. “No, you’re doing it wrong. Do it again.”

The young man released a growl of irritation as he stopped a sequence of sword strokes to glare at me. “I’m working on it!”

I studied him impassively. “Not hard enough.”

His eyes narrowed as he continued to glare, the silence finally being broken when he released an aggravated sigh.

“Then what am I missing, oh wise one?” He motioned toward me with the dull training sword held firmly in his right hand.

“What’s your ultimate goal?”

His frustration vanished, instantly replaced by immense confusion. “What the hell does that have to do with swordplay?!”

With an inaudible sigh, I pushed off from the hedge and approached him, my arms remaining crossed, my expression unchanged. “Everything. Now, answer the question.”

“Augh…” He rolled his eyes as he sighed. “I don’t know!” He turned his heated gaze to me. “To save the princess and have her kingdom returned to her, I guess.”

“That’s your short-term goal. What’s your long-term goal?”

“I-” He stopped, his expression blank as he stared off into space. After a few moments, he returned his gaze to me. “I…don’t know…” A heavy sigh left him as he sunk the tip of the sword into the soft earth. “I guess I…never really thought about it…” He glanced off towards the brightening horizon, where it had already begun to turn a lighter shade of gray as the first sun began to rise.

I traced his stare, watching as the first sliver of pure light spread its fingers through the pre-dawn. “What did you expect would happen? That you’d just planet hop until you found something to tie you down?” I felt his attention shift back to me as I continued. “There has to be something you want, something to work towards; a goal of some sort. Something you want more than anything... Something that you’d be willing to go through hell and back again to accomplish, no matter the torture, pain, humiliation, and sacrifices you have to go through, you WILL accomplish your goal.” I finally turned to him, my expression the most serious he’d ever seen. “Until you find your goal, you’ll never have the motivation to improve. And because of that, you will always fail.”

His complexion appeared pale in the early morning light, his eyes wide as he stared at me. Closing my eyes, I turned and began exiting the gardens. “You should go for another run before your training session with Galven. You’re still getting too breathless too quickly. At this rate, you’ll never catch up to him.”