Home

You choose home.

"Sorry, Father will be angry if I come home late. I have to tend the farm with him at dawn," you say, turning Nissa down with a polite excuse.

She looks disappointed but accepts your refusal with a shrug.

Meanwhile, Lillian smiles, relief and quiet happiness in her eyes. You have chosen to return home instead of staying at the tavern.

In the days that follow, you settle back into your routine. You work the fields alongside your father, shouldering your responsibilities without letting the hero’s glory go to your head.

Your father never says it outright, but it is clear that he approves. He is proud of you.

You spend more time with Lillian, your best friend since childhood. For the first time, you truly notice that she has turned eighteen as well. She is no longer the little girl you used to chase through the fields but a young woman now, her features more feminine.

She is not as brazenly seductive as Nissa, but she is beautiful in her own way. Soon, she will become someone’s wife, the mother of their children. She is responsible, clever, and kind: the one who has always kept you out of trouble.

You have always enjoyed her company, have known her for as long as you can remember. You can see yourself spending your life with her.

Even though you remain a farm boy, many in the village are grateful to you.

None more so than Karolyn, the young widow whose husband, Jared the woodcutter, was slain by the beast you killed.

She visits often, bringing you home-cooked meals as thanks for avenging her husband. She is an incredible cook, and you find yourself looking forward to her visits.

She has ample curves, accentuated by motherhood, and a warmth that lingers in her touch when she hands you a plate.

Sometimes, you play with her infant daughter, Irena. The little girl giggles as you lift her into the air, her tiny hands grasping at you. But the joy is always tinged with sadness. She will never know her father. You may have slain the beast, but it did not bring Jared back. That is beyond what any hero can do.

You put the bag of silver from Lord Addam to good use, expanding the family farm. More land. More livestock. A future.

Mayor Oswin claps you on the back one day with a hearty chuckle. “A prosperous lad and a bonafide hero like you should have no trouble finding a wife.”

You laugh, but his words stay with you.

You must choose.

The childhood friend or the grateful widow?