Hello, world!

AND SO IT CAME TO PASS,

on a cold gray morning in the last gasps of winter, that he would have a chance to find out after all.

He had awoken to the sound of thundering hooves and a pounding on his door. A scrap of parchment had been thrust into his hands, and the messenger had retreated in a dwindling cloud of dust. As he stood outside, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he couldn’t help but think of the irony of the situation.

Through the years, he had wondered from time to time if his once-renowned abilities had decayed as they had lain fallow, or if they merely needed to be dusted off. Lately, he had begun wishing, somewhat perversely, that the war had gone on for longer. How many more victories might he have won, if only there had been battles still left to be fought?

Of course, he could refuse the summons. His blade had rusted through from years of disuse, and his chainmail had been tailored for a decided lack of paunch. No one would think ill of a retired veteran, past his prime, choosing to live out his remaining days in peace.

But if he did that, then he would never know.