My little girl came to sit on my knee,
Vibrant and youthful, so full of energy.
"Papa! Papa! A story!" she implored.
"The one about the forest! Tell me more!"

"Oh, it's far too late," came my reply.
But, I must confess, that was a lie.
I was tired from battle, my head did ache.
For every day there is so much at stake.

"Please? Please! I won't be able to sleep!
Neither will you when you hear me weep.
I'll sob and cry without a story.
Tell me of battles, fame, and glory."

With a sigh, I nodded, and ruffled her hair.
Her eyes lit up with an expectant stare.
"No more battles tonight, little one,
But I do have a story that should be fun."

She clapped her hands and let out a squeal,
Mistakenly banging my chair with her heels.
"Calm down, little one, you must sleep soon.
You stay up later than dear Mother Moon."

I reached across to our oaken bookshelf,
And grabbed one titled 'The Curious Elf'.
She leapt up and rushed off to the bed,
while I sat here, book in hand, and read:

"There once was an elfen, brave and bold,
Who traveled to all places, hot or cold.
From burning Skarch, to frigid Rockholm,
There was no place that he would not roam.

He ventured to the forest in the South,
Entering by way of a river's mouth.
The forest was silent, not a soul about,
Save for the splashing of the river trout.

As he drew closer, the river ran red,
And he was overcome with a sense of dread.
For before his eyes was a vast decaying,
The Dark Forest, known as Glomdoring.

The view of the sky was a perilous sight,
For the Glomdoring have no Moon for their Night."
My daughter gasped and her eyes went wide,
As she tugged up the sheets to try and hide.

Panicking, she asked, "No Moon in the sky?
It just can't be true! It must be a lie.
Without Mother Moon who will light their way
When the sun rests at the end of the day?"

My brow furrowed as I began to speak,
With my voice hushed and expression bleak.
"It is a dark place of undeath and dread,
where only the bravest dare to tread.

What once was beautiful has since deceased,
consumed by the taint in a wicked feast.
Gone was every bush, plant, tree, and flower."
With a squeal my girl began to cower.

"I think that's enough stories for tonight,"
I said, before hugging my daughter tight.
"Get some rest, and don't you worry at all.
You're safe and sound here, within the hive walls."

By now my little girl was fast asleep,
Breathing peacefully as she dreamt so deep.
And as she slept, I prayed to the Divine,
Reminded anew of what's on the line.