I was born in an isolated corner of rural Tar-ma-rin, in a small castle called Lyekeep, in the town of Lye-St-Eere. You have almost certainly already heard of what took place there. We’ll get to that later, for you cannot understand what was taken from me until you understand what I had to lose. My father was good and wise; my mother gentle and kind. My half-sister Varille was known throughout Tar-ma-rin for her beauty, and as for myself, I was as carefree as any boy could be.
Lye-St-Eere, and my family, were both named for Saint Eeres who first discovered gold in the western mountains. Of course, that gold had run out centuries ago. Money was something we had very little of. Though my father was a duke, he was not a wealthy one. I never knew this. As a boy, I believed all dukes helped wi
