The Hero To None

It was with the remainder of the drive that I came to quickly understand that Dad's storytelling abilities weren't as finely tuned as his skills with stray brittle twigs. 

He'd start a tale one way, and somewhere down the line, he'd loop, he'd backtracked, go so many ways sideways that by the end of it, I wasn't even sure if he was even telling the same freaking story anymore. 

But there was a common theme, a pattern that sprouted buried within the loosely conveyed details. With every noble task that was bestowed upon him, bloodshed would always follow. For every mission that saves lives, there were at least ten others that would have him taking them instead. 

"But you were an Elf-Hunter," I pointed out, after he told another that ended just as grimly. "The things they're having you do…"