As I trail him, I start to think why I might really be here. There must be a purpose to it. Maybe the Shadow Knight is too powerful and the real Hero needs help protecting good from evil. Or could it be that I have some strange magic power that can help the people of this world?
I like my first theory better, because it seems like a much easier issue to resolve. I have to find the Hero, help him on his journey, and then I can go home. It makes the most sense, right?
Everything in LF's books happens for a reason. There's purpose behind every character and subtle hints along the way that the Hero ends up figuring out in order to save the world or rescue someone or learn a valuable lesson that makes him a better person, leader, lover, something. I'm not sure who Westley is, but I wouldn't be surprised to meet him later.
If I look at this adventure from this angle, instead of just being totally freaked out, might I see some of the keys I need to understand why I'm here? The sooner I figure that out, the sooner I might be able to get home.
My gaze falls to the teen boy ahead of me.
"Hey, um, kid?" I call and quicken my step. "Who is the main enemy of the Shadow Knight?"
"The Desert Knight of Brown Sun Lake." The words come out a hiss.
Ah, that's right. The man who mortally wounds the Shadow Knight in the book LF started. "And what's he like? Heroic?"
"The Shadow Knight is heroic!"
"Okay, but are they opposites? Like, the Shadow Knight has a reputation for chopping off people's body parts and forcing everyone he conquers into submission." I self-consciously squeeze the hand that grew back after he hacked it off.
"He does." There's pride in the boy's tone.
"Is the Desert Knight of Brown Sun . . . uh . . ." Is it me, or are these names complicated?
"Lake."
"Right. Brown Sun Lake. Is he like the Shadow Knight?"
"Oh, no. He tortures men and rapes women. He eats the skin off his slaves and will end the world as we know it."
Holy hyperbole. "Wait. You're saying the Shadow Knight doesn't torture or rape or pillage?"
"He only allows quick deaths, even to his enemies, and everything we pillage is returned to Black Moon Draw, where the sorcerer divides it up among everyone in the kingdom fairly."
"Like Robin Hood, but with a lot more killing." I'm not getting a good sense at all of who might be the Hero. By the kid's rationale, it's the Shadow Knight. But whether someone is tortured in battle or killed quickly, it sounds horrible to me. Definitely not the actions of a Hero.