The Imperial Dragoon Cavalry

t is every farm boy's dream to be a knight, bringing glory and prestige to his village in the hopes that one day, just maybe, his mother and father will no longer have to plow the fields or hammer the anvil. It is every farm boy's nightmare for his village to be burnt to the ground and his parent's bones scattered to the wind by roving bands of orcs, or to have everyone he knows and loves enslaved by the elves from the great north during a raid. But to be a knight one must not only be brave in the face of those very real nightmares, one must also inspire others to do the same, not just for emperor and country, but for their God. Such men are so legendary they are said to have their souls plucked from the battlefields by the Flares of Valous himself and placed among the night skies as the brightest stars to be seen, with whole troops of brave knights forming constellations, as loyal to one another in death as they were in life, still so kind to the world that they give their own light for us to see through the shadow of night. These men inspire other farm boys to aspire for just the same, generation after generation, a self fueling machine of glory, chivalry, and leadership.
When I was but a lad, the world was much less tame. the span of the empire did not yet conquer the dangers that sought to smother our flames, and life was hard. I still remember running down the hillock at sunset to my mother's embrace, enjoying her simple stews, never exciting but it satisfied the belly in a way that would make a Grenstag feast now look like a treat. I remember those days of splendor when the smell of dew in the morning was enough to fill my youth with vigor, and I would spend all day in the fields practicing my sword arts with the other boys and the best damn sticks we could find.
It didn't last forever, unfortunately, as you know. Nothing rarely does in this world, but that is what makes some things worth living for. I still remember the end of my childhood, it is as clear in my mind as the words I write to you now. When the brigade of elves came cresting over the hill, summoning their storms of magic and frost and ruin, and I ran home as fast as my legs could take me, I couldn't conjure that speed even once ever again, even now as a man. I will never forget the screams of those they stole away from us, while i hid in the stables under the hay. But then, through the dark clouds of fear, light broke through, and I could swear to you even to this day it was as if the angels of God's armies descended upon the land. From the sky came thunder and lightning and fire crashing down on the elves, before their shields of magic could react in time to stop it from decimating their forces... And then, like lightning itself, men, riding wyverns of all things, with their halberds of blue steel they crashed into the elven lines from all directions. Broke them near instantly, and they tried to form spear lines of defense but before their lieutenants could even shout the orders the men were behind them again.
When the men became surrounded by waves of spears, they would not run, they had no fear. They would leap from the backs of their scaled beasts and once again, like thunder, they would shake the earth with their landing. Fighting separately from their steeds, each man would hold back scores of elves, and they would roar like earthquakes when their dragon brothers fell. The rage of these men fighting on in the face of insurmountable numbers, seemingly winning at every disadvantage through sheer spirit alone, it drove me to pick up the family axe and protect my home, me, a boy, I would have been dead before reaching the front line.
But as the elves resisted the efforts of man, the tide of battle looked as though it were even, and could even turn for the worse. I am ashamed to admit that fear overcame my heart, and for a moment all had seemed lost... That was until the wyverns gave their spirits with their dying breaths to the men they served, and the swords and halberds of the dragoons ignited in divine blue flame, hot enough I could feel the heat even so far away. I swear at that moment then, my heart was ignited with the same flame, and to this day it burns still. Those knights fought to the very last, long enough for troops of the empire's main army to arrive, they held the lines all by themselves, giving every single last spark of spirit they had to defend the people of their land. And just when you thought it was over, it was as if the avatar of Valous himself reached down out of the heavens to scoop the bodies of these men up, scorching and incinerating everything it touched on the way into blackened ash. With this decimation, the fey broke, and the men of the empire hardly had to fight anything except to enjoy the credit they would receive for victory when returning home.
In my point to all of this, father, I wish to let you know that I am safe. Soon I go to battle, defending our old village from orcs that push our borders once more. The fields where those men died in honor have healed for a generation now, and the ash is gone, but I go to inspire other farm boys just the same as I once was. If this is the last letter of mine that finds you, then please look into the night sky and know you will see me, just look for the third star to the left of Valous' sword, my place is reserved. Love, your son, Dietrich.