"Tar Valon. The most magnificent city ever built." Thats what THEY say. They dont know anything. They dont know Tar Valon. I was born here, in the wrong side of town and will probably die here. My mother, she werent made for this life, she were the youngest daughter of a prosper merchant, but she werent neer too smart - she ran off with me father who didn have two coins to rub together. My ma, she werent stupid though; she taught me my letters and she aint neer bowed her head to no one. Not like my father. He worked the stables for some pompous merchant as fancies isself a lord. My father spent his days bowing and scraping to everything from the horses to the merchant imself. I hated that!
I live in Tar Valon, or rather I live through it. I dont have me anything or anyone to claim, and I wander through it as I please. I tried my hand at workin but it seems my mother left me more than her learning, she left me her pride and I aint neer bowing like my father to no one just cause they have money or titles that dont mean no nothing. I just walked out, and I figured to meself at life as a beggar is as good a job as any; no one cares what a beggar gets imself to doing, no one cares where he goes or what he says. And that suits me just perfect, I have the best job in the word!
No one in this word cares for me, so why should I care about anyone ? I learned that the hard way, and if that is how life is, then I figured hat is how I am goin to play it.
I still laugh when I think bout the day I stopped ole Bili and told im I wanted as be a Darkfriend. Fool thought he was clever, thought he had everyone fooled, but me, I use me eyes and I see a lot more en people thinks. I see more en people see when they look at me, and not many do bother more than a glance at me. They see a poor man with most is teeth long gone and dirty clothes. Im about as distinctive as a wall, and it dont bother me none to be overlooked. It makes life all the sweeter when those pompous fools realize they have to bow and scrape to me, and follow my orders.
So a Darkfriend I am, a happy and merry one. Those who walk in the Light tell such lies bout the world being fair and people being kind. The Great Lord has the right of it; rank is given by merit and I have everything it takes to be a good one and no talk bout fairness. I still have to obey to some people an I still don like it but at least I feel they earned it.
True I wouldnt know one end of a sword from the other, and know nothin bout horses, but I know plenty bout daggers in the night and poison whichll kill a man just as dead as a sword and with a lot less effort on my part. Lots of people can train to be a warrior, but Kafi "six teeth", hes got what it takes to be merciless, and he always gets the job done.
So Ill keep up on smilin an being my joyful self, and when they ask me why I am so happy , Ill always say the truth: Life is reason enough!
Life as a Dark Friend of Course.