Princess Leah was born in Buccaneer's Den 25 years ago today. Born of a peasant woman of surpassing beauty and strength, she was abandoned by her father at a very early age and forced to begin work in the mill at Vesper at the age of 7 to help her mother make ends meet. Those years of her life were difficult - working 14 hour days and always wondering why she had been abandoned. Then, a brigand invasion occurred in her tiny town of Buc's Den that changed her life forever. After a long day at the mill, she arrived home to Captain Neb and his evil minions striking down the last bit of strength her mother possessed.

Captain Neb heard Leah's pleas for her mother's life, and with a blood flecked smile, ordered the execution of this small girl as well. Something in her, maybe her need for survival, and the need to protect her 3 year old brother, caused her to pick up the small dagger laying on the table and thrust it at her enemy. Captain Neb effortlessly pushed her aside, grabbed her young brother, and left her to lick her wounds and weep over the loss her mother and her brother. He surprisingly spared her life, and it would be his folly. She swore to avenge their deaths.

The next few years were a developmental period for Leah. She found a den of wolves that took her in as one of their own and taught her the ways of speed and cunning that humans should not understand. She became very agile, and was an uncompromising hunter. When she was older, Leah left the wolves to continue her quest for vengeance. This is where I found Leah. I stumbled upon her one day as I was making a merchant trip to Vesper. By this time, Leah had developed into a mature woman, and had begun working again in Vesper to earn herself enough money to buy armor and weapons. I felt a strange connection with her, as she had features that my father possessed: his stature and his unfaltering stubbornness. I felt sympathy for the poor girl, and brought her to Yew to meet Dr. Evil, my brother, and my dear friend Lothar.

The connection between Leah and Lothar was instantaneous. Those two had a chemistry that could not be comprehended. Lothar began to train her in the ways of a paladin and she grew to love him very much.

Now you're probably wondering why I tell the story of Leah. At my father's deathbed, he told me of a very beautiful woman who had been exiled from Britain for being courted by a paladin in the royal army, and for refusing to marry the cousin of Lord British. My father explained that this woman was of royal descent. To spare the paladin of dishonorable discharge from the royal guard, she refused to give his name when the king asked, and accepted exile to the most godforsaken town of Sosaria. My father was that paladin…

I was also told that this woman bore him two children: one boy and one girl. Their love was very strong, but could never continue, for he had a family waiting for him in Britain. He was forced to leave the love of his life for the sake of his wife and his family's good name. This is why my father never spoke of it before. The more I thought about how he described this regal woman, the more I began to realize how much the young woman I found in Vesper resembled her.

Leah told me the story of her growing up when I disclosed my father's love affair with the royal woman. All of us decided to change Leah's name to Princess Leah, in honor of her murdered mother.