he liked her more than life itself

May I present the best apple:

Alloris- thriving kingdom in the great valley of the twin forge mountains; known for agriculture and wildlife populations Kanadorn- perched just above Alloris, atop the twin forge mountains; known for timber and mining

Fierryn- built next to the Pallodus volcano and surrounded by rocky cliffs; known for technological innovations and military force

Pyrefall- kingdom in the secluded, and forbidden, Hollowdrake woods; known for magic

Fort Gaias- oceanic kingdom built amongst the coral; known for precious jewelry, metals, and medical innovations

i remember entering his office with my tape recorder, sitting in a chair that was too big, and asking him questions about war, and his life after war, while swinging my legs over the edge of the chair. i remember being very, very quiet as he spoke of pulling the car over on the highway for fear of crashing when his hands would shake uncontrollably in response to song on the radio or a smell that he couldn’t be sure was real or sense-memory. and of ruined relationships and anger and american hypocrisy. 

and i also remember that was the day i learned what “valor” meant. he used “valor” in a sentence and i didn’t know that word, and when i asked him to explain “valor” he became very quiet. and i can’t remember precisely what he said, if he ever offered me the dictionary definition or not, but i do remember him looking very sad, and saying something about our country’s idea of “valor”, and also something about a broken promise. and there was an edge to his words that i couldn’t parse at the time that i would later come to understand was bitterness, that he sounded bitter.