Dear Family,
The city has been under constant siege by violent rainstorms all week. For the first couple of days, the captain took us out for training in spite of the weather, but the fields have since become far too muddy for our marches. Only the crown's elite forces work through conditions like these and strangely, they actually appear to enjoy it.
Yesterday, after three days of grueling indoor exercise and repetitious drills, we were finally granted a day to use however we saw fit. Most of the recruits stayed cloistered in the barracks, and at first, I remained inside as well, determined to catch up on much needed rest. That plan dissolved quickly when it became clear that I wouldn't be able to sleep with the thunder echoing through our chambers.
Instead, I took the opportunity to visit New Targonor's great library. Never in my life have I seen so many books gathered in one place. I tried to convince some of the other recruits to come with me, but to no avail. It is startling to me how few of them are able to read and write. I now realize that all of the long winters you made me sit with the scribes was time not wasted.
So I sat in the library for the entire afternoon, browsing through its' tomes. Textbooks, epic adventures and histories filled the bulk of the shelves and as I pored over the pages the hours seemed to pass like minutes. It would take me years to absorb all that the library has to offer. I greatly look forward to the day I have time to come back and pay the texts the attention they deserve.
Recruit Aldric Mason
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