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The girl starred curiously at the purple glow outside, eyes filled with an inexperienced curiosity, the kind only seen in the innocence of children. “Grandpa, what’s that outside?” She asked. The old man smiled and shuffled to the window, just as the glow faded he managed to catch a glimpse.
“Abigail, you must be seeing things nothings out there but fog.” he chuckled with a old musty voice.
“But!” she protested “I saw something I swear, it was bright purple, and glowing.” he shook his head but still kept his pleasant smile.
“Nonsense! , now of to bed with you, its past your bedtime.” Abigail frowned and looked outside again “I’m not sleepy though!”
He sighed deeply, then looked out with her, the fog appeared to becoming unnaturally thick. It moved like a snake, slowly slivering down from the mountains on the east side it engulfed their tiny village as if prey. The only people outside now were guards, watching over to insure safety. “Abigail… do you want to hear a story, I will tell you one if you promise to sleep right away.” Abigail looked back at her grandfather and silently nodded.

He cleared his throat, “Along time ago, in this quiet little village a young man lived happily with his wife and daughter no older then two, Now he wasn’t a talented warrior, or a magical wizard with wondrous powers, he was just a man.”

“This doesn't sound like a very fun story Grandpa!” Abigail moaned.

“Hush child, listen, one day, a frighting message had found its way to town, a lonely little boy no older then ten ran screaming into our village that a monster had attacked his homeland, and was the on the way to ours… The poor boy, he was the only survivor, everyone else had been too slow he said. So everyone decided to pack up and move to safer land, and they began to do so till  a single man shouted. “I am not going to let this beast overrun our homeland!” he said boldly, he was the one with a wife and daughter.

“Wasn’t he scared grandpa?” Abigail asked, the old man looked her in the eyes, “Yes, among everyone he was perhaps the most scared of all. The mere thought of seeing such a powerful enemy caused his whole body to shiver, but you see his courage was something beyond anything anyone had ever seen. Bravery child, is stupid, in my eyes its just another way of saying you don’t notice danger. However courage is different, courage is the ability to face a problem even when your scared. So off he went, he and five others who had decided they would help, three of them were female, two of them men. None of them were warriors.

Each of them were given weapons out of respect, so that they at least had some means to defend themselves. However we all knew it was suicide. They made there way around the mountain, and were soon faced with a giant. He stood over a hundred feet tall, broad and full of mussels the creature was almost stark naked with only tattered cloth covering his groin. His skin was a pale yellow, his breath stank of death and blood, but most frighting of all was his eyes, they were a pricing golden colour with tiny black specs for pupils. It gave a look of so much hunger no words could describe it.  So they all fought it, running with a desperate charge most were slain very easily. Till only two remained. They had managed to run behind the giant and slash at his ankles, causing him to fall to his knees, the man with the wife and daughter rushed to where the creature had lowered his head and struck him right in his left eye twisting his iron sword towards the brain. At first, it seemed he had won as the giant had not even reacted, it seemed as though it had been killed instantly. However, the creature suddenly bellowed loudly clutching its eye in agony, it turned out its pain response was just incredibly slow. Then, right before the other man’s eyes the poor man who had rallied that small group of fighters was pummelled to the ground by a fist. It was so, un-climatic in how he died. One second, he was alive and well, the next, he was a paste against the bloodied hands of the damn beast. In rage, the last survivor throw his spear at the creature. It caught the hilt of the blade that was jabbed in its eyes, and forced it further into its skull finally killing it. There was no skill in the throw, it was just pure luck, the one who threw it had closed his eyes when he did so. After his mind had snapped, he had seen too much death, many years later he could finally speak and tell the villagers it was dead. Now, i’ve told you a story,  who was the hero?”
The girl was silent, never had she heard such a brutal story before. “I know it is a terrible story, but it one with a great lesson. Take your time but do answer me this, who was the hero?”

This time, the girl took a deep breath, focusing she gave the story a long hard thought. “it was all them, everyone who stood up against the creature was the hero.” She replied with a grim expression.

“Ah, close but you must look deeper, yes they were the hero’s but there are more, the ones who let them go, their family, their friends, they know they would die but for the whole village they let them go. That, is the makings of a true hero.”

Abigail nodded “I don’t like the story grandpa, it scared me.” she said softly, the old man closed his eyes and hugged her.

“Yes I know, its not a story I should tell a child, not of your age, but… you will see why I had to tell you that soon… Now off to bed, you did promise.”