Nicholas Troncoso - Alvaro

The speaker doesn't hate monsters, despite what people think. They acknowledge that monsters are dangerous but also see their beauty. Dragons flying at dawn, harpies singing, and trolls with families are described. The speaker, although obligated to kill monsters, does so with regret, honoring their kills and giving a dignified death to those that cannot be spared. You probably think I hate monsters. People expect it of me, but I don't hate them. I have tried to, and I can't. Yes, they are dangerous. It would be a deadly mistake to forget that. But they are glorious, too. And nobody knows that. We're all too busy being afraid of them to know this. But have you ever seen a dragon in flight? They prefer to fly at dawn. It must be the change in colors of the sky that attracts them. Their scales shimmer, and their wings reflect the sunlight. And when a dragon spots another playing in the wind, they greet each other with puffs of smoke and flashes of their fiery breath. It's a thrill to behold. And did you know harpies sing? You may not believe it, but they make such haunting and beautiful melodies. But their songs are only meant for each other, because if a human were to ever hear one, we would see them in a whole new light, and maybe we would fear them less. And whatever you may think of trolls, you should know they have families, oftentimes full of little babies. And they cradle their babies in their arms and rock them to sleep just like any human being. They hold hands and toss their toddlers in the air, and they laugh. It's not a pleasant-sounding laugh, at least not to my ears, but it is always full of joy. I'm not supposed to know these things, and maybe I should not think about them. It makes these so-called monsters harder to kill. And I will kill them if I must. I've made my oaths. I understand my duty to defend others. But when I do slay them, it's always with regret. I do not claim trophies. I do not torture. I honor my kills. I have buried some of them. I spare the ones that can be spared, and the ones I can't, I give them a dignified death.