I think either works, grammatically. The choice comes down to sound and rhythm, to me. I don't like how the m's run together in "him most" so I'd probably go with the second version.
I used to write poetry. But even prose, in my view, should sound good when read aloud. So I pay attention to things like that. I take the word storyteller seriously ...
Some languages require an article always be present with a noun. English isn't one of them. But a lot of times it sounds better. But as someone said, a lot could depend on the context.