The Noble

"Indeed, I am Richard De Freydair, lord of this castle, servant to King Henri of Laralia. My watchman tells me you bring news of my son, Donald, who we had feared slain when he did not return several weeks ago. Please, tell me who you are and what you know."

I give my name and tell my tale, from my first encounter with Don [1949] to our capture by, and escape from the raiders. Don's father listens silently, but his face betrays various emotions. Anger, when I mention the burned trading outpost. Fear, when I tell of our capture by the raiders. His eyes glow with fatherly pride when I mention Don's swearing an oath to rescue me, and again when I tell of his escape from his captors (which I didn't actually see firsthand). "It's been nearly three weeks since this all happened. I was hoping he'd have come back here by now. I hope he wasn't recaputed or... killed." I trail off.

Lord Richard offers a tight smile and places a hand on my shoulder. "My son is a good man, and an honorable knight. He takes his knighthood very seriously. It's...all our family has left anymore, you see. But I digress... He's also a bit headstrong and is wont to behave irrationaly, especially when pretty young women like yourself are involved. I'm glad you convinced him to throw down his sword when you did, or he'd have likely been killed. But if he swore an oath to rescue you, I daresay he may still be in Artazia, searching for you."

I sit in stunned silence for a moment. Could it be true? Don was very kind to me, but I'd only known him for a few hours. Could he really still be searching for me after all this time? Such romantic notions of honor and chivalry seem out of place with what I've endured so far in this time period.

"Isn't there any way to let him know I'm safe?" I ask.

"We'd need to have someone go to Artazia and find him." he replies. Certainly not a place I'm at all eager to revisit. But if Don is out there, risking his life to find me...

1. Lord Richard resolves to go to Artazia and find his son. I surprise him.(and myself) by offering to go with him.
2. I make a suggestion: Perhaps Teran, the mercenary, would be willing to help us find Don.
3. Before any decision is made, I tell the rest of my story, including the changed political situation in Artazia, and my role in it.

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