| Astra trailed Charles D'Honaire, managing to catch sight of him again,
noting that he was, indeed, headed for the caves of the south. Details
came back to her in bits. The old Duke, Mordecai D'Honaire, Frederigo's
grandfather, had held the duchy for longer than most. He was quite old
when he died, and left the title to Charles. Charles himself served as
knight and champion to the King, scourge of creatures which threatened
the kingdom, as was his birthright.
But the dragon provided a singlular obstacle. The clan D'Honaire had since anyone could remember fought its forces. Generation after generation were at the front lines. You see, it was roughly once a generation that the Dragon would try to make a bid for power, and always the D'Honaires were there. However, despite repeated crusades, not one yet had managed to slay the beast. And now, it seemed, Charles D'Honaire was about to make a try at ending the struggle forever... Astra struggled to try to remember the Duke Charles D'Honaire she had met on too few occasions. He was a broken man, she recalled. Hardly the vital yet battle-scarred one she saw before her. It was as if something haunted him. She could almost see the beginnings of that in this Charles, yet there must have been something, something to push him to such melancholy. Could this be the event she had been sent here to witness? Or...prevent?
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