The Dragon’s Slumber
[!] A painting of the Ault keep, Whiterock - c.1719
A nightmare gripped Darius - mingling within a large crowd, the man peered to the front of such. Bound to a pyre, a vile, twisted, brown haired male would be claimed by flames as they danced around him - setting him alight. The man’s face was recognisable to Darius; a throwback to a past that had only been spoken of in whispers. Woken from his nightmare by his wife, Artumee, the aged Knight would remove himself from the bed and walked down the stairs to his dining hall. Sitting down, he would be handed a missive - declaring that the Empress had signed a treaty with Ves. Pondering if the man was still asleep, he would pinch himself - though to his dismay the reality started to sink in. Darius’ final war was coming to an end, a harsh reality for the man to accept.
Thoughts of such would run through Darius’ mind as he reread the missive multiple times; shaking his head slightly to such in disgust. Wishing that he was younger, so that he could continue killing the rats of Ves regardless of the treaty - he knew that his days were numbered. With the parchment in-hand, he would pace back up the stairs and sit at his desk - penning out a response to what the Grand Knight saw as a betrayal to his fallen men, a sour taste in his mouth.
Concluding his letter to both the Emperor and Empress, he would stamp the letter with a wax seal, and pass it to his raven as to be delivered to the Imperial Palace. Dipping his quill back into the ink, he continued to pen out several other letters to his friends and comrades; which would be sent in complete privacy at a later date. Throughout this entire process, he swore to himself repeatedly that he would not allow for these acts to occur again to another member of his family - undoubtedly instilling these values into his children’s lives, and the House of Ault’s, as they continue to grow around him.
[!] Word of this letter being sent would undoubtedly become common knowledge to those within Helena - though the specific contents of such would not. The citizens of the Capital would simply know that the Grand Knight had willingly retired from his position, presumably due to old age.
The old man had fought his final war to the very end - though was ultimately disappointed that those he had sworn to protect had betrayed the interests of those that honourably protect them without question of duty. Finishing his letters, he’d pull out a bottle of red wine from the drawer of his desk - taking a deep sip from such as he pondered how best to spend his final years atop of Whiterock, though figured that he’d start by catching up on a good few years worth of lost sleep. (( I plan on shelving Darius soon for another char, as he hasn’t died during what was going to be his final war to anyone other than Seannie who I caught cheating. If you would like to speak to him IRP up at Whiterock then PM me & I’ll jump back on him for it.