minor spoiler for _The Enchantress of Dzur Mountain_ On Wed, 12 May 2004, skzb wrote: > > Keep in mind that, nice as Aerich is, he has already been revealed to > > have no shortage of disdain for the lower classes. As Paarfi's > > character, he embodies the virtues of the Dragaeran nobility, but > > those virtues are not necessarily the virtues of present-day > > Americans. > > > > I don't usually like to comment on comments on my work, but...thank you for > that. That is exactly what I was shooting for. I rather thought that Paarfi has a certain disdain for House Lyorn - he has great affection for Aerich, but little sympathy for knightly honor as it pertains to mixed romance, a major theme of the Pirodyssey. Perhaps he makes up the connection between Athos and Porthos for emphasis. And the Lyorn Heir's sense of honor leads him to look foolish or undignified in _TEoDM_ (though not admittedly in the earlier volume in which he appears.)