Hello everyone. I’m back after a crazy week of trying to keep my head above water at my day job and spending Saturday at Leonardtown’s first Local Author Book Faire. It was a lot of fun. I bought too many books. And we were chased out early, less by the threatening rain and more from the high winds that caused havoc among the tents. Most of the day was absolutely gorgeous, though.

The last couple of weeks, I talked about the origin of The Monster Within and about one of my monsters. This week I’d like to focus on my heroes, Michel-Leon and Constantin. Later on I will have to include a post about the brave woman and girl who are family to Michel-Leon and Constantin.

Meet Michel-Leon Parisee the Baron de Dagonville and a Chevalier de Rouen. His family has served as chevaliers since 1431. His father preferred the older son, who was more of a warrior, while Michel-Leon was a scholar. The wounds from his relationship with his father and the death of his family in a fire continue to haunt Michel-Leon. He is utterly dedicated to his calling, as Constantin would say, sometime to a frightening degree, but his relationships with his adopted family give him the sense of home he needs to be more balance. He sometimes has a childlike way of looking at the world, full of wonder, and openness to embrace the different.

However, his wounds and dedication have isolated him from opening his heart to another. He has taken a vow to remain single and changing Michel-Leon’s mind is not an easy task.

Constantin Severin is a man haunted by the monster who destroyed his childhood. Fear of the creature keeps him moving from city to city, eking out what living he can. However, when he actually does encounter the magicman again and discovers that it is preying on another group of children, Constantin finds the courage to stand his ground. Using the unusual glamour abilities of the fey kissed, he seeks out any weakness in the magicman. His search also leads him to Michel-Leon in the hopes that a chevalier will aid him or provide him with the weapon he needs.

He is a man jaded and terrified of becoming a monster himself, whose life has become nothing but a bid for survival. Michel-Leon once says of him “You are a marvel who creates marvels, but I fear people have let you down so often you cannot see the wonder in the world.” Despite this, he is a man willing to risk everything to protect those most in need.

It is a rough start for our two heroes who are mistrustful of each other at first, though they are willing enough to work together to achieve their own ends. Though they are attracted, they both resist to various degrees. They do have an ally, though, who is more than willing to speak to both of them to nudge them toward each other. In this scene below, Janvier urges Michel-Leon to really consider the idea of a romance.

“I am not yourfather,” Janvier replied gently. “I don’t care that he’s a vagabond with nohome. Nor do I care that you both are men. I’ve witnessed you engage inconversations with him for hours, and it’s not always about the problems youboth face. I care that you both share an interest in things outside of huntingmonsters. You can work side by side with him in your lab and you both arecontent. He’s a man who would plunge into known danger to rescue you and callyou out for risking yourself later. You need that. As I believe he needssomeone who gives him a sense of home, a reason to return. You can do that forhim.”