"Nah, it happens. Not around here much, but in a peaceful court, it happens. Seen plenty of it in my time." He isn't surprise Ashford doesn't know. A lot of people don't quite realize until he tells them, just like most people don't realize he's a lot older than he should be until he tells them.

He considers the question. "It felt like being tired. I used to be the strongest in the colony. Raksura grow stronger with age, right up until the end when we fade to white. But when the last of the color goes, about a turn of the seasons before the end, so does the strength and the energy. Frustrating, but still, I was ready. It was my time, finally."