It appears my penance for all the things I'd done in the dreams was to estrange myself from my friends, and outlive all of them. A solitary life is no good when it's forced upon you. And in a way I ought to be happy. I never changed the course of France's history but became an ambassador of Spain to France, a good position, but it feels so hollow.
But I feel, in my soul, that this particular adventure has finally come to an end.