Don Fernandino is a commander, not of Les Etoiles but of the Cathar religion in Occitan.

This position is unknown to other members of les Etoiles.

He has appointed a messenger in every major centre of population. Because of past experience messengers are recruited from a military background. They are trained to act as a paramilitary force if needed to eliminate a specific threat. In the area around Mazerou they are supported by the Knights Templar from the Templar stronghold at Bezu. When the templar houses throughout France were attacked on Friday 13th 1307 48 years earlier Bezu was untouched, because it was part of Aragon, not France. a system had been developed to use rockets, imported from the middle east as a way of announcing danger and summoning assistance from other messengers and from Bezu. A bonfire is lit to indicate the rallying point.

13th July Trastamara in Bordeaux

18th July (see Changed relationships) before he leaves on his tour Don Fernandino summonses all the local messengers to see if they identify any immediate threat. He discovers the existence of du Guesclin in Rennes le Bains.

18-23July Fernandino in Foix

18th July-1st August Trastamara in Paris

 ist August- 9th August Fernandino in Pamiers  learns of involvement of du Guesclin with inquisition.

4th August Trastamara in Dauphinoise

9th August – 16th August Don Fernandino in Auch

10th August Trastamara at Peyrepertuse

10th August -21st September Prince in England

15 August Trastamara meets du Guesclin

16th August du Guesclin gives up

18th August Fernandino returns to mazarou

(does he notice a change in Ximene??)

20th August Don Fernandino in Rennes le Bains

22nd August Don Fernandino leaves for Bordeaux

27st August Don Fernandino in Bordeaux

23 rd September finally meeting with Prince

2nd October fernandino leaves for Mazerou

8th October Don Fernandino arrives back in Mazerou

Don Fernandino is talented, resourceful man. He believes that the Cathar faith would be better served by the establishment of large Cathar communities along trading routes giving a source of continuing wealth and built-in security.

He has established a Cathar haven in the Toulouse, Albi Carcassonne triangle which has become known as Le Pays de Cockaigne (the land of plenty) the whole of this area concentrates on the production of pastel dye which is exported to fine cloth producers, mainly Flanders but increasingly England. The wealth created has made Cockaigne an independent nation in everything but name. Cockaigne is almost entirely within the area of Ximene’s inheritance and this is the reason Don Fernandino wants to gain control of her.

He believes however that his scheme would be easier to implement if Ximene were to marry the Prince. He works hard to make that happen but is continually thwarted by Joan of Kent.

When the treasure is discovered he wants to sell it to the English crown and use the money to support his schemes but an alternative of giving Ximene lands in exchange for the treasure is favoured by Ximene.

Ximene makes it clear that she, not Fernandino will decide how the money is used.

Don Fernandino finds himself sidelined and becomes involved in plots to remove the Prince. He believes he could then take over whatever structure Ximene manages to establish.

 He also puts pressure on Ximene to have a child, believing that he could have more influence on a child than he has on Ximene. His miscalculation is that the only person who Ximene will even consider to be the father of her child is John Stanley. John is by now an experienced military strategist and makes it clear to Don Fernandino he will tolerate no interference in Ximene’s initiatives.

Don Fernandino resorts to using the Castilian pirates to specifically attack Ximene’s ships, resulting in the second battle of Corduan.  Don Fernandino accepts defeat and proves over and over again that he can be trusted to work within Ximene’s developing organisation. In his later years he is tutor and mentor to Ximene’s son