<nc-section data-title="Version 1" data-color="red"> As I dismounted, my legs unsteady from the long ride, a figure emerged from the deepening shadows of the stable archway. He was a mountain of a man, his face a roadmap of old scars, and one ear was half-missing. The sigil of the royal guard was tarnished on his breastplate. "You the new whelp?" he grunted, his voice like stones grinding together. He didn't wait for an answer, instead running a critical eye over Thunder. "Decent beast. Bet you can't handle him." He spat on the ground. "I'm Sir Roland. Your training starts now. Grab that pitchfork. The east stalls won't muck themselves out." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Version 2" data-color="green"> I led Thunder towards the stables, the scent of hay and horse comforting after the long journey. A knight with kind eyes and a neatly trimmed silver beard stepped forward, a gentle smile on his face. "Welcome, lad. You must be Frederick. I am Sir Roland." His voice was warm and reassuring. He reached out and stroked Thunder's neck, his touch expert and gentle. "A fine animal. He's served you well on the road, I can see. Come, let's get him settled with some oats and water. You look like you could use a hot meal and a soft bed yourself." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Version 3" data-color="blue"> A sense of being watched prickled the back of my neck as I approached the stables. A man leaned against the stone wall, almost invisible in the twilight, his features sharp and intelligent. He pushed himself off the wall with a silent grace that belied the heavy armor he wore. "Frederick," he said. It was not a question, but a statement. His eyes, the color of a winter sky, seemed to see right through me. "I am Sir Roland." He circled me and my horse slowly, his gaze missing nothing, from the fraying on my saddlebags to the make of my sword's hilt. "Most squires arrive with fear in their eyes," he murmured, his voice low and calculating. "You arrive with fire. The question is, will it forge you or burn you to ash?" </nc-section>