Run: 2026-02-16-01KHKB68VFS396NJENG8AS7RV2

<nc-section data-title="Chapter 2: The Greeting at the Stables" data-color="red"> Thunder snorted, the yard smelling of leather, hay, and rain-warmed iron. I had just secured Thunder's reins when a shadow moved along the row of stalls, and the local knight appeared—Sir Roland himself—greeting me with a nod near the trough. "Frederick," he said, voice even as steel, "I am Sir Roland, your first tutor and your guide through this place." He offered a gauntleted hand, and I took it, feeling the weight of years behind that handshake. "We begin with the grounds," he went on, "and I’ll see if your feet remember the pace of duty." The greeting left no doubt: this was the man I would learn from, and the road ahead would be worn by many steps and a few hard truths. </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Chapter 2: The Greeting at the Stables" data-color="green"> The air carried the scent of leather and horsehair as I steadied Thunder and stepped away from the saddle. From between two weathered saddles, the local knight, Sir Roland, emerged and greeted Frederick with a quiet, practiced smile near the stable door. "I am Sir Roland, keeper of the training yard," he announced, clasping my forearm in a firm grip that spoke of summers spent lifting shields. "Today you learn to walk as a knight walks—steady, without hurry, with your head high but your feet no higher than your honor requires." His words settled over me like a shield, and I felt the first sting of the discipline I’d come to seek. </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Chapter 2: The Knight's Welcome by the Stables" data-color="blue"> A pale sun painted the stable wall gold as Sir Roland stepped from the shadow of the tack room and approached me. He greeted Frederick with a courteous nod near Thunder's flank, where the horse pawed at a cobwebbed beam. "Frederick," he intoned, voice ringing clear as a bell, "I am Sir Roland, your guide and guardian in the days to come." He offered a gloved hand, and I answered with a grip that betrayed little fear and more resolve. "Come," he said, and the two of us crossed the yard toward the sparring rings, the old knight already testing the steps I would soon be forced to master. </nc-section>