Run: 2026-02-16-01KHM5CY8KDZ04Q1EJGZZ9YQBP

<nc-section data-title="1. A Stern Welcome" data-color="red"> The stallion’s hooves clattered on the cobblestones of the outer bailey as I reined him in. Before I could even dismount, a figure emerged from the deepening shadows of the stable arch. Sir Roland was not a large man, but he carried an aura of compressed violence, like a storm held in a bottle. His armor was plain, unadorned, and scarred. He did not smile. "Frederick of the Western Marches," he stated, his voice a graveled blade. "You are late. The sun does not wait for squires, and neither do I. Tend to your beast. Then report to the armory. Your softness ends here." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="2. An Unexpected Mentor" data-color="green"> As I slid from Thunder’s back, my legs aching from the long ride, a calm voice cut through the evening chatter of the stable yard. "A fine animal. He bears you well." Sir Roland leaned against a timber post, a simple tunic replacing the plate armor I’d expected. His eyes, the color of weathered moss, held a keen appraisal but no hostility. He approached and offered a calloused hand to steady me. "The journey is its own first lesson, lad. See your companion is brushed, watered, and fed—a knight’s first duty is to his mount. After, find the kitchens. We’ll speak over bread and broth. Training can wait for dawn." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="3. A Whisper of Shadow" data-color="blue"> The stable yard was quiet, the day’s last light bleeding into indigo. I was loosening Thunder’s girth when I felt a presence. Sir Roland stood silently, observing. His expression was unreadable, his gaze lingering not on me, but on the distant, darkening peaks beyond the castle walls. "So, you have come to the edge of the world, Frederick," he said, his voice low and tinged with a weary melancholy. "They train you for tournaments and glory in the capital. Here, we train for what stirs in the deep places. Stable your horse. Then join me on the battlements. There is something you must see before your first lesson begins." </nc-section>