Run: 2026-02-24-01KJ8VET15855QSWBT5KHSBPBR

<nc-section data-title="Version 1: Sir Roland's Greeting" data-color="red"> The heavy iron gates groaned open as Thunder clattered across the cobblestones into the courtyard. Before I could even dismount, a broad-shouldered knight with a salt-and-pepper beard strode out from the stables, his armor catching the last embers of the dying sun. "You must be Frederick," he said, his voice like gravel rolling in a barrel. "I am Sir Roland. You're late, boy." He grabbed Thunder's reins with a firm, scarred hand and fixed me with a steely gaze that made my stomach drop. "In this castle, the sun does not wait for squires — and neither do I." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Version 2: Sir Roland's Greeting" data-color="green"> I had barely guided Thunder through the gate when I heard a warm, booming laugh echo across the courtyard. A knight leaned against the stable door, arms crossed, a wide grin splitting his weathered face. "Ha! You actually made it, lad!" He pushed off the wall and extended a massive hand as I slid from the saddle. "Sir Roland — knight of the realm and, as of today, your worst nightmare." But his eyes were kind, crinkling at the corners, and I felt the knot in my chest loosen just slightly as he clapped me hard on the shoulder. "Welcome to the castle, Frederick. Let's get your horse settled and get you fed. Training begins at dawn." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Version 3: Sir Roland's Greeting" data-color="blue"> The stables were quiet save for the soft snorting of horses as I led Thunder inside, unsure of where to go or who to find. Then a shadow fell across the stable entrance — a tall knight, his dark cloak sweeping the hay-strewn floor, his expression unreadable beneath a furrowed brow. "Frederick of the Eastern Vale?" His voice was measured, almost cautious. I nodded. He studied me for a long moment, as though searching my face for something he had long been looking for. "I am Sir Roland," he said at last, quietly. "I knew your father." The words hung in the cool stable air between us like smoke, and something ancient and unspoken seemed to settle over us both. </nc-section>