Run: 2026-04-25-01KQ2JPNFCCW1PCQ18Y48GQPEB

<nc-section data-title="The Stern Greeting" data-color="red"> As I reined Thunder to a halt near the stables, a towering figure in polished steel armor stepped from the shadows. Sir Roland's gray eyes held no warmth as they swept over me. "You're late," he said, his voice like grinding stone. "The sun has already touched the western wall. A squire who cannot keep time is of no use to me." He turned sharply on his heel. "Stable your horse. Report to the armory at dawn. Do not be late again." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="The Warm Welcome" data-color="green"> I had barely dismounted when a hearty laugh echoed across the courtyard. Sir Roland approached with arms spread wide, his weathered face creased by a genuine smile. "Ah, young Frederick! I've been expecting you." He clasped my shoulder with a firm but friendly hand. "Your father wrote ahead—said you've got fire in your belly and a good heart. We'll see about the first, but I can already see the second." He gestured toward the stables. "Come, let's get Thunder settled. The hay here is the finest in the kingdom." </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="The Mysterious Encounter" data-color="blue"> The stables were strangely quiet when I arrived. No grooms, no stable boys—only a single knight leaning against the weathered wood, half-hidden in the gathering dusk. Sir Roland studied me with an unreadable expression, his fingers absently stroking a strange pendant at his throat that glowed faintly blue. "Frederick," he murmured, more statement than greeting. "I wondered when you would come. There are things you must know—things about this castle, about your family, about why you were truly summoned here. But first..." He glanced around cautiously. "First, we must speak somewhere the walls do not have ears." </nc-section>