Run: 2026-07-25-01KYD6G3E56MCFRCN71HR94BAS

<nc-section data-title="Version 1: A Warm Welcome" data-color="red"> As Frederick dismounted near the stables, a broad-shouldered man in polished armor strode toward him, hand extended in greeting. "You must be Frederick," the knight said, his voice warm as summer ale. "Sir Roland, at your service. Lord Edmund wrote to me of your coming." He clasped Frederick's forearm with a grip like iron. "Come, lad. Let the stable hands tend to Thunder — a finer horse I've not seen in years. You and I have much to discuss over supper." Frederick felt the tension of the long journey melt away. Perhaps this new life would not be so daunting after all. </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Version 2: A Stern Master" data-color="green"> Frederick had barely swung down from the saddle when a cold voice cut through the stable yard. "You're late." Sir Roland stood with arms crossed, his scarred face unreadable beneath a steel-gray beard. He looked Frederick up and down the way one might inspect a lame mule. "Lord Edmund speaks highly of you. I intend to discover whether his praise is earned or merely bought." He turned on his heel. "Stable your own horse, boy. A knight cares for his mount before himself. That is your first lesson — there will be many more, and I promise you, none of them easy." Frederick swallowed hard and took Thunder's reins. </nc-section> <nc-section data-title="Version 3: An Unexpected Encounter" data-color="blue"> As Frederick led Thunder toward the stables, he nearly collided with a knight who was laughing heartily at some jest, wiping soot from his hands on a rag. "Ho there! Watch your step, young... wait." The man's eyes went wide, then crinkled with delight. "Frederick of Millbrook? By the saints, the last time I saw you, you were knee-high and stealing apples from my orchard!" Sir Roland clapped him on the shoulder, nearly buckling his knees. "I served with your father in the Border Wars, lad. Finest swordsman I ever knew." His smile faded, just slightly. "Come. There's much I should tell you about him — things your mother never would." </nc-section>