After Roland overcame the initial awkwardness of his situation, he began to greatly enjoy his time at Serene Castle. It had a large library and he would spend most of his free time there. While it contained many books that he had read growing up at Sages’ Keep, it also had a large collection of what would have been deemed ‘illicit’ by the Seekers at the keep. This included one book that was a sort of manual detailing every sexual position in Relmgard. It was actually the second edition and the cover indicated that it was updated to included new acts from both the World of Darkness and the Celestial Kingdom.

This thing is larger than the Master Kihl’s expanded encyclopedia of monsters during the Heroic Age, he thought.

Flipping through the pages of this tome, Roland realized that he recognized many of this positions from his thorough study of Mallory’s collection of erotic cantrip books. When he was a young boy, he used to worry that the mind could only contain a finite amount of space and old pieces of information would be replaced by newer ones. He recalled this childish thought now and wondered that if he stayed here too long that one day all he’ll know are sex acts.

Roland also found a book that contained accounts of communities that practiced open love and how they managed birth control. These sections were heavily leafed through. Perhaps the servants read them? This made some sense to Roland given his first hand experience in Serene Castle and what he knew about procreation. Also, he did find it odd that the topic of pregnancy was never discussed here. However, he doubted that any of the servants were literate.

Of greater interest was a book that was handwritten by Christoph, one of the Chosen. He was Eliza’s tutor before she ran away to travel with the Chosen. He eventually tracked her down and fought beside her and the rest of the Chosen against the Archfiend. No one talks about him anymore. Roland had assumed that he had retired and lived in Serene Castle, but if that was the case Mallory would have mentioned him at some point. Also, no one here utters his name. Strange.

The book contained the power words for many spells as well as their effects and their origin. While this was fascinating, it didn’t seem very practical at the moment as none of the spells were cantrips. He tried casting nearly all of them without any success.

One thing in the book did catch his eye, though. There was a body swapping spell that could be cast with the same power words, “Cinder Balance Interior,” that he had used for his reagent-based cantrip version. Further, in Christoph’s write up for the spell, he mentions that it could be terminated at any moment with the words “Faint Reduce Haunt.”

So if we had used the proper reagent instead of that tincture, would we never have been able switch back because I didn’t know how to terminate the spell?

“Probably best not to think about that,” he muttered to himself.

***

Of course, in the least surprising development, Roland found great pleasure in being mentored by Eliza’s servants. After breakfast and again before dinner, Lynn would watch and give directions while Roland would practice sexual positions with one of several different servants. The servants seemed to take a clinical approach towards their role in these exercises and never expressed much if any emotion. Roland certainly didn’t mind and was amused that they could take such an absurd task so seriously.

One exception, though, was a girl named Clara.

“Can I tell you something?” she whispered to him the first time Lynn left them alone. “When you fought in the tournament… it was incredible.”

“Really?” said Roland.

“Yes, the way you moved was like nothing I’d ever seen. I thought this is what magic must look like.“

“Oh.”

Roland was disappointed that what she was attracted to was a deception.

“Can I tell you a secret?” she said. “When I’m with you it feels just as amazing as I imagined it would be when I saw you in that arena. Eliza is right, making love and fighting are similar.”

Roland was very relieved that Mallory could not hear that last sentence.

“Also,” she continued. “I think about you all day. Even when I’m not with you. Sorry I’m gushing like a school girl.”

Roland smiled, “Aren’t you jealous of the other girls that have to, uh, ‘train’ me?”

She laughed, “It’s cute… It’s cute how serious you look when you’re with them.”

Roland laughed with embarrassment.

“Sorry,” said Clara. “Sometimes when you’re with the other girls, I hide outside and peek. I know, I know, such I’m such a pervert.”

“No, it’s a ridiculous situation. I don’t think we should be held to traditional moral norms given the circumstances.”

Clara didn’t really follow what he was saying, but she was happy that Roland seemed to enjoy talking to her.

She changed the subject, “I come from a poor farming family. My father passed away a few years ago. I applied to work here so that I could support my three younger sisters. My mother was against it. She knows what goes on here. Everyone does. But what else could we do? Starve? Now I send them all of my earnings and they say they’re doing well. They told me that they were praying for my happiness. How do you think they’d react if I told them that I’m getting paid to sleep with Relmgard’s greatest lover? I mean, what Celestial are they praying to!?”

Roland and Clara began laughing.

Even though Clara was fairly plain looking to Roland’s eyes, he was attracted to her. Her sweetness and naivety were undeniable and it was refreshing to finally be around someone who didn’t have a cynical outlook on life.

***

As for Eliza herself, Roland was unsure of what to make of her. All the mentoring seemed pointless because she was always in total control when they had sex. Whenever he tried to take initiative she would push back. Even when he tried to adjust his position she would pin him down so that he couldn’t move at all. Perhaps her ideal partner was a piece of furniture?

Once a month, warriors from across the Southern Kingdoms would come to test their might against her. She would wear her classic costume of a tunic, knee-high boots, cape and wizard’s hat. Watching her fight in this ridiculous outfit against battle hardened warriors was an almost comical experience.

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Her approach to combat was very differently from Mallory. She didn’t move particularly fast and there was no beauty in the sequence of her motions. Instead, she would simply overpower her opponents, usually by parrying their attack with one hand while hitting them with the other. If they were still standing after that, she would give them a kick to the chest and that would be the end of the fight. Really, the only aspect of this fighting that captivated Roland was the absurdity of what looked like a teenage girl dispatching incredibly fearsome opponents. If it weren’t for the sound of bones cracking, an onlooker might think that the whole thing was staged.

Aside from her interest in sex and fighting, Eliza was also a glutton. Never had Roland seen someone so unrestrained in so many aspects of their life. Yet, it didn’t seem to affect her appearance in any way. Roland wondered how someone who was so interested in the basest of pursuits could be so sharp. Most of all, though, he still couldn’t understand how she looked so young given that she had to be at least in her mid-30s.

Occasionally she would forget - or not bother - to tell him to leave after sex. As she slept he would stare at her and wonder how it was that she hadn’t aged since her journey with the Chosen. Perhaps it was tied to the fact that, unlike the other members of the Chosen, Eliza fought unarmed. How could a normal teenage girl fighting with her bare hands and no armour defeat death knights, dragons, and whatever other horrors lurked in the World of Darkness? There had to be some sort of magic that flowed through her. Perhaps this both protected her and gave her great strength. Was it that magic that also caused her to stop ageing? Roland doubted that he should even hope for an explanation to this. Since leaving Sages’ Keep so little has made much sense to him.

About three months into his stay Roland decided to ask Eliza what he thought was a fairly innocuous question about the Chosen. Her reaction would allow him to gauge whether or not he should proceed with more specific questions about her powers. However, he was shocked by her response.

“Queen Eliza, may I ask you a question about the Heroic Age?”

“Yes my dear. But make it quick.”

“When the Hero created the Twinned Barrier, magic stopped working in this world. Did he know that would happen?”

Eliza laughed and shook her head.

“My boy, how naive are you? What exactly do you think the Twinned Barrier does?”

“It prevents travel between Relmgard and the World of Darkness?”

“Oh Howl, you do amuse me. How can one have everything so backwards?”

“You mean it was created to stop magic in Relmgard?”

“Of course! Why would we need to block access to the World of Darkness? There’s nothing there that can threaten us anymore. But the Magicka Flux emanates from the Duality Gate so it had to be sealed.”

“Why? What is wrong with magic?”

“You certainly are inquisitive tonight. Lynn told me that you had been spending most of your free time in the library. Be careful or your cleverness will get the best of you.”

She began kissing him but then stopped and sighed, “This pillow talk is very tiresome. Go back to your room. I’d like to be alone.”

Roland could see that Eliza was not happy. He didn’t push his luck any further and quietly got dressed and left her presence.

***

As the months wore on, Clara and Roland became closer. Sometimes she would sneak into his room at night so that they could stay up late and talk. Roland would tell her stories from the Heroic Age that he had memorized while at Sages’ Keep. She would share with him all of the intrigue and gossip that she had overheard in the royal court. Mostly they’d just laugh about silly episodes that happened during their days.

One night, when she was getting ready to leave, Clara became oddly quiet. Finally she spoke, “Howl, my contract ends in a couple of years and Eliza said she wouldn’t keep you more than a few years. Do you think after that time, we could be together?” She paused. “As husband and wife?”

Roland was not expecting this and didn’t know what to say.

“It’s fine,” said Clara. “Who knows what tomorrow will bring. I’m just a foolish farm girl.”

“No, it’s just that… I’m not exactly a paragon of virtue.”

Clara didn’t understand what he meant.

“Right now, it’s hard to think of life beyond the walls of Serene Castle,” he said.

“You don’t have to make excuses,” said Clara as she began to sob, “Sorry. I’m sorry that I love you.”

Roland was not prepared for any of this. The surreal aspects of this teenage fantasy that he’d been thrown into were starting to fade and he finally had to deal with some of the consequences of his actions. He did have feelings for her but he still thought about Mallory all of the time. But would he ever even see her again? And, even if he did, he was pretty sure she didn’t feel the same way about him. Why should he lose his friendship with Clara because of a memory? Everything became clear.

“Clara …” he held her hand, “Yes.”

***

One of the curiosities in Serene Castle was its wyvern aviary. Wyverns were often described as small dragons but, as they didn’t have legs, they looked more like giant snakes with wings. Historically, they were feared by weak adventurers, but those that were now left in Relmgard had all been domesticated for the purpose of quickly carrying messages and transporting small shipments over vast distances. Perhaps if his situation here went sour he could use one of these creatures to escape? Just over a year into his stay, Roland finally visited the aviary to investigate this possibility.

When he made his way up to the wyvern pen, he saw a man with a bushy mustache and a pair of goggles hanging around his neck. He wore a long, dark coat that must have been quite hot in the Serene weather but likely necessary to keep him from freezing when he was flying around. The man was busy adjusting a saddle on the only wyvern in the pen.

“I’ve never seen a wyvern up close before,” said Roland as he approached the man and his wyvern.

“Well you also probably never stepped in wyvern shit either, so it looks like it’s a big day for firsts,” said the man without even looking in Roland’s direction.

Roland let out a fake chuckle and introduced himself. The man didn’t say anything.

“So how difficult is it to ride a wyvern?” asked Roland after observing the man adjusting some buckles for several minutes.

The man scoffed, “Well, most riders start when they’re six. Then by the time they’re in their early-20s they can ride on their own. So about a couple decades, I’d guess.”

Roland knew this was a lie as he’d read a book about warriors who rode dragons and wyverns while at Sages’ Keep. No specific training times were given but his impression was that it couldn’t take more than a few months to learn how to ride a wyvern. Why was this man that he’d just met so antagonistic towards him?

The man stroked his mustache and continued, “Although from what I hear, you’re not that into riding. Yeah, you’re more the type that likes to get mounted.” He smirked. “So it may take you a bit longer to get adjusted to such an unnatural position.”

“Insightful,” said Roland.

He wasn’t really sure what this guy’s deal was. There was no one else around to laugh at his lowbrow insults, so why be such an ass? Was he just jealous of Roland’s role in the royal court and didn’t care to mask his contempt?

That must be it. Still, for some reason this man’s comments really got under his skin and he was trying to understand why. He had been on the receiving end of many insults during his time at Sages’ Keep and during his travels with Mallory and Nick, but that was always like sand off a scorpion’s shell.

But this upset him. Is this what everyone in the castle saw him as, a joke? Even if he was content with his current situation, it really bothered him because he knew it was true. What else could they see him as? And, honestly, what else should he see himself as? His frustration with this realization built as he continued to watch the man tend to the wyvern. Then he found himself thinking back to that night at the tavern when he had only known Mallory for a short while. The way she butchered that patron who tried to be aggressive with her leapt into his mind.

To Infernos with it all!, he thought.

At that moment, an assistant who worked with Eliza’s royal council arrived to give some scrolls and parcels to the man for delivery. As he began to walk over to pick them up from her, Roland thought of the words ‘Pair of Aces’ and visualized tying the laces of the man’s boots together. The cantrip worked and as the man took his next stride he fell onto the floor of the wyvern pen. His face was covered in what Roland now knew was likely not mud. Roland then thought ‘Broken Vase’ to untie the laces and hide the evidence of his mischief.

“You alright pal?” said Roland. “You literally just ate shit. Big day for firsts all around, I’d guess.”

The assistant was giddy with laughter, “Wait until the girls downstairs hear about this!”

With that Roland walked away. It was dangerous for him to use cantrips around here, especially for something so juvenile, but he hadn’t felt this excited since he had been with Mallory and Nick. Although he was comfortable at Serene Castle and enjoyed being with Clara, he now realized that his time here had to come to an end. There was something inside of him that cried out for more.