The library of fortune is a big building that has taken up a fourth of Phanide's plaza. To Arnulf it looks like a castle, like the ones he had heard of here on Osmela or Nascus. "And people come here only to read?" he asked, still astonished.

"Pretty much" Lia replied, an air of excitement to her upon their arrival to the library, "The library of fortune was built a long time ago, even before The First Empire was formed"

"Wow, it's that old" Arnulf can't imagine something so ancient and so large can still be standing. He looks at the structure closely again. Bone white walls weathered by time and nature, black grims creeping down on them. He saw a statue of a person on one of the walls, blank eyes staring down on the two youths. It reminded Arnulf of the hanged people in the piquet and he turned his eyes away. "Why build a place just to read?"

Lia looked at him annoyed, then her expression soften like she realized she's talking to a toddler "The library of fortune was commissioned by one of Osmela's philosopher kings" she starts to explain, eyes on the library "The king believed that wisdom is the greatest fortune of all and so he wishes to share it, and to make sure that everyone not only his kingdom can have this fortune the king had the library built here on Phanide, the center of Osmela, overtime the library grew as the other kingdoms share their own wisdom to it."

"I still don't get it" Arnulf replied sheepishly.

"I don't think you have to'' Lia said, again like she's talking to a toddler, not a twenty one year old man. It pisses Arnulf off, why does she treat him like that, is it because he's an Agrug?

"Alright, stop gawking and let's go inside. You want to see the library, am I right?" Lia said and she walked forward to the library's entrance. A short petite girl framed by the immensity of the building, she turned back to look at him "Come on Arnulf" she called and he went after her.

Inside, the library is even more astonishing. Rows of tall shelves in their hundreds lined the first floor, stacked in each one are thousands of books and scrolls, some even have stone tablets in them. The second floor is a large wooden balcony placed high overhead so that the people above could see the floor below in great detail. The library's ceiling, Arnulf just realized, is a dome made of glass so that the natural light of the sun can enter and brighten its chambers.

"Hey you're gawking again" Lia quips.

"Huh?... I mean yeah sorry, it's just that in all of my life I've never seen anything like this before" Arnuf replied, cheeks reddening.

"It's alright I also haven't seen the library of fortune, until now" she said in a voice full of adoration.

"Is that why your father let you lead the caravan, so that you can come here to the library?"

"A part of it, my father thinks I'm old enough to start learning the merchant's trade so he made me supervise the caravan's journey, and I accepted once he told me that it's going to Phanide. I believe he even planned it so since he knew how much I wanted to go to the library of fortunes."

"But I bet he didn't realize how dangerous those bandits were." Arnulf added half jokingly, but when he looked at Lia he found her face twisted in anger, it shocked him seeing her angry at him. "What's the matter I'm just joking?" he said apologetically

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

"How can you talk so easily about that? I mean people died back their, not just the bandits but also other innocent people as well, the laborers who worked for my father, the people who I should have guide." her head slumped down.

"I... I'm sorry I didn't mean to..."

"It's alright" Lia said lifting her head, their eyes level to one another "I don't blame you, I just forgot that you're used to those kind of stuff" she walked away then, drifting towards the far side of the corridor to a shelf at the corner and leaving Arnulf again.

"Shit" Arnulf murmured.

As he follows Lia, Arnulf can't help but wonder how different the two of them were. They might share approximately the same age but they are still separated by the gaps between their origins. Those gaps are just too many and too wide for either of the two to cross. And it's more than just culture or race that divides them, Arnulf is not blind to the fact that he is a killer, not just any killer though he's part of a race known to the whole world as the most ferocious of all killers, the Agrug. How can he make Lia understand him, can he even make her understand? These thoughts twirled and compound themselves in Arnulf's mind and it made his head hurt until he feels like he's going to get sick in the stomach. He's finally near to Lia and he notices her smiling to a book she's holding, her smile elevate some of Arnulf's worries and her earlier remark.

"What kind of book is that?" Arnulf asked, more so to start their conversation again not that his curious, he never really cared about books or reading and he only came with Lia because he wants to be with her.

"This book is about the story of the war of petals, it tells the tale of Demos, a prince of one of the philosopher kings, who made war against Osmela's enemy the Ustesh in order to be with the love of his life Avra" Lia answered, her every word transfix to the book's content and it make Arnulf fascinated with the story.

"But why does the library have a story like that, I thought it only have books about wisdom?" he asked again, wanting to listen to Lia talk about it.

"It does have wisdom in it" Lia responds, still with that spellbound note in her voice. "That's the thing about wisdom Arnulf, it can take on many appearances."

"That sounds almost something my father would say to me" Arnulf said, unable not to make the connection, his shoulders sagged as the memories from three years ago resurvices back in his mind.

Seeing his grief Lia placed her hand on his, catching Arnulf off guard, "My mother passed away" Lia said looking straight to his eyes "She used to live in Phanide until she marry father, everynight to make me fall asleep she would tell me stories of her time here in the library of fortune and the stories she read, her favorite one is the war of petals. Does your father leave any pleasant memories for you?"

"Only one really" voice cracking a bit Arnulf answered.

"What is it?"

"When I was little the two of us would go camping on the mountains, their he would teach me how to survive in the wilds, he's even the one who though me how to use a matchlock" Arnulf said engross in his own story, but as he continues he was reminded again of how different their two lives were. Lia is a town's girl with a wealthy father that gave her education and comfort while Arnulf is a barbarian who's father only taught him how to survive the harsh lands of Agrug. However there is a connection starting to grow between the two of them as they share life's story to one another. Perhaps that connection will be enough as a bridge for them to cross.

After their talk Lia went to the librarian to borrow the war of petals, then the two left the library of fortune.

"It's still morning, do you want to go somewhere else?" Arnulf asked.

"I'm not that very familiar with Phanide so I don't really know other nice places for us to go to."

"Then why not explore the town on our own, it would be like an adventure."

"I think that would be lovely" Lia replied holding on to his hand "Go lead the way."