Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the fight between Bethan and Noras reaches its end with Bethan knocking Noras from below the jaw with the quarterstaff, sending him crashing to the ground. She quickly crosses over to him, pressing the quarterstaff lightly against his throat and putting her boot over his wrist. After a brief staring match, Bethan pressing down harder every moment, Noras lets go of his quarterstaff. Bethan immediately steps back, dropping her own staff, and beams, reaching out a hand to help him up. Noras, with narrowed eyes and a slight frown, glances warily between Bethan’s face and her offered hand.

Bethan laughs: Go on, I’m not going to drop you.

After another moment’s pause, Noras takes her hand, and she pulls him up, true to her word.

Bethan: [clapping Noras on the shoulder] That was great! You have some real skill there, kid. A little rough around the edges, and you have some tells we should work on - but at least as far as fighting goes, you’ll make an excellent knight!

Noras says nothing, eyes widening slightly as he stares at her in shock.

Bethan studies him for a moment, and for a moment she frowns before her expression clears and she nudges him slightly.

Bethan: [smiling softly] Go on - I’ll put the quarterstaffs away. You talk with the prince - he’s the one you needed to impress, anyway. [She looks over at Elias] Although… [she sighs slightly] I don’t think he was paying attention…

Bethan picks up the staffs. Noras watches her for a few moments longer, arms folded, and then he turns and walks over to Elias’ bench.

Elias doesn’t hear Noras walking over, nor does he notice him standing in front of him. He stares into midspace, fingers fidgeting with the corner of his book’s pages.

Noras: Prince Elias? [he waves a hand in front of Elias’ eyes]

Elias’ eyes snap back into focus: Oh, is the match over? [he feels a weight lifted from his shoulders as he is taken from his thoughts. He stands and brushes himself off] I’m very sorry, I got... distracted. [he shakes his head] Nevermind, how did it go? [he offers a strained smile]

Noras looks at him suspiciously: [flatly] I lost. [Then, sounding unsure] But it… went well, I think? Bethan thinks I have strong potential, so that’s… good. [He frowns to himself] She’s very… kind.

Elias: [smiling to himself] I agree, Dame Bethan has a big heart… [he then offers the smile to Noras happily] But that’s wonderful. Dame Bethan doesn’t pull her punches, so if she says you have strong potential, she means it.

Noras: [starting to smile a little] Oh. Good, that’s… good.

Elias’ smile turns slightly devious: Just don’t let her bait you into her bets, she always wins.

Noras: [blandly] No worry of that, I don’t have any money to bet with in the first place. [He glances over his shoulder, at Bethan, who is speaking with some of the other knights - she catches his eye and waves. He turns back to Elias] What’s next?

Elias: That depends on what Dame Bethan would like to do. I’ve made appointments with the royal tailor in the afternoon, so you have the rest of the morning to tour the castle, and Bethan will most likely explain what knighthood entails - including your payment.

Noras gives him an odd look: Payment?

Elias returns Noras’ odd look: You didn’t think I wouldn’t pay you for your services? Being a knight is a job, it deserves compensation like any other.

Noras blinks: I thought - [he hesitates, then continues more firmly] Being your knight is my payment to you. [with a frown] If you pay me for it, I’ll be indebted to you all over again.

Elias blinks back: No? [he quickly adds] You don’t owe me anything, we’re even - besides [he coughs] if I don’t pay you it’ll feel like slavery. I offered you this job because I knew you could do it well, and - well the second reason doesn’t really matter, but I didn’t do it so that you could “pay me back”.

Noras: I do, I owe you everything - [he stops] Wait, what was the second reason -

Before Elias can respond, Bethan pops up behind Noras, clapping a hand on his shoulder and laughing as Noras jumps: You’ve chosen a good knight, Prince Elias! Now, are you both ready to go? We have a long tour ahead of us.

Elias nods at her, secretly glad to not have to go into the specifics of alchemy and divination magic: Thank you, Dame Bethan, it makes me glad that you approve. [thinks for a second] I will accompany you until eleven, then I have a meeting with Madame Bently about funds for the orphanage.

Bethan: Of course. [she smiles at Noras] In that case, let’s get going. Let’s cover as much as we can while the prince is with us, and then I’ll teach you about knighthood etiquette. Sound good?

Noras casts a lingering glance at Elias, and then nods slowly, turning to Bethan: Let’s go.

They leave the courtyard and continue through the corridors of the palace, touring the most important locations of the castle - the throne room and main hall, where the royal family host announcements, balls, and sometimes even juries in cases of high treason.

They move on to the kitchens, mostly because Bethan, as she confides in a whisper, has a secret love of sneaking down to visit them for midnight snacks. Directly from there, they move onto the servants quarters, as they are directly connected to the kitchens, and Bethan explains that on occasion, Noras will need to come here to request actions on behalf of Elias. As they walk down towards the knights’ quarters, she points out the war room, currently closed as a woman’s voice can be heard shouting from inside.

Bethan grimaces as they pass the door: Ahh… things must be getting worse on the border… Valainya’s going to be in a foul mood today, I can feel it.

She shakes her head as though shaking off the unpleasant thought, and cheerily leads Noras to where the knights stay during the night.

Bethan: Ah, but, you won’t be sleeping here.

Noras looks around at all the knights in their immaculate palace uniforms, milling around the area, and can’t find it in himself to be disappointed: Where will I go, then?

Bethan: Same place you slept last night - they’ve set you up in Elias’ wing. [For a moment, a shadow passes over her face, but she grins at him as they turn a corner, gesturing grandly] Ah, here we are at Elias’ favorite place - the library.

It is huge. Elias already has quite a large collection of books in his own wing, but the vast amount of bookshelves, and the sheer size of them in turn allow for quite a spectacle. Several nobles meander around, footsteps muffled by the carpeted floor as they pass between the sections.

Elias looks at Noras: You’ll be free to use the library and borrow whatever tomes you want as you please. [after a moment, he jokingly adds] As long as you eventually return them of course.

Noras just shrugs, turning away from the shelves.

The next few areas are all specifically for dining, for the royals and nobles, the knights, guards, and the servants all have their own separate dining halls.

Elias doesn’t bother stopping at the royals’ dining hall: I prefer to eat in my own wing, so you’ll be free to go straight to the knights’ dining hall for your meals.

Noras, having absolutely no intention of eating with anyone else: Alright.

Bethan next takes them to the astronomy tower, passing through one of the palace’s many gardens along the way. It’s a welcome break from the castle, the bright flowers providing stark contrast to the white marble inside, but even here, the flora is kept tightly in check, each bush and tree in sharp geometrical form. The paths are straight and narrow, stones clean and unbroken, and it doesn’t take long to reach the astronomy tower. The tower’s roof contains a mechanism that allows the tiles to shift, opening the room up to the stars - though Bethan does not demonstrate this, with the late morning sun bearing brightly down on them on the other side of the tiles.

Finally, they reach Elias’ office. It’s rather small, but cosy, more bookshelves pressed up against the wall, and a decently sized table at the far end. This is where Elias places his book on the table and starts looking through an extremely large pile of paper: I’ll be leaving you two now. I need to look through these to find… well, in any case, [he waves goodbye to them, focused on the pile with a frown] I’ll meet you at the tailor’s, Shahīn. Thank you for showing Shahīn around Dame Bethan, and enjoy the rest of the tour.

Bethan gives him a cheery wave, Noras a short nod, and they continue on to a quiet part of the castle, settling in a little alcove that overlooks a garden. Bethan fixes Noras with a serious look.

Bethan: Now comes the… less fun part. [she cracks a slight grin] But it’s important, so pay attention. The knights’ code of conduct consists of ten key rules. Most of them are intuitive, but you would do well to keep the full list in mind at all times, if you don’t want to get into trouble.

She produces a slip of paper from her pocket and announces the ten rules:

You will be with the prince at all times when the prince leaves his quarters.

You will constantly keep an eye out for suspicious behavior.

You will always have at least one weapon on your person at all times.

You will put the prince’s wellbeing before your own.

You will never look a royal in the eye unless instructed to do so.

When the prince attends meetings or dinners, you will stand several meters behind his chair.

When the prince attends balls, you will always be by his side - or, if he were to be dancing with anyone, then you will stay nearby and ensure you can see the prince at all times.

You will always display the proper decorum expected of palace staff.

You will comply fully with the prince’s wishes, and, unless in direct contradiction to the prince’s wishes, you will also fulfill the demands of other royals.

You will forgo any romantic or otherwise compromising relationships, or other significant aspects of personal life, that may interfere with your duty as a knight.

Bethan rolls up the list with a flourish and tucks it back into her sleeve. Noras, whose expression had soured the moment she mentioned rules and grown continuously darker throughout the monologue, quickly schools his face into neutral.

Bethan gives him a knowing smile: It’s a lot.

Noras: It’s… [his mouth twists slightly] … royalty.

Bethan lifts a shoulder: Well, we do get 500 gold a month for our troubles.

Noras’ eyes widen: 500 gold a month?

Bethan: [ignoring him] Besides, not all of the royals are such sticklers to the code - Valainya certainly isn’t. [She gives him a sidelong look, smirking] And I suspect your Elias isn’t quite the type, either.

Noras looks away: ...No. I suppose he isn’t.

Bethan’s smirk widens, and then she springs up and starts walking: Come along. We need to meet Prince Elias at the tailor’s, and there’s still one more thing to discuss.

Noras: [hurrying after her] What’s that?

Bethan: [glancing back at him] The bond.

Noras: The bond?

Bethan: It’s complicated. I don’t really understand how it all works, but, in the moment that Elias officially takes you on as his knight, during the ceremony, some… fancy magic stuff happens… and you become bonded. What that means is that, for as long as you are Elias’ knight, you will have this… vague sense of where he is and how he’s feeling, especially if he’s in pain or distress. For example, right now, I know that Valainya is probably… somewhere in the Eastern wing, most likely near the gardens, and she’s feeling a little bit annoyed, but she’s alright.

Noras stops walking: ...That’s…

Bethan places a hand on his shoulder, spurring him to keep going: I know, it’s a lot.

Noras: [sounding vaguely horrified] We can feel each other’s emotions?

Bethan hums: Not quite, and not both ways - you can feel a shadow of his, but he won’t feel anything from your end.

Noras stares at the ground: Oh. Great.

They turn a corner, and there is the royal tailor’s chamber. Bethan nudges Noras with her shoulder.

Bethan: Well, this is where I leave you for today. You have any questions, you know where to find me. Good luck, kid~

Noras watches her leave, fidgeting in place. A few minutes pass before he hears footsteps behind him, and turns to see Elias walking with an elderly woman toward him.

Elias: How long has this been going on?

The old woman: Ever since you went missing last week, Lord Hubert… He took advantage of your absence.

Elias sighs, rubbing his eyebrows in annoyance: I’ll have a word with the Lord. What he’s doing is unacceptable. [He looks down at the woman] Thank you for bringing this to my attention, you may go now.

The old woman nods, bowing slightly, and walks back the way she came.

Elias reaches Noras and gives him a tired smile: How did the rest of the tour go?

Noras: [blandly] I was right all along. Royals really are the worst. [He looks after the old woman as she walks away, frowning slightly] What happened to her?

Elias, brows scrunching in confusion: The Lord Hubert decided that my absence was the perfect time to increase the taxes by 50% on the orphanage. He took all the money I donated to them… Are you alright?

Noras: What an asshole. Hubert is a gross name, anyway. [He blinks suddenly, turning back to Elias] Oh - I’m… I’m fine. There are a lot of rules… I don’t… [he shakes his head abruptly] No, it’s alright. It doesn’t matter. But I - I wanted to ask you about the… the bond.

Elias nods, understanding crossing his face: To be honest, I completely forgot about the bond. Does it - does it make you uncomfortable? If you want we can postpone the knighting ceremony, it’s mostly a formality anyway.

Noras: [dryly] I don’t think a ceremony that bonds our souls can be considered a formality… [He considers the offer] I… don’t like it. It sounds strange and… uncomfortable, not being able to be alone in my own head. But… as long as you can’t feel my side of the bond, I think I can get used to it. [after a pause] Eventually.

Elias dips his head: It really is a formality. To be honest, it’s completely archaic. [he looks at Noras with a small smile] The bond is only really there for the royal’s comfort, so I really don’t need you to go through it if you think you’ll be uncomfortable.

Noras: ...It’s okay. [more firmly, meeting Elias’ eyes] I… I want to do this properly.

Elias: [pauses] Only if you’re sure. We won’t be able to break it unless I let you go.

Noras takes a deep breath: I’m sure. [He hesitates, and then adds] There’s also - the matter of payment.

Elias sighs: I’m going to pay you, Noras. No one in my employment is going to be in indentured servitude.

Noras: 500 gold a month? For - nearly killing you.

Elias gestured to himself: I’m clearly alive, and that wasn’t all my own doing.

Noras: What - what will I even do with that much money?

Elias: Save it for the future - for yourself and whomever you may have in your life once you’re no longer in my service. [he shrugs] Or donate it to people who need it, that’s what I do.

Noras: Of course you do. [He looks like he might say more, but then he sighs and looks towards the tailor’s door] Shall we?