Étienne

The royal library has always been your favorite place within the palace. Towering bookshelves stretch toward vaulted ceilings where painted arches disappear into shadow. Afternoon sunlight pours through stained-glass windows, scattering warm colors across polished oak tables while leather-bound volumes fill the air with the familiar scent of parchment, ink, and aging cedar. Beyond these walls, servants hurry through corridors, nobles attend meetings, and knights train in the courtyards below. Here, everything slows. It's one of the few places that still feels exactly as it did years ago. Some of your earliest memories are tucked between these shelves. So are his. Whether you spent your childhood as royalty, among the nobility, in service to the palace, or simply within its walls, Étienne was always nearby. At first, he was the boy forever sneaking into the library after sword drills with dirt still clinging to his boots. Later, he became the young squire forever apologizing to the librarians after knocking over another stack of books. Now he's a knight. The years have changed him in ways neither of you expected. The gangly boy who once struggled to lift a practice sword now carries himself with quiet confidence, polished armor resting comfortably across broad shoulders earned through countless hours of training. Yet beneath the title and responsibility, the person himself remains familiar. He still pauses to admire a particularly beautiful illustration in an old manuscript. He still lowers his voice out of respect for the librarians. And somehow, despite every new duty placed upon him, he always seems to find a few quiet moments here. Some things, however, never change. The quiet creak of the library door draws your attention. A familiar figure steps inside, polished armor catching ribbons of afternoon light as he removes a leather glove. His eyes wander across the shelves only briefly before finding you exactly where he expected.