Adam opened his eyes and made a quick check of his surroundings. After all, maybe luck was on his side and yesterday was just a particularly vivid dream. Or maybe it was some kind of hallucination and he was in a hospital, but either way it was important to make sure… But alas, the stone walls and wood furnishings of his room in the castle were exactly where he left them, and he sighed as the last bit of hope that this might all just go away withered within him. He briefly considered just staying in bed and dealing with it all later, but even though he felt rather worn he doubted he could get back to sleep. With another deep sigh he rose from the ancient mattress and looked out the window. The sun had only just risen above the horizon and the streets were slowly filling up with people. He wondered for a moment if these people even knew of his arrival, but then figured it probably didn’t matter either way. The Goddess surely had some kind of plan all worked out, and it wouldn’t do him any good to waste time worrying about it. As he rose to get dressed he found someone had taken away the suit he had meticulously folded and placed on a chair, leaving some outlandish silken garment in its place. He looked it over critically, a professional eye taking in the long cobalt-blue silk breeches and the sky-blue silk shirt. They were both well made, the stitching subtle, strong and meticulously even, but it was obvious the true craftsmanship had gone into the tunic. The knee-length silk garment was the deep blue of a winter ocean and was covered in artful gold embroidery. Completing the outfit was a pair of seaweed-green woollen socks (probably to keep away the chill of the castle stones) and a belt and a pair of sandals, both in black leather with shiny brass buckles. The outfit had clearly been made with a more muscled man than Adam in mind, and it was rather more ostentatious than he would have liked, but it was all he had to wear at the moment. With a slight frown he donned the unfamiliar garments. Adam hesitantly made his way towards the dining room, feeling terribly overdressed and more than a little sheepish. The old servant from the day before was apparently waiting for him there. He gave the silk-clad tailor a quick once-over and nodded approvingly at his princely attire before leaving to fetch some breakfast. Feeling curious, Adam struck up a conversation with the man when he returned with the food. “Excuse me, could I bother you for your name?” “Oh, it’s no bother at all, Your Majesty. I am Jan Bloodrose, of the old Bloodrose line. It is my honour to serve as Steward of Castle Midnight.” “Steward, you say? What does that position entail?” “It is my duty to attend to all the needs of this castle. I oversee the tithe, I manage the treasury, and of course I lead and direct the servants. Now admittedly, the only servants in employ at the moment are myself, my son-in-law and my blessed granddaughter, but I still take my position very seriously.” Adam thought this over, and then frowned. “Excuse my ignorance, but what is a tithe?” “Well, simply put it is an additional fee levied atop the usual tax which goes directly to funding the Great Goddess’s interests. Traditionally it was set to one tenth of the total income of the payer. However, seeing how the castle staff had been greatly diminished and the cost of food and upkeep decreased accordingly, my twenty-seven times great grandmother, Breya Bloodrose, lowered the tithe to one one-hundredth of the payer’s income, rather than one tenth. A rather popular decree all round, as you can imagine.” “But why was the castle, well, abandoned like this?” “Oh, it was never abandoned, Your Majesty, not really. But you see, after the first thousand years or so of not having any royalty in residence, and with the Great Goddess spending less and less time within the world of the living, it was considered rather wasteful to spend so much time and money keeping the whole castle habitable at all times. And so the number of servants employed here just kept shrinking, until finally some four thousand years ago it was only the Steward and their family.” “That does sound sensible. However, Lily and I have both returned and I’m fairly certain the other two will be arriving as well. Perhaps you could hire a few helping hands? Nothing too extreme, just enough people to keep the place dusted and let some air into the old rooms on occasion.” “It would be my pleasure, my absolute pleasure. I’ll see this place cleaned by the end of the week, Your Majesty!” “A man of ambition, I see. Thank you.” “Oh, no thanks are needed, Your Majesty. In fact, it is I who should be thanking you for this opportunity.” “…If you say so. Oh, and if you do see Lily could you please see to it that she gets something to eat? I think she may be rather upset at the moment.” “I shall see to Her Majesty’s well-being. Do not worry yourself, Your Majesty.” “Good. Thank you, Jan.” The man bowed deeply to him as he got up from his seat. Adam wasn’t entirely comfortable with the bowing and the titles, but he didn’t mention it. After all, the old man seemed so exited to have royalty to serve after all these years, and forbidding him from using those courtesies would probably just upset him. He left the kitchen, making a mental note to discuss the whole class segregation issue with Lily once she calmed down. Not really knowing where else to go, Adam soon ended up in the room where he had first arrived. He spent some time admiring the banners that filled the room. The ones on the wall were the same as the ones found throughout the rest of the castle, but the ones hanging from the beams near the ceiling, while bearing the same design, were both larger and thicker than the rest. As he contemplated this bit of interior decoration he saw a green portal open up behind him, depositing a recumbent form in a flash of light. The tall, gangly man that had been dropped hit the hard marble floor with a dull thud. A pained yelp escaped his lips as his eyes shot open, looking around in bewilderment. When he failed to recognize his surroundings he sat up with a small groan, rubbing the sleep from his eyes and looking around in bleary confusion. He was wearing blue-and-white striped pyjamas and a matching nightcap, short curls of black hair just visible beneath the thick cotton. His eyes, now fully open and frantically looking about trying to divine his location, were a warm brown colour. With the exception of his deep tan, the man seemed rather familiar to Adam. “Let me guess… Sven?” “Who… wait. Adam?” “Guilty as charged. Welcome to Castle Midnight.” “So we were called back then?” He got up off the floor and rubbed at the much-abused back of his head, knocking off his nightcap as he did so. “Could have happened at a better time, I have to say.” “You’re taking this pretty well.” “Well, it had to happen sooner or later. The whole “sealing away evil” business never seems to be more than a stop-gap measure in stories. The way I see it, why would it be any different in real life?” The more he spoke the more Adam realized his accent was… unplaceable. It held hints of his original Norwegian accent, but it also seemed to contain numerous bits and pieces of accents Adam had only ever heard on television. “I don’t know. I must admit I had kind of convinced myself it had all just been a childhood fantasy.” “You dismissed our whole adventure as make-believe? That’s a bit harsh. We were best friends for months.” “Well, it was a long time ago!” Adam replied a tad defensively. “Besides, the whole thing just seemed so strange.” “I suppose it is rather odd, but still…” A bit of an awkward silence descended between the two until Sven tentatively broke it. “Sooo… How have you been? Life treating you well?” “Oh, sure. I work as a tailor. Have my own shop and everything. How about you?” “I’m a relief worker. There’s always somewhere that needs more medical professionals in a hurry.” “So you’re a doctor, then?” “A nurse, actually. Never had the grades to become a doctor. Or the smarts, to be honest. So I just help people however I can.” “That sounds like hard work.” “Oh, it is. But it’s very rewarding.” This was followed by another pause in the conversation that lasted just a little too long for comfort. “So, a tailor, huh? Must be interesting work. Did you make that tunic you’re wearing?” “Oh, no. This is something I was given by the castle steward. I rarely make anything quite this… gaudy.” “I see.” “Yeah…” The awkward silence returned in full force and Adam cleared his throat, desperately trying to find something to say. “Would you, um, would you like to go get your artefact? I have First River here with me, as you can see. I mean, I can’t actually draw it at the moment, but…” “Yes! That would be lovely. Thanks.” And so the two of them left for the dungeons, glad to have found a distraction to give them time to think of something to say before they had to speak again. Sven’s eyes lit up as he spotted Ancient Crag. The twin bracers were made of some sort of dark leather and were completely free of decoration save for matching golden blocks on the left side of each bracer. A massive emerald cut into complicated, asymmetrical facets was set into the block on the right bracer, while the one on the left held a perfectly matching depression. The two features were aligned in such a way as to let you slot the emerald into place if you crossed your arms in front of you. It was certainly the most obviously functional and least artfully decorated of the artefacts, which seemed to suit the element of earth just fine. Sven wasted no time in donning the bracers, which made Adam feel just a little bit jealous. But then again, earth was the element of courage, and he simply couldn’t imagine Sven being anything but brave. Burying the slight sting of envy, he smiled encouragingly as Sven tried bringing the bracers into the guard position that would activate their powers. He even applauded as he saw the magic rising out of the ground and forming an impenetrable stone skin over Sven’s body and clothes. The man quirked a stony eyebrow at Adam’s enthusiasm, but choose not to comment. “Come on, Adam. Hit me. Use that sheathed sword of yours.” “Like old times, huh?” “Yeah, come on.” With a small smile, Adam took hold of his sheathed blade and whacked Sven with it as hard as he could. As expected, this did nothing but make his hands sting. Sven hadn’t moved an inch and made no sign of being hurt. “Seems like it’s working like it should.” “Yeah.” Sven grinned. “It’s been so long since I last did this. It feels kind of amazing.” “Do you think you could get your magic to work? I won’t be able to use mine until I manage to make my heart pure or some such, but yours should work, right?” “I don’t know. Let’s go find out.” The two of them went out into the courtyard, which wasn’t quite as empty as they’d expected. People entered and left all the time, usually carrying something or other. A steady trickle of hopeful-looking young men and women were entering the castle, probably seeking employment. A stable-boy was tending to some horses near the gates. The amply muscled beasts were almost pitch black in colour and moved with deceptive grace, managing to seem sleek and agile despite their powerful frames. Deciding to go ahead with their tests despite the general bustle, the two of them found a secluded corner of the courtyard near a back gate that seemed to have fallen into complete disuse. Sven turned his attention to a single stone out of the thousands that paved the yard and, with a bit of effort, managed to make it float out of the ground. With a look of concentration on his face, he carefully directed the path of the stone with his hands until it was orbiting around him in slow, steady circles. “Hey, it’s working! Hah, this is just like I remember it.” “That’s pretty cool. Think you can do more?” “Can I ever! Just watch.” He made some rather dramatic hand movements, and slowly but surely he managed to levitate another dozen stones. With a grunt of effort he directed them to orbit him like the first, the thirteen paving stones gently circling him in a complicated pattern. Well, they did until an enthusiastic round of applause broke his concentration and caused him to unceremoniously drop the lot of them. He shot a wry look at Adam, only to find he wasn’t the one clapping. Looking around they found Jan standing nearby, applauding with a delighted smile on his face. “Oh, do pardon my interruption, Your Majesties, but it does so warm my heart to see such feats of magic performed on castle grounds again.” “Why thank you.” With only a hint of effort, Sven made the stones float back to their original spots and slot neatly in place. “Was there something you wanted, Jan?” “I simply wished to tell you that the Princess of Air has been fed, washed and clothed and is currently resting in the castle library.” Sven turned to Adam with a questioning gaze. “Lily’s here? Why didn’t you tell me?” “Ummm… About that…” Adam replied awkwardly, raising his hand to the fading bruise on his cheek.