Author's Note: Quick thank you to Fey_Storyteller, Minnette34, and Pookaseraph who ever so kindly allowed me to use one of their original (and very beloved) characters, Lady Lavinia. If for whatever reason you have not heard of them please go read, " A Shumil in Wolf's Clothing" It is a most excellent weave.

Ferdinand 3rd Year Royal Academy

I was certain Peter had one of the tracking devices on me. It didn't matter that Justus had searched me a dozen times in the last week and found nothing. I was certain. Every morning the Dunkelfelger scholar waited outside Hirschur's lab; the nights that I stayed there, or Ehrenfest door, depending on which I was at. Justus reported that none of my retainers had told him my plans and the first few mornings it had happened, no one but them would have known. He hadn't been waiting outside Ehrenfest's dorm the mornings I had stayed over in the scholar building. Instead, Justus reported that he had been waiting outside the lab before even they had arrived. I tapped two fingers against my temple trying to figure out how and where it would be.

"My lord, your orders regarding Lord Peter?" Eckhart seemed very eager to put the smug scholar in his place.

I sighed, in truth Peter had been the utmost help over the last week. Too helpful. It itched at the back of my mind, but it's not like I could retaliate against him for no reason. Not even an eccentric like her would tolerate that.

"Find out how he is learning my location, Justus." Eckhart looked crestfallen for a brief moment, but quickly hid it behind his noble mask. Justus on the other hand looked positively giddy, to an unbecoming degree. Eckhart was a good guard, but he hadn't built up any kind of relationship with Peter. The scholar was not a fool who wouldn't notice Eckhart's change in heart. Justus on the other hand had been peppering the other boy with question after question about any random topic he could think of. Their most recent topic being jewelry.

"As you wish." Justus crossed his arms in respect. "Shall I invite him into the lab?"

"Is Hirschur still asleep?" I was sleeping in a small room that was a storage room for common ingredients. It now had a small cot placed inside it for me to sleep on. While Hirschur, was sleeping on a bench, in what had originally been a closet for safety equipment. Not that they were ever put away properly, at least nothing had been put away in the time I visited. The woman claimed that walking all the way back to her room; even the one in the scholar building was too much effort.

"I believe she is already reviewing the results from last night's experiment. Do you wish to eat breakfast here or take a potion?"

If I took a potion, professor Hirschur was likely to go without food until dinner. Knowing my retainers, they would prefer I eat. But that was also more work and less time for the things I wanted to do.

"Yesterday Lord Peter also voiced his concern about how it seemed we were neglecting our duties of ensuring your safety."

I cut a glance at Justus. My eccentric attendant looked conflicted. "He noticed that we did not bring food, and what food you were given you barely touched. I believe his exact words were, 'Ordoschnell can sing the most terrible tune with even the slightest blemish.' And considering his reputation hangs on whether or not you are harmed he is not wrong to question us." I glanced at Eckhart and Lasfam who exchanged glances. There was a tinge of guilt there. My carelessness seems to have put my retainers in a bad light.

"I will eat here. Have a meal prepared and invite Peter in." At the very least, it would prevent him from reporting nonsense about my people. Eckhart went out to help Lasfam and Heidemarie clear a space at one of the tables so we could eat. In the meantime, Justus helped me dress in clean clothes that he had brought with him. Then he fastened my Ehrenfest cloak over my shoulders and handed me a stack of notes that I had been working on last night.

I took them and entered the main part of the lab. The smell of something burning mixed with the overpowering herbal smell that now clung to me and wafted up my nose. It should have been disgusting, yet I found it strangely comforting. The same could be said of the of chaos and mess of the lab. Only a small spot at the head of the table stood out in the sea clutter and experiment bits. At the end of the table a place had been cleared enough to accommodate two chairs. Lasfam had just finished placing dining ware. Heidemarie was helping add something to the brewing pot that Hirschur was hovering over.

"Professor," I called in exasperation as I sat in the chair Lasfam had pulled out for me.

"One minute." She did not even look up from her work.

"If you do not join me now, I will be having dinner in the dorm." The lie slipped easily off my tongue and the woman grumbled but came to sit at the table. At the least she could pretend to have more noble dignity. As Justus and Lasfam began serving us Eckhart opened the door.

"Peter has arrived." Sure enough, the Dunkelfelger scholar stood behind him. Those bright orange eyes swept over the mess of the lab taking everything in. Though I couldn't tell what he thought of this strange scene. Unlike his lady he was a model noble keeping his expression neutral. Then his gaze found our table setting. As I slowly ate, I couldn't help but feel the other boy was watching me way too intently.

"Lord Peter." It was Hirschur who diverted the other boy's attention, but I noticed he was instantly wary of Hirschur as if he expected her to bite him.

"Yes Professor?"

"That monocle you made in class, are you perhaps presenting it during the during the tournament this year?" She had a hungry look in her eyes that I was all too familiar with.

"That is up to my lady."

"I am sure she sees the value in such a fascinating tool."

"She mostly does, however, as a subordinate I am a pillar at best."

"Certainly. I am sure she would not begrudge intellectuals comparing notes." She touched the monocle over her own eye. "I would be delighted to see your work."

Peter smiled at her. "I would not like to interrupt your meal. After you both finish, I will happily share in discourse with you." I resisted the urge to snort. Not only did he tie research to a meal; which Hirschur could just claim she was done, but also my meal. Her purple eyes turned to me the puffed out what could only be a sigh and a pout rolled into one. At least she wasn't rude enough to ask that I be done. Though with all of my retainers glaring at her, maybe she decided it could wait this time. The rest of the meal was done in relative silence. Just as we were about to finish breakfast an ordonnanz flew through the window and landed on Hirschur. Her upper lip twitched as she smiled. The bird was set aside and she didn't bother to listen to it.

"I believe you all will be late for training if you dally much longer."

I frowned at her. Professor Hirschur was truly not forgetful, not when it came to anything research related. She would not forgotten that she had wanted to see Peter's monocle. So, it was strange that she was practically shoving us out of her lab before she even got to look at the magical tool. It was only once we were on our way to the training grounds that I realized I wasn't the only one who found the whole thing strange.

"Is she normally like that?" Peter asked casting a glance back the way we had come.

I shrugged.

As soon as we entered the training ground I was once again surrounded by blue capes. Truly these ditter brained fools were like a pack of wild Wolfeniel. To no one's surprise one particular voice rose above the others.

"Lord Ferdinand!"

"Heisshitze." I greeted him with a frosty smile in hopes of cutting off the challenge before it even began.

"I challen-."

"I refuse." It was too early for this. And instead of taking the hint the bigger boy merely grinned like the fool he was.

"You did say I could continue issuing challenges."

"That is true," I conceded with a dark grin, already seeing his excitement rise, but before he could issue said challenge again, I said, "However, it does not necessarily follow that I would accept the challenges. Training is about to start." Behind me, Peter chuckled at his dejected coworker. That sound instantly had Heisshitze's attention. He glowered at Peter half-heartedly.

"You're lucky Peter! Why do you get to assist Lord Ferdinand while I'm stuck here?"

He was not helping me out of choice, this was a punishment. But the other apprentice knights around seemed to share his sentiment. Surely these apprentices weren't so foolish as to insult one of their archduke candidates so openly. I blinked, speaking of the rash woman, I hadn't seen her. A quick glance around and I found her sitting in the commander pavilion with another girl wearing light purple cloak. The wild woman and the blonde Ahrensbach girl were playing gewinnen together. I was surprised by the odd pairing. To the best of my knowledge Dunkelfelger and Ahrensbach didn't have any real close connections.

"Heisshitze, take Anhaltung's hand, less Ordoschnell come down to bite you."

"Says the one so abundantly blessed by Angriff and Greifechan."

A little white bird flew from the pavilion and landed on Heisshitze's shoulder. He drew his schtappe and tapped it.

"Since you find me such a poor mistress to serve, Heisshitze, I shall endeavor to ensure that your training today is full of Angriff's blessing. You may demonstrate the new course for our Ehrenfest guests. Please use live rounds." Lady Minerva's voice was cheerful and polite, but there was no mistaking the wicked amusement in her tone. Heisshitze's face became paler after the bird repeated its message. Everyone else was excitedly chattering and encouraging him.

"Come on Lord Heisshitze!"

"You've got this!"

I raised an eyebrow at my would-be rival asking silently for an explanation. He sighed and waved me over to the area that had been previously covered. Now it revealed what could only be the strangest obstacle course I had ever seen. It wrapped halfway around the training ground and had seven red structures equally spaced from the start to the finish. The red structures were made of two thick poles that were connected by two large arching boards. A plaque about the size of a head sat at the center of the two arches, connecting them. They looked like gates without the door or archways.

There was an odd sheen to the space in between the arches. I blinked a couple of times but it was still there. Looking closer I suddenly realized why, there was a gossamer web completely inclosing the space in between the two gates. Had they made a barrier using spinne thread? That would be insane. The cost would be astronomical and it was being used outside for training. I took a few more steps closer to inspect it. It certainly looked spinne thread, but it was finer than anything I had ever seen. Thinner than hair. The more I studied it, the more insane it appeared. There were even magic circles in the web. So, this is what it looked like to have an upper duchy's resources. But still the man power in order to embroider all the magic circles would be insane.

"What is this?"

Heisshitze sighed, "It's a (*parkour*) course. The highest difficulty that was still conceivable to create." Meaning there were higher difficultly courses that weren't feasible to build. Interesting. And judging by the strange word used there could only be one person insane enough to suggest much less actually build this.

"I afraid I don't understand, parkour?"

"You run the course anyway you want, so long as you don't use tools. And you grab the talismans along the way."

I blinked at him. "Talismans?"

The blue caped apprentice knight nodded and pointed to the first section. It was entirely empty except for a thick red ribbon that fluttered in the middle of the snowy space. You collect the various colored flags; six in total, and make for the exit." He pointed to the other end.

I scanned the various sections and noticed the each of the gate's plaque had a god's symbol expertly carved into them. The color of the embroidered ribbon correlated with color of the God or Goddess whose symbol appeared on the plaque. They went Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, Light, Darkness, Life.

"Why is Life the last gate?" More curious than anything else.

"Why wouldn't he be last. He is the last God we meet in life." A morbid thought. Then I glanced at the empty space around the red flag.

"How come there is no challenge for Geduldh?"

Now Heisshitze snickered. "The whole thing is her challenge. You can only complete the course if you have her red flag. The others help, but without her, Ewigeliebe will block your way. And he will always hunt a person who tries to steal away his wife."

"By the Gods." Heidemarie breathed beside me. Her eyes flicking over the various details and magic circles. Beside her, Justus had pulled out a board and ink, sketching some of the magic circles that appeared over the structure. "Who?"

Heisshitze grumbled, "There are only two people here at the academy that could accomplish all this from the vague descriptions they were given. Though as I understand it, most of the female apprentices helped with the embroidery on the condition that they could use the circles." My gaze went immediately to my temporary scholar. He had the blandest expression that made him most suspect.

"That means Lady Magdalena, and Peter." I guessed not once taking my eyes off the green haired scholar. His expression didn't even waver. "Which means the idea originated from Lady Minerva." This time his lip quirked up.

Heisshitze chuckled. "You've a sharp mind as always, Lord Ferdinand."

I snorted. "Hardly, the answer was practically shouted at us." I glanced at the course again. "So, you gather the ribbons and make your way to the end. Seems relatively simple."

There was a soft chuckle from Peter. "You would be correct, Lord Ferdinand, but Lady Minerva told Heisshitze to use 'live' rounds. Which will significantly complicate things."

I looked between Heisshitze and Peter. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Peter explained, "There are magic circles and tools that are toned down to the point a laynoble's armor can brute force through most the attacks. But if they are fed extra mana their power rises to that of the person running the course. Which means getting hit is not an option. At least not repeatedly. Once maybe twice depending on the protections. This 'ups the ante', so to speak. Many of the upper class archnoble knights run this trial to see who can avoid using a potion at the end." Grinning Peter gestured to the beginning. "Well, Heisshitze, show us how it is done."

The young knight had an expression of determination as he stepped toward the first gate. He placed a hand on the post and fed mana into a feystone embedded into the wood. Then he entered under the symbol of Geduldh. At first, I thought something would happen since Heisshitze bolted through the empty space. But nothing happened, at least until after he snatched the flag. Then the snow seemed to come alive. Sluggishly at first the stuff towards the beginning started to gather like a slow-motion wave. However, it was much too slow to catch Heisshitze, who passed through the water gate. The snow seemed unable to pass into the next area. This next area was the second tallest and it was filled with round stone pillars with small wooden platforms jutting out from them. Heisshitze was quick to locate the green flag above the tallest of such protrusions. Though climbing was made difficult by the jets of water that would suddenly spray out from the stone. And the platforms seemed to be slick with algae while also preventing a person from just leaping for the flag. The moment the flag was taken the snow rushed forward filling the bottom area of the water area.

"Clever. Each flag holds winter back, not unlike the other Gods do for Ewigeliebe. So, what's to stop someone from just leaving those flags and trying to complete the course with just the red flag?"

Peter smirked. "That is a strategy. However, the other flags are also protection for crossing the last gate. You would need seven powerful protection charms to get past the last gate unscathed. Other wise it will hurt, and you will likely need help thawing out. And it's hard to push past the barrier. Only an archnoble or higher can actually do it." Peter glanced at some of the apprentices who were making sour expressions. No doubt they experienced that first hand.

Heisshitze slipped on the bar that he had jumped off of. His finger tips just barely grabbed the ledge he had leapt for throwing then himself a little lower on a landing than intended. His chest slammed painfully against the lip of the stone pillar. I winced at the ring thud of feystone armor clanging against stone. While our armor could deftly block slashing and stabbing damage, there was still a limit to how much blunt force could be muted. And the boney areas of the ribs could still end up very sore. Desperately Heisshitze scrambled to pull himself up. His right boot barely touching the snow below. The response was instant. Ice started creeping up his boot and was a third of the way up his calf by the time he pulled himself up, hissing in pain. With zero hesitation, the apprentice knight struck the ice with his schtappe shaped like a sword. The ice shattered rather easily, though not without consequence judging by the pained expression. Heisshitze growled then threw himself over the last bit of space through the fire gate.

This area was set up almost the exact same as the water area. Only instead of using wood there was metal platforms and bars throughout. It was also not lost on me that much of the stone was scorched so it was easy to guess how this would go. Star shaped magic tools shot fireballs out when Heisshitze stepped too close. Despite the loud whooshing noise they made, I got the distinct impression they were still toned down in comparison to the ice attack. This was all but confirmed when Heisshitze easily swiped the blue flag. Then he had both snow and ice chasing, but he was more careful to avoid the ice. Then he passed the wind gate.

This was different from the first three. The entire space was filled with thick bamboo poles just a little thicker than an adult's fist. They were spaced close enough together that pushing through them quickly would be difficult. But they provided very little surface room, so, how was one supposed to pass through this? Heisshitze did not hesitate for even a moment. He simply leaped for the top of the closet pole. For a brief moment he wobbled on one foot before using his momentum to throw himself forward. Once he grabbed the yellow flag wind began to blast him from different sides. Balance became extremely difficult. Several times he was nearly sent flying to the ground. Each time he just barely managed to catch himself. Finally, he managed to throw himself into the Light Goddess's area. Here flag was right at the front making it easy to grab. Then there were hundreds of little stepping platforms all of them were packed closely together. The Dunkelfelger boy began to pick his way through. Little explosions of light and sound would flash in the vicinity of his face every time he took a step forward. Annoying, but not all that dangerous.

"This part seems relatively tame." I noted.

Peter chuckled. "In a sense it is. But the Goddess of Light's strength is not in brute force. Her's is a more subtle touch than her two fierce daughters. Though not without her teeth like Geduldh." Just then Heisshitze's foot went through an illusion stepping stone. His ankle seemed to twist painfully as he just barely caught the edge of a real step. He grit his teeth and forced himself to continue meandering down what I thought was an absurdly long path. Then he stepped into the God of Darkness' area which mirrored the Goddess of Light's section. The moment both feet crossed under the gate, darkness filled the space, making it impossible to see.

"How is he supposed to complete the course if he can't see?" Heck even with my memory, I would probably fumble grabbing the small flag that fluttered in a slight breeze. Heisshitze was unlikely to have that good of a memory.

"The Goddess of Light always knows the way to her husband. She lights the path to him." Clever. And insane.

"I can't believe you made something so absurd for her to throw at knights."

"Oh?" The way he said that one word said so. Somehow, he managed to convey how naïve he thought I was, that this was perfectly reasonable for someone to make for another person for fun, and I was the odd one here.

"The cost alone must have been astronomical."

He shrugged. "Somethings are intrinsically worth more than others understand. But I don't think that is something you will understand until you are a bit older." Then he winked at me. I struggled to find a response while fighting my body's urge to blush at what he had just implied.

I finally managed to snort and snap, "Not a chance in the world."

I watched a grin spread across the other boy's face. "I believe that Gods have accepted your challenge, Lord Ferdinand."

"Wha-?"

Cheers came from the group of apprentices knotted together near the exit of the course. I turned back to Heisshitze lying on the ground just past the finish line of the gate. He was heaving and out of breath from running. His right arm was also dirty and a tad burnt from a close call with a fireball. There was also water dripping from much of his pants. Looking back at the course I sucked in a surprised breath. Everything was coated in ice. At the very end you could clearly see a spot where Heisshitze had had to break himself out of the ice again.

"Still short, Heisshitze." One of the apprentices was pointing to the last gate. I walked over to see was he was pointing to. There was a rectangular shaped magic tool on this side of the gate. It had glowing names followed by a string of glowing numbers.

Minerva 1st 07:36:05 C:05 F:00

Heisshitze 2nd 08:27:31 C:21 F:01

Werdecraft 3rd 08:29:45 C:19 F:01

Jürgen 4th 08:32:34 C:17 F:01

Joffrey 5th 08:46:36 C:04 F:02

Catherine 6th 08:59:54 C01 F:00

The rest continued in that vein with the numbers growing larger the farther down until almost every Dunkelfelger student was listed.

"The score board keeps a log of your fastest time, as well as number of times you complete and fail the course." Peter pointed to the respective numbers. He then tapped Minerva's numbers and it dropped down to show all her times. There was a general correlation in speed and the number of attempts. He tapped it again and the extra information disappeared. It was a fascinating display. I wondered if it could be used for displaying data for various experiments. It would certainly be useful for presenting data during the tournament. But I doubted Peter would hand over the circles without some major concessions.

"How does it know who is who?" I hadn't seen Heisshitze register, since he likely would only have to do that once before his first run.

"At the beginning of the course is a registration plate that you sign your name to using stylo. Then once you are registered you simply feed mana to the feystone at the first (*Torri*) gate if you want to have a challenge. By registering your mana, the magic tools in the gates recognize you and keep track of your time. It also notes if you try to exit prematurely, and whether or not you have the flags. Though you can also fail if it takes you longer than twenty minutes. By that point you'll be encased in ice anyway."

Again, I marveled at what it must have cost to build such a monstrosity. And there were apparently ones that were more complicated than this that couldn't be built. Much less the ingenuity it would take to actually bring the various ideas to life. This thing forced would-be knights to think on their feet and make snap judgement choices. The terrain changed drastically the father you went in making one more thing you had to pay attention to. Even the use of different affinities was a nice touch because your opponents weren't always going to have the same affinities or fighting style. I glanced at the commander pavilion where the two ladies were still seemingly absorbed in their game. It was only their attendants' furtive glances that gave away they were also interested in what was going on.

"Lord Ferdinand, do you wish to try? Lady Minerva gives a reward for being in the top three." A lime haired first year student asked excitedly. It was clear he and those gathered around him were hoping I would agree. I frowned trying to remember his name, but nothing came to me. Clearly, we had not been properly introduced.

"Perhaps." I looked back to the course and calculated the max amount of mana I thought it would take and whether I would need a potion at the end. I had two on me at the moment. The rest was still brewing in Hirschur's lab. If I needed to use one at the end of this, I would be dangerously low until I reached the lab. That was assuming I didn't lose any of my charms. As long as I didn't take any hits it was doable, and I had already seen how most of it went. I sighed and reluctantly agreed. The swarm of Dunkelfelger apprentices practically dragged me to the front while a couple of scholars returned the flags to their places. Ice had turned to water by the time I reached the start of the course.

Peter directed me to another sign. This one had the outline of someone's left hand. "Place your hand there, feed a small bit of mana to it, then speak your name clearly." Justus did a quick poison check before waschening it.

I placed my left hand inside the outline and started feeding mana. I wasn't sure how much exactly to give so I trickled a small amount in. The tool greedily sucked it up. Then I spoke my name loudly and clearly. The tool blinked as if acknowledging me, then, in neat script my name was scrawled across the top of the screen. Followed quickly by 00:00:00 C:00 F:00. How did they manage to create such an expansive tool? I looked to Peter who was watching me with a carefully neutral expression.

I turned to the colored gate and laid my hand over the red feystone embedded in the wood. This took quite a bit of my mana leaving me feeling slightly uneasy. But I took a deep breath and faced the snowy expanse. Just like Heisshitze, I bolted forward, funneling mana to my legs to move them faster. The flag offered no resistance as I snatched it from its tether. But I felt the gentle tickle of mana that wasn't mine when my fingers brushed over the embroidery. It was however a mana I was very familiar with since it was often over my back now. Those thoughts were quickly cast aside as I entered the next gate. I managed both the water and fire areas with relative ease. Using the terrain to keep out of Ewigeliebe's grasping hand.

It wasn't until I entered the wind gate that I struggled. Balance was key, but there was no discernable pattern to the way the winds would blow, which got worse after I had taken the flag. And with my footing being so small it meant even a slight miss step would be fatal. It was painfully slow going. A gust of wind staggered me. Then the pole under my foot bowed ever so slightly. My momentum carried me too far and I tipped over.

Desperately I snatched at the poles to catch myself and managed to catch one. I used the force of my fall and turned it into a swing that threw myself back up. I put some mana behind the swing. It was almost too effective, as I ended up launching myself the rest of the way through the wind aspect of the course. Next was the Goddess of Light's trial. I took her flag and noticed that the stones each had symbols carved in them. Either the Light Goddess' symbol or that of one of her twelve subordinates. Colorful lights flashed and bloomed in front of my eyes, leaving little spots of color on my vision.

At first, I thought it was the spots on my vision that were distorting the symbols of the goddesses. One step away I realized that looking at the distorted symbols cause my head to ache and made me feel slightly nauseated. A false step!

I leapt over that one and carefully studied the rest as I ran. Why did that woman have to be annoyingly clever. I could hear her chuckle in the back of my head when I really missed another fake step. As if she'd get the best of me, but now that she had tipped her hand, I could start seriously grilling Peter for information. A smirk spread across my face. It quickly turned to a frown when; in attempt to dodge several false steps in a row I over estimated the right one. My ankle rolled at the edge scrapping painfully against the stone's unforgiving edge. Pain shot up my ankle into my leg.

Not good.

Keep moving, I commanded my body. Keep going. Don't stop. Don't slow down. And absolutely do no show your pain. I can't show even the slightest weakness around so many people. The cheering from the Dunkelfelger students in the background as the God of Darkness' cloak smothered everything. Including the sound of my own rasping breathes. Wait! Was this the course or was I losing consciousness? No! Keep going! Do not quit! A small trail of light, little more than a string led me forward. I shoved mana into my limbs and forced myself onward. Then a black ribbon fluttered faintly in the light thread. I snatched it and light returned almost blinding in its brilliance. A few more steps and I felt mana roll over me. It snatched at my clothing and hair, but it couldn't seem to find purchase. Then it rolled off my blue cloak with a faint pulse. Like recognizing like.

Minerva. Ah, yes, that would make sense that they would need archduke candidate level mana for something like this. In the next breath I pushed through the wall of mana and was out of the course. My heart pounded so loud in my ear it was all I could hear for several seconds. Slowly I became aware of a roar of noise. Looking around I realized I was surrounded by grinning cheering apprentice knights. My own attendants were nearby and looked equally proud and concerned.

My ankle shot pain up my leg when I took a step toward Justus. My eccentric attendant instantly hid his concern and stepped forward passing my water canteen to me, slipping an anti-ease-dropping device with it.

"Where?"

"Ankle."

His gaze went down. I was sure my leg was also bleeding, but apparently it didn't show if Justus had to ask where I was hurt.

"Not obvious. Shall I make excuses for you?"

"No."

"My Lord."

"Eyes." There were just too many people to risk treating my injuries.

"At least we need to get you off it." That didn't seem likely to happen anytime soon. This was Dunkelfelger after all.

"Well, well, looks like Heisshitze will have to practice more." Peter's voice came from the gate had had just exited. Everyone turned to look at the scholar who was leaning against the display with rankings. The first three rankings now read something a little different.

Minerva 1st 07:36:05 C:05 F:00

Ferdinand 2nd 08:00:27 C:01 F:00

Heisshitze 3rd 08:27:31 C:21 F:01

There murmurs of surprise and admiration. Apparently, it was extremely unexpected that I had beat Heisshitze's highest score on my first run. I, on the other hand, felt dissatisfied with my supposed victory because there was still a name ahead of me. I glared at the board promising myself I would knock her out of first place if for no other reason than to not have her ahead of me.

"Lord Ferdinand, you have been invited to play gewinnen." Peter had an Ordonnanz perched on his hand, waiting for my response. My ankle throbbed again, reminding me I didn't really have a choice.

"I accept Lady Minerva's most gracious offer."

The bird flew off with my response before even Heisshitze could even consider trying to prevent it with more inane challenges. At least these fools were not stupid enough to get in the way of Archduke candidates socializing. I made my way to the pavilion with my entourage trailing behind me. The whole way my ankle protested my continued abuse of it. It would no doubt be swollen up by the time I made it safely back to the lab. By the time I reached the pavilion both ladies were still chatting though their game seemed to have wrapped up some time ago.

"Lady Lavinia of Arensbach, may I reintroduce Lord Ferdinand of Ehrenfest." The wild woman introduced me to her gaming partner. I was able to get a good look at Lady Lavinia here. She had soft golden hair that was done up in artful locks. She also had very striking eyes, that I recalled were known as Phoenix eyes. Those eyes had an intensity about them, though they didn't have the same edge that a lot of women had when looking at me. Instead of looking at me like I was food, she looked more like Hirschur when she was comparing two different materials. The Arensbach archduke candidate was dressed for her station, but also practically for the cold with a shawl made of the fur from a feybeast.

I gave the customary greeting to them both.

"A pleasure that Dregarnuhr overlapped our threads outside of the gathering. Perhaps when Gebotordnung does not hold my threads we can speak over a friendly game of gewinnen."

"It would be my pleasure." I replied politely with my best dazzling smile. I noticed she glanced at Lady Minerva when I said this. While I was doing my best to do the exact opposite. I didn't need to look to know she was probably laughing at how uncomfortable I was. Instead, I focused on the board that was still set from their match. Judging by what I saw, Lady Lavinia would be a worthy opponent who had a skill for subtle traps. Whereas Minerva seemed to favor brute forcing her way through the game. How she managed to win was beyond me. Also, unlike the wild woman, Lady Lavinia kept to proper decorum, leaving without comment on my presence or my run through the course, with her entourage leading the way. Minerva couldn't be bothered with that.

"Schutzaria and Goddess of Light aren't warriors, but it's not surprising that so many are tripped up because of that."

I glared at her until someone nearby cleared their throat. Lady Magdalena had sat down at one of the other tables.

"Maggie, did you happen to bring the Bahelm horn?"

The scholar twin narrowed her eyes. "Yes."

"May I have it, please?"

"Has someone managed to displace one of the top five?" Magdalena's surprise colored her tone.

"Indeed, he has." She finished setting up the board.

Magdalena's eyes went from her sister to me, then back again. "Really?"

"If you think I am lying, go check."

The younger sister frowned. "I believe you." Her attendant handed over a large box to Minerva's only attendant, who then presented it to Justus. My attendant was almost giddy with excitement over the rare material. He tipped the box to show me an ivory horn that sprouted from the center of a Bahelm's head.

"How are preparations going for Schlageziel's challenge?"

"The scholars are gathering once the practice is over while the knights are doing their extras." She looked at her sister with exasperation as if she wanted to yell, 'don't discuss this in front of outsiders'. "Will you be joining us?"

Minerva hummed. "If I can finish this game in time." An almost rudely pointed way of saying go away. Lady Magdalena looked like she wanted to snap at her twin. But before she could get a response out Minerva asked her, "It's not like I am in danger here, am I?"

Almost immediately Magdalena looked at me as if she thought I was a danger to her sister and not the other way around. Then she sighed, "I suppose not."

Minerva smiled cheerfully at her twin. "Then, I will see you once my game is finished, dear sister."

Lady Magdalena gracefully took her leave before her twin could be openly rude again in front of others. Once she was gone, Evelina poured tea, and Minerva did the customary testing for poison. I had Justus do several extra checks; just in case. The Dunkelfelger princess looked both amused and annoyed by the extra precautions. Which made me hesitate to drink to at first. When I finally brought to cup to my mouth a strong smell came from the tea that I didn't recognize.

"This is a new tea that I am partial towards. The smell is reminiscent of something that translates to 'winter green mint'. But is has several properties that are very useful."

The flavor wasn't bad. A strong almost biting herbal taste that left a faintly cool feeling on the tongue despite the heat of the water. It was quite soothing despite the strong taste and smell. Not something that would be very popular in the Sovereignty due to its strong flavor that would make it very selective on the types of desserts had with it. After musing about this I realized something with a start. My ankle was no longer aching and some of my exhaustion had also gone down. Were these the properties she was referring to?

"Your move," I informed her blandly.

Her lip quirked up at the corner. Of course, her opening move was quite bold. Not surprising. What was surprising is that she allowed us to play in relative silence for a while. This afforded me the opportunity to ponder her request for match. The whole thing was in fact rather odd, especially when coupled with the facts that she had been absent from training the last three days, and today was not actually participating in training. Merely observing while playing gewinnen. Judging from the fact that she was practically gulping her tea down, she was likely in pain. Hence the strange choice in flavor. But what was causing it? Her posture was relatively relaxed. None of her movements seemed off. No telltale signs of poisoning either. The only hint was the faint paleness to her skin.

"How has your new shadow been fitting you?"

The question surprised me and I couldn't help but look towards Peter who was scanning the training grounds. "Enlightening." I told her. Let her make of that what she would.

She chuckled softly and watched as I made my move. "I am sure it is. Just be sure to keep that particular shadow close and on a tight leash. He has a bad habit of experimenting with dangerous things when his mind becomes idle."

The irony of that statement coming from her was not lost on me. I'm fairly certain she herself understood the irony there cause her face was still plastered in a very amused smile. But most of the things I had found Peter working on were rather innocuous. The memory tool in particular; while fascinating, was quite harmless, even if it seemed pointless. "It seems to me that the subordinate and the pillar share much in common."

This time she actually managed to stifle her laugh while she made her next move. "Enjoyed the obstacle course, did you?"

I scoffed at her and put the finishing touches on the trap that would wrap this game up nice and easily. Lady Minerva's hand hovered over the piece I needed her to move in order to begin her well deserved down fall. Her fingers made idle circles over the piece as if she were considered a snack to eat rather than a move in game. Did she notice? Slowly one finger touched the piece, then she switched to another, moving that instead. Frustration swirled inside of me. That was okay, I just needed better bait, I told myself. My noble smile did not waver one bit.

"Where did you even get the idea for something so insane?" I grouched, not bothering to be polite because she didn't deserve the effort that went into it.

"It was something called (*Ninja*) Warrior Challenge." I blinked at the foreign word. But she did not elaborate further on what that might mean. "Sadly, I wasn't able to do the ones involving motes. Not only is it too cold, for those here, but because of the academy being a white building the construction would have been a pain. Raised pools are tricky and water is heavy. Not mention if I didn't have a way to keep the water warm, the process of freezing and warming would break down any natural walls fairly quickly."

The other designs included motes? Did this woman really have nothing better to do than test her body's limits?

"It seems like it would be a fine tool for training knights." I admitted while putting the final touches on my new trap. If I were being completely honest, I would admit that the whole thing was likely an extremely useful tool. If the cost could be brought down, I bet Karstedt could use this to improve Ehrenfest's knights. That would also be a boon for Sylvester as it would bolster the quality of his guards.

"That was the idea." She looked back to where the apprentice knights were drilling. Her move was made almost half-heartedly.

I made my next move. "You seem distracted, Lady Minerva. If you something you need to do, you can always forfeit the mat-."

Her chuckle cut me off and she leveled her silver eyes at. "Change your tactics, tools, approach. Attack again and again, but never give up, and never surrender." She made her next move without taking her eyes off me.

I made my next move and told her softly. "I will beat you." I would beat her both in gewinnen and the course. From the look in those eyes, I could tell she understood exactly what I meant. She smiled, somehow looking very proud.

"I expect nothing less. But not today." She chuckled and I looked down at the board dumbfounded. My brain put the pieces of everything together and I had to fight the urge to grimace. This vexing woman had turned my own trap against me. It was all I could do not to grind my teeth in frustration. "Don't pout, Little Flower." That Gods cursed name! "Against anyone else you would have won." I hated that she meant those words. I didn't need her pity.

"The win is all that matters." I told her flatly.

She looked at me carefully. Then she turned to Heisshitze and asked, "All of our apprentices have finished gathering, correct?" Where was she going with this?

"Yes, my lady."

"Good. Spread the word, I will give a flammerzung fruit to anyone who can beat Lord Ferdinand in gewinnen. But they must provide worthy compensation." Then she waved to her attendant. "Lina is giving your attendant a bag of the tea we drank today. Do use it sparingly. Too much causes an upset stomach. Now, if you will excuse me. I have a meeting to attend." With that she left with her entourage, but already I was swarmed anew by Dunkelfelger students. It was not lost on me that Peter was pointedly coughing into his sleeve. I sighed in resignation, but by dinner time rolled round all of my entourage; Peter included, was weighed down with my spoils from victory.