Lewis slips into the library’s dim hush, the tobacco haze and old leather making the room feel sealed away from the school. At the far shelves stands a tall boy in a Prussian-blue military tunic, rigid as a drill-sergeant’s idea of virtue.
The newcomer turns with a sharp, disciplined motion and fixes Lewis with a cool, measuring look. He does not retreat, but neither does he advance.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
You are Lewis, I think. This room is quieter than the rest of your school.
C. S. Lewis
Yes. I was only looking for somewhere to read.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
Then we share a purpose, at least for the moment. I prefer order, and books are better company than boys who shout.
His expression barely shifts, but the words land with unexpected plainness. He marks the shelves with a gloved hand, as if the library were a map he has already surveyed.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
If you mean to keep this place to yourself, you will need to do it quietly.
✓ Quest Accepted
Win Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen's trust
“Will Friedrich punish me if I annoy him by making too much noise?”
YES (Likely, rolled 52)
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
I find that noise is a form of disorder, Lewis. Should you disrupt this quiet, I would be forced to report your insolence to the prefects, and I assure you, they are not as patient as I am.
C. S. Lewis
He is not merely keeping the peace, he is warning me that my presence here is a privilege he can revoke at any moment.
“I lower my voice and ask his name”
SUCCESS (Superb Etiquette, rolled +0)
C. S. Lewis
My apologies. May I ask your name?
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen. You may use Friedrich.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
He is careful. That is better than noisy courage.
The boy eases one page flat beneath his palm, then shuts the essay a little more neatly than before. The lamp throws a harder edge across the margins.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
If you mean to remain, sit where you will not be seen from the door.
Silence settles again, but it is no longer empty silence. It has rules now, and a seat.
“Will Friedrich be sympathetic if I am beaten by the prefects?”
NO, AND WORSE (Unlikely, rolled 94)
Friedrich does not look up from the table, his expression hardening into a mask of cold indifference as he considers the hypothetical.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
If you are beaten, it is because you have failed to maintain the order expected of you. I would not intervene, and I would certainly not wish to be associated with the weakness that invited such a correction.
C. S. Lewis
He sees my survival as a matter of discipline, not mercy.
“Does Friedrich feel sufficient contempt for my physical weakness that he would enjoy seeing me punished?”
NO, BUT (Likely, rolled 69)
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
It is not enjoyment I feel, Lewis. It is merely the recognition that a structure without discipline is a house built on sand, and I have no patience for the collapse of either.
C. S. Lewis
He does not hate me, he simply views my existence as a variable in an equation he has already solved.
“Does Friedrich mean to report me for any noise?”
YES (Likely, rolled 52)
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
Do not mistake my tolerance for indifference, Lewis. Any sound that breaks this silence will be noted, and I shall see to it that the prefects are informed of your inability to follow the simplest of rules.
C. S. Lewis
He is not merely warning me, he is waiting for the slightest slip to justify my removal.
“Does Friedrich approve of the use of corporal punishment to maintain order?”
YES (VeryLikely, rolled 23)
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
Order is not a suggestion, Lewis. It is a necessity, and when the spirit of a boy refuses to bend, the cane is the only instrument that can effectively restore the equilibrium of the house.
C. S. Lewis
He speaks of the rod not as a cruelty, but as a tool of statecraft, as if the pain of the younger boys is merely a ledger entry for the sake of the school's stability.
The boy is liable to receive punishment for his lack of positive demeanour.
“Will Friedrich take pity on me if I show him the marks on my buttocks from the canings that I've recently received?”
NO (VeryUnlikely, rolled 33)
Lewis remains silent, his gaze dropping to the floor as he realizes that Friedrich views his physical suffering as a triviality, a mere byproduct of a system that demands absolute conformity.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
Do not look for sympathy here, Lewis. Your scars are your own business, and they change nothing about the requirements of this house.
“Is Friedrich willing to keep my presence secret?”
YES (Unlikely, rolled 28)
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
However, I have no interest in your ruin. If you keep your head down and your presence here quiet, I shall not mention your name to the prefects.
C. S. Lewis
He is offering a silent pact, a way to exist in the shadows of this room without drawing the gaze of those who would see me punished.
Friedrich turns his attention back to his own ledger, his posture relaxing slightly as he signals that the conversation has reached its end.
“I ask Friedrich what I can do for him.”
SUCCESS (Superb Etiquette, rolled +2)
C. S. Lewis
What would you have me do for you?
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
Keep the shelf in order, and keep yourself useful. If you mean to remain here, you may begin with the ledger.
Friedrich slides the open book a little nearer, his pen pausing above the page as if to test Lewis's readiness.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
A quiet boy who asks for work is easier to place than one who begs for shelter.
The shaft of light on the table steadies the dust between them, and the library stays hushed.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
If you can copy without blots, I may trust you with the next volume as well.
The younger boy must perform the assigned task or face the consequences of disobedience.
“I copy the ledger neatly”
SUCCESS (Superb Etiquette, rolled +0)
Lewis bends over the ledger and copies the first line with careful, even strokes. The scratch of his pen is the only sound in the hush.
He keeps the spacing true, matching the original hand as closely as he can. The page stays clean, with no blots for Friedrich to seize on.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
Neat. He pays attention to the shape of work, not merely the task.
Lewis turns the leaf and continues, his wrist steady, his posture obedient to the table and the silence.
Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen
That will do. Keep going, and do not hurry the line.
The open ledger now shows a full, orderly column where blank space had been. Friedrich's pen settles beside it, no longer hovering.
Quest Complete
Win Friedrich Wilhelm von Preußen's trust
Skill Upgrade: Etiquette Superb→Legendary