Several weeks later, the armoury smells of oiled leather and cold stone. Selected cadets stand in two rows as a lean young adult man in a dark fencing jacket enters, his narrow face intent beneath neatly combed black hair.
Alexander Pavlovich Romanov
You have brought a professional into the armoury, sir. I trust the demonstration will not become another examination of school discipline.
The Master remains beside the weapon racks, stiff with official confidence. Roald stands among the younger cadets at the edge of the marked floor, close enough to hear every exchange but not invited into it.
Frederick
My name is Frederick. I have crossed blades with men who believed rank could steady an uncertain hand. It rarely does.
Frederick draws a slender foil and tests its balance with two economical movements. The cadets straighten; even the Master’s expression tightens as the visitor’s calm exposes the room’s theatrical stiffness.
Frederick
Prince Alexander, you know what ceremony is worth. Come forward and show these boys whether this institution teaches fencing or merely posture.
A murmur passes through the rows. Frederick’s gaze shifts briefly to Roald, catching the smallest sign that he is watching, then returns to Alexander with an unmistakable invitation to choose who will answer the challenge.
✓ Quest Accepted
Submit to Alexander’s spanking
✓ Quest Accepted
Avoid becoming a target in Frederick’s demonstration
“Can I submit to Alexander without leaving the cadet rows?”
NO (Likely, rolled 77)
Frederick
A challenge requires an answer, Prince Alexander. If you mean to submit to instruction, you must leave the safety of the line and enter the floor.
Alexander’s attention moves from Frederick to the cadet rows. His expression remains composed, but the invitation has become a public demand: obedience cannot be offered from the place where Roald stands.
Alexander Pavlovich Romanov
I will answer him. But I will not pretend that stepping forward is a surrender of judgment. The demonstration deserves more than a boy obeying because others are watching.
The Master gives a sharp gesture toward the marked floor. Several cadets shift their weight, making the row feel suddenly narrow around Roald, while Alexander remains the only boy openly invited to cross it.
Frederick
Good. Come forward, then. A man who stays among the ranks may observe technique, but he cannot claim the lesson as his own.
Alexander steps out from the cadets and faces Frederick beneath the armoury’s hard light. Roald remains in the row, close enough to study the exchange, yet unable to turn submission into authority without first being seen to leave his place.
− Scene Quest Removed
Submit to Alexander’s spanking
“I keep my eyes on Frederick’s feet and make myself forgettably still.”
SUCCESS (Good Perception, rolled +0)
Roald Dahl
Frederick’s feet give away the lesson before his foil does: balance first, movement second.
Roald fixes his gaze low and keeps his shoulders quiet among the cadets. Frederick’s narrow stance shifts by fractions, one heel lifting before each measured advance.
Frederick
Do not watch the blade, Prince Alexander. The feet announce the decision first.
Alexander raises his foil and adjusts his distance. Frederick’s weight settles onto the rear leg, inviting an attack while preserving an easy path backward.
Alexander Pavlovich Romanov
Then I shall watch the ground between us, and let your movement tell me what your courtesy conceals.
The selected cadets remain silent. Roald notices Frederick’s front foot turn outward just before the lunge, a small preparation hidden beneath his stillness and control.
Frederick
Good. You are looking where the truth begins. Now show me whether you can answer it.
Quest Complete
Avoid becoming a target in Frederick’s demonstration