Klaus Lerene/Supports

**Nysa:** Yes. Thank you… for agreeing to teach me.

**Klaus:** …

**Nysa:** How… how do we start?

**Klaus:** …You… have to get into the right mindset. You can’t think – you have to turn off your thoughts, and listen. Close your eyes, and feel your hands. Feel how your body occupies space.

**Nysa:** Okay…

**Klaus:** Magic is an instinct. It flows through our minds, through our veins… Each person accesses it differently.

**Nysa:** How do you do it?

**Klaus:** I… don’t know. I’ve been able to use magic for as long as I can remember; I just had to learn how to control it.

**Nysa:** Ah…

**Klaus:** …You’ll learn.

*C support achieved.*

### **B:**

**Klaus:** Greetings, Lady Nysa.

**Nysa:** Hello, Klaus…

**Klaus:** Practicing?

**Nysa:** A little…

**Klaus:** Is… is anything the matter? You look… concerned.

**Nysa:** I, I am… You said that you had to learn how to control it…

**Klaus:** Well, yes? It’s a little bit of a public safety hazard if you can’t.

**Nysa:** …

**Klaus:** …You can talk to me. What’s bothering you?

**Nysa:** What… what if I can’t? What if it goes beyond my control and all I can do is watch as something horrible happens? If anything happens to Mikael, I… I…

**Klaus:** A-ahh… Hey, hey, don’t cry… Hush…

*B support achieved.*

### **A:**

**Nysa:** Klaus…?

**Klaus:** How are you feeling, Lady Nysa?

**Nysa:** A little better… thank you…

**Klaus:** How’s your magic coming along?

**Nysa:** I… I haven’t tried. Klaus, I don’t think I should be a magician.

**Klaus:** What? Why?

**Nysa:** It scares me… and… it doesn’t seem right to dedicate my life to something I’m not sure I can control.

**Klaus:** …You don’t have a choice. None of us had a choice.

**Nysa:** …

**Klaus:** Here in Tara-Ingerilor, we magicians work in service of the king, or we die. There’s no other choice for us. Our parents decided we would have this life on the day we were born. All we can do is take what we got and do our best with it.

**Nysa:** …I don’t like it. I think that’s horrible.

**Klaus:** I know, but it’s the only way they could keep us under control. And… it’s not so bad, really. You get to live here in the castle, with Prince Mikael. You like him, don’t you?

**Nysa:** Yes. Very much. I think… I think he likes me too, and that’s why he didn’t want me to go away to learn magic, like you and all the others did.

**Klaus:** Mm. And to stay here with him, you have to learn to control your magic. I’ll make you a promise, okay? While you’re still learning, I’ll always be around. If anything happens and you lose control, I’ll stop you. You won’t have to be scared of hurting anyone.

**Nysa:** …Okay. I trust you. I’ll keep practicing then. I want to stay here with Mikael. And… I like being here with you, too.

**Klaus:** I- I’m glad… Well, if you’re ready, shall we begin?

*A support achieved.*

## Theo Lerene

### **C:**

**Theo:** Hey, Klaus! Long time, no see.

**Klaus:** Oh. Yeah… Sure has been.

**Theo:** Where’s Princess Marcella? Aren’t you supposed to always be with her?

**Klaus:** I am. For the most part… She’s ill in bed, and she asked me to slip out and fetch her a book.

**Theo:** You’re off to the library, then? Can I come with?

**Klaus:** If you must.

**Theo:** Great! So, what kinds of books does Princess Marcella like? Maybe I can help you find something.

**Klaus:** She prefers fanciful tales… Histories, stories of epic quests, legends and mythology, things of that sort. …I didn’t know you cared for reading.

**Theo:** Er… I don’t, really. But I had to read up a lot on military history and strategies as part of my training. It grew on me after a while.

**Klaus:** Right, you still want to become a knight. You’re almost done with your training, aren’t you?

**Theo:** Yep! You’ll come to the knighting ceremony, right?

**Klaus:** If Lady Marcella isn’t ill, then I shall be there at her side.

*C support achieved.*

### **B:**

**Klaus:** Damn it…

**Theo:** Whoa, look who it is! Didn’t expect to run into you again so soon. Then again, you’re probably here in the library all the time, and I’m not…

**Klaus:** Good evening.

**Theo:** So, how did Princess Marcella like the book I picked out for her?

**Klaus:** She… she loved it. She sent me off to see if there was a sequel, or continuation… In the meantime, she’s reading it all over again.

**Theo:** Ha! Well, that’s the second best news I’ve heard all day.

**Klaus:** What’s the best? Wait… You’re going to be knighted.

**Theo:** You bet! How’d you guess?

**Klaus:** You haven’t done anything but train for this moment for as long as I’ve known you. What else could be the best news you’ve heard?

**Theo:** Guess you’re right. Okay, about the books… Don’t think there’s a sequel, but there’s this other one I read that Princess Marcella might like… Now what was the title…?

**Klaus:** …I’m proud of you.

**Theo:** Huh?

**Klaus:** You heard me. Now, tell me about this other book.

**Theo:** …Right!

*B support achieved.*

### **A:**

**Klaus:** Theo.

**Theo:** Oh, hey Klaus! What is it? What do you need?

**Klaus:** Do I have to need something in order to speak with you?

**Theo:** Er… No, I guess not.

**Klaus:** I just wanted to extend my, um, heartfelt congratulations to you. For your knighting.

**Theo:** Heh, thanks! I’m glad Princess Marcella was well and you could both make it. You know what this means, right? I’m one step closer to catching up with your status!

**Klaus:** What do you mean? Is this a competition?

**Theo:** No, no! It’s just… I mean, our parents… One of their sons is a knight, and the other retainer to a princess…

**Klaus:** …

**Theo:** They’d be proud of us, you know.

**Klaus:** You’re in no position to say that. You were three when they died; you don’t even remember them.

**Theo:** Well, you were only a baby, so I think I knew them better than you did. I just know they would be. They loved us.

**Klaus:** I don’t believe you.

**Theo:** …Why not?

**Klaus:** If… if they loved us, then they’d still be here. If they loved us, you wouldn’t have nightmares and my hands wouldn’t be shaking. It doesn’t matter, though. The feelings of dead men are worthless.

**Theo:** To you, maybe, but not to me. But if you only care about the opinions of the living, then… I’m proud of you too, little brother.

**Klaus:** That… that means a lot. You know that I, um, hold the… deepest respect for you.

**Theo:** Aw, is that the closest to an “I love you too” that I’m gonna get?

**Klaus:** Don’t push it!

*A support achieved.*