[for @calanthe ]

For some, a library became a refuge from the outside reality, a quiet sanctuary in which they could accomplish anything from educating themselves to escaping to another world entirely, if only metaphorically. Others utterly abhorred it and all it stood for, though she had yet to find anyone with such an attitude in Arynn Frey. No, the entire kingdom - or rather, the half of it that did not wear white on their body and silver around their throats - seemed enamored with research and various intellectual pursuits, so much so that the royal family all but invited the public into the palace such that they could share their wealth of written knowledge. Commoners were allowed inside the walls of Rainecourt Castle but never to such an extent; in her experience, they remained isolated to the military wing. Alinore preferred Nevermere’s approach, but the relative openness of Arynn Frey’s methodology and insistence on equality between its citizens served its purpose.

With the queen in the hands of two of the other witches, the Nevermerean noblewoman strode through now-familiar halls toward the library. When she’d expressed interest in attempting to better understand their enchantments through practical lessons, she may have received polite but firm denials, but that did not mean she could not learn some of the information she sought; she would simply have to be a little more creative about it. Dark eyes briefly surveyed the room as she stepped across the threshold, landing momentarily on a young woman browsing the nearby shelves. After a moment, Alinore meandered over, offering a polite nod in greeting before casting her gaze over the indecipherable titles nested together. At random, she pulled from the shelf a tome that had an interesting design on the spine and opened it briefly to find, surprise surprise, more meaningless text. Closing the book, she approached the young woman, an apologetic smile on her face. “Forgive me for disturbing you, but you seem rather knowledgeable. Would you be able to tell me what this book is about?”