Books give knowledge; in exchange for time.

How long has Ray been reading? He set aside the book he was reading on the round table and looked at his silver pocket watch. The hand was pointing at 1 sharp. No wonder he felt hungry, he had missed his lunch by an hour. He thought that it would be a good idea to grab lunch as a mean to take a short break from reading. While at it, he might as well invite Freya.

Before he stood up however, his eyes fell on the book he was reading before. 'A True King'. It wasn't a bad book; as Ray had learnt a few things from it. But, overall, the views of that book was too idealistic to put into practice. That was what caused the disappointment. Putting that aside, it was a good book. Well, nothing he could do about.

'Dunnford, let's grab--'

Ray had taken over a round table in the library all for himself and he had only shared some of the space with Dunnford. The knight had excused himself before to search for a book; as waiting whilst simply doing nothing was in itself unproductive. So he got a book and read. Ray had expected that Dunnford would soon drop the book as he was after all, a knight.

So, when Ray saw Dunnford showing tears over reading a book, it was only natural for him to be surprised. The Undefeatable Dunnford, a man who had been in many rough and ugly battles, someone who never showed tears despite his torturous hardships, cried over a book. How was it possible? What book was that even?

'Dunnford?' He called.

Dunnford, a little surprised, wiped his tears and responded: 'Yes Master Ray?' His tone was a bit wavy.

'Is that book good?'

'Yes, in my opinion, it is good.'

'What book is that?'

'Adventure of Girome.'

'What is it about? My interest is piqued because of your tears.'

'The title speak for itself Master Ray, it tells about the adventures of a man called Girome. I am currently at a sad part. I must apologize if I have disturbed you because of it.'

'It's fine. Continue your reading then.'

'Very well.'

Lunch has to wait, Ray thought. He stood up and searched for himself a copy of Adventure of Girome.

***

'Listen Freya,' Elaine said, 'while I have to admit that knowledge is important; and that one can easily lose oneself in the process, it is important for you to eat properly. Without the proper health, then all the knowledge you pile up will be reduced to nothing.'

Elaine reminded Freya who was still reading on a ladder. Reading as in flipping pages of books. The clock at the library had pointed to 3. Elaine too had forgotten about time; had she not been reminded by the clock, she would have kept on reading. Elaine had learnt the importance of nourishing oneself the hard way in the past and she had no plans to ever let it happen again.

'Food can wait Elaine,' Freya said.

'You got it backwards. Books can wait, while food can't. Should I teach you a lesson regarding responsibilities?'

Reluctantly, Freya sighed and went down the ladder slowly. Elaine was sure that Freya had been doing what she had been doing non-stop ever since entering the library. For, whenever Elaine caught a glance of her, she would see her flipping pages again and again but in different spots. Was she truly reading? It was hard to believe as Elaine could tell that Freya wasn't using magic.

'Let's finish eating fast then,' Freya proposed. She was seemingly busy, as if she was searching for an important information and that she had limited time. Elaine couldn't quite get it. There's no harm in asking, she thought.

'Okay, say that you're actually reading, what are you specifically searching for anyway?'

'Hm? What? Sorry, I was thinking about a few books I've read.'

'What information were you searching for?'

'Sorry, what? I got lost again.'

'What information were you searching for?' Elaine reiterated, slightly irritated.

'What do you mean?'

'Exactly what I mean.'

'... And that is?'

Are we really going to go through this? Elaine thought. Fine, but you better not regret it.

'Out of the blue, you decided to go on this journey. You, a noble who could most likely get anything with your possessions. I assume that this journey is not for a material one can buy in shops and supposingly not something you can order someone to do. You just decided to go on a journey, bought items for the journey and prepared meticulously, all for a reason you don't speak of. To top things off, you decided to start the journey by going to Arkef, a country of archive which is full of information. A great way to start a journey I would say, assuming you have a purpose and that you're clueless of a destination. Which brings a question: what is it you seek here? An answer which you can't find in your own complete library. But what?'

Freya simply smiled in response. 'That's a good analysis Elaine, I'm impressed. Have you ever thought of being a consultant or a detective instead of a magician?'

'Detective is fiction Freya...'

'Really? I thought that it's a real occupation. That's a disappointment! Imagine how amazing that job will be!'

'Yes, yes. An amazing job I have to admit. Although, I can't help but think that you're currently averting the topic.'

'I am?'

'Yes,' Elaine groaned. 'Yes you are!'

'What were we talking about again?'

'You better cut the stupid act and not test my patience.'

'But I'm not acting stupid.'

'Then answer my question!' Elaine was slowly losing it. Fighting with Ray was tiring, while with Freya it was frustrating.

'Shh, Elaine,' Freya placed an index finger in front of her mouth. 'Lower your voice. We're in a library.'

Elaine wanted to just let everything loose. However, it would be unsightly of her as Freya's teacher and as someone who was older. Slowly, she controlled her breath. Breathe in. Breathe out. There was no need for her to get so riled up just because of a conversation. Unlike Ray, Freya was not making an effort to insult her. Though, she was making her lose her temper.

'What are you sear--'

'Look Elaine, Ray and Dunnford,' Freya cut her short.

I give up, Elaine thought. Some things just aren't worth fighting for. I'll give up, for now. Dear student of mine, don't think that I'll let this pass.

With that in mind, she decided to let go of the subject. Elaine could see Ray and Dunnford sitting together in one table. It was a table for 6, but they had took all the space for themselves without concerning other people. The Prince was reading his book intently, more so than that book titled 'A True King'. Meanwhile, the knight was reading with his whole emotions expressed on his face. Anyone could tell that he was reading a suspenseful scene from his expression. What were they reading anyway?

Freya approached Ray from the back, she copied Elaine's exact words with her very own twist. 'While I have to admit that Adventure of Girome is interesting; and that one can easily lose oneself in the process of reading it, it is important for you to eat properly. Without the proper health, then all that you've learnt will be reduced to nothing.'

Ray slightly jolted when Freya appeared. From that, it was clear that he was enjoying the book as he had forgotten his surroundings. Ray looked at Freya and processed her words. 'Did a certain magician tell you that?'

'Spot on.'

'I have to protest with that saying.'

'I did. But you'll get "books can wait, while food can't" as a response.'

When did they get so close? It was as if they were long time friends with each other. Judging from Ray's personality, that should have been an impossible feat.

'Lucky for me; she isn't my teacher. And I wouldn't want her to be. Thus, I have no obligation to follow that,' Ray said with his prideful demeanor. He disregarded what Freya had said and went back to read the book. Freya didn't allow his attitude a pass however.

'I can spoil the ending of that book for you.'

'Let's get lunch,' Ray closed the book and stood up in a swift motion. 'Dunnford, let's get lunch. I don't want her to spoil the ending and I don't dare check if she's bluffing or not.'

Dunnford looked slightly troubled. He hesitated for a bit but in the end he managed to utter the words: 'Master Ray, would you please spare me 5 minutes of your time? I'm almost done with volume 2.'

Ray didn't expect that answer. He sighed and looked at Freya. 'Depends if Freya is willing to wait.'

'Please, take your time Dunnford. Meanwhile, if you're done, call me as I'll be going to read books around that shelves.'

Elaine was about to open her mouth to protest, but as Freya passed her, she whispered to Elaine a few words. 'Spare Dunnford a little Elaine. I recall someone had a rough time during the carriage ride.'

With that, she left to read again and left Elaine powerless to utter a shred of complaint. She knew that she had placed the knight at a tough spot during the carriage because of her squabble with Ray. She couldn't be heartless to stop Dunnford when he was enjoying the book.

Did Freya just manage to deal with us all deliberately? The thought couldn't help but appear in Elaine's mind.