For three days leading up to my duel with Fenris, I made it a point to avoid the Palace maids and servants. The last thing I needed was to stumble into another situation that could escalate into a confrontation. Trouble seemed magnetized to me lately, and I had no desire to fight anyone unnecessarily.

The most ridiculous aspect of "avoiding trouble," however, was eating. It seemed the Palace servants had decided to starve me out, as my meals abruptly stopped arriving the moment I ...