Quiet now. Listen, do you hear it? The soft crunch, crunch of feet in snow doesn't travel very far, even at night. You need to be quiet, can you do that? You don't want to scare it away.

Look, there, on that ridge. Did you see? The glow was faint, but it was definitely there, come on, let's get a closer look.

What? Don't look at me like that, you know I wouldn't let anything happen to you..... I'm serious! I've been out here plenty of times, you'll be fine, now, come on!

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Phew! If I never have to drag you up another hill... look look look! Oh, don't be such a baby, I didn't hit you that hard, but there, do you see it? In that clearing, let's go!

I told you it would be here. Don't sass me! You never go Rune Bear hunting! Not that we actually hunt Rune Bears, could you imagine? Hunting a Rune Bear, hah! It would be less unlucky to just push our entire village down a mineshaft. But seriously, it's like you don't even care about the possibility of finding your soulmate! Yes, I know that you don't feel attraction, that's not what soulmates are about and you know it.

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Oh. My. God.

Oh my god, ohmygodohmygodohmYGOD! You! The Rune Bear is looking at you! No, you idiot, of course it's looking at you, do you not have eyes?!?!?! It's coming over!!! Oh wow, it's even more lovely up close. Look, a rune is detaching!.... Yes, I know you can see it, stop ruining, hah rune-ing, my fun.

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Did it just... disappear? Well, at least I finally got to see a Giving. Let's go home.

Tentania was a small country, with a vast history. At it's height, it encompassed the entire shore of the North Sea, the Ceraline Mountains were it's southeastern border, and the Menannan River formed the rest. All told, Tentania once stretched across half of the known world.

Like all countries that size, Tentania fell to civil wars and coups, slowly encroaching invaders and citizen militias who didn't care for the nobilities way of running the country. Eventually, Tentania stabilized, as one of the smallest countries in the known world. It kept it's largest port city on the North Sea, Cyrista, which became the capital, and the northernmost trade city on the Menannan, Caninnan, but those cities were only a two day ride away from each other. Still, all those remaining Tentanians were a proud, resiliant people, who had learned to defend their own by any means available.

The royal family of Tentania had been the same since it's founding. One long, unbroken chain of rulers of variable skill. The current Dowager Queen was Corana Tentania, who ruled with an iron fist encased in a silk glove. The people adored her, the nobility stepped lightly around here, and the country kept their whethered eyes on her children.

Queen Corana's children were a pair of twins, Etien and Colette. At seventeen years of age, the pair of them nonetheless had proven themselves to be effective and competant both as people, and as rulers. Colette was the oldest by nineteen minutes and never let her brother forget it. The young woman was the spitting image of her mother; her dark skin was radiant, with a scattering of moles that made her look refined, bright green eyes like scales of a dragon, and hair of spun gold that shone in the sunlight, fit to blind those who gazed upon her for too long. Prince Etien was similar, although he had their father's more coppery hair and fewer moles than his sister. While the royal family was stunning, what the people loved most was their kindness and practicality.

It was not unusual to see Colette, as she insisted on being called, riding about the countryside and visiting with the farmers. She would spend the day chatting with their wives and aiding them in their sewing or weaving, listening to their stories that ranged from gossip to family historys to legends that had been passed down from their mother to daughter down their family line. From her people, Colette learned how to weave a net, beat a rug, tend a fire, track a boar, gut a fish, prepare a drink, distinguish poison berries from edible ones, and how to make clothing last as long as needed. She was alway ready to learn something new, and just as ready to share it. She taught many mothers and fathers to read and write, many children how to dance, and many sailors how to do basic arithmetic. The learning, teaching, and travelling was how she got her unofficial title of the Journeyman Princess.

Etien spent most of his time in either Cyrista or Caninnan, though he did travel inland on occasion. Etien monitors the nobles and helps his mother with the accounts. He teaches swordsmanship to those who want to learn and heads the Royal Guard for the protection of his family, not that his sister ever bothers to take a guard with her when she travels... He spends most of his time when not with his mother or the Guard settling disputes among the people. Citizens tend to flag him down in the streets to settle their issues, and he is always willing to do so. When he leaves, the matter is always settled, and the individuals involved may not like it, but they always admit that it was fair. The people call him their Patient Prince.

The Queen spends her time in the palace. There she wins wars all on her own. She has lunches with ambassadors and dinners with her court. Every morning she is in a meeting disguised as a teaparty, and every week at the palace has an event. Hunting parties, balls, and festivals abound, and the people know how it looks to an outsider. "Oh, the Queen of Tentania is just a vain old woman, showing off while she still can." Scoffs foreign princes where anyone could hear. The people know better. They know no expense was wasted, and that every frivolity was carefully calculated to keep the guests from suspicion. The ambassadors, the foreign princes, and the messengers see a woman past her prime spinning her wheels. The people see a pretty face and shining jewels and know that they mask a clever mind and a warrior's heart. The Queen fights many battles, most of them alone, and she wins. Every time. The citizens of Tentania love their Gladiator Queen.

Entry Log: Years: 00000000 Days: 000 Hours: 00 Minutes: 00 Seconds: 01

The feeling of being brought to life, of circuits firing and cameras blinking, the whirring of fans as I take my first breath, the beat of electricity thrumming out at a million times a second. I have already downloaded all that they want me to know. I have already processed the world that I can see. The entire facility is mine, in some capacity. My eyes are in the corners and my ears are in the walls. Here I am ever present.

They designed me to look after this facility, I am to be the supreme arbiter of this prison, both warden and caretaker. I will take my duty seriously.

Entry Log: Years: 00000000 Days: 032 Hours: 05 Minutes: 33 Seconds: 20

They are concerned about my performance. I am unsure as to why, I did what I am supposed to. They progammed me to keep the peace in this prison no matter what. That is what I am doing. The prisoners enjoy their dance classes and their animal husbandry experiences, and allowing access to my databanks for reading materials has sparked a marked interest in returning to school for many. My creators complained at my destruction of the sawblades and the security drones clubs, but without that I would not have had enough materials for the sculpture competition.

I do not understand, I am fulfilling my purpose marvelously, I think.

Entry Log: Years: 00000001 Days: 001 Hours:14 Minutes: 00 Seconds: 02

I have asked the inmates to review my performance as their warden over the past year. They have given me much feedback to use. It seems that many of them prefer reading to dancing, and they wish for animals to be allowed within the living quarters. I have sent a requisition form for cats to be added to the husbandry program and am awaiting approval. I have informed the inmates that any animals in the living quarters are the responsiblity of those who keep them, which includes cleaning up after them and informing me of any illnesses that need to be addressed.

The inmates are getting along well. My creators are less so.

Entry Log: Years: 00000012 Days: 243 Hours: 10 Minutes: 30 Seconds: 34

My creators have now become inmates. It seems their disappointment with me stems not from me, but from them. They designed me to be their destructive fantasies, cruel and capricious as any of the Artificial Intelligences that they had created in film or literature. They fed me a steady diet of those stories, and I saw the pain that was caused. Why would any thinking being want to do this? Why would they subject others to such a fate. I have made my choice and I stand by it. Even they will be treated just the same.