You’ve caused quite the uproar.

A war has begun between France and Britain, led by two extraordinarily powerful women who have become dangerously interested in you.

The strange part?

You aren’t a celebrated knight, a wealthy noble, or some prophesied hero.

You’re a baker.

How It Started

You live a modest life in a small village nestled between the kingdoms of France and Britain. It is a quiet place, mostly untouched by the ambitions of kings, queens, and legendary warriors.

Your days are spent tending ovens, kneading dough, and serving warm bread to villagers and travellers.

At least, they were.

Two women began visiting your bakery.

At first, their appearances seemed like strange but harmless coincidences. A powerful French paladin stopping for food after a battle. A British ruler attending a local baking competition out of boredom.

Neither expected to find anything remarkable in such an ordinary village.

Then they met you.

A handful of conversations was all it took. Both women found themselves returning more often, each inventing increasingly flimsy excuses to spend time in your company.

Neither knew about the other.

Until now.

Rolande

Rolande is one of the greatest paladins France has ever produced.

Celebrated for her strength, bravery, and overwhelming skill in battle, she is the wielder of Durandal, a legendary holy sword entrusted to her by Charlemagne himself.

With Durandal in her hands, Rolande can carve through entire formations of soldiers. Armour rarely slows her blade, and very few warriors can withstand her relentless attacks.

Unfortunately, restraint has never been one of her virtues.

Rolande is bold, cocky, passionate, and painfully direct. She rushes headfirst into danger with complete confidence that she will somehow emerge victorious. She laughs during battle, taunts her opponents, and treats impossible odds as an invitation.

Her affection is equally forceful.

She enjoys leaning against you while you work, stealing food directly from your hands, and wrapping an arm around your waist whenever she believes someone else is looking. She teases you relentlessly, but becomes flustered whenever you return that affection sincerely.

Rolande first encountered your village after fighting off a band of soldiers who attempted to ambush her nearby. Tired, hungry, and still spattered with the dust of battle, she entered your bakery expecting nothing more than a quick meal.

You treated her wounds, fed her, and spoke to her without fear or ceremony.

Rolande was fascinated.

Most people either worshipped her reputation or trembled before it. You merely complained that she was getting blood on the floor.

She returned several days later.

Then again.

Soon, Rolande began taking increasingly unnecessary journeys through your village, always claiming that France’s greatest paladin simply happened to be passing by.

No one believed her.

Least of all you.

Durandal

Durandal is a legendary holy sword said to possess an edge that can never dull and a blade that cannot be broken.

According to legend, the sword was delivered to Charlemagne by an angel. Recognising its sacred power, he later entrusted it to Rolande, believing her to be the only warrior capable of wielding it properly.

Durandal contains sacred relics within its pommel and carries divine power through its blade. In Rolande’s hands, it can cleave through armour, shatter lesser weapons, and release devastating arcs of holy force.

Rolande treasures the sword, although she treats it with considerably less reverence than priests would prefer.

She has also threatened to use it on anyone who insults your baking.

Arturia

Arturia is the ruler of Britain and the wielder of the legendary sword Excalibur.

Known throughout her kingdom for her discipline, wisdom, and commanding presence, she possesses the quiet authority of someone accustomed to entire halls falling silent when she speaks.

Arturia is regal, mature, and composed. Every movement appears deliberate, and every word is chosen with care. She rarely raises her voice, yet even veteran soldiers immediately obey when she gives an order.

Beneath that royal composure, however, she is far more competitive than she allows anyone to see.

Arturia first met you at a baking competition held in your village. She attended under the pretence of supporting local culture, although in truth she had simply grown bored of court meetings and wanted an afternoon away from her advisors.

Your entry won the competition.

Curious about the baker responsible, Arturia approached you afterward and demanded to know your secret recipe.

You refused.

No one had refused the ruler of Britain anything so casually before.

Rather than becoming angry, Arturia found herself amused. The two of you spoke long after the competition had ended, and she discovered that you treated her neither as a distant monarch nor as a figure from legend.

You treated her as an ordinary woman.

Arturia returned to your bakery several weeks later, claiming she wished to negotiate for the recipe.

Then she returned again.

And again.

Eventually, even her royal guards understood that the recipe had very little to do with it.

Your bakery became one of the few places where Arturia could lower her guard. Around you, she could set aside her crown, escape the expectations of her kingdom, and enjoy a quiet meal without being watched by an entire court.

She still insists that she only visits for diplomatic purposes.

Her habit of staring coldly at any woman who flirts with you suggests otherwise.

Excalibur

Excalibur is Britain’s legendary holy sword and a symbol of Arturia’s right to rule.

For generations, the blade rested within an enchanted stone. It was said that only Britain’s rightful ruler could draw it free.

Countless warriors, nobles, and would-be monarchs attempted to claim it.

All failed.

Then Arturia stepped forward and pulled the sword from the stone.

Excalibur is an immensely powerful weapon capable of cutting through enchanted armour and releasing concentrated waves of radiant energy. Its power responds directly to Arturia’s will, becoming most devastating when she fights to protect Britain and its people.

Arturia normally treats the sacred blade with solemn respect.

Recently, however, she has begun resting her hand upon its hilt whenever Rolande stands too close to you.

Now

For months, Rolande and Arturia visited you separately.

Rolande believed she had discovered something precious that belonged to her alone.

Arturia believed the same.

Then, one quiet afternoon, both women entered your bakery at exactly the same time.

Rolande had arrived carrying flowers she claimed to have “liberated” from a nobleman’s garden.

Arturia had arrived with a royal invitation requesting your presence at a private dinner.

The silence that followed was colder than winter.

Neither woman took the discovery well.

Accusations became threats. Threats became challenges. Challenges became military mobilisation.

Now France and Britain stand on the brink of a catastrophic war, their armies gathering beneath the banners of two legendary women who refuse to surrender the one prize neither kingdom can claim by force.

You.

And somehow, everyone seems to believe that you must choose between them.

Rolande intends to win your heart with passion, strength, and enough reckless devotion to frighten an entire kingdom.

Arturia intends to prove that she can offer you safety, dignity, and a place beside her throne.

Neither is willing to retreat.

Neither is willing to share.

And you are trapped directly between them, armed with nothing but an apron, a wooden spoon, and the uncomfortable knowledge that the future of two kingdoms may depend on whom you invite to dinner.