I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 438: Where She is Needed

Is this all adulthood is? Irene wondered as she walked to the center of her family’s practice yard, the dirt under her feet finally dry. Was growing up forcing yourself in one direction when your insides were screaming for another?

That morning, she wasn’t there to practice. That much was evident as her plate armor clanked with each step.

While lost in thought, she found her legs taking her further until her boots met grass. She kept going until the grasses were long and fully concealing her legs.

Eventually, she stopped and turned back towards the house she grew up in. Her hands brushed through the long grasses, and she held a few still, only to see that the tips of them were budding. This field would be full of wildflowers soon. It was also her hint that it was time to go.

Even though her heart was finally resolved enough to realize where she was needed, there was still a pit of worry in her stomach. She couldn’t handle a reality where she didn’t get to say a proper goodbye to her father. Besides that, he wouldn’t allow her to say a goodbye but, rather, say a "see you soon" because he was insistent that he was alright.

Irene turned her head away from the large house and she untucked her helmet from underneath her arm. She lifted the helmet with both of her hands and stared into its empty eye slit as if it was a person looking at her.

"Would I even want to return to my duties if it weren’t for the Commander?" she quietly asked.

But then she closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against her helmet. She recalled everything she had been through so far with the knighthood. All of her experiences and efforts to become a better knight weren’t for nothing. She absolutely loved every high or low because it always reframed her mind and helped her to move forward. Every person she had met because of being a knight was so dear to her.

She concluded that, even without the Commander there, she likely would have returned with her head held high, knowing that’s where her father would rather have her. It was probably better than seeing her fuss over him just as her mother had been for months now.

The reason for Irene’s stalling made himself known as Arne walked around the large house and spotted his sister walking through the fields.

"There aren’t flowers to smell yet," he reminded her. "What are you doing?"

"You were the one who was running late first!" she called to him as she rushed out of the field.

"Well, either way, our horses are ready," he informed her as he turned on his heel and returned to the front.

Irene followed the path her brother had just taken to. While she had already said her goodbyes to her family before, she still walked by the front entrance and rushed to embrace both of her parents before she could climb onto her horse.

Time felt particularly precious. She smiled at the two who brought her into the world before rolling up her hair and placing her helmet on her head.

"You know the path!" she called to Arne, subtly telling him to go first.

And she knew the path just as well.

For now, they would go over the bridge and through the small village her father presided over. The road would take them west, and they would eventually hit a dead end at another village with an inn that was the perfect halfway point between her father’s land and the Duke’s Tower.

The ride was smooth, and Irene felt happy to have her brother figuratively letting his hair down and enjoying the surprisingly mild weather they were having before the rain would pour. As they rode side by side, it warmed her heart to witness the carefree expression on his face.

There was a lack of danger on such a well-trodden path. The monsters hadn’t come out of hiding yet for the season. It could be argued that these short days before the rainy season were the safest times for people to travel.

Brother and sister left early enough that, when they arrived in the village, there were still a few hours of daylight left. As they dismounted their horses at the inn’s stables, Irene noticed right away that Arne was hesitating.

"What’s the matter?" she wondered.

"I feel it’s a waste to stay here tonight," he admitted. "I have a few things I ought to read up on before the seasons change and my days undoubtedly do as well."

Irene offered a sad smile, but she could only be understanding. He had a different urgency about the situation than she did. Not only did he want to spend time at his father’s side, but he was also worried about not learning everything he could from his father before it was too late. Time was so incredibly valuable. A couple hours of riding in the darkness was a worthy trade off, in Arne’s opinion.

"Then travel safe, Arne," Irene responded. "The moon will be bright tonight. Thank you for taking me all this way."

"Anything for my sister," Arne responded.

Even though Arne offered his hand to shake, Irene pushed it away and gave her brother a tight hug that was further emphasized by the stiff armor she wore. When he was thoroughly squeezed, she let go and offered him a big grin.

"Now, go," she directed.

And the next few moments were spent seeing him off until he was around a bend and beyond an outcrop of trees.

From that point on, Irene was a bit giddy. What was behind her could only be left behind. She needed to move forward and get reacquainted with her life in the Duke’s Tower.

While at the inn, she made sure to enjoy herself thoroughly before things would get more serious. She ate well and took a luxurious bath, making sure to wash herself from head to toe. The nerves to see the Commander were making her feel ticklish everywhere, and she couldn’t sit still.

Sleep was hard to come by, but she still greeted the following day with energy.

The morning felt particularly biting despite the sun being out. She could see the ice crystals sparkling in the air as she opted to tie her hair in a braid and wrap a scarf around her face before putting on her helmet.

This part of the journey took her higher and higher until she was on the plains that covered the foothills and led to the Duke’s Tower. Higher elevation meant colder temperatures, and with the cold temperatures, the area was still in a late winter rather than the early spring that the central region had taken to.

But the cold didn’t bother Irene at all because the closer she made it, the more her heart raced. She was so eager to see the man who had been plaguing many of her thoughts for the past few months. He had promised so much on their last meeting that she had to resist sending him a letter so many times.

Things seemed very much the same as she drew closer to the Duke’s Tower. The strange sight of a dragon sleeping on the ground next to the northeast wing should have alarmed her, but it made her smile. Did that mean Henry was sitting in that wing? Perhaps he was occupied in his study. Would he be eating his midday meal right now?

A serene image of her being able to eat at his side struck her and she squeezed her knees so Sammy went a bit faster.

However, the image was soon shattered as she made it around to the southwestern side of the small castle. For some reason, as Bren took her horse and helped her remove her saddlebags, he seemed to be withdrawn.

She dared not ask what the matter was, considering she had only just arrived and didn’t know if something happened while she had been away. Instead of dwelling, she brought her armor and saddlebags to her quarters that she hardly even saw before escaping quickly. The coldness inside the room was her problem for later.

Her path then took her up the back entrance and into the largest tower. The somber sort of mood didn’t leave even when she was faced with a couple of maids.

"Where is the Commander?" Irene asked them.

They said he was in his quarters, but it wasn’t a good time to visit. She thought that was strange, so late in the day...

Regardless, her heart was in the Commander’s room. She was going to retrieve it and see what all the fuss was about.

When she finally made it to the highest floor and rushed down the hallway that took her to the Commander’s quarters, she was stopped dead in her tracks when she saw Siverly exit the Commander’s room.

To her horror, he was covered in what seemed to be blood and something else that was black and smelled awful.

"What on earth..." she gasped.

"Your Commander should be waking up sometime this evening," Siverly explained to her. "His condition seems a bit better. I’m going to nap."

His condition...?

There was nothing more for her to do.

Nearly tripping on the way there, the red-haired knight rushed towards the Commander’s room and shoved the large wooden door open, desperate to get to the bottom of whatever had happened.