I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 444: Tit for Tat

"Have you already eaten?" the Commander wondered.

"I have," Irene responded. "It felt wrong eating something so heavy in front of you. However, this is for me."

As she placed the tray down on his lap, she took off the larger mug of ale.

"And here I thought they were finally being a little bit nicer to me," he admitted with a sigh. "Haven’t had anything strong in a long time."

"When you’re healed, we will drink something strong together," she promised. But then she quickly added, "Within reason, of course." 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

She had to add that last part because he knew firsthand just how out of control she could get when she drank too much. The last time the two of them had been on equal terms and drinking plenty at the Winter Solstice Banquet, she remembered all of the liquid confidence she had. How something about it made her unable to stop wondering what it would be like to kiss him.

And again... Her gaze dropped to his mouth, and she brushed it off by sipping on the ale. Seemed the issue wasn’t the ale since she hadn’t drunk enough to feel anything.

"Within reason," he echoed. "Of course."

Irene refused to take his bait because it seemed there was an edge to his voice that made her nervous.

Since the first few drinks of soup went down easily, Irene felt she could speak to him again.

"How are you feeling?" she asked. "Really."

The added ’really’ came from the conversation she had with Felix and how the Commander had downplayed what had happened to her, or how long he had been stuck in his room. He had been dealing with this for two weeks by now, despite his acting like it was something that happened the day before and was no big deal.

A small smile pulled at the Commander’s lips. At the constant headache since he had woken up, he knew that it wasn’t entirely unnecessary for her to wonder that. But it also begged the question to how awful he must have looked for her to believe it.

"I assume this question is because of what you’ve heard from the others," he realized. "They worry far too much."

"It didn’t seem that unreasonable to me," Irene admitted. "I’m glad you’re being taken care of here. I hope that it helps how much you likely miss those in Hydrogia."

"I’ll always miss my Hydrogian brothers," he admitted, but his eyes found her face before he distracted himself with his meal. "But I’m finding ways to make the cold weather less biting."

He thought of her fiery hair and her temper and realized that at least his heart would be warm. Now it was his job to recover so that he could keep their fires lit and have a comfortable place to stay. He looked forward to next winter. Perhaps he would have someone by his side by then.

Everything Henry said to Irene made her question the underlying meaning. He was far more experienced than her and spoke in ways that always made her mind wander. Was it all on purpose?

"You’ll adjust," she assured him, ignoring the other meaning of his words and where his eyes had traveled at his statement. "For now my duty is to make sure you’re eating since my spring duties haven’t yet picked up for the season."

"So loyal," Henry responded with a sigh.

He lifted the bowl to his lips and drank it slowly. Admittedly, he was already nauseous before she came into the room, but she was taking his mind off of it. He had thought that his sickness this time could be because he was hungry, but the more he ate, the more he was unsure.

He willed himself to keep it together for now.

"So, who was it who said something?" he wondered. "Bren?"

"I shouldn’t spread who was worried enough to speak to me in confidence, Commander," she spoke his title, gently reminding him of his place.

"Felix then," he responded with a light smirk. "After all, there are no two knights closer than you."

Her heart thudded. Realization pushed its way in.

"Does that bother you?" she asked, genuinely.

This was not something she had encountered before. There was never anyone in her life to get jealous of anything she did. She figured that all the boys and men around her all saw her the same. No one pined for her attention or was upset when they lost it.

At that, Henry seemed sheepish for a moment as he cast her a sideways glance.

"Commander..." Irene noticed his expression and trailed off, shocked.

"Call me Henry when we’re the only two in a room," he requested. "Promise me you’ll do that and I’ll tell you a secret... admittedly an embarrassing secret, and not the future ones I’ve promised to tell you, but a secret nonetheless."

That was enough for Irene to put her ale on her lap and give the Commander her full attention.

"Henry, please tell me your secret," she quietly requested, still finding it hard getting used to not using the honorable titles he earned.

He had never liked his name so much until it came from her lips, accentuated with her faint Chemoian accent which was different from that in Hydrogia. He supposed he shouldn’t rush and make her keep saying it. He told himself there were plenty of opportunities in the future.

"I think you have occupied my thoughts a lot longer than I realized," he admitted. "Because you and Felix’s closeness did bother me months ago. I was even idiotic enough to ask him about it, but he was quick to assure me that I was the only one in the entire knighthood who could misconstrue the relationship you two have."

Irene stared at him in disbelief for a few moments.

"You... what?" she asked.

With that out in the open, Irene tensed up. She distracted herself by bringing the ale to her lips and downing a few gulps of it.

She didn’t know whether or not to be annoyed at Felix or relieved that it wasnt’ only her who was confused by the other person. Had she finally found some answers she had been seeking for so long?

While Henry was amused by Irene’s inability to figure out how she wanted to respond to the situation, he had to add, "I told him to keep it to himself. I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable when you already seemed so uncomfortable by my mere presence at the time..."

Despite how weak he was still feeling and how the talking was draining what energy he had left, he nervously ran a hand through his hair.

"I was just..." she trailed off, trying to find the right words. "Unfamiliar with finding someone else attractive, that’s all."

A secret revealed deserved a secret in response, she decided. Since they were skirting around what they wanted to truly say or, if she dared let her mind wander, do to each other, then this was a better way to spend the time.

By that point, the Commander had stopped eating his meal entirely, but Irene was too distracted by the contents of their conversation that she didn’t notice.

"Do tell me more about that," he teased.

However, the urge to run and escape from the danger presented was enough for Irene to stand. She didn’t care any longer if he knew that he was making her nervous.

"I only came here to make sure you are eating," she justified and then she started to step away and she faced the Commander with a reddening face. "I-I will continue to uphold my promise. Get some rest, Henry."

"I bid you goodnight, Irene," he responded quietly.

As amused as he was at her sudden escape, Henry settled into his pillows a little more pathetically than when she was keeping him company. The food was making his stomach church. He pushed the tray as far as he could away from himself.

He wanted to get better simply so he would be well enough to go after her.