I Will Be the Greatest Knight-Chapter 448: Dangers in the Freshly Thawed Forest
Thick clouds had settled over the mountain enough that the highest peak wasn’t visible where the knights and apprentices had made it in the valley. The further they traveled, the more they knew that the sun wouldn’t be there for much longer.
As she slowed Sammy before they could cross the small wooden bridge that went over the thinnest point in the river, she approached Felix.
"You think it will be alright to travel like this?" she asked. "Seems we had only a day without freezing before the threat of rain appeared on the horizon."
"If all else fails, the village has assured us we have a place to stay with the reeve since there are only four of us going," Felix answered.
While Irene didn’t find the answer satisfactory because she was already hoping to return to the Duke’s Tower, she knew that she needed to take a breath and get a hold of herself. Henry had assured her that he wouldn’t be upset with her for attending to her duties. She needed to remind herself of that every so often.
"Then I hope it will go off without a hitch," Irene relented as squeezed her knees and went to the back of the carriage where she would watch the apprentices slowly lead it over the bridge. Considering the weight of the boards they had brought with them, it was a bit precarious.
Only when they made it to the other side with a thud as the wooden wheels went over the final board, did Irene breathe a sigh of relief. That was one hurdle completed. They were about halfway there.
"Onward!" Felix called from the front.
Their short break was over with. It was time to press on.
At least she knew Sammy was used to horrible weather. He took snow with happiness and rain and mud were nothing for his thick and sturdy legs. Even though she missed her old horse, Sammy had been a blessing and knowing he was from a line of horses that came directly from the Sunstonian North, she had a bit more connection with him.
Since the apprentices had the wagon to worry about, Irene and Felix were on either side of the apprentices, their eyes staying on the surrounding lands as they searched for goblins. Now was the prime time for goblins to reemerge for the year and since they had been stuck underground all winter, they were likely starving and ready to get into trouble.
As they went from plains to approaching a forest once more, Irene raised her hand at the apprentices and she pushed Sammy forward a bit faster. The moment she saw deep treads on the trail that went between the trees, she fully put herself in the pathway. It seemed someone else had trouble getting through the forest at that spot ahead of them.
"We will have to go around," she announced. "There is still mud from the snowmelt through here."
It would take a bit longer, but traveling safely was their highest priority even if that didn’t mean traveling quickly.
The grasses were tall, but it wasn’t impossible when the apprentices directed the horses to the right which would bring them to higher ground and likely avoid where water had settled in that area. At that point, the biggest risk they would face was tipping, but the hills were gradual, so Irene doubted it would happen. After all, their apprentices were well-versed in guiding a wagon. It was some of the most important training at that stage because they would eventually have to figure out how to escort nobles who didn’t have their own personal knighthoods.
Regardless, the moving was slow, so Irene and Felix took up spots closest to the forest and they put half their attention on the apprentices while the rest was in the forest.
However, at movement to Irene’s left, she moved her head slowly in that direction, wondering if she would catch her first monsters of the season. The worry with forests was that there were so many places to hide.
Wordlessly, she nudged Felix and pointed in the direction of the forest, but she placed a gloved finger over her lips.
As Irene’s eyes lifted, she found William already sensing a change amongst the knights. Irene held a finger to her lips. "Keep going" she mouthed, wanting the apprentices to keep moving forth.
At that moment, the goblins weren’t entirely aware of the knights, but they seemed to be waiting for something and, considering there could be a multitude, she decided they ought to attack first.
It wasn’t until they heard a whistle of wind and saw a rusty arrow stick to the side of the wagon that they realized it was far more pressing than they realized.
Somehow, a goblin managed to lift itself into the branches of the trees and had a shabby crossbow that didn’t shoot very hard but it was enough to do damage.
Her efforts to be quiet and remain unseen for a surprise attack ceased.
"William, keep moving the carriage!" Irene cried. "We will handle it from here."
Felix was already a step ahead of her as he rushed into the forest with his sword already unsheathed. Since she had directed the apprentices, all he needed to focus on was making sure the goblins didn’t leave the forest at all.
One last glance was all Irene spared at the apprentices before she, too, rushed into the forest. Times like that, she knew she should trust the apprentices, but it would hurt her to know they ever got hurt because a knight wasn’t at their side. Since Bren was now the Commander’s apprentice, he was asked to stay behind even though he was the most experienced.
Her eyes narrowed as she focused on the darkness ahead. This part of the forest was particularly thick and he knew that there were going to be holes in the ground to look out for from when the goblins were hiding during the colder months. So many obstacles for her to be wary of.
By that point, the goblins were well aware of the presence of the knights who disturbed their forest as they got their bearings and woke up.
To Irene’s right as she went deeper, her sword was angled in that direction because that was where the biggest concentration of goblins was coming from. There was no other evidence of any other type of monster as far as she could tell.
The first goblin that dared approach her was immature and young. It threw itself into danger without a care in the world. As far as she could tell, it was likely it’s first year of existence considering the goblins seemed to spawn while the months were cold and they were all underground and hidden. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎
It was nothing to handle. One strike squarely to its head was enough to tell her it truly was a juvenile.
However, her focus on the goblins caused her to lose sight of other dangers in the forest. As much was clear when she felt a searing pain in her forearm on her unarmed side.
