I Will Be the Greatest Knight

"Apprentices!" Gunnar called. "Gather here when you're finished."

The four others as well as the knight were cleaning up the aftermath of such a random dire wolf attack. They dragged the bodies of the wolves close to the stable. 

The attack opened up the need to further observe the forests surrounding the Duke's property. While the plains were large and bare of anything except for grass and the meandering stream that ran through the center and went to the floodplains further south, the dense forests on the foothills leading up to the rocky Norther Mountains were the source of most problems. 

Since the other knight wasn't summoned, he nodded to Gunnar and went to see the outcome of his horse. Since the dire wolves were dying, some had run back to the hills. Others tried to chow down on the horse but most died after thinking they were going to fend the humans off.

Irene witnessed the harrowing moment of a knight being forced to make an awful decision.

Considering the bottom half of the beautiful black animal had been thoroughly thrashed by the dire wolves, there was no quality of life left for him. 

The knight held the horse's head in one of his arms. As if to hide what he was about to do to the animal, he put the horse's head on the left side of him while his right hand unsheathed his sword. 

He was at a distance so all Irene could see was the knight's head lower but it seemed he had said something to the animal. Shortly after, he lifted his unsheathed sword and thrust the blade downward, decisively stabbing the loyal steed in the lungs and heart so it would die quickly.

There was stillness for a moment as apprentices and their appointed trainer looked on. The knight sat there for a while, holding onto a horse that was certainly no longer with them.

Irene felt a lump form in her throat but she didn't know if she was supposed to cry. It didn't seem like something a boy would do.

She imagined she looked pathetic because Gunnar placed a hand on her shoulder and pulled her towards the group who had gathered while she stood there. 

"This way," he reminded her.

She nodded dutifully and did as she was told.

"Could I see your dagger, apprentice?" he asked once she was with the rest of the apprentices. 

Irene silently undid her belt and removed the sheath so Sir Gunnar could observe the weapon.

"Can anyone tell me an issue you might have carrying a weapon like this?" he asked.

When the dagger was in Irene's hands it looked like a sword, but when Gunnar had it in his grasp, it looked like a kitchen knife used to cut steaks. She was starting to understand what he meant. 

Felix was one of the apprentices who ran to the stables when they heard Gunnar shout. He eagerly explained what he thought the knight meant. 

"A blade so short would put one in harm's way quite a bit, sir," he responded. "Wouldn't that be it?"

"Precisely," Gunnar agreed. "There's little room for error and even less room to dodge. We will have a sword made for you. There are plenty of trusted smiths in the surrounding townships."

"Won't it drag on the ground when I walk, sir?" she asked.

"An arming sword or a short sword will work with you just fine," Gunnar explained. "It isn't as if they all come in one size and you simply have to adjust. The smith will size it to you."

She thought of the protection spell inside of the mana stone in the dagger's handle and felt hesitant. The sword was made for her when she was merely six years old so she had grown quite attached to it by then. However, a trusted knight was telling her what to do and she was going to lean into it. 

With a smile that lit up her face, she grinned at the knight.

"Then I look forward to it," Irene accepted as she took back her dagger.

Leif and Felix both thought they were being subtle as they stared at her with lowered eyebrows, but when they noticed the other wearing much of the same expression, both of them looked away quickly. 

"I will inform the Duke of what has happened today," Gunnar explained. "In the meantime, take these animals to the slaughterhouse. The fur is usable, but the meat is unclean."

"Yes, sir," the apprentices responded, not exactly at the same time but close enough.

Irene took note of Gunnar saying the meat was unclean. The religions were different in Chemois than they were further north. Perhaps it was because of the even harsher winters that required a bit of survival—even eating meat as gamey as that of wolves had its purpose sometimes. 

The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if that was something she had learned in the future or if it was knowledge she had in the life she was living at that moment. It was hard to say when she felt like such an adult but opened her mouth and there was undoubtedly a child speaking.

With a huff, Irene joined the apprentices who started lifting the wolves by their legs and she silently said a Sünsto prayer, thanking the Earth for another sacrifice that would keep them warm in the winter. In that region, winters were undoubtedly harsh but it was a reality of all of their lives. The coldness was a reality.

Before Gunnar could step away, he looked down at the wolf that was yet to be picked up. It would be the one Irene and Leif carried and the smallest in the pack. However, a dire wolf in the warmer seasons was much fatter than ones in winter. Their work was still cut out for them.

"There must be cubs in the vicinity if they're willing to attack so openly outside of wintertime," Gunnar observed, pushing the carcass with his boot. "I ought to go with the knights and see if we can find further evidence. Nipping this at the bud would be best before the pups turn into starved beasts when the snow falls."

"Starved cubs," Leif uttered. "Sounds familiar."

He elbowed Irene who slapped him with her sheathed sword. 

"Would you like to fight me?" she shouted.

"Wait until you have a real sword," Gunnar uttered. "Clean this up and return to your duties."

"Yes, sir," Irene and Leif managed to say in unison with their heads bowed. 

As the two kids walked away with the wolf's legs being used to carry the fallen beast, Gunnar observed the teeth marks on the back of Irene's boot. He chuckled and shook his head. 

Things were starting to get more interesting around there.