I Will Be the Greatest Knight

"I will join the apprentices in their morning practice once you're back from ensuring there are no monsters outside of the magic barrier."

At these words, Irene's blood ran cold. She was immediately stressed out by this turn of events, but she knew she had to be normal, considering the one who was saying it.

She had been eating porridge alone before the apprentices could come down and bother her for the rest of the day. It was her only respite during the day where she felt there was a bit of calmness, otherwise the boys needed constant engagement or entertainment that didn't bother all of the mage residents of Idona.

Even young knights, as opposed to young mages, were rowdy in comparison. It was causing her to understand Siverly a bit better despite the fact that he had been missing since they arrived in that place. However, the Commander had assured everyone that he was doing just fine taking care of the woman mage who was Sir Maximus' mother.

Irene had to place her spoon down and properly wipe her mouth with a cloth napkin. She hadn't been expecting company that morning since most of the others stayed in their rooms until later.

Of course, it had to be the man she was set on avoiding to interrupt her morning peace.

"The apprentices would really like that, I'm sure," she responded lightly with a small smile. "They are always set on impressing you."

The Commander was pleased to see Irene not avoiding talking to him altogether. She often responded with only a few words, but it was clear he had caught her off guard.

After telling Siverly that he thought Irene didn't like him, he couldn't help that there was an urge to force her to like him. However, based on what he knew of the young woman, that wouldn't work on her. He tried to keep himself from overstepping a boundary.

"I suppose I shouldn't tell them that I am already impressed by the apprentices here, so they keep working hard," he admitted with a short laugh. "The apprentices here are far more self-sufficient than ones in the Knights of Hydrogia or Royal Knights, I assure you."

"Circumstances force their hand because they are trying to compare to the apprentices who came before them," she admitted.

"You and Felix's group?" the Commander wondered.

"The very one," she confirmed with a nod, but she was still a bit stiff around the man. "Our knights asked us to be knights and their partners on the battlefield rather than helping them as apprentices. There was no other choice when our numbers were lowering while it seemed the monsters were rising."

"I couldn't imagine what the first waves were like," the Commander mused. "I was with the group of knights who came later."

Irene gazed at him for a moment before she glanced at her bowl. This talking was making her more nervous, not helping her get used to him as she had hoped. She felt herself bristling rather than softening.

"We were all relieved when the King allowed us backup," she confessed.

Before more could be said, she heard one of the apprentices, Martin, go towards the front door.

"We're awake, dame!" he shouted. "Let's go!"

Irene's bowl was almost empty anyway, and she stood up, taking it with her so she could place it on the counter before she left.

"Duty calls, I suppose," she explained stiffly.

"Yes," the Commander stated. "I suppose it does."

The Commander watched as the woman went to join the apprentices who were impatiently waiting for her, having used a side entrance to get their horses ready at the stables. However, before she could escape fully, the man went out the front of the inn as well.

"Keep in mind Lady Irene's rank compared to yours," he reminded the eager apprentices. "She stands even higher than most of the knights."

The apprentices, ever eager to please the knights but especially the Commander, hung their heads in apology.

"Forgive us, Commander," Martin spoke up first since he was the apprentice who summoned the knight so abruptly. "Usually she's out here before us."

"I was the one who was taking up her time," Commander Henry explained. "Take it up with me."

Even though she didn't particularly like someone coming to her rescue, she turned towards the Commander in shock, further bristling.

"Thank you, Commander," she muttered.

He merely nodded at her before heading back into the inn.

Progress wasn't linear with the dame, he realized. She gave herself a bit and took herself back the next moment. Yet at least she talked to him willingly.

Irene couldn't help but still be thrown off by the brief conversation as she went out the front of the inn and found Sammy waiting for her as impatiently as the apprentices had been before.

"Forgive me, dame," Martin requested before they could continue on. "I was too excited."

"You're forgiven," she assured him. "It was merely not the wisest way to address me, especially considering the present company. I expect you to exhibit your best behavior in front of the Commander. He has promised to join the morning practices today after you eat breakfast."

There were a few gasps, and it didn't seem to help calm the apprentices down but make them a bit more rowdy because, even when they got to the magical barrier, they were still moving more quickly than normal.

"Please mind the borders," Irene insisted. "Moving quickly will get you or your horses hurt."

It only helped a little bit, and Irene knew she had to go to the front so that they wouldn't go in front of her. That was how they did their entire circle around the township that was surrounded by trees. They then went to breakfast and zoomed through their food.

"Please eat slowly," she directed. "You're going to give yourself stomachaches at practice."

Once the boys were all finished, they placed their bowls in the pot the barmaid had left for them so that she could handle the morning rush with a few other maids at the inn. There were plenty of bowls to wash after feeding an entire knighthood breakfast.

When all of them finally got to the town square, which they were using as a practice yard, the Commander was already waiting for them.

"After we go through warmups, who am I sparring with first?"