I Will Be the Greatest Knight

There were a few moments of pause until the Commander directed orders to the ever eager apprentices.

"I'm going to see what's happening," he explained. "Bren, please find Josef. Tell him to make himself available then come after me."

Bren accepted the Commander's words and turned to leave, but before he could run off, he looked to Irene for guidance as well. Since the Commander had already taken off, she was someone else he could go to, wondering if he was doing the right thing.

She nodded in approval before going to the apprentices and helping them find knights as directed. If the knights saw her as well, they may take the orders with a bit more urgency.

As soon as she made it into the inn, she was relieved to see that Felix was down for the day, poring over something that looked like letters at one of the tables in the dining hall.

"Felix!" she called, dropping titles due to the urgency. "Someone was shouting outside of the barrier. Sounds as if they needed help. The Commander asked the apprentices to find knights to help. Give me a hand."

Without hesitation, he stood and they both went up the stairs into the heart of the inn and knocked on the doors they knew knights to be in. Easy enough, most of the rooms were communal so they were summoning multiples at a time rather than one or two.

Felix was on the highest floor while Irene was on the second. They both gave a quick recount of events before the knights all readied themselves and started rushing towards the main level and eventually the town square.

Irene had to be transparent that she wasn't sure if they would need armor, so most opted to merely take weapons and play it by ear from there.

When the Knights of Chemois were all rushing forth and filling the town square, they were shocked to see themselves being met with even more knights.

"The Knights of Hydrogia!" Irene shouted with a gasp. "Help them, apprentices!"

She could sense an unspoken tenseness and it seemed her fellow Chemoian knights could as well because, rather than only the apprentices lending a hand in putting the horses away or helping them get settled in, the knights joined in as well. She was relieved to see a few faces she recognized as they removed their helmets.

However, the one who gave the more alarming visage was Commander Lothian himself slipping off of his horse and all but collapsing on the spot. In his arms was a knight covered in monster blood and filth that she almost didn't recognize until her own Commander stopped short.

She peered around her Commander to see Sir Alix's battered and bruised face and her air was momentarily taken from her. It felt almost impossible to breathe in, knowing just how important the man was to her Commander. If she wasn't mistaken, he looked like he was already passed on…

"I need to take him to Katerina's," Commander Lothian stated, but he was moving forward with one goal in mind.

"Commander," the young Duke called, surprisingly still not seeing the older Commander as an equal, but someone above him. "Katerina is unwell due to mana depletion, but Siverly is with her."

Without another word, Commander Lothian, Commander Henry, Sir Maximus, and Sir Alix were all off in the direction of Katerina's home.

Irene stood there, frozen as she watched their figures disappear around the buildings and into the forest. It took her a few moments, but she finally gathered herself enough to actually be helpful.

"We'll take your horses," she urged the Hydrogian knights. "Take your saddlebags. There are plenty of rooms in the inn."

She could only take two at a time, but apprentices were soon gathered around, helping the knights before bringing them to the expansive stables. There was sure to be room for everyone's horses. Even if some of the larger pens had to have two per stall. In the middle, there were also plenty of places to tie horses if they ran out, but she was certain there was enough space.

Once the apprentices and horses were all taken care of, she left the stables with a sigh and ran a hand through her hair after she removed her gloves and placed them underneath her belt.

While the knights were being taken care of and directed inside of the inn, she knew she didn't particularly need to be there. The apprentices were her main duty and they had their hands full with horses at the moment.

There would also likely be plenty of armor to clean based on the state of the Knights of Hydrogia as they all came in with various levels of filth on them from the unspoken battle they had faced to get Sir Alix in such a state.

The woman found herself pacing. She had only seen Commander Henry's expression for a brief moment, but it had gone right to her heart. Never had she seen him look so positively miserable. After the conversations they had been having that day, she thought there was understanding growing between them.

Perhaps she was overstepping by being so worried, she realized—

"Something the matter?" a voice asked from towards the front of the inn.

Irene's attention snapped in that direction and she was met with the familiar sight of flaming red hair. It always made her feel a bit comfortable and she was never entirely sure why. It was a bit biased to relate to someone on only that point, but she found Sir Trenton easy to talk to.

The woman walked closer, her hands wringing together.

"Alix is so important to my Commander…" she explained.

She noticed that the large knight had a mug of ale in his hands. He brought it to his lips as if it would hopefully wash down the feeling he was likely experiencing.

"Alix is important to us all," the older knight responded. "And the healers here are second to none."

Irene still felt flighty and unsettled. She raised her eyebrows at the knight but quickly glanced away. She ought to not burden him with anything else.

But Trenton seemed insistent on pushing forward.

"Are you perhaps worried about Henry?" Trenton wondered. "He's a bit reckless, but he can take care of himself."

"Sadness can make someone sick if they keep it all inside," she blurted out insistently.

Trenton seemed to contemplate it for a few moments.

"Perhaps you should check on him," Trenton suggested. "He needs friends in the knighthood. We've all been worried he's lonely in the north."

For some reason, her heart raced at a solution to all her problems.

"I'll be his friend," she responded resolutely. "If it helps with his burdens," she quickly added, hoping it didn't come off as awkwardly as she felt.

Irene rushed away, muttering a thanks to the knight. The further she got from the town square and deeper she got into the forest, the faster her pace became.

She rounded a tree and ran into a firm wall, nearly knocking her on her backside if it weren't for her fast reflexes.

However, there was an arm around her waist ensuring she truly wouldn't fall even though she had caught herself.

She found herself face to face with her Commander, the expression on his face full of misery. It reminded her of just before he went off with the other Commander, but it especially reminded her of the night in the inn she wasn't supposed to witness at all.