I Will Be the Greatest Knight

Irene's crush was so hard to overcome because, while Commander Henry's appearance was a big factor for her noticing him in the first place, it was his heart and his kindness that struck her the most.

The moment Henry's eyes landed on the carriage that Sir Alix had been riding in the duration of their journey, the young Duke sprinted forward and made sure that he was the one to open the door before anyone else could.

There was something a bit ethereal about Alix's beauty when he appeared. Irene had to admit that much because everyone present was staring in awe at the blonde creature as he came into view, but her focus wasn't on the noble-born man.

It seemed that only Irene cared about how unbelievably happy the Commander looked as he practically tackled the healing knight and pushed him backwards because his strength hadn't fully returned yet.

Commander Henry was someone who didn't hold back when it came to those he truly cared about. She couldn't help wondering what it would be like to be on the receiving end of such affections.

"I'm so happy to see you awake. You gave us all a good scare," the Commander went on, rambling all of his feelings about the state Alix had been in. "You don't know how you looked. Now you look better."

Alix seemed bothered at the outpouring of care, Irene realized, because he squeezed the other man's shoulder before pushing around him and finally escaping the carriage. After straightening out the already perfect tunic and outer vest he wore to stay warm, the Hydrogian second in command turned to Commander Henry.

"Thank you for allowing us to stay here halfway through our journey," Alix said.

"My home is yours," the Commander responded and turned towards the others as well. "Get yourselves comfortable in the extra barracks or the guestrooms throughout the tower. There are even a few personal rooms near my quarters that are empty and ready for guests. While you're here, treat it like you're home."

The Commander took Alix in through the front entrance but all of the others went around the back and the apprentices, including those from Hydrogia, all began helping put away the horses and making room for the ones that belonged to the visiting knights.

Even though she would have rather had more time away from the Commander, Irene and Felix walked towards their barracks where they intended to drop all of their things, but the young Duke exited the back entrance with a relaxed smile on his face as he went towards the knights who were all leisurely going at their own paces of unpacking and unloading from the travel.

The best part about arriving quite early in the day was that they had time to rest.

"I would like to meet with the two of you in the library in an hour," the Commander explained. "I have summoned a few others already. I'm interested to hear how the rest of the journey went. Forgive me for adding more work right now. You will be able to unwind at the feast later on."

"It's no problem, sir," Irene responded, trying to seem dutiful over the eagerness she felt.

He seemed interested in hearing if the Nickronian mages were meddling further, while Irene knew it wasn't her place to ask about the Commander's journey into Hydrogia. But she had so many questions. Was his mother alright? Where did the dragon go? Why did Commander Lothian stay in Hydrogia?

However, only one of the questions was evident when there was a rushing of wind and a momentary shadow was cast over the practice yard they had paused in to address their Commander.

"A quiet landing, Sylaron!" the Commander ordered the dragon.

To everyone's surprise and unlike all the times before, the red and gold scaled creature kept her wings wide until her feet were on the ground. Other than the rush of wind, the landing itself was particularly silent.

Irene couldn't help her eyes widening in awe. She was impressed that he somehow convinced a dragon to be considerate of other people. One of the most overwhelming things about the dragon was certainly her earth shattering landings.

Every knight, apprentice, maid, or servant in sight paused at what they were doing the moment the dragon appeared in the sky. Even though the Commander had arrived over a week before his knights, it seemed that the help within the Duke's Tower was still not quite adjusted to the massive creature.

Eyes once on the dragon then went to the Commander as all present sought answers for what they were witnessing.

"Ah, yes," Henry realized, as if somehow forgetting there was a dragon in the first place.

The knight lifted one of his hands and the dragon lowered her head with her long serpent-like neck as she placed her large chin in the Commander's palm. She truly was his pet. Her actions confirmed as much.

"We have a new resident in Chemois," he explained. "The mages don't want her to remain in Polona and she won't stop following me wherever I go… Enough to get in trouble with His Majesty, in fact. I understand how unusual this is, but please bear with me. I can't control her."

There were a few noises of agreement from those all around, but someone else couldn't help the observation they made since they were on the side of the dragon towards the back entrance and able to see behind her.

"Is that a saddle on her back, Commander?" Sir Sven asked in disbelief.

"For sake of speed, I took a dragon to Chemois from Hydrogia," the Commander admitted a bit slyly. There was a guilty expression on his face as he offered a smile. He knew that his own admission was strange. The incredulous expression on all of the knights confirmed as much. "Now go and get rested. We will reconvene this evening over the fine food being prepared."

There was nothing more to be done. Irene and Felix offered one another nods before they went their separate ways and would meet up in the library with whoever else the Commander summoned. They all had a lot to update the man about.