I Will Be the Greatest Knight

Chapter 518: In Motion

Irene and Henry returned to their shared room hand in hand. Silence had taken over as they fell into the contemplation that seemed appropriate after the news they had received.

With the risk of a wyrm coming further south that winter, they needed to act quickly in order to ensure the duchy remained protected. However, there were a handful of factors they couldn’t merely get onto horses and rush north.

"Are you sure we shouldn’t get the others now?" Irene asked. Although her voice was quiet, the concern was plainly evident.

"Those who didn’t go up the mountain still winterized the valley in case monsters came down," Henry insisted. "They need to rest, just as I can tell that you do as well."

Irene sat down at the edge of the bed after pulling off the clothing she wore to go outside and was only left in a nightshirt, but she didn’t lie down yet. A sigh fell from her lips.

"While Siverly can’t feel the beast’s magic on me, what if it’s different for the wyrm?" Irene wondered. "If it can find me, then the others will be put in harm’s way. That includes you."

"With that, what are you suggesting?" Henry wondered from where he stood. "I don’t particularly like the fact that this beast could possibly find you and would give us away if we went north. I feel it’s best for you to stay here while me and others observe the situation and make a judgment call from there."

Irene stood up at that and approached her husband. She grasped one of his hands in both of hers.

"I am the only one who has gone that far north," Irene insisted. "I have horses at my family home who can make the journey. I have done the journey myself in the midst of winter and survived. I can do it again. I’m better with a sword now than I was then. If there is one person who needs to be on this journey, it is me." She paused and looked down. "What if Sylaron takes us that far? We could escape easily if she’s there."

Henry shook his head. His expression was already grim, but became more extreme.

"She is a fire dragon who was forged from the fires of Polona," he explained. "If it gets too cold for her, she won’t survive for too long. That is why she moves slowly or hides in the winter because she is practically defenseless when her body temperature is low. Better for her to hide in a cave where she can use her fire to keep her warm until the snow melts and it’s warm again. Her fires don’t burn as hot when it’s winter. You’ve told me before it’s even colder the further north you go."

"It is," Irene confirmed. "It’s unlike anything you’ve ever felt. Even I found myself surprised when I went north."

"And you went alone," Henry muttered in disbelief.

"I had to retrieve what my grandmother asked, and my brother and father had to watch my grandmother so that she didn’t die alone in case that turned out to be her fate," she persisted. "I can do it again. We have a good vantage point over the valley if the wyrm is where I think it is. There’s a massive plateau before we go down into the icy valley that leads to the frozen sea and where the Sunstoian people once occupied."

Henry had to hold back his resistance as his arms wrapped around his wife protectively and he pulled her into his chest. He knew that it was impossible to keep Irene from going north, especially when it was her family’s home, and she had the most experience in this environment. But that didn’t mean he had to love the idea.

If something ever happened to her, he wouldn’t forgive himself. He wouldn’t lose the most precious person to him, not when he had only just made her his wife. She hadn’t reached her full potential, and he knew as much.

"In the morning," Henry whispered into her soft hair. "We will discuss this with the other knights in the morning."

"Okay," Irene agreed, surprisingly easily.

She had to admit that she was too tired to push anymore. The night before was long, and her worry for Henry had weighed on her heavily all day.

Relenting, Irene climbed into her bed, and as Henry got back into appropriate sleeping clothing, he returned to the bed to find his wife waiting with the blankets open so that he could cuddle up to her.

There wasn’t anything Irene loved more than when she was able to settle into bed and feel Henry’s arms go around her and his face pressed against her head as he made himself comfortable. She never thought she would relish moments like this, having always figured she liked being alone and independent better. But this was marital bliss, she was finding out.

They both slept solidly after that, not moving away once as their fire lessened in the night and the room got colder. There was no more waking up to a cold room when Henry was her source of heat.

The morning came eventually, and Irene’s eyes peeked open as she felt Henry stir and witnessed the sun creeping towards the horizon, ready to start its brief, late autumn day.

"The apprentices," Irene muttered. "I should attend to the practices."

She tried to push herself upward, but Henry stopped her.

"We ought to cancel morning practice for now," Henry explained. "I need all knights to focus on the issue with the utmost secrecy. The apprentices can rest. They have a long winter ahead of them."

"I will go tell the apprentices while you gather the knights then," she decided. "I’ll just tell them to go back to sleep. There will be plenty of time to practice in the future."

"Good idea," Henry said. "Stay warm."

Before she could escape fully, he pulled her closer and gently kissed her. It was how he wanted to start each day. The strife they would soon face didn’t prevent that.

Irene smiled at Henry before she could escape.

A short time after getting herself together, she went to the practice yard to face the apprentices. Felix had gotten a quick overview since Irene didn’t want to overstep his rank.

"Under orders of the Commander, morning practice has been cancelled," Felix informed the apprentices. "You can return to your rooms and get a bit more rest if you would like."

He and Irene made eye contact, and they nodded to one another. When the apprentices were leaving, the knights returned indoors and went towards the meeting room on the second floor where the other knights were already waiting for them.

Chairs had been pulled into the room so they could all fit, but Irene and Felix’s spots were empty and waiting for them to occupy them.

When the door was shut and the knights were looking toward their Commander curiously, he finally said, "You will have to forgive me. This winter will not be as restful as the ones past."