I Will Be the Greatest Knight

Irene and Felix both arrived at the Commander's study together, curious as to what he needed in the wake of the winter monster culling trip.

Perhaps he discovered something, or perhaps there was information they needed to know before going. Whatever the case may be, they were dutifully there just as he requested.

"Commander, you needed us?" Felix was the first to say as he walked into the study with Irene at his side.

"Punctual as always," Henry complimented.

Their Duke was sitting at his desk, poring over a letter. It seemed urgent to respond to it, but he still stood up when the others walked in and gestured for them to follow him to his sitting area in front of the warm, crackling fire rather than the desk where they might sit if they were having a meeting.

Considering the more casual environment he was trying to create, they wondered if it was more of a talk he wanted to have.

Regardless, they joined him on the couches and sat down upon his offering.

"Felix was with me when I met with the advisors the first time," he began. "Do you recall what their worries were about the most?"

Felix didn't want to jump to conclusions or paint the advisors in an unfavorable light, but what he recalled was how very shallow and self-serving they turned out to be. At least before realizing that was not what the Duke wanted from them.

It was in this meeting that he told them he needed the trust of the people and to keep them safe for the duchy to continue on successfully.

"Their finances," the second in command answered with an incredulous laugh.

"That's correct. Then, do you remember what my insistence was about?"

"That protecting the people will help you gain their favor and that will be your focus as the Duke," Felix responded just as easily as the first time.

"Correct again," Henry expressed. "However, I do feel that I have gone against my own word and spent a month of the most important preparation season for Chemois in Idona because I was genuinely worried that we were on the brink of another monster war."

Irene smiled faintly. She recalled the letter from her father about how he would unfortunately not be participating in the Duke's meeting because he was out of town with her mother. It comforted her to know that her father was a nobleman who didn't entertain the greed and didn't quite care about finery or riches.

"I think anyone who lived through the monster war the first time would understand why you were worried it could happen again," Irene added. "Idona would be completely wiped off the map. There are no surrounding townships in that area to flee to. Not to mention, the monsters in Polona trying to join in on the acton…"

"I'm glad you're understanding," the Commander complimented. "However, I do feel an urge to correct this and show that the people—my people—aren't an afterthought."

"How do you imagine you achieve that?" Felix wondered.

"As it's been pointed out to me before, I need to go on the monster winterization trip because someone is a bit worried that I'm going to be the one who may cause us trouble," the Commander responded, sending a faint smirk towards Irene, who knew that he was referring to her. "That is why I hesitate to ask if you, Felix, would be the one who spearheads the quick journey around the duchy with a few knights and apprentices, delivering food and supplies to those who need it. Allocating from other places if there's a surplus in one area and a deficit in the other."

Irene despised the way her heart thudded at being acknowledged in such a way, as if she and the Commander had a secret and he was giving her trouble for doubting him.

"I wouldn't mind it at all," Felix assured the man. "You're asking this as if it's not a privilege to sleep in the inns across Chemois rather than the hard ground of the mountains. I assure you, I will survive."

The Commander laughed at that. "Then I will take Irene with me, and she will act as my next highest ranked while we go into the mountains and see what's left after the wars and after the dragon combed through. If anything, I'm sure that the monsters are well-hidden. Hopefully, we can corner them and take care of what needs to be done."

No lady or dame, just Irene, the woman noticed. However, she wasn't the only one to notice.

"Seems my fate has already been decided then," Irene expressed with a slight laugh. "Although I do look forward to the opportunity to further hone my skills. Seems as if we've had too easy a time recently."

The Commander looked to Felix again.

"I assume then that the task is straightforward and needs no further explanation," Henry wondered. "After all, you've been on these sorts of trips a few times."

"I need no further instruction," Felix assured him. "I can get a team together as early as tomorrow if I have a bit of help preparing the supplies."

"I can get a few apprentices," Irene suggested. "They are always eager to help in such straightforward tasks."

"We will be off, sir, if that is everything," Felix said to the Commander.

"Make sure the other knights know that they will either go up the mountain or into the duchy," the Commander reminded.

"Of course."

Without another word, the two were off, and the Commander went back to his desk to finish the letter he had penned to Earl Auden. He was trying to keep their communication open in case he ever needed him for an unforeseen reason. It wasn't a bad thing to have one of the wealthiest men in his lands on his side.

Irene and Felix made their way out of the Duke's Study, but before they could go to the doors that led out to the practice yard where Irene would find apprentices near the stables, Felix turned to her.

"It's nice to see you and the Commander on more comfortable terms with one another," the second in Command admitted. "It'll be good for us all in the long run."

Irene offered a smile, hoping it didn't seem inauthentic or reveal that she was, in fact, bristling at his words.

"You're right. It's for the best."

But she knew she was assuring herself more than Felix.

No matter what, it was time to get ready for what lay ahead.