I Will Be the Greatest Knight

That morning felt particularly heavy as Irene woke up and got herself together for the winterization trip. They would be leaving even earlier than the knights going into the duchy.

The Commander's idea was to only stay one night in the mountains since the trip up would be longer than the trip down, but she didn't know if it was possible. She doubted they would make it all the way up to the top that day.

However, since the Commander wanted to act slighted that she was underestimating him on this trip, she was going to let him see for himself how grueling it could be.

In preparation, she put on a tough tunic, undercoat, her armor, an outer coat, and a fur-lined cloak. Each layer was designed not only to prevent her from getting hurt if a monster attacked, but also to stay warm from the snow they were likely to see.

The final touch for Irene was a brown scarf she wrapped around her neck. It was the very one she took with her to the arctic north and kept her nose from freezing off most of the time.

With all of her supplies in her saddlebags and pack, Irene went to her door and paused for a few moments. Things had been moving so quickly, she didn't have a moment to prepare herself for what truly lay ahead.

Poking fun at the Commander after having to revisit the thoughts she had about almost dying on the mountain was an impermanent bandage. Now she was really having to go on the journey, and it was slowly sinking in.

Commander Henry was the only one who hadn't gone up the mountain, but he had accomplished feats beyond her wildest dreams. If anyone could get off the mountain unscathed, it was certainly him.

There was no more room for worry. Only action.

Irene tightly shut her door and strode down the hallway until she was able to escape and go to the stables, where others were already getting the horses together.

"Good morning, Bren," she greeted. "You seem surprisingly awake for how early it is."

"I was chosen as one of the two apprentices who were set to go up the mountain," he explained. "I will not be dead weight on this journey."

"I believe in you," she encouraged with a laugh.

Only a few short years before, she was the same way. Felix, Leif, and she were always insistent on being first or doing the most to try to catch the eyes of the knights. It was why they were assigned knights on the battlefield and were then knighted and given high positions.

And it was also why she believed Bren would rise quickly. His dutiful nature was admirable. He didn't complain like a regular teenager, although she didn't know what he likely said to the other apprentices when he complained about how much he had to do.

The thought made her smile. They all had people they could confide in.

With only a bit more to do, the knights and a couple of apprentices were off towards the north and rushing through the slowly dying plains until they made it to the foothills.

The entire time so far, cold winds rushed by and tossed their hoods around. All the knights present were grateful to have full heads of hair, and each resolved to grow their hair out over the cold winter. It was the best thing one could do for oneself when Chemoian winter hit.

Irene was at the Commander's side, considering she was the one directing them to the best path forward. Since she had done it herself a couple of times, she had it memorized quite easily. With a few landmarks for her to recall, it all started coming back to her as they got to the treeline and pressed on.

However, there was a point, as the trees became more sparse, that the red-haired knight told her Commander to stop at, and he directed all the others to stop as well with a lift of his greave and glove.

"There are multiple ways that we can go up the mountain," Irene explained. "As far as I'm aware, they take about the same amount of time. Which would you prefer, Commander?

"In your experience, are there more monsters one way over the others?" he wondered.

However, it was Gunnar's experience who was needed, and Irene gestured for the knight she once served over to come forth.

"You're more familiar with the northeastern passes," she explained. "What do you say?"

Gunnar had been growing his beard a bit longer, and it seemed it was just in time for them to go into the mountains. Despite his insistence before that he was too old to travel for war, his experience was invaluable during winterization.

"Admittedly, it has been different each year," Gunnar explained. "All sides equally unpredictable."

The Commander mused for a few moments before his dark eyes lifted and he looked at Irene and Gunnar before his gaze drifted to the others.

"Let's break off into smaller groups," the Commander directed. "Be sure to stay with at least one other person in case you stumble upon monsters. It will be a lot faster if we sweep a wider area of the mountain. From my understanding, there's a safe place to meet on the other side of the summit. Even if it takes a day, I'll meet everyone on the other side. The knights of Chemois won't have trouble facing a mere goblin nest."

"Yes, Commander," rang out from each knight as they set forth.

The group split in half for the time being, with Irene, Sven, Bren, and the Commander, while Gunnar led the other half onto the other trails they saw fit. That way, their experience was well divided.

Again, they pressed on, happy to see so far that no monsters had disturbed their path.

However, things began to shift after they decided to leave their horses in the upper tree line and do the rockier parts on foot. There were more and more signs of goblins as they walked past bones and a general mess.

They stumbled upon a cave, and the Commander stopped them once again.

"I'm going in," he explained after removing his visor. "I have supplies for a torch."

But before he could disappear into the darkness, he paused.

"I will not force you to follow me into a dangerous situation, but I will not risk a nest being ignored for the next season."

However, it was the Knights of Chemois he was talking to. They weren't known for shying away from a challenge.