CHAPTER 272: WELL-LOVED

Rosalind looked at Irene a bit strangely. There was a semblance of recognition, but a worry that she didn’t know her at all.

The female knight offered a small smile to Rosalind. It was fine if she recognized her, and it was fine if she didn’t as well.

Now that Irene had leaned further into her femininity, people seemed to think she looked rather different. In all fairness, she thought, the teenage years were the ones when you changed the most. It was what she remembered from when she was last alive. One day a girl, and the next, a woman.

"Could you spare us a bit of your time, Rosalind?" Felix asked the girl.

"Let me deliver these things first, then I will ask the innkeeper," she responded.

It was the very person the knights needed to speak to, so while the maid went to deliver the drinks to the patrons, Irene and Felix went to the front, where an innkeeper was writing something down.

When he met the eyes of the knights, Irene observed that the man was quite young. He must have been around the same age as Felix. If he inherited the inn or built it up himself from such a young age didn’t matter to Irene. It seemed to be a well taken care of place, and she commended him for it.

"Good evening," Felix was the first to greet. "Are there any rooms, sir?"

"Surprisingly, yes," the innkeeper responded. "We have a couple available that would be suitable for knights. Free of charge. I heard what you did for the township."

Irene wouldn’t tell Felix or the other knights what she occasionally did, but her father had given her quite a bit of money to spend for the knighthood when no one was looking. Even though the Duke’s Tower certainly had abundant funds, especially after the war, things were disorganized enough that Arthur didn’t want the knighthood to be bothered. If he could alleviate some of their worries through his daughter, he was going to do just that.

"That’s unnecessary," Irene insisted, before Felix could. "We would like to support the businesses through the duchy while we eat the food and drink and enjoy the privilege of sleeping indoors."

Whether or not he agreed, Irene placed money on the counter, and they were given a key for one of the communal rooms that would make it so they didn’t have to share.

When Rosalind arrived, wiping her hands she had just cleaned off on her apron, she stopped at the desk where the innkeeper stood. Immediately, the innkeeper who spoke confidently to them before seemed to become shy.

Irene had to bite the inside of her cheek so she wouldn’t smile at the painfully obvious pair who, if they weren’t already a couple of sorts, would soon be.

It didn’t surprise her at all. It seemed an apprentice was taken with her during the war, and now an innkeeper. She considered Rosalind to be a beautiful person.

"Would that be alright if I speak to the knights for a moment?" Rosalind asked the innkeeper. "They are from the place I formerly worked before the war."

"Of course," the innkeeper said, without hesitation. "Take the rest of the night if you’d like. You’ve been nothing but a hard worker."

The smile Rosalind offered made the innkeeper’s face turn red, but Felix and Irene were the only ones who seemed to notice.

"Thank you," the maid responded.

"Where is the best place to speak to each other?" Felix wondered.

The innkeeper spoke up.

"There’s a sitting room around the corner," he explained. "Should be empty right now. No one is here on any kind of official business."

"Thank you," Felix responded.

Since Rosalind was the one who knew the way, she led the knights there.

The room didn’t have a door, but the sitting arrangements were deep enough inside there it was unlikely to be any eavesdropping done. Along the edge, some desks offered places to write and send letters if you wanted to. It was to be expected from a bordering township where travelers often passed through, even if they didn’t settle there.

When the three were seated, Felix was the first to speak up.

"Tell us everything," he requested. "Every apprentice you knew in the Duke’s Tower is now a knight. I am the second in command until a new Commander is chosen. Irene is the third in command. If anyone should know what’s been requested of the knights, it should be us."

Rosalind nodded and smoothed out her apron as she gathered her thoughts. She had no reason not to trust the once-apprentice who listened to her more than the others who were less trusting of a new maid in the Duke’s Tower.

"It seemed at this point, every other day, we’re faced with more goblins," Rosalind explained. "Of course, nothing comes close to our experiences during the war, but the people here can’t rest. Most hide in the upper levels of buildings since it seemed that these goblins are the less intelligent kind. Not knowing what else to do, I sent a letter to one of the apprentices who guarded me during the war. He is close to the southern Commander."

Felix nodded in understanding, even though it slightly bruised his ego that she wouldn’t go to the knights of the duchy first and went directly to those who weren’t necessarily involved.

"I mean nothing by this, but why not call on the knights only a couple of days’ worth of travel from here?" Felix wondered.

"I don’t mean to call your efforts into doubt," Rosalind defended herself. "It’s simply that I recall how many were lost during the war. I don’t want to further burden a knighthood who seems to already have so many burdens."

"We appreciate the concern, but it is unnecessary. We are trying to rebuild the trust in the knighthood after a period of great trouble."

Rosalind nodded, taking into consideration his words and wishing she could change what she did, but understanding her own reasons for doing so.

"Are you yet to receive a response?" Irene wondered.

"For now," she responded. "I hope the letter got there safely in the first place."

"Thank you for the information," Felix quietly stated. "The rest will be in our hands as we navigate this. It seems I will have to seek a mage who can direct us to Commander Lothian. We may see at least a few Hydrogian knights more quickly than we expected."

"Of course," she responded. "Anything that I can do to help. For now, I believe the captain of Earl Auden’s knights is set to be back tonight or tomorrow. He was in the Earl’s lands seeking more first aid supplies since we haven’t seen mages in quite some time. If anyone knows the most about this situation, it would be him."

Irene and Felix couldn’t blame the mages for avoiding that place. The last time they were there, a few years before, there was a priest holding their horses and telling everyone who would listen just how untrustworthy and impious they were.

"Understandable," Felix responded. "We will await his return then."

"I ought to return to my duties, if that’s alright with you," Rosalind responded. "It was good to see familiar faces, even if it was only just briefly."

"Of course," Irene responded with a small smile, hoping to ease the other girl’s worries that she both recognized and didn’t recognize Irene very well. "I’m glad to see you are doing well."

Not only was she continuing to survive despite all the monsters around, but Rosalind seemed to be loved, whether or not she realized it. Irene was happy for her and partially curious if she would ever like to feel something like that at some point in her life.

The more she let the thoughts sit with her, she decided she would rather not.

When it was only Felix and Irene left in the room, Irene slouched as much as her armor would let her.

"Today was more tiring than expected," she admitted.

"We ought to replenish ourselves," Felix suggested.

"With ale?" Irene half-joked but knew that their evening would likely head in that direction.

While they had camped a couple of times during the trip, whenever they were able to go to an inn or village, they enjoyed a lot of ale—more than Irene had ever consumed in her life. If she weren’t exercising constantly, she might be worried that it might slow her down.

Neither one of their performances nor their physiques seemed to be affected, so she would enjoy herself while she could. Admittedly, it soothed the fresh wounds she had from the tumultuous paths their lives had taken.

When the two were finally without armor and able to sit at a table and relax, Felix pushed a mug of ale towards Irene.

"Better enjoy yourself now," he suggested. "We will try to scout the surrounding areas for more goblin activity. It will be best to go out tomorrow during the day, ensuring the goblins are all in their nests and easy to capture."

"Bottoms up, Sir Felix," Irene insisted.

She hardly had to twist his arm. It’s what they were going to do anyway.