CHAPTER 276: LATE NIGHT TALKING

There was a time in Irene’s life when she was jealous of those her father called upon to have late-night conversations with. Many times throughout her childhood, knights appeared at odd hours of the day to request her father. If they didn’t take him away from the home entirely, they would sit in the library or his study for hours and discuss the knighthood.

To be included in it for the first time made a sense of pride well up inside the girl. In the previous life she recalled, Irene never got to experience being on the inside. It made her even happier with the path she chose to take rather than the one that would lead her to marriage with someone she didn’t love and death.

Her once husband would be much happier with a wife who loved him. She would be happier not to have to deal with marriage at all.

As she and Felix found Arthur in the library with mugs of ale prepared for them on a table between the comfortable armchairs, they shut the door tightly and sat down in front of the fire. How wonderful it was to thaw in front of a fire while they talked to each other.

"Continue with your explanation," Arthur requested. "What brings you to my door in the middle of the night?"

Irene looked at Felix. He nodded, knowing it was within his rank to take over this question.

"First, I must commend you on taking care of your fief and ensuring there are no monsters that your villagers have to worry about," Felix began. "But that also brings me to what we have been up to. It seems that our thorough monster culling in the plains around the Duke’s Tower and in this central region has pushed the monsters to the forests in the east. The mages also say there are disturbances in Polona, which, I believe, could be pushing the monsters west as well. They have been attempting to pillage the largest township furthest east. Irene and I saw for ourselves just how many monsters lay waiting in the forests."

Arthur nodded between sips of his ale as he listened to the younger man’s explanation.

"Do you seek my help in the east?" Arthur asked.

There was a sense that Felix had that Arthur wanted to get back in on the action of fighting monsters, even if the former knight wouldn’t say it outright.

"We are here to steal the help of your village’s healer," Felix admitted. "We need to send a letter to Stanley to send mages to the east. We also need to figure out a way to get a letter to Commander Lothian or any of the knights who may already be heading in this direction. One of the former maids at the Duke’s Tower requested the Knights of Hydrogia’s help."

"She didn’t seek the Knights of Tenetium?" Arthur asked, somewhat in disbelief. "A knighthood that would take a couple of days of travel at most, rather than the knights from the south who could take weeks, especially considering the impending freezing weather."

One might take the inquisitive tone Arthur took on as ridicule, but he was merely answering a question, so Felix tried to take it as nothing other than that.

"She explained to us that the losses our knights were subjected to were enough for her not to want to burden us with more," he admitted, a bit grimly.

"Good enough reason," Arthur commented. "But what do you think? Is your knighthood too burdened?"

"Not at all, sir," Felix persisted. "I have nothing else to live for except protecting our duchy."

Arthur nodded once.

"It’s good to see that you are still as dedicated as ever, Sir Felix," the former knight commended him. "Please remember to take care of yourself while you take care of the duchy. We will not last if you fall apart."

Irene couldn’t help glancing at Felix after such a comment. She noticed how he attempted escapism each day. Whether it was drinking or merely throwing himself into their work, it was clear he simply wanted to face the outward forces rather than his inner demons.

But you couldn’t force happiness on someone who had lost everything, which was why Irene felt helpless. It was also why she dedicated herself to merely being at his side and offering him as much support as he would allow.

"I will, sir," Felix responded, feeling like he was a teenager again. "People didn’t often talk to him like something that needed to be coddled. At least, they hadn’t in a long time. "Now, may I ask your advice on how we may reach the southern Commander or any of the knights he might have sent in his stead?"

Arthur leaned into the comfortable chair he sat in, and his large hands stroked the red beard covering the lower part of his face.

"It’s doubtful the Commander or his men are traveling with any mages," Arthur uttered. "Irene, you must know how to get a hawk in this village."

"I know, father," she responded. "I will do it when we seek the mage. I believe it’s our only option as well."

"Good then," the former knight responded. "Now the two of you ought to get rest and sleep late. No use in tiring yourselves over something that can’t be solved immediately. I will send myself off first. It seems I’m a faster drinker than both of you."

Irene merely smiled at that.

"Goodnight, father," she responded. "I imagine we won’t be up much longer than you are."

"Goodnight, sir," Felix also bid the man goodnight, finding old habits of referring to him as a knight to die hard.

When the former knight was gone and it was the two of them left in the library, Irene settled back into her chair and continued sipping the ale that tasted so much better in an environment she was familiar with than a random inn.

"Is this the result you were hoping for?" she asked Felix.

"I want an immediate solution to everything," he admitted. "I’ve grown tired of waiting for things. My knighting, a Commander for our knights, now we’re waiting for help in culling monsters..."

"Can it be considered help when it’s likely our own knights they’re sending back to us?" Irene wondered.

"I suppose not," Felix muttered thoughtfully. "They’re doing their duties, but it doesn’t help my patience."

"Then we will be impatient together," Irene responded. "That is how I have lived every year of my apprenticeship. I was waiting for you to get knighted within the first year I was with the Knights of Tenetium. I’m used to it by now."

"The Knights of Chemois," Felix gently corrected with a smirk. "They’ll have to twist my arm for me to call it anything else on my free time."

Irene laughed lightly and sipped on her drink.

"Do you think the next Duke will call us Tenetium or Chemois?" she wondered.

"Considering the King is the one appointing him, we already know what sort of man he will be," Felix responded, scoffing before getting deeper into his own ale. "I merely hope that we can lead a convincing enough argument that he allows us to do as we’ve always done. I can’t imagine the south giving up a good knight for us. We will be doing it alone as we’ve always done. I hardly remember a time when Duke Arlen was even active in the knighthood. He’s been under Her Grace’s influence for a long time."

Irene was devoid of a response outside of letting out a slow, even sigh as she tried to decompress from such a stressful train of thought.

She was lucky Felix didn’t find her disrespectful, considering the casual environment they were in. Other men in his position might not like to be sighed at or practically ignored as she had nothing more to add to the conversation.

"Too much to think about all in one night," Felix observed. "We might as well go to bed ourselves so we’re not completely useless in the morning, which is slowly drawing near."

"You’re right," Irene agreed. "Then I will see you in the morning. Take my father’s advice and sleep as late as you can. I know that I’m going to try."

Except they both knew that the other found it hard to sleep too much after the sun. It was a curse after being subjected to early morning practices. Even the nocturnal schedules they once adhered to were hell to adjust to.

The two slept hard and woke up a couple of hours later than they normally would, but it was still far earlier than they likely should have for satisfying sleep.

Together, they went into town and sought the help they needed from a healer and then the falconer who worked with the Litharions for decades after he settled in the small village.

Since Arne was awake and wanting to spar with someone, Felix decided he would do the honors, while Irene decided she would visit her grandmother.

However, as the girl walked through the large house, intending to go out the front door and seek her horse in the stables, she was surprised when her mother stopped her.

They had a pleasant morning together after she fixed their breakfast, so the words that escaped Rochelle’s lips seemed like a bit of a slap in the face.

"When will you tell us that Sir Felix is someone you’re interested in?" Rochelle asked, keeping her voice down. "It’s getting inappropriate for the two of you to travel alone together."