They were able to finish up in the dining hall and ensure the barmaid was paid enough before they gathered all the other knights.

Trenton even went so far as to get Sir Maximus, who had been glued to Alix and his mother's side since he arrived in Idona, understandably.

As the mixed knighthoods waited, there were a few words shared that Irene caught glimpses of.

"Did something happen in Nickron?"

"Is this about the dragon?"

"Will there be more monsters?"

Everyone was starting to theorize since the Commanders weren't there to clear things up right away.

Irene recalled that few were in the dining hall when it happened since the travelers had returned at an odd time between the midday meal and supper. It was understandable that everyone would be confused.

However, Commander Henry and Lothian were both punctual and didn't make the knights wait long despite saying it would take them an hour to gather their things.

When Commander Henry appeared, the dragon did as well.

From deep in the mountains, Sylaron lifted her massive body to the sky—something that should not have been possible logically. She then dove towards the group of knights, and the immediate response of everyone was to grip their weapons and brace for impact.

The only impact that came was the wind when she stopped herself with her wings splayed and landed behind the Commander.

Already on edge, the Commander glanced at his dragon companion. He seemed a bit displeased in the same way someone would be over a petulant child.

He turned towards the group once more.

"As I'm sure a few of you have heard, my mother and aunt were taken into custody in Hydrogia," the younger Commander explained. "This is something Commander Lothian and I have no choice but to attend to. They are my only living family…"

Irene watched the tense expression on her Commander's face never cease. His jaw was clenched, and he seemed to be holding back a great deal. She wished she could relive a couple of mornings ago when he was smiles and easy laughter.

But it was understandable. If His Majesty had imprisoned someone of her family, she would likely have to leave the kingdom, in response to the reaction it would elicit from her. At least, if she wasn't first put to death because she had gone directly against the King.

One mystery that still remained to Irene was that the Hydrogian Commander was just as distraught over Henry's mother being taken. It was a detail she would likely have to slowly learn over time.

Commander Lothian was the one to continue since the younger Commander seemed to be holding back.

"I wanted to be here when Sir Alix wakes up. But It seems that the plans for us have changed. However, I ask for your cooperation in protecting Idona until we're sure that Polona is stable once more. Commander Henry and I will be the only ones to go back to Hydrogia."

At this, Commander Henry nodded solemnly. He could finally continue after being afforded a moment to cool off.

"I hate to burden Sir Felix with this many knights, but there is no one better equipped to take over the Knights of Chemois just as he has for long before," Henry explained. "Again, I will be indebted to you." He then turned his focus to the rest of the knights. "I will communicate with you through Blade. If anything urgent happens, please consider paying one of the mages to send a letter. I will compensate you handsomely in return."

"You don't need to worry," Felix assured his leader. "I have everything under control. Dame Irene will help me, too."

Despite the somber mood, Felix gently nudged Irene and she offered a tight-lipped smile and nod. She wanted to seem dutiful but she couldn't help that there was a disappointment starting to grow within her.

Admittedly, she was disappointed with not being able to see Commander Henry anymore. The trip to Hydrogia was long. After that, what would happen then?

She felt unbelievably pathetic. During the absence of her Commander, she would have to remember how to behave and her original promise to never marry, therefore it was pointless to behave so strangely merely because she found someone attractive.

"We will be leaving tomorrow morning and take this evening to prepare ourselves for the journey ahead," Commander Lothian stated before he began to leave the group.

It was shared sentiment that everyone felt awful that Commander Henry had to go on a long journey when he had only just returned from Nickron, but such was the life of a knight. The mere few days they went to Nickron was hardly anything compared to the two or more weeks it would take to get to Hydrogia.

After that, everyone dispersed and returned to their prior duties.

Even though Irene had only just arrived, she decided she should check on the apprentices in the stables. She also wanted to ensure that the Commanders' horses were resting well because they had a long journey ahead of them.

When she arrived at the stables, she saw many eyes turn to her and she raised a gloved hand.

"Apprentices," she addressed them. "Come over here."

Dutifully, they all stopped in her tasks and she was met with boys of all heights and ages walking forward to the front of the stables. Some carried tools, others were in the middle of braiding together ropes, a couple even had brooms or cloths with them as they made sure to keep the stables that weren't there own clean and organized for future patrons of the inn.

It was clear where Commander Henry learned his management of apprentices because the way he managed them was the same way Commander Lothian managed his as well.

"Since the Commanders will be leaving us tomorrow morning, it's important we ensure that their horses are rested and their equipment is in perfect condition. Please prioritize that the rest of the day," she requested. "Especially His Grace's horse. As you know, we just returned from Nickron as it is."

After a variety of affirmative responses, she dismissed them back to their work.

However, there was something she wanted to check with Commander Lothian's black horse and equipment. Since his horse had been staying with the mages and Commander Lothian, the horse and saddle were a bit worse for wear. She could only be understanding considering the urgency in which the Knights of Hydrogia arrived.

As she found the stall where the black courser was munching on hay, she reached out and gently brushed her gloved fingers through the animals tangled mane.

"You were just as worried for the knight you carried here as the Commander, weren't you?" she softly asked the horse. "Have some oats and get your fill. The journey ahead is going to be difficult."

There was an apprentice in a stall beside Irene and he couldn't help peeking his head over the wall as the knight talked to the horse.

"Y'know, when I was a squire in Hydrogia, the only person I ever saw talking to horses like that was Henry," the apprentice realized with a laugh. "Sorry, Commander Henry."

Irene's head felt hot at that.

"I've spent a lot of time with horses. I feel bad not saying anything to them," Irene muttered in response.

She brushed her embarrassment to the side. Leif also talked to horses. It must be more common than the apprentice thought.

Before much more could be said, she looked at Commander Lothian's leather saddle which was hung on a rack at the edge of the stall.

Irene's eyebrows lowered as she noticed something and she walked forward quickly.

"Could someone bring me a wet rag?" she asked.

When the saddle was in her hands, she realized that the black leather of the saddle had been concealing the fact that there was a lot of dried blood likely from Sir Alix. The thought put a sense of dread within her. He was still alive, that's all that mattered.

After finally cleaning the saddle, Irene was satisfied with their work for the day and it seemed that the apprentices were just doing the last few tasks such as sweeping or getting water for the horses.

"After you're finished, you ought to eat something and say goodbye to the Commanders," she explained. "I'm sure that they will leave earlier than anyone wants to be awake tomorrow."

Satisfied with their responses, yet again, Irene decided she would return to the inside of the inn as well. She was starving and had been smelling bread for the past couple of hours.

With the others, she ate quickly and decided to turn in for the evening. However, when she finally did get into clothing suitable for rest, she found herself tossing and turning as thoughts of the past few days filled her head.

The mages, the emergency in Hydrogia, the Commander…

She didn't drink any ale with supper and decided that was what she was missing to go to sleep.

After getting on her boots, she looked down at her comfortable clothing and decided it was alright since it was unlikely another person was to be down there.

However, as she moved down the hallway and walked down the long stairs, she stopped midway, realizing that she would, in fact, have company that evening.

Commander Henry sat there with a less than pleased expression on his face, but it softened when he noticed the other knight on the stairs.

Her chest felt strange and she blamed the fluttering on anxiety.

But since it was only her and the Commander in the dining hall all of a sudden, she couldn't exactly avoid him and sit far away…