CHAPTER 403: A MASSIVE PROBLEM

There were looks shared between the knights as they waited with baited breath for the Commander to say something more decisive than a curse word under his breath.

Irene and Felix, in particular, shared looks of disbelief.

"Commander..." Irene was the first to urge the man to say something else.

Surprisingly, there was less urgency than they were expecting as he finished off his tall mug of ale and pushed away from the table.

"Might as well see what the hell she’s decided to do now," he decided.

It was then that Irene realized that this could possibly be Sylaron. She wouldn’t do anything purposefully destructive, but after witnessing the way that she destroyed Idona without meaning to, anything was possible. It would likely become her father’s problem if anything too badly happened.

Sure enough, as the knights rushed out the door behind their Commander, they were met with the sight of a dragon sinking in the snow as it melted around her feet. When she saw the very person she had been seeking, her long neck reached towards the ground at the knight’s feet, and more snow melted where she touched, causing Commander Henry to stand in a small puddle of water that was certainly soon to freeze and create a hazard.

Irene’s head turned from the amazing sight when she saw movement out of the corner of her eyes.

Sure enough, there were many others alarmed at the earth shaking, and people were peeling back the heavy curtains to see what on earth had destroyed their otherwise uneventful winter. It was hard to hide a dragon, after all.

"Does that mean the Knights of Hydrogia are safe?" Henry asked her.

Irene couldn’t help but faintly smirk at that. He talked to his horse, and it seemed he also talked to his dragon. She found it endearing, but wouldn’t say it out loud.

"Home?" the Commander asked, his voice getting even quieter, but Irene, only a few feet from him, could hear every word. "Did you make sure the knights made it all the way home? It’s no wonder you took such a long time. It’s been nearly a month."

Irene had thought that the massive creature might have hibernated for the winter. She was unaware that the dragon was taking her duties of watching over the Knights of Hydrogia so seriously. It was like she really could understand the words the Commander said. This was not something the books in the library covered, or anything in Felix’s presentation during knight school when they were apprentices discussed.

To the patrons of the inn and the village people’s surprise, the knights no longer braced their weapons, and they held them in a more relaxed manner, if not putting them away altogether. Irene imagined they must be thinking about how useless the knights were for not protecting them.

When the dragon lifted her head, there were quite a few gasps from those watching, but the knights were unfazed by the dragon’s movements. There was not even a hint that the magical beast wanted to attack any of them, and they all knew it with certainty.

Irene observed as Henry saw something and stepped even closer to the dragon, further putting him in her muddy puddle of snowmelt.

Strangely enough, there was a small scroll inside of a leather pouch as if she were some sort of messenger hawk. How interesting would it be if she took over for Blade as the one to deliver letters for the Commander. Many complained that Blade was so intimidating, but what if a dragon showed up instead?

Irene had to not smirk at the thought; there were plenty of terrified common people around who needed the knights to be taking the situation as seriously as possible. While the knights were an iota more used to the dragon, these people had never even witnessed one in their lives.

Irene walked backwards a bit and to the main door of the inn where maids stood nervously, as if guarding the closed door. They had closed it to preserve the heat, but it wasn’t keeping the few patrons and innkeeper from peering out of any opening they could.

In turn, Irene decided she should guard the maids. They were fearless in front of a dragon despite their lack of ability in combat and she found it respectful enough.

After the Commander had taken out the letter and read over it, he shook his head.

"I wonder what sort of trouble you got me in by going all the way to Callum’s fief."

He then turned toward his second in command who had taken up a different place, in front of the stables and near a few apprentices who were determined not to seem afraid in the eyes of the townspeople eavesdropping to the best of their abilities.

"What am I supposed to do?" Henry asked after gesturing for Felix to move closer to him. "Am I meant to bring her wtih me to Auden Estate? I don’t know what sort of trouble she’ll cause."

Felix glanced at Irene who guarded the maids and then around the village where people were waiting with baited breath for an answer to this disturbance and the knights’ lack of action .

"Will she cause problems?" Felix asked honestly. "At the same time, I wonder if it’s time the people got used to her. She’s been a valuable tool for us. The average person in Tenetium will soon know that she protects these lands because you do."

"I suppose you’re right about that," Henry relented readily. "If the Earl is meant to accept me, I suppose he has to accept her as well. She isn’t an easy secret to hide especially if something happens during the banquet that cuases me to react. Sylaron will be at the Earl’s doorstep."

The Commander’s words caused a light laugh to escape him, but he seemed to be the only person able to laugh at such a situation.

"I think it’s good you present yourself as someone a dragon chose regardless of the implications of that," Felix continued, determined. "It isn’t enough that you have dragon orbs. You have the first living, breathing dragon in a century taking orders from you, Commander."

"I suppose you’re right about that," Henry admitted, crossing his arms over his broad chest as he leaned towards Felix, but kept his attention on their new company. "I’ll have to talk to her about boundaries."

Felix shot a look at the Commander, silently telling him he was lost. Since the Commander wasn’t looking at him, Felix gave the same look to Irene who was as perplexed as him. Could the dragon actually be reasoned with?

"I’ll assure the people in the inn that they’re safe," Felix decided.

When the second in command departed from the Commander’s side, he passed Irene before going into the inn.

"Come," he ordered Irene as they stepped back into the warm building. And once they were finally in the dining hall together with more knights and plenty more apprentices gathered, Felix continued, "We need to alert the townspeople of what has happened here today. You heard the conversation. They best know that the dragon will be around more often. She is a sign of the Commander’s protection. Apprentices, go and tell the townsfolk. Irene, we will alert everyone we can in here."

"Yes, sir," they all said in varying degrees of the same answer.

It seemed it wasn’t time yet to relax, Irene realized. Her duties were just beginning as she rushed towards the stairs and to the upper levels where she had seen a few people peeking out of the windows, their eyes full of horror.