The townsfolk had no choice but to believe the knights and apprentices running through the village that evening as they broke the news that the dragon causing a ruckus wasn't a threat to anyone. Surprised was everyone to find that their newly appointed Duke had tamed a dragon.

At least, that was the nice way Irene was packaging her statement. Sometimes she thought that Sylaron's following around of Commander Henry was against his will. Especially when she showed up at an inopportune time and caused the Commander to curse.

After making the rounds indoors, Irene decided to pull on a cloak and meet the apprentices outside, making sure that the villagers weren't giving the boys trouble.

However, she was also interested in seeing where the dragon had gone, but stepping outside, she only saw the mud where the dragon had melted the snow and nothing else.

Was it Henry's command that she was gone, or did she leave of her own volition?

A mystery for another time. The townspeople needed to know the truth.

Irene was met with much resistance, but they had no choice but to believe her and the others, considering she communicated well that these were the words of her Commander and not something she had just made up. After all, if she used him as a reason to communicate something and lied about it, she could get into a lot of trouble. To use the name of the noble was not allowed unless they explicitly stated it was.

It was a rule that she wasn't entirely sure the Commander knew about himself. That was part of the reason she felt a bit protective. He didn't know when someone was slighting him or using his name in vain. The thought also occurred to her that, even if someone did slight him in a way he was aware of, would he stand up for himself or believe he deserved that treatment?

That was why she was so surprised when it was she who disrespected him and how he finally stood up for himself. It was a moment that often caused her to internally sigh at how ridiculous she had behaved. At least now, she felt a bit more in control of herself since the focus was on their travel to the northeast, and the Commander seemed to want to pay less attention to her.

Until all the apprentices were gathered in front of the inn, Irene didn't go inside. She needed to ensure they were all safe before she would go and get herself comfortable.

Even when they were all accounted for, Irene found herself lingering outside after telling all of them to get some rest.

The snow was beginning to fall again, hopefully to finish before they had to leave the following morning. Regardless, it was a nice sight to behold for a few moments as she watched steam rise from her lips and diffuse into the sky around her. She felt childish that it put a small smile on her face.

Whenever the snow fell, it made everything feel quiet. There was a sense of serenity in winter nights. The harsh lands looked so soft despite how harsh the cold truly could be. So beautiful and so unforgiving. She knew that much firsthand after going to the far north.

The front door of the inn opened and shut, and she braced herself despite not looking in that direction. Who inside the inn could hurt her? Who would?

"Snowing again? I guess Felix was right," Henry uttered. "I haven't yet mastered predicting the weather patterns of the north as I have the south."

Knowing she couldn't be rude when he was speaking to her, she had no choice but to quietly acknowledge his words. The snow crunched under his feet, and she knew he had joined her, standing just behind her and out of her peripheral vision.

"You'll learn in time," she assured him, "as with anything else, Commander."

"A lot of learning these days, it seems."

It was vague enough, Irene felt she shouldn't press further lest she learn something else she didn't want—it would likely push her further towards him. She had found few flaws in him, except for what he said about himself.

"Where did the dragon go?" she asked, deciding to keep the words light and having nothing to do with herself.

"Found an abandoned building for her to occupy if she wants to sleep somewhere," Henry explained. "Otherwise, I told her to stay in the mountains."

"And she'll listen?" Irene wondered.

"I never know," he admitted. "Shall we go inside?"

"I suppose," Irene responded, finally taking her eyes away from the sky.

Without another word, the Commander held the door, and she walked by him quickly. Her target was the stairs so she could disappear deep into the in,n and hoped nothing else came from that day.

"Would you like something to drink?" the Commander wondered.

"I ought not to," she decided. "I'm more tired than I am thirsty."

"Suit yourself," the Commander responded a bit wryly, causing Irene to feel immediately bad.

He settled at the tables, and she bit him a quick goodnight.

Situation averted, she felt like. Yet guilt ate at her that no one was there to keep him company and she could have had that opportunity. It wasn't enough to keep her awake, but it was enough to linger for longer than it should have.

The following day, it seemed to go as usual because he took his place towards the front while she was somewhere in the middle, attending to apprentices or weaving back and forth on either side of the wagon to ensure everything was out of place. Compared to the others in their traveling party, she was certainly burning more energy than the rest.

Fortunately, the horse she had taken from her father was such a good one, he had energy to spend and took little to recharge himself back up each night. He truly was a Sunstoian horse through and through because he loved the snow on top of everything else.

After another check of the wagon, Irene resumed her place on the left side, keeping her eye on the mountains before they would brush back over the other travelers. There were plenty behind that she didn't need to guard them from the back so much.

However, it seemed that it wouldn't matter shortly.

As they rounded a bend and the Commander and Felix considered that they should have a break since it was reaching midday, an explosion rang out from deep within the mountains. First, there was fire, and then smoke took its place.

The knights all braced themselves and straightened out only when the coast was clear.

Most surprising, or unsurprising depending on the person, was that Sylaron rose from the smoke and flew into the sky before diving back down into the chaos that she seemingly created.

All of a sudden, their duties became much different from what they had expected.

"Apprentices, don't leave the maids!" Irene ordered.

"Knights go!" the Commander shouted as he led the charge.