I Will Be the Greatest Knight

There were a few townships closer to the Duke's Tower, but they didn't have the means to keep up with the demand for weapons a knighthood had. While they were useful for quick fixes, the knights were willing to travel to a larger place when needing something new entirely. 

As they passed through one township, Irene grinned as a few people took notice of the knights and apprentices and cheered for them as they went on. She hoped that one day soon she could call herself a knight but even the youngest knight to ever grace the Knights of Tenetium was almost eighteen. She had quite a while to prove herself before then.

Once past the township, they found themselves in the plains of Tenetium—which were what Irene was most used to having been born and raised in the central-most point of the large valley. 

As she and the traveling party rode forward, she had no troubles as she went along. 

Since monsters typically came from mountainous areas with fewer people, the plains were simple. Monster attacks were unlikely unless they managed to hide away in the forest as they migrated around at night, but in each forest they ran through, they got lucky. Even dire wolves hadn't bothered them and it was already midday.

"We will take a break here!" Gunnar announced to the apprentices. "Take your horses to the water and eat something quickly."

They had to risk a bit by stopping at the edge of an aspen forest but that was where the small river had a point where the horses could get to the water without risking their ankles or slipping.

They would have to cross a small bridge once they left that area but Gunnar said when they went to the bridge it meant they were over halfway there. 

Irene was thrilled to see another township. Since her father was protective by her mother's request, she had gotten out of the house very little. She was used to the township they were a part of but it was only because her cousins and their families took up most of the houses in that area. There were flashes of red hair all around as one walked through the town, it was no wonder that was the only place she was allowed to roam. 

As Irene walked Sorrel to the water, she affectionately scratched his mane when his head was down. 

"That's it, get your fill," she uttered. 

The horse sighed heavily and she figured they would be there for quite a while so she rummaged through one of her saddlebags to eat a bit of jerky. It felt like she was always hungry since she had been burning more energy.

It made her hope that perhaps she would start getting taller more quickly. She couldn't remember how fast she grew the last time.

When Sorrel was finally finished, Irene pulled him towards the others' horses who were also finished. She could finally relax a bit as they ate grass and the apprentices staved away their hunger.

She could keep from overhearing Leif and Felix teasing one another. 

"Aren't you lucky?" Felix asked. "Not a wolf in site to try and brutalize with a dull blade."

Leif kicked a rock on the ground and he looked up to glare at the taller apprentice.

"Even with a dull blade, I still almost killed the damn thing," Leif argued.

"You're right," Felix agreed. "Before you fell into the river and embarrassed yourself anyway."

Irene's eyebrows raised. 

"That's a piece of the story I've never heard," she admitted with a grin.

"You should have seen him," Felix quickly responded. "He had to get rescued by another knight as he floated downstream."

Leif narrowed his eyes but before he could defend himself, Gunnar cut off the conversation. 

"Get back to your horse, Felix," the knight ordered. "We're about to leave."

Seeing that Felix's horse had wandered deeper into the trees, he jogged towards the animal.

"He really likes to give people trouble," Irene observed, trying to change the subject since Leif seemed insecure about it. "What a jolly person."

Leif only scoffed and he gently pulled the reins of his horse so it would walk forward.

"A surprising trait for an orphan," the apprentice uttered. "It's not like he has that much to smile about except for teasing others."

Irene's gaze continued to follow the teenager. 

"He's an orphan?" she asked even quieter than before, hoping it wasn't some sort of secret.

"One of the knights who has long since retired found him when he was, I think, six or seven," Leif explained. "He was in a village pillaged by an ogre. With everyone dead, he was taken in as a squire right away. His survival alone was impressive enough that the knights knew they needed to help him. Despite his teasing, he's quite the sword fighter. I'm sure he'll be greater than any of us could imagine."

The girl knew she wasn't being subtle as she stared at Felix because Leif soon elbowed her and nodded his head towards the others who had already gotten on their horses. 

"Ah…" she uttered.

Walking away from Leif who also went to his horse, she placed her boot in one of the stirrups before pulling herself on top of Sorrel. 

Before Leif told her that, she believed that Felix wasn't serious enough to be a knight. He may have the sword skill, but he had none of the chivalry. However, for him to take the high road at every possible turn, and, rather than becoming dark and angry, he was happy and inclusive of everyone. 

She felt awful for ever doubting him.

Again, the group took off with Sir Gunnar leading them and Sir Phillip in the back, keeping an eye on either side of the five apprentices so that they wouldn't be snuck up on by monsters or dire wolves. 

While the order did a decent job of keeping the valley empty, there was always the possibility of danger especially in the forests and in water. 

Luckily, the path was simple and, after they crossed the bridge, they could see wide open plains in front of them with the township they sought towards the end. 

A couple of hours later, they were entering the town with the apprentices marveling at the larger buildings, their heads swiveling as they went on.

They didn't bother stopping anywhere else except for the blacksmith. There would be time to explore the township on foot later, after all.