The moment the newly knighted girl walked into the dining hall with her father, she was engulfed in cheerful noises that she hadn’t heard in such a long time.
It was easy to forget that she had so many fun times with the knighthood when the past couple of years had been the heaviest she had ever known.
What a beautiful moment it was to be a survivor and get to witness knights with smiles on their faces that made Irene forget about their scars. She recalled how each person looked, covered in monster blood since that was a nearly every day occurrence. If it wasn’t monster blood, they were merely filthy because there wasn’t a real chance to bathe oneself in a place like that.
And the constant noise.
While the dining hall’s present loudness was full of laughter and impassioned conversation, she recalled a different loudness at the encampment at the ancient wall segment.
If she sat and listened for a few moments during the war, there would be coughing. Someone wheezing. Sounds of pain constantly. People working on various tasks could always be heard. Walking, rustling, always some kind of movement.
Nighttime at the tent encampment, when the sound of constant movement should have been gone, many had gotten used to the sound of others coughing and could sleep through it, but she never gained that skill. The ability to sleep in the cold and ignore coughing. Was it merely something inside of her that made it impossible?
It was so nice to see all of these people smiling and enjoying themselves rather than merely living and surviving.
Even Felix, who had become someone more reserved after the war, sat there in the dining hall with a faint smile on his face and his hands around the base of a mug full of ale. Since he was the one she was closest to, she broke away from her father and sat down next to the new second-in-command.
However, her father approached her, and she wondered momentarily if he wanted her to sit next to him instead. Her green eyes were cast upward in shock, but it wasn’t because he was there to chide her.
The former knight placed down a large mug of ale in front of his daughter. He also had his own drink held in his prosthetic hand.
"Drink up, dame," her father ordered. Then, to the room he shouted. "To the knights, old and new!"
He raised his mug before tossing it back and drinking down quite a large amount. When he was finished, he gave Irene a cheerful smile before turning and going off to join the older knights that he was more familiar with.
It was time to give his daughter some space. She ought to bond with the younger knights, since the intention was that they would work closely
Irene’s eyes were wide at the turn of events. She raised her mug as well, but only lifted it a few inches off the table. She turned to Felix.
"To the second in command," she said.
"And the third," he responded.
They gently clinked their metal mugs against each other before taking their own generous chugs.
However, Irene’s lasted a lot shorter than anyone else’s. She wasn’t quite a seasoned drinker. Even though children during those times were always given watered-down ale or anything of the like, to drink for enjoyment rather than hydration was beyond her realm of understanding.
"Commander Lothian’s gifts keep on giving," Felix muttered from where he sat.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"After the war finished, we spent the summer cleaning up this place as best as we possibly could, entirely funded by Commander Lothian since we are still trying to recover everything that was in the Duke’s treasury," he explained. "The Commander filled our food storage as well as making sure the duchy had enough for the winter. This ale and the wine are all part of his gifts to us."
Irene’s eyebrows lowered.
"I don’t mean to doubt anyone, but the Commander doesn’t seem like someone who is wealthy based on appearance and demeanor," she admitted softly.
"More than meets the eye with that man," Felix explained. "He’s one of the richest lords in all of Peroda. His knighthood had an aggressive approach to monster subjugation, which has given them the spoils of war. He’s even been to Polona a few times, which practically guarantees a reward merely due to the monsters you’ll encounter there."
Irene merely sat there in disbelief for a few moments.
"And he tried to tell me not to bow at him because he was lowborn," she recalled.
Felix was taking another long drink from his ale, but nearly choked when Irene admitted something so ridiculous. He caught himself before he could cough, and with a hand over his mouth, he managed to ask, "He, what?!"
Before she could answer, she decided to drink a bit herself. It wasn’t a flavor she was accustomed to because it was heavier than the watered-down versions she tried. Even merely drinking half of a mug made her stomach feel unbelievably full. It was an acquired taste; something to get used to.
"One of the first times I saw Commander Lothian during the war, that’s what he told me when I greeted him with a bow," she recalled. "He doesn’t like being treated differently than the others."
"Only the south seems so hung up on the circumstances of birth," Felix responded with a sigh. Tʜe sourcᴇ of thɪs content ɪs NoveI[F]ire.net
"What if a southerner is chosen as the Duke and brings their prejudices of mages and peasants here?" she asked, horrified.
"Stanley assured us that he is merely guiding the mages back to Nickron before returning to us permanently so that they can finally complete the mess that is still plaguing the barracks," Felix reminded her. "Then he will be a permanent part of our knighthood. If the next Commander isn’t alright with mages or peasants, we’re not going to give him a comfortable time here."
Irene’s eyebrows lowered, and she gave a serious nod.
"For now, I suppose you’re the only one who can tell me what to do," Irene reminded Felix with a smile. "Until we get a new Duke, it’s up to us."
"Yes, up to us," he agreed.
The seriousness of the day was starting to fade away, and Irene was happier the longer she sat and drank.
She was even more excited when she heard the maids at the opening to the kitchen saying that the food was ready.