The knight raced away, having to hold his helmet in his arms as he combed through the township for the other knights. Fortunately, as he expected, they remained inside the inn’s tavern and it was easy for him to pass the message on.
The knights sat up straighter and gave Arthur their full attention when he appeared in a rush and didn’t sit down.
"I have been sent a message that my child has been injured in the winterization of the mountains," he explained, his voice distraught. "I am leaving for the Duke’s Tower now. I will travel all through the night if that’s what’s required of me. Time is precious."
The knights both gave expressions full of horror and concern.
They rummaged through their coin pouches quickly and left suitable payment on the table, immediately forgetting about the ale in tall mugs.
"I will go with you, Sir Arthur," the youngest knight said. Follow current novels on N0v3l.Fiɾe.net
"As will I," the other agreed.
That was what the brotherhood of knights was all about.
"Let’s make haste," the second in command ordered.
The stable was nearby and the stablehand could sense their mood as he rushed to get the horses for them, ensuring that they had been taken care of and were ready for a long journey. For that, the young man received coins from all of the men before they quickly departed.
The moment there weren’t wagons or travelers on foot that Arthur had to worry about any longer, the knight squeezed his knees and forced the horse to go much faster. He would keep up that pace for as long as possible without exhausting the loyal warhorse completely.
He was proud when he heard the hoofbeats of the other knight’s steeds keeping up with him just the same.
When the sun set, Arthur stopped the others and said that they could camp if they were exhausted, but they insisted that their horses weren’t tired yet.
That made it so the knights had to continue all through the night, only seeing the Duke’s Tower as the first sliver of sun was seen at the edge of the horizon. There was already a bit of snow at the highest peak of the mountains standing behind the tower. That meant Arthur had timed their tour around the duchy perfectly. They would see the valley blanketed in snow within the next few weeks.
However, it was mere seconds before he even considered the weather. Irene was the only thing that had remained in his thoughts for the past half of a day.
He could tell his horse was getting exhausted but he pulled through just enough to get the knight to the tower before a squire took the steed and said he would take good care.
The knight pushed through the side door leading into the castle and he rushed forward.
"Where is my child?" he asked, his deep voice overtaking the hall he walked down.
"The maids have been taking care of him in their hall," a maid spoke up quickly. "Second door of the south side."
Considering the maids were women and men didn’t often wander the halls, it felt strange to barge in as if he owned that area of the castle, but he strode forward quickly, removing the top half of his armor piece by piece knowing that if his daughter was hurt, he didn’t want to see her while wearing a full suit.
He would clean up the mess later on. All that mattered was seeing how she was faring.
The door was shut and he knocked. It wasn’t permission to enter as much as it was a warning that he was entering.
Agnes’s "Give us a moment!" was entirely lost on the knight.
He only saw his sweet Irene laying in a bed covered in a grey substance and he wrapped his arms around her, though for once he didn’t squeeze her.
"Where is the injury?" he asked. "What on Earth happened?"
Agnes placed the tray on a shelf near the door then she shut it so no one would witness the conversation likely to happen. Would Arthur be composed enough to call her his son?
"Sir Arthur," the maid spoke calmly. "He was sick all over himself. I need to clean him up and ensure he’s comfortable and nothing is dirtying the bandages."
Irene was awake. That was all that mattered to him as he sat up and allowed the maid to do her job but he didn’t leave her bedside and grasped one of her hands.
Through mere touch, he felt how hot her skin was and he feared that her blood had gone bad. It was common in those times to die from something as seemingly minor as a mere cut if not given the proper healing or cleaning.
When Irene was brought a new shirt and the blankets were over her once again, Arthur then spoke up.
"What do you remember?" he asked.
"A goblin with a crossbow," she admitted. "We were leaving a hunting cabin first thing after waking up..." she trailed off because she truly didn’t know more of it than that.
The man then looked suspiciously at the maid who was facing away and cleaning things up.
"Does that mean they know?" the knight wondered.
"She knows," Irene admitted. "She made sure no one else would see."
Arthur stood up, dragging Irene’s hand up with him.
The large man placed his free hand on his chest as he looked at the maid.
"Miss... Agnes, is it?" he asked, causing the teenager to turn around and feel overwhelmed at the sheer size of the knight seemingly taking up so much more room when he was standing. "I owe you my honor."
The maid shook her head and wrung the towel in her hands nervously.
"That is unnecessary, Sir Arthur," she resisted. "I am happy to be the one who can keep this secret for Iro. Now, if you would please excuse me, I have a bit of other duties to attend to but I will be back shortly to check on you."
When the maid was off and the door was closed once more, Arthur kneeled in front of his daughter and he pressed her small, calloused hand against his forehead.
"I knew that this is a reality of knighthood," he muttered. "Yet how can I be so unprepared to see you hurt?" He squeezed his eyes shut as if her pain was his. "Is this still what you want to do, my sweet girl? I will not blame you if you say no."