To say she was worried was an incredible understatement.
The entire time she had been at the Duke’s Tower, she had only received two letters from her father over winter when they weren’t able to see one another. He told her she didn’t have to respond and he sent them by way of messenger hawk so that no one would have to be bothered by traveling through the snow.
That was what bothered her the most about the whole thing. He sent it by way of magic rather than messenger hawk meaning it needed to get to her quickly.
The girl stepped into the common sitting room at the end of the northwestern wing. It was seemingly the only place where the knights or apprentices couldn’t look at her while they went off on their duties. The very letter in her hands seemed to weigh more than a ton and she was burdened greatly.
Finally sitting down in a chair, she took a deep breath and broke the wax seal before unrolling the letter.
The letter began with something he shouldn’t call her then an apology. A lump immediately formed in the girl’s throat.
You can’t imagine how sorry I am to not be headed in your direction as I was supposed to by now. Your grandmother fell ill towards the end of the winter and it doesn’t seem as if she will recuperate any time soon.
Your mother has been taking care of her while I’m away, but it’s time I take the job of watching over my mother until knight’s duty calls once more. Your grandmother refuses to leave her home so I must fix it so that it’s a place she can stay inside of and heal in. If I don’t, I fear that the situation will take a turn for the worse.
I have sent a separate letter to Sir Gunnar and the Commander, hoping that they understand the bind I’m in. There are more than enough good knights there who can handle everything as the warmer seasons approach us.
I trust you with those men. You are in good hands.
There was a long moment of pause after she finished reading and her hands trembled as if her body was having a difficult time deciding which emotion it wanted to feel.
Was sorrow correct? Perhaps disbelief?
The letter had fallen from Irene’s hands and she sat there with her eyes wide despite them focusing on nothing in particular in front of her.
She felt so in disbelief because her grandmother wasn’t supposed to fall sick for years. She was nearly sixteen when her grandmother passed away in the life that she saw. What had she changed to make all of this happen so much sooner?
It felt unbelievably like it was her fault. She must have changed something in the world to make her grandmother fall ill.
Before she realized it, a tear fell down her cheek and she sprung up from the chair she sat in.
In the letter, there was too much truth.
The girl rushed to the fireplace that was devoid of a flame and she panicked, searching herself for anything helpful and she opted to simply take the small axe that she had brought with her on the trip. Using a rock that made up the fireplace, she managed to create a spark on some old pieces of kindling in a bucket next to it. There was also wood there that she tossed into the fireplace messily, not caring about a long-lasting fire, only one that would take care of the letter easily.
Considering there were not supposed to be fires lit at that moment, someone rushed into the Duke’s Tower, having seen smoke rising out of the chimney and they went immediately to the sitting room.
"Iro!" Sir Gunnar called. "Christ, you worried me. It’s a bit unusual to see a fire while the weather is getting better. What is the meaning—"
The man had no choice but to cut himself off as he watched the apprentice quickly trying to burn a letter.
"Wasn’t it from your father?" he asked in disbelief.
Irene cast him a miserable expression and he quieted down once more.
"My grandmother is sick," she muttered. "My father will not be returning soon."
While Gunnar didn’t understand what the apprentice was talking about, he knew that the old woman must have meant a lot to Iro especially if she was acting in such a bizarre way.
He couldn’t understand the way she was blaming herself for changing something that could take her grandmother away. Was she selfishly barreling forward without consideration for how it might change other aspects of her life? For original chapters go to nοvelfire.net
This was only the first sign that she had ruined something about the natural organization of the world. All she felt was misery. How could she express that to a knight who didn’t understand her reason for being so insistent on remaining in the knighthood?
The knight’s eyebrows lowered as he contemplated how strange the situation felt.
He had a desire to pull the page from the fire and see what truly lies in those words. Why on Earth would the apprentice have to burn the evidence?
However, the page went up in ashes before he could react.
"He sent us a letter as well," the knight finally explained, deciding on a gentle approach for the time being. "Perhaps you ought to return to your quarters and craft a response instead of going to the armory. I will get permission from His Grace for Blade to deliver the letter. I’m sure the Commander has a response for the knight as well."
She did want to be alone and was relieved he was giving her permission.
"Thank you, sir," she responded quietly from where she crouched on the floor.
"Put out the fire so the maids don’t have to manage it," he responded lightly and Irene simply nodded.
Sir Gunnar escaped the area, coming to terms with a few of his own thoughts as he pressed onward.