Chapter 156: At the End of the Long Road
When they were finally able to leave the northern village, they faced a few more days of easy travel. While Arthur would have preferred to face action considering the stagnancy his life was about to face felt a bit suffocating, he was happy that Irene wasn’t going to be put in front of danger any longer.
He was able to meet with the Crown Prince and Princess early the day after his arrival, but he hadn’t seen much more of them. As always, those children were treated like fragile porcelain. They were never required to fend for themselves.
It was interesting the dynamic of the heir and only princes compared to the third much less known child of the King. Considering the second prince was set to be a Royal Knight one day and not permitted to attend trips such as that, Sir Arthur knew who would likely be best adjusted out of all of them.
As his thoughts drifted to children, he considered his own child who would undoubtedly be scarred from all she had experienced so far.
Climbing closer to Earl Auden’s home that sat atop a foothill and guarding what was the start of his family’s world-renowned mine, he could tell the apprentices were getting more excited. They would drift further ahead and realize they weren’t in their guarding formation so they would correct their speed.
The knight witnessed this happen a handful of times. Inside his helmet, his eyes crinkled as he witnessed them still being children despite all of the trials they had faced that far.
The travel party made it through the first gates and furthest out checkpoint on Earl Auden’s land. While he did have a township a short way from his main residence, it was clear the man kept himself far from commoners, going so far as to separate them with a fence and guards.
Immediately the guards recognized the carriage and royal coat of arms, but one of the Royal Knights still pulled an identification plate from the carriage and they were then sent on their way once more.
Irene felt it important not to look clueless so she tried to make sure her eyes didn’t linger on the knights guarding the property. Looking at all the niceties all over the Auden’s Estate was far more entertaining anyway.