Chapter 310: All Return (Castle Bonus - )
Irene had gotten used to the sound of hoofbeats as they rode across the wide open plains of Chemois between patches of forest and to each village and township they could possibly reach on their trek east.
For once, she was happy to wear a helmet because she knew that the braid that tied her hair up had come undone as the occasional spring breeze rushed through, reminding her that it was still quite early in the season.
Not only were they going as far as they could before Felix summoned them back, and they could finally officially meet the man who would preside over them, but they also seemed to be chasing the spring rain storms. Since it had thawed, frozen, and then thawed again, the woman hoped that the knights and the Duke weren’t having trouble in the floodplains on the way up. Such sudden thawing and freezing would undoubtedly fill the plains even more than expected.
For Felix and the Duke’s trip north to be riddled with bad luck would give a foreboding feeling for Irene. All she could do was hope for the best because it felt as if the trip was connected to their successes in the north. She preferred not to be superstitious, but it was all she had at that moment before the Duke was in front of her face and proving himself to the duchy.
She grappled with whether they were to test the man or if that would be cruel, considering he had apparently been tested by the King enough to be sent here. There was no doubt others would be doing the same, feeling him out as he felt them out. Would he feel defeated in a situation like that?
Even when these thoughts took over her head during the internal quietness of sitting on a horse for hours, Irene pressed on. More than anything else, she wanted to present the Duke a version of themselves that was unified. Not to alienate him, but to show him that the knights he was going to lead were worth something. There were few knights compared to the Knights of Hydrogia, but they persevered through many things so far.
These thoughts persisted, but she still made sure to completely conceal her doubts in front of the people they visited. Best to instill hope rather than doubt, she decided.
They had been traveling for a solid two weeks, which meant that they had spread the news through about half of the duchy that they finally received a Duke, and he would introduce himself whenever he possibly could.
As expected, the most prevalent reaction was shock. After all, the sentiment that they had been forgotten by the King was widespread throughout Chemois. Many made the knights repeat themselves. Other village leaders or town reeves wanted to see the announcement for themselves, which was the reason Irene brought it in the first place.
"Spread the news far and wide," Irene would tell the people. "Welcome the new Duke with respect."
The trip so far brought them southeast, east, and northeast. Within those directions, they would go north and south to cover as many villages or townships as they could along the way.
Just before they could get to the township—which was the last place Irene saw Rosalind—they were forced to halt as a messenger hawk flew over the knights from the heavens. It undoubtedly had a letter in the pouch at its ankle.