I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 132: Resounding Yes

Chapter 132: Resounding Yes

The knights always seemed correct in their otherworldly understanding of weather patterns.

When Irene woke up the following morning, the first thing she did was speed to the window to see if their predictions were accurate. As a gasp escaped her lips, they were far more accurate than she could have expected. She was shocked to see that the roof that slanted under her window was covered in over a foot of snow from the drifts that came from the back.

Mastering weather predictions wasn’t something she had mastered yet as well as her father or Sir Gunnar, so she decided to simply take heed to their weather warnings and plan accordingly.

The wool curtains fell from her fingers and she receded back into the room until she was in front of the fire which she crouched in front of for a moment. Again, her father had stacked hard wood in the fire so it was still quite warm despite burning for hours that night.

As she poked the log with a metal poker, she faintly smiled as she reflected on the day prior. Her shoulder was very sore but she felt it was for good reason. However, it had been an afterthought in the evening after Sir Gunnar asked her to be his apprentice.

She hadn’t given the knight a clear answer because, before they bid one another a good night, she said that she would sleep before answering. After all, it was a great leap forward in an apprentice’s career to suddenly be chosen. Sir Gunnar was the knight for all apprentices. For her to be the one most dedicated to helping him was a burden as much as an honor.

She also hoped that, with the way she and Felix were already behaving towards one another, it wouldn’t make it more tense. For the longest time, she thought that it would be Felix that Sir Gunnar chose.

Regardless, Irene knew what she wanted to do. Sir Gunnar was the highest-ranked active knight at that moment. His bothering to make sure she was safe at all was an honor in itself.

With a sigh, she stood up and rolled out her shoulder. Her grandmother said not to remove the bandage but she was dying to see how it looked. It was beautiful when it was covered but she wanted to see what it looked like while it was healing.

"Tomorrow," she uttered, trying not to get overly excited.

Since there was a guest, Irene decided that she would put more effort in her appearance before going to the main floor.

She called to Elle who was already tidying up her parents’ room and requested a basin so she could do morning washing.

After brushing through her hair and washing her hair and face, Irene got into a light blue tunic and more comfortable pants than she would normally wear considering they weren’t traveling that day.

Not long after, she arrived downstairs feeling ready to face the day.

It just so happened that the first person she saw as she made it to the bottom of the stairs was Sir Gunnar. Not wanting to waste any time, she bowed to the knight.

"I would like to be your apprentice, Sir Gunnar," she admitted. "It would be my honor."

"Good morning to you as well," he responded a bit sarcastically and a light chuckle escaped his lips, though he was honored that it must have been the first thing the girl thought of when she woke up that morning. "The road ahead of us will be a challenge, but we will strengthen the knighthood together."

"It will be," Irene agreed. "I look forward to learning more from you."

"Yes, there is much to learn," he responded. "What’s most important is for us to eat now. The snow will likely leave us in two days. Until then, there is a small practice yard we can take advantage of. The last practice you attended wasn’t a true reflection of your abilities."

She felt a bit shy, wondering if he had finally known the reason for her departure and not feeling well. It was fine with her if her father or mother told him. At least he understood that there truly was something wrong and she hadn’t lied about that.

Considering it was the best she had felt in a few days, she readily agreed and merely hoped the knight would take it easy on her right shoulder. Getting hit there would be a nightmare in and of itself.

By the time the two of them made it to the kitchen, they were greeted by the site of Rochalle and Ella in the kitchen while Arthur waited patiently at the table.

Given to them was a loaf of cinnamon bread that was sweeter than the regular bread they were used to. It was certainly an imported spice which meant her parents were putting their best foot forward for the knight visiting them.

Otherwise, they ate their usual sausage and preserved fruit to hold them over until a larger midday meal could reach them.

Arthur noticed immediately that his daughter seemed even happier than before she went to bed.

"Did you give the knight your answer?" he wondered.

"Yes, father," she responded with a grin. "I am the apprentice Sir Gunnar chose and I intend to more than fulfill my duties."

"I wouldn’t expect anything less," Arthur praised his daughter.

Soon Arne arrived to the warm kitchen with his hair in disarray and his clothing a bit out of sorts and wrinkly from sleeping. He was the only one who didn’t particularly care if they had company or not.

"Arne, would you like to go out for sword practice this morning?" Gunnar asked the boy.

Waking him up better than a bucket of cold water dumped on his head, the smaller child widened his brown eyes and sat up straight.

"Yes, sir!" he said. "I will show you why I deserve to be an apprentice far more than my sister."

"You’re the age of a squire," Irene retorted and frowned at him.

"Does age matter when I’m almost taller than their smallest apprentice?" Arne responded.

Irene let out an even sigh. She would have to take it out on her brother with a wooden sword later on.