I Will Be the Greatest Knight
Chapter 90: Neverending Tears

Chapter 90: Neverending Tears

A cry was ripped out of her throat painfully as she was dragged away from her father.

Once the other monsters were taken care of, the knights realized the true extent of the battle. Sir Gunnar was the first to look for his apprentices, seeing one of them in shambles on top of their father who was out cold for the time being. However, the blood coming from his body would make anyone believe otherwise if it weren’t for the faint rise and fall of his chest once his child was no longer over him.

Gunnar remained steadfast as he wrapped his arms around Irene and prevented her from going to her father again.

"We must allow them to do what they need to save him," Gunnar persisted gently despite the sheer strength of someone who was coming out of shock and feeling everything at once. "We will wrap his arm and take him to the mages immediately."

"I-I’ll do it," Irene uttered. "I’ll save him. Please, sir."

Her pleading caused the knight to squeeze his eyes shut for a moment. He had seen Iro in a few emotional situations but none quite as severe as what he was witnessing unfold. It seemed he and all of the apprentices he cared for were bound together by horrible events. This was the last way he ever wanted to bond with the youngest apprentice.

He could feel her trembling in his arms as he sat with her and they watched the other knights remove his helmet and simply make sure his head was alright before they would move him. Leif was tasked with retrieving saddlebags with supplies and they did what they could to wrap his arm, making sure there was adequate pressure so he wouldn’t bleed to death on the way back.

"Take Iro, please," Gunnar ordered quietly.

Irene soon felt someone else handling her and she turned her head to see Felix gently guiding her. He helped her to her feet and began to take her to the forest where squires were gathering as many horses as they could.

"No!" she cried and shoved him away from her. "I must go with him."

Even he didn’t joke at that moment.

"They are retrieving a wagon from what’s left of the village to take Sir Arthur back to the Duke’s Tower," he explained. "We will get there and settled so we can receive him."

He reached for her arm but she shoved him away again.

"What if he dies on the way there?"

"He won’t," Felix assured her. "It’s Sir Arthur."

She tried to argue. Perhaps she could fit in the wagon with him. Her eyes went to the wagon where there were already a handful of knights working to lay him down. There was certainly no room for her especially not someone who was panicking.

They all had eons more of experience than her and it made sense that they would need to be the ones attending to the knight rather than his child.

She pressed her lips together and her chin was trembling but she finally agreed to go forth with the apprentice.

To her surprise, when they found Felix’s horse, he didn’t force her to find her own, but he pulled her onto the horse with him as he climbed on. When she was sitting in front of him, he took off.

There wasn’t any fight left inside of her. She slumped as they rode with Felix trying to go as quick as possible to warn those in the Duke’s tower what had happened. There were three bodies and one was severely injured.

All of the other minor injuries were nothing in comparison to what was happening with Arthur. Everyone else would certainly agree.

He slowed down as he got closer and they were outside of the stables. He placed a hand on Irene’s shoulder and willed her to look at him, but what he saw surprised him.

She had been silently crying the entire ride.

His eyebrows lowered and he felt he had no choice but to wrap his arms around her and hold her close while she felt what she needed to in order to get through the moment and face what was next.

He felt oddly protective.

You cry like a girl, he thought but wouldn’t say out loud.

It wasn’t the first time he had some kind of inkling like that but he was in a confusing time in his life and would never voice half of his thoughts.

His horse was well-trained enough that when he dismounted with Irene, he was able to nudge the animal with his boot and he went to the stable door, waiting patiently for whoever was on outdoor duties to take him back inside.

There were a few maids who had washed linens and were hanging them outside, taking advantage of the few days left that were dry enough to hang dry laundry.

Agnes was among the group and, when she saw Irene in shambles, she rushed over.

"What on Earth?!" she cried. "Are you injured, Iro?"

She placed her hands on the younger apprentice’s shoulders and bent down so she was at eye level even though Iro was only a few inches shorter than her.

"My father..."

That was all Irene could say before more tears began to fall and Agnes immediately pulled the apprentice in for a hug.

"I will take care of him," Agnes insisted and she gestured for the other maids to come forth.

Felix ran a hand through his hair in frustration, but he addressed the maids politely when they were closer.

"There are three bodies," he explained calmly. "Sir Arthur was gravely injured as well. They will be here shortly. We must prepare. I will retrieve the mages."

All Agnes could do was sit with the apprentice who seemed unbelievably broken—rightfully so.

The chaos truly began when some of the knights arrived with Sir Arthur’s body.

Unfortunately, many of the knights had to return to the site because there were dozens of bodies to burn before the sun set. Autumn was the peak season for necromancers, after all.