The knights were due to leave that day so that the Duke’s Tower would no longer be empty and lacking protection. They all felt it necessary for the knights to bid Arthur goodbye, considering how much he meant to them, but they had to return to their duties now. Leaving behind a bunch of maids, apprentices, and an old mage wouldn’t be wise for long in a season when monsters were rampant.

However, Felix arrived at the Litharion’s home before they were set to go. There was someone he needed to check in on before he felt right leaving.

He had warned Henry of this and was hoping his Commander had been able to rouse his wife. He would be more than understanding if not, but he really wanted to see for himself that Irene was in one piece. Just a talk to his old friend would do.

The knight pulled off his helmet since he wore a full suit that day in preparation for the journey ahead. As he cradled it, he walked around the manor house where Irene grew up and straight to the guest house.

He sighed before lifting his glove-and-greave-covered hand, but he noticed quickly that there was a crack in the door.

Instead, he called into the guesthouse, "Hello?"

The door was pulled open quickly.

Irene sat at a table while Henry fussed over her. He had convinced her to come down earlier than usual for breakfast. It had only been a few short minutes since Irene learned the reason why, and while she would have preferred to greet Felix with a more favorable appearance, he was going to have to settle with her in comfortable clothing. It was about as much effort as she could manage. Henry had braided her hair the previous evening otherwise.

"Come in," Henry greeted the second in command. "Have you eaten?"

"Ate at the inn," Felix assured him. "Don’t worry about me. I’m actually here to see how you’re doing."

Felix directed his attention to Irene, and he was met with the sight of someone so unbelievably exhausted he wasn’t sure if it was the same vibrant woman he had gotten to know the years before. But that was what grief was like.

People called him a jokester before his first love’s death. A switch flipped, and hopelessness filled his insides instead. Nothing felt lighthearted enough to joke about. It took a long time for him to recover from that. Even now, he couldn’t help the dark thoughts that consumed him at times.

But that was why he was there. He didn’t want the same outcome for Irene. He knew just how important her father was to her because he was by her side when he lost his hand and left the knighthood.

Irene gestured for the other knight to sit.

"Watered down ale at least?" Irene asked, her voice subdued.

Felix nodded. "Might as well."

And once a mug was in front of the blonde knight from the few things they had in the guesthouse to eat without having to go into the main house, Henry went towards the door.

"I will let the two of you catch up," he said. "I have an errand to run. Take your time."

If there was someone he could trust with his wife despite how protective he was feeling over her, Henry knew it was Felix. They had, embarrassingly enough, hashed that out enough in the past when he had wrongly assumed their relationship before.

And now she was his. How things had changed.

Felix couldn’t help noticing that the wooden spoon in Irene’s hands dropped back into the bowl when Henry was gone. A few scenarios popped up in the second in command’s head, but he wouldn’t voice them.

He removed his gloves and greaves so that he could grasp the ale and bring it to his lips. He already felt out of place enough being in armor, but they would have to leave fast after he checked on Irene.

"You’ve seen me in one piece and alive; are you satisfied?" Irene wondered, trying to keep her tone light. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

However, the line between her eyebrows as she pulled her eyes from Felix was telling. She knew that it was futile trying to hide her true feelings from her very best friend.

"Not quite," Felix answered honestly. "I won’t be satisfied until you’re back on your feet and acting with the knights. Only then will I know that you’ve healed enough."

To Felix’s surprise, Irene’s elbows pressed into the table, and her face went into her hands. She inhaled a shaky, slow breath. He was even more shocked that, when her hands left her face, there were tears in her eyes as she crumbled.

"Leif... my grandmother... and now my father," Irene uttered. "It feels as if a piece of me has left with each person and now I’m hollow. I’m meant to be a good wife, but there’s nothing left of me to offer. I married the man of many women’s dreams, and I feel terrible for him."

"Hey..." Felix began, reaching across the table to find his friend’s hand. He had seen her go through trials that even the strongest couldn’t comprehend. It was surprising to see her in this state now, but he of course couldn’t understand a familial relationship like that. He knew his parents for a handful of years before the goblins pillaged his village and he lived amongst the knights. "If there’s one thing you don’t need to worry about right now, it’s Henry’s opinion of you. I’m sure he wouldn’t like me to share this with you, but he asked for a few more weeks of my understanding that the knighthood is mine. He said he can’t choose the knighthood or the duchy over his wife. If you ever feel alone, you are the furthest thing..."

"I know," Irene responded, squeezing Felix’s hand. "But it doesn’t help that I can hardly look at myself in this state. I am so unbelievably weak. How were you able to simply press on when Agnes was taken from us in such a way? You were back to duties within a day. Even though it was out of necessity, I always admired you so much."

"It really was out of necessity," Felix responded. "And it tore me to pieces in more ways than I could ever care to admit. But who was by my side and ensuring I wasn’t falling into the pit of despair? It was you. It was Leif... Gunnar, Phillip, Eitan, Sven... It was the knowledge that the duchy would fall if I didn’t give it my all. I just wanted the duchy to be as beautiful as Agnes remembered it and that her revenge would be the monsters falling and not prevailing. We achieved that together."

Irene could only offer a watery smile for a moment. They truly had done all that together despite all of them being torn up by Agnes’s fall and then Leif, Eitan, plenty of others...

"Dad did say that he wants me to become and bring forth more legendary knights," she admitted just above a whisper, her throat hurting from speaking as she fought tears. "I will try. I really will. I just have to get past this."

"And we will be waiting for you eagerly on the other end," Felix assured her. "Just come back to us. That’s all I care about. Then we can all rebuild from there."

Irene’s chin fell to her chest, and she closed her eyes for a moment. She squeezed Felix’s hand eventually.

"I’ll be there," she responded. "I promise."