I Will Be the Greatest Knight

It had suddenly become not just a fight for the knights but the mages as well. The second the dragon, Sylaron, made her presence known in the middle of Idona's town square, there was no way for the disturbance to be ignored any longer.

Mages rushed out of buildings and conjured up their magical defenses. Most were intent on protecting their homes or businesses from the dragon that was destroying things without even needing to breathe fire.

She was simply too large to fit in the space she had decided to enter.

Even though she didn't seem to have any desire to attack, she knocked through people's windows with an extension of her wings. Turning her head had knocked off a few wall sconces that once held candles. Even her tail had ruined the wood on the side of some of the buildings and had torn down a few small, fabric awnings that stood over the shops' entrances.

Even though she didn't seem to have ill intent, the mages threatening her caused her movements to be more sporadic, and it seemed that the dragon was beginning to feel cornered.

"Is she going to kill everyone?" Irene heard from behind her, and she gasped in shock.

"How will we take down a dragon ourselves?" Bren had asked from where he stood just behind Irene to her right, perfectly able to see over her shoulder at what was unfolding in the center of the township.

She still stood firmly between the apprentices and the chaos ahead.

"The Commander seems fond of this… dragon," Irene argued. "She doesn't seem intent on harming people. Don't you think she seems a bit… curious?"

Irene was choosing her words carefully. Never in her life did she think she would see a dragon, much less defend it on behalf of someone else. However, the Commander had seemed so relieved to see the beast, she felt the need to respect his silent wishes.

As chaotic as it was for the mages of Idona at that moment, everything being destroyed was fixable, and she hadn't harmed a mage or human yet.

Sure enough, the Commander soon rushed into the town square, and he stood between the dragon and the mages who had gathered with the intention of throwing their own attacks at her and subduing her.

"Don't hurt her," the Commander shouted. "She means no harm. If she wanted to do something to you, this village would have already been burnt down."

Irene's own arms lowered as more disbelief came over her. The dragon was cowering, actually cowering, as if she wasn't a massive creature with teeth longer than Irene's fingers. Once more, the Commander turned his back to the magical beast as if he didn't feel an ounce of fear for her. She couldn't help wondering if it made him seem extremely strong or extremely dumb.

Even if she didn't think he was an idiot, his actions could speak otherwise to those who hadn't witnessed the dragon greet him like a large puppy in the first place.

An old mage got the courage to step forward, but he didn't lower his mana. He didn't trust the knight's words.

"Your Grace, how are we supposed to believe such a beast won't harm the people of Idona? Even without trying, she has caused damage to our town square."

However, the Commander stood strong. Even though his glancing around led him to realize the dragon had indeed caused damage, he had an answer for their worries.

"I will repay you!" the Commander assured them. "Whatever she destroys is my responsibility."

Shortly after, Siverly rushed into the town square, closer to Irene and the apprentices who stood watching the situation unfold with just as much disbelief as the first time they saw the dragon.

"I saw it myself, Siverly announced. "She defeated an entire army of monsters in one breath. It would be idiotic to go against her."

The older mage seemed to scoff and not appreciate the younger mage's interjection. However, there was a strange competitiveness between Idonian and Nickronian mages. Rebels versus the well-educated rule followers. It caused the old mage to wave his hand at Siverly.

"It would be best if she stayed out of the village," the old mage persisted, only slightly relenting. "There is enough destruction as it is."

The Commander seemed to relax at that. Even from afar, Irene could see his shoulders slump momentarily.

The words he said to the dragon who had brought her face to his were heard by no one else, except that the dragon surprisingly listened. She jumped high enough that, when she extended her wings, they were at least above the rooftops of all the buildings that surrounded her.

She then escaped to where she was before in the northern forests. What she was doing? No one was quite sure. Surprisingly, this was enough for Commander Henry because he had other things to do besides babysit a dragon.

With the spectacle over with, Irene was able to get back to her prior duties of making sure the apprentices were busy with their various assigned tasks.

Despite the lingering worry that the dragon would come back into the town square and destroy more of the buildings, she never showed her face again. However, Irene did notice that every so often the Commander would exit the inn in a rush and head north, which forced him to walk by the stables. It was clear he was making sure the dragon wasn't up to trouble.

He reminded her of a worried father trying to wrangle his unruly children, who were insistent on getting into dangerous situations. The thought caused her to smile slyly to herself.

A short time after the Commander went back into the inn, Irene jumped when she heard the very man call for her from the front of the stables where she had been helping one of the apprentices fix reins that had come unbraided.

"Lady Irene," he had requested. "Do you have a moment?"

She turned towards the Commander and nodded.

"What can I help you with, Commander?" she responded, walking forward but being sure to keep her distance as always.

"If you aren't too occupied, come into the dining hall," he instructed.

"Right away," she responded easily. "Apprentices, stay here and continue on as usual. We had plenty of interruptions today and are behind on our work."

At their agreement, she exited the stables with the Commander. There was no choice but to walk beside him because he waited for her, insistent on treating her as an equal rather than walking ahead.

Irene entered the inn with the Commander, and they both found themselves in the dining hall where Siverly, Felix, Sven, and Trenton were already waiting for the two to join their group.

Felix scooted over, making room for Irene upon her arrival, and she appreciated his always making sure there was a spot for her at his table. He had been that way since they were both younger.

Commander Henry remained standing, and he looked over the faces that looked at him expectantly.

"I have chosen all of you to accompany me on my journey north. We will need to go to Nickron to get to the bottom of the issue with the monsters and now the dragon," he explained. "Siverly here has sent a letter on our behalf, and the mages already responded, stating their willingness to meet with us."

"Rather quickly, I might add," Siverly explained, his usually neutral expression gave way to his slight shock.

Nickronian mages weren't known for caring about what anyone else got up to. For them to accept knights coming close to their precious island, even if they would not be allowed to even cross the water, was a surprise to him. They must have been paying attention to the situation already.

"I feel this meeting is of the utmost importance, which is why I have chosen all of you to accompany me," he explained. "My best knights and Hydrogia's best knight who isn't already occupied. I trust all of you with the situation that has unfolded far out of my control."

The group nodded their agreement and silent thanks. It was always nice to be acknowledged as trustworthy, especially for chivalrous knights who based their lives on honor.

"Lady Irene, who will manage the apprentices on your behalf?" the Commander wondered. "I know that you have been rather hands-on with them since our arrival, which I do appreciate."

"Any knight familiar with them already could do a fine job," Irene admitted. "The apprentices are self-sufficient. If you tell them to do as they always do, they will. There are plenty of knights here to ensure that they will stay on track."

"I'm relieved to hear that," the Commander stated with a nod. "Now, as unusual as it is for us to begin a journey so late in the day, I want all of you to pack your necessities so that we may start north immediately. I would like to get the meeting out of the way as quickly as possible so that our knighthood isn't in a state of stagnancy while waiting for more monsters to show themselves."

With that, they all went their separate ways to get their items and report back to the front hall of the inn, where they would get their horses.

As Irene went down the stairs to meet the others, she was surprised to see Bren there with a pack and saddlebags prepared.

"Bren?" she questioned. "You're joining us?"

He seemed slightly embarrassed about something she was unsure of, but she wouldn't press harder than that.

"The Commander requested I go along," he admitted, seemingly proud.

"How wonderful, Bren," she complimented. "Perhaps one day he will want you as an apprentice."

Bren seemed further embarrassed at that, and Irene gave a slightly teasing, knowing smile. Her worry was always that he would be like Felix and knighted later than he ought to. If the Commander kept choosing him, things would certainly go much more quickly for him.

With that, it was time to set off to the north and see what the Nickronian mages would come up with.