I Will Be the Greatest Knight

The grin on Henry’s face made Irene certain that he was thinking of her as "cute" in that moment, and it made her so unbelievably embarrassed. A prideful side of herself wanted to shove him away because she didn’t want to be thought of as weak and small like that.

But if only he thought of her that way...

The red-haired knight leaned into her husband, effectively hiding her face as she pressed her forehead against his chin. When his face was covered all day as it was, she missed his face and his smile. Perhaps this was the trade-off to see it: he got to make fun of her, and the payment was his face.

"You’re enjoying this far too much," she uttered.

"I’m thankful," he admitted. "This gift didn’t have a recipient until it found one. I will cherish this book for as long as I live."

She was still embarrassed, but she wanted him to be nervous, too.

"I’ve said before that you are the only person for me," she continued speaking quietly.

"And I’m thankful for it every single day," he responded too easily, although his face was hot and he lifted a glove to his face, happy that it was actually warm for the first time that day considering they were enjoying a small fire next to one another. "But my real concern now is if you will let me read it in front of you."

Irene sighed, and she pulled away to eye him for a few moments. She knew that nothing he did concerning her was malicious, even if it was done with the express intention to tease her.

"I figured that was the reality," she admitted. "Do as you would like."

Henry eagerly opened the book in no particular order. It got to a point in Irene’s journey where she was deep in the north and exploring the houses. However, what he found most interesting was the writing on the top of the page.

"Sunstoian," Henry realized.

By that point, the words were recognizable, even if they didn’t mean anything to him just yet. He planned a wedding with Irene, having to look through Sunstoian books. Everything in Irene’s grandmother’s house was in Sunstoian with the purpose of hoping her children would learn the Sunstoian from her and take it with them.

Irene leaned into his shoulder and eyed the page.

"It says, ’the warmest I’ve ever felt,’" she admitted with a faint smile. "My knowledge of Sunstoian words is truly basic, but I am getting better. I try to read it often so I don’t forget. Even Arne has started reading from the books we have around the house. He said when he has a better grasp, then he will look over the more complicated texts in our grandmother’s home."

The young Duke nodded as he took in her words, but then his dark eyes went back to the pages. He wanted to know more about why Irene felt so warm that day, but then a line appeared between his eyebrows, and he faintly frowned.

"It still makes me a bit sad that you were all alone and the warmest you had ever felt was because you had been in the cold for such a long time," he admitted. "Even if we don’t make it that far, I’ll keep you warm."

"Henry versus the cold of the north," Irene whispered over the crackling fire as her cheek left his shoulder and she looked up at him. "It will certainly be the greatest battle of your life."

She couldn’t help as she pulled off one of her gloves and reached for his face. They kissed every night before bed even when on the road, but she couldn’t help as she leaned into him and stole one a bit earlier that day. It wasn’t only her extremities feeling warm, but her heart and soul all the way through.

Henry smiled into the kiss.

"We’re meant to be making something for supper, but this isn’t going to make me want to cook," he reminded her as he pulled off his gloves and gently brought one to the side of her face. "My beautiful wife. Even in a harsh place like this. I truly have stumbled upon a warrior queen. How I got to you first has always amazed me."

Her smile was small as she explained, "No one ever bothered to look in my direction, but that was on purpose. Growing up alongside them as a boy protected me until I could no longer hide it. By then, they saw me as a brother rather than a sister. Imagine, Felix or Lief, having a little crush on me..."

Henry didn’t think it was entirely out of the realm of possibilities as he pushed for just a bit more.

"Of course, I know Felix, and I only know a little bit about Lief and what he meant to Sir Sven..." Henry trailed off. "Tell me more about Lief because you’ve said before how dear he was to you."

Irene paused for a moment, but she felt that she had gotten to a point in grief where she was able to talk about him without getting too emotional. Even if she got quiet whenever she thought of him, it was because one thought of him led to so many more.

"He was only a year older than me," Irene explained. "My best friend in the knighthood. We were glued to each other’s sides. I met him on a day when my father and other knights were trapped in a collapsed cave. I think he thought I was weird from the start. We bickered a lot and tried to one-up one another whenever we could... I do wonder how long he realized I was a girl. Out of all the things I wish I could ask him, that one will always haunt me."

That caused Henry’s eyebrows to rise.

"I hadn’t heard that part of the story yet," he realized.

"Because it’s the hardest part to talk about," Irene admitted. "During the Monster War, I found him gravely injured. One of the last things he told me was that he always knew I was a girl because I was too beautiful to be a boy, isn’t that ridiculous?"

She had to laugh it off because otherwise she might cry.

However, all she was met with was her husband’s wide eyes and a knowing smile.

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