The winter came faster than Irene wanted. Even though she was thrilled to return to the Sunstoian lands, this trip came with a whole new slew of issues that the last one didn't have. Before, her only issue was lack of time because of her grandmother's health. This time, they would be searching for a monster.
However, there was a very big upside to this trip that she didn't have the last time: companionship. And it wasn't the companionship of just anyone but her husband and arguably the greatest knight of their duchy, if not the entire kingdom—a point she felt a bit competitive about, but knew she could only push herself to be better rather than taking it out on him.
