Slowly but surely, the season started to change as the earth below the snow was seen for the first time in months. Rooftops were visible, and there was plenty of mud.
Yet, as the world around them changed, so did Irene's father. The knight found it so hard to face him and realized that he had in fact lost a bit of weight. His face underneath his red beard was a bit sharper. She imagined that if she hugged him, it would also be evident.
However, she had been treating him as if he were fragile. Perhaps she could preserve his life if he were kept like glass and nothing touched him.
There was a point when she had looked forward to spring because it meant she could run back to her Commander's side and finish the conversations they started, but that had been pushed deeper into her heart. Even though it wasn't forgotten, it was of lower priority. How could her heart's desires matter when her father was sick?
