The palace was definitely the most lavish and marvelous of places Irina had ever seen, from its gilded and majestic towering halls and vaulted ceilings, crafted of the finest white marble stone, smooth to the touch and without a single blemish or crack, to the ornate and decorate tapestries and banners displaying the wonderful colors of the Kingdom's heraldry that hung from the walls and fluttered downward from the ceiling. Irina was indeed astounded, wide eyed with such amazement as she tarried across the polished golden tiled floors of the palace, still lugging about in her heavy armor, which now that the adrenaline of battles past had dissipated from her all too soon as the carriage had reached the grand castle, the steel plates had become a cumbersome burden for her to carry, not to mention adding to her bothersome hunger and the fatigue one had after fighting as bold and as courageous as she. Luckily as she entered the palace though, a wench was already to her side on behalf of the King's generous hospitality and leading Irina to a room where she could remove her armor and stow her weapon as well, or rather the royal blacksmith could sharpen her longsword, but either option was okay with the knight. 

The bedchamber Irina sauntered into was just as luxurious as the rest of the palace appeared. There was a large bed within the center of the room, with such a fluffy mattress atop four posts of polished and mahogany stained oak-wood, not to mention the fine blankets of wool and satin that adorned the comfy bed and its many pillows. A bed such as this was certainly a joy and a relief to behold to the knight, even after Irina had become so accustomed to sleeping on mats of dingy and rat-infested straw in those filthy inns or even in the bog and the muck of the earth after a torrential downpour overnight soaked her and Argo to the marrow with unexpected rain. But again, the life of a wandering sword was not meant to be luxurious, but...it still had its perks. With a deep and relaxing sigh, Irina fell into the bed, still clad in her armor. She could've fallen asleep right then and there, her entire steel body sinking into the mattress, but shortly she rose, her hands already going to work on the fastenings and the leather straps. First, she removed her helm, by far the heaviest part of her armor, next to her cuirass, which she peeled off with a bit of a grunt, setting it aside. Next came off her gauntlets and then her greaves and sabatons. Finally, she relieved her shoulders of the overbearing weight of her pauldrons, now left only in her chainmail which lied underneath all her armor, still a tad heavy on Irina, but at least it was more flexible and easier to move around in.

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After a relaxing hot bath in the large tub that was supplied to her room, Irina dried herself with a woolen towel, tied back her silver blue hair in a ponytail and brushed a few stray locks from her polar eyes of ice, setting them behind her earlobe. A dress was offered by the wenches, and as elegant as it was, Irina kindly refused the offer, rather donning her chainmail again but wearing over it a surcoat of the heraldry of Alegasia and her tan leather belt with a gilded buckle. Glancing into the mirror of the vanity, she made sure her appearance wasn't too shabby or inelegant before leaving her sword upon the chest at the foot of the bed and slowly striding to the dining hall, taking time to marvel more at the splendor of the King's palace. As she neared the hall, the knight had crossed quite a few of the King's valued treasures, several suits of finely crafted silver armor with gold adorning, and priceless oil paintings of noblemen past...one that seemed to be of the Princess as well, and what justice the artist had done to Her Majesty's lovely features. Irina smiled at the painting before finally entering the dining hall, kneeling to the King before taking her seat. "Good evening, Your Majesty."

Soon followed the Princess in after her, giving a curt greeting to her father before sitting next to the knightly woman and sipping of her wine, and how beautiful she looked to Irina in her elegant evening gown. You could say the knight was a bit awestruck by Crystal's enlightening appearance, her eyes somehow affixed to the girl for a little before breaking contact as she partook of her wine and replied with a small smile of her own, "Ah, good evening, m'lady. I can see you are well rested after our long journey, and yes you might say His Majesty and I have become quite the companions over this short time." The King laughed heartily at his chair in response as well, [b]"Yes my dearest daughter, Sir Irina and I are certainly friends now, but I owe much to any who so boldly risk their own lives to protect my Crystal. Sir Irina, on behalf of your valiance, a toast to you."[/b] After the glasses were raised and clinked together, Irina smiled even more, setting her wine aside as the first course was brought to the table by the chefs, the smell of smoked meats and roasted vegetables already wafting about the grand dining hall. [b]"Ahh dinner time."[/b] The King mused jovially, and it smelled so delectable as well.