Ahh and what a delectable feast it was, set out before the three were dishes upon dishes of culinary excellence only the royal chefs, the finest of kitchen masters, were capable of, the aromatic bliss of smoked beef and pork with such savory herbs and spices to suit even the stuffiest of pallets along with the decadent scent of crisp fire-roasted vegetables such as potatoes and carrots and leeks to accompany the delicious meats in a hearty and warm soup of savory amber colored broth. Twas more of a stew than a soup, but either way, it looked and smelled so enticingly delicious to the knight, not once having a meal as bountiful as this in a day or perhaps in her entire life. Taking a spoonful of wonderful stew to her mouth, Irina savored the culminating tastes, the robustness of the meats, the freshness of the vegetables, and the salty and plentiful warmth of the broth sliding down her throat and past her heart to her stomach. Definitely this was better than just staving hunger off weeks old bread hard as a whetstone and cheese so bitter to the tongue....it was better off being thrown in the forest and forgotten than rather eaten. 

While the woman ate however, a question caught her ear from the Princess. Her eyebrow perked however and so did the King's to Crystal, bewildered by the subtle but indubitably present sarcasm in the girl's tone of voice. [b]"Crystal.[/b] The King spoke up, a bit of a stern edge to his voice,but still jovial as ever as he finished a bite of stew before continuing. [b]"Please treat our honored guest with respect. Ahm...Sir Irina, forgive my daughter's brash behavior. She must still be perplexed as I am about this recent attack and is on her guard."[/b] Irina nodded with a bit of a chuckle, finding it quite humorous the girl was still suspicious of her, "No need for apologies, Your Majesty. M'lady clearly is just inquiring of my past endeavors." A brief sigh as she sat down her silverware, Irina pondered a moment on her recollections, remembering each and every meticulous, and some harrowing, events that soon led her to here. "Ah yes, let me begin." Soon she elaborated, turning to face the Princess with a sincere grin, "Before I came to rescue the noble and beautiful Princess and her father, His Majesty, the King of Alegasia.....I was a traveler. I would roam to kingdoms far and wide, in hopes that they would accept me as a knight. Most didn't unfortunately." 

She paused briefly to sigh. "Even as I displayed my skill...or rather my father's skill he handed down to me, neither of the lords nor their kings were impressed. More or less, they were amused that a woman decided to don armor and call herself a knight. Even the other knights of the four kingdoms I've visited, they would scoff at me and belittle me, always throwing in my face, [i]"A MAN'S place is upon a horse and on the battlefield, while a woman's place is in the kitchen or the bedroom."[/i] Likewise, I was offended, so...instead of offering my sword to any of the kingdoms, I lent my blade to those who were in dire need of it, mostly villagers wanting someone to stave off the wolves or the bandits. Still...even if I could use my sword to help others, I still felt downtrodden it was only for meager purposes."

[b]"Ah...true your skill with a longsword is indeed remarkable, Sir Irina."[/b] The King chimed in after Irina had finished her short but interesting recount of her copious pitfalls and her humble beginnings to knighthood. [b]"And to hear a woman is scoffed because she is deemed not worthy of being a knight, why...it chides my backside to hear such! It takes not a man to wield a sword, but a human, in other words, any hand can carry a blade but it takes knowledge and years of hard practice to master the art, and that my brave knight, I do believe you possess."[/b] Rather moved was Irina and humbled by the heartfelt words of the King. He was definitely Kingly material in her books, anyone who could sympathize with an issue such as hers rather than mock her as the others had done. The King paused briefly though as his old grey eyes glanced over to his daughter...and the back to Irina. [b]"Mhmm..."[/b] Quizzically, he scratched his plump, bearded chin as he pondered. [b]"We shall speak more of this in private, Sir Irina. But for now, let us eat. I'd rather my stew not grow cold as we tarry through the hours."[/b] Another hearty chuckle he gave as the King resumed enjoying his meal, but what he spoke of before left the knight puzzled all the more. In private? But what about? Shirking the issue for the moment, she too catered to her stew, a small smile towards the Princess, yet her ice blue eyes were dimming over with confusion.