That morning felt particularly heavy as Irene woke up and got herself together for the winterization trip. They would be leaving even earlier than the knights going into the duchy.
The Commander's idea was to only stay one night in the mountains since the trip up would be longer than the trip down, but she didn't know if it was possible. She doubted they would make it all the way up to the top that day.
However, since the Commander wanted to act slighted that she was underestimating him on this trip, she was going to let him see for himself how grueling it could be.
In preparation, she put on a tough tunic, undercoat, her armor, an outer coat, and a fur-lined cloak. Each layer was designed not only to prevent her from getting hurt if a monster attacked, but also to stay warm from the snow they were likely to see.
