While Lady Cerys was still processing Ollieās explanation about immortal rulers and the irrelevance of heirs, Lady Esme leaned forward from her place at the far end of the table, her brow furrowed with worry.
"Sir Ollie," Esme said hesitantly, her voice carrying a note of genuine concern that made her husband, Sir Bedwyr, turn to look at her in surprise. "Iāve heard stories about the dem, er, the Eldritch Lady of the Vale. They say she... that she seduces young maidens, bewitching their minds so that she can drain their blood to keep her eternal youth."
Esmeās cheeks flushed pink as she spoke, clearly embarrassed to be voicing such concerns in front of everyone, but she pressed on anyway.
"Iām worried about Lady Ashlynn," she admitted. "If Lady Nyrielle is as old and as powerful as you say, and if she has such dark witchcraft at her command, then how can we be certain that Lady Ashlynn hasnāt been bewitched? That sheās entering this, um, this marriage of her own free will rather than under some kind of enchantment?"
It was a brave question, Esme thought, even if it made her feel foolish for asking it. But she couldnāt shake the image that had formed in her mind, inspired by folk tales and nursery rhymes that had been told and sung in Lothian March since her grandmother was just a babe.
People went missing in Lothian March all the time, and of all the predators that could make a young, beautiful woman disappear from the safety of her very own home, none was more feared than the āDemon Lady of the Vale,ā who could bewitch a person with just the sound of her voice or the look in her eyes.
So, what if Lady Ashlynn truly believed she was in love, but only because Lady Nyrielle had twisted her thoughts and desires to make it so?
Rather than looking offended, Sir Ollieās expression softened at the question, and despite his obvious exhaustion, he managed a small, genuine smile.
"You shouldnāt worry about them," Ollie said as his eyes glittered with warm mirth. "Lady Ashlynn will be the first to admit that the bond of blood that binds them gives Lady Nyrielle some power over her, but that goes both ways. It strengthens both of them and connects them in ways that you almost have to see to believe."
"Iāve seen them together," Ollie continued, his voice taking on a note of warmth that hadnāt been there before. "Iāve watched the way they look at each other, the way they sit together when they share meals, holding hands and feeding each other," he said with a light chuckle.
"You know, Lady Ashlynn cooks for herself frequently, and itās a tradition in the coven that we try to share a meal regularly where each of us cooks one dish," Ollie said. "Lately, Lady Nyrielle has been asking me and Georg, the Master of Kitchens in her fortress, for cooking lessons, just so she can cook some of Ashlynnās favorite dishes when they eat together."
"Thatās so sweet," Eira said with wide eyes as she tried to imagine two powerful, beautiful queens, tending the hearth and offering each other tasty spoonfuls of stew or morsels of freshly baked bread... Just like sheād imagined herself cooking for her own husband one day, she thought as she glanced at Lord Liam, wondering if he would prefer a woman who cooked for him, or if he would be willing to cook alongside the woman he eventually married.
"You just have to be in a room with them to know," Liam said, oblivious to Eiraās curious look as he looked at his parents. "They remind me of you and Father," Liam told his mother. "Iāve seen them disagree, sometimes about very serious things," he said, shuddering slightly as he recalled their ādisagreementā about Sir Ollieās demonstration during the dinner where heād finally met Lady Nyrielle.
"But thereās affection in their words, even when they donāt agree," Liam said. "And, just like you always said, Father, they seem to divide the line between āspouseā and ārulersā well."
Ollie nodded in agreement, his smile growing a bit wider, despite the exhaustion that still clung to him.
"Lady Ashlynn has a saying," the young knight said. "She says that ābefore great love, all else must give way.ā And when she says it, she isnāt talking about magic or enchantments or bonds of blood. Sheās talking about the choice sheās made, the choice theyāve both made, to put their love for each other ahead of everything else. Ahead of kingdoms and thrones, ahead of vengeance and justice, ahead of what other people might think or say about them."
"So no, Lady Esme," Ollie concluded gently. "Lady Ashlynn hasnāt been bewitched. Sheās simply in love, deeply and truly, with someone who loves her just as much in return. And honestly, after everything theyāve both been through, after all the pain and suffering theyāve endured, Iām glad they found that happiness. They deserve it."
"They sound very romantic," Eira said, pressing her hand to her chest as she felt her body warming and her face growing flush despite the cool of the tent. "And you sound like a bit of a romantic yourself, Sir Ollie," she said as she began to wonder if he really might make a good match for Morwen.
"Tell me, Sir Ollie," Eira asked in the hopes of gathering information for her closest friend. "Is there a woman in your life who makes you feel the way that Lady Ashlynn feels for Lady Nyrielle? Or, or perhaps a gentleman?" Eira quickly added, wondering if the young knight felt the same way about relations between men as he did about the relationship between the rulers of the vale.
Sheād never thought of it much before, but... As Ollie said, before great love, everything else must give way. If Lady Ashlynn and Lady Nyrielle had overcome so many barriers to a relationship, who was to say that others couldnāt do the same and be just as happy for it?
"Me?" Ollie said, blinking in genuine surprise as he was caught off guard by the turn in the conversation. "No, no, I donāt have anyone in my life like that. I had grown infatuated with someone recently," he admitted. "But that was my fault for mistaking her friendship for something more. Iām over my infatuation, and sheās very happy with the person she loves," he said. "And our friendship is stronger because I donāt look at her that way anymore."
"But no," Ollie said, shaking his head and chuckling at the question. "I havenāt found anyone that makes me feel that way, and Iāve had no time to look for love," he said, turning his attention back to Baron Loghlan. "After all, weāre in the middle of a war, and trying hard to bring it to the best end we can. Where in all that would I find time for romance?"
"Youād be surprised, young man," Loghlan said as he wrapped an affectionate arm around Lady Mairwenās soft waist and pulled her close. "Sometimes, love finds you, whether you were looking for it or not, and you just have to grab hold of it with both hands and never let go."
"I imagine it was the same for Lady Ashlynn and Lady Nyrielle," Mairwen said, though her eyes were fixed on her husbandās as she smiled warmly at him. "And that puts my heart at ease about joining with them..."