The Vampire & Her Witch-Chapter 1480: So Close Yet So Far Apart (Part Two)

"He, he wants to build a home for us?" Lilee said, blinking in surprise. "But, but the cost would be far too much. If he had to go into debt for us... Unless, do you think we could work for our keep in his, in my son’s village?" Lilee asked, struggling to process the concept that her son ruled over a village.

"I’m sure Ollie might have some work we can do to make our way," Jamys said, taking a deep breath as he tried to imagine his son building a whole village. "He, he’s a knight now. That should mean he has a horse of his own, right?" Jamys asked.

"Then, I could muck out the stables for him," Jamys concluded. "I could tend to the grooming and the feeding. And his village will have plowhorses, and horses for carts too. I could probably earn a few snips each month just making the rounds and helping to keep things tidy..."

"I won’t hear of it," Cynwrig said, shaking his head at the overwhelmed couple. "I doubt that Sir Ollie will ever lack for funds, but if you need funds for a home, you’ll have them from my own purse before I see you mucking stables or running yourself ragged."

"And if you need a place to stay while your home is built, then you can consider yourselves of Stormbrook Manor," Cerys added, sharing a brief look with her husband and receiving a firm nod of approval in return.

"Really, we’d be very happy to host you if you’d like to visit. We can help with other things too," she added, already planning to speak to the tailors at home about a few sets of fine woolen clothing for Jamys and Lilee.

She also made up her mind to say something to Lady Isolde about boots or shoes for Ollie’s family. The Ashfords produced better leather goods than Stormbrook did, and after what Ollie had done for Sir Gavin, she was certain they’d be looking for ways to properly show their gratitude.

"That, that’s very generous," Jamys said, swallowing down another bite of sausage and realizing that, somehow, his plate was already half empty. "But can you explain what it is Ollie did for you to be treating us like this? You’d think he was some kind of hero but..."

"He is a hero!" Dalwyn said with conviction. "Papa said he was a hero when he saved Mama, and I saw it with my own eyes, too. He’s a hero, and one day, I want to grow up to be a hero like him too!"

"It’s true," Eira added gently with a distant look in her eyes. "Sir Ollie is a hero several times over, to the Stormbrooks and to many other people, too."

"It’s going to be a long night," Eira added as she poured herself a small cup of wine. "And a longer day tomorrow. But I promise, I’ll tell you as much as I can, that way you’re ready when you can finally see him again."

"I’d like that," Lilee said, giving Jamys a firm pinch under the table. "And Jamys won’t interrupt anymore, so please," she said, leaning forward attentively. "Tell us everything you can. And... can you put a mother’s mind at ease?" Lilee asked.

"He, he hasn’t been hurt, has he?" Lilee asked, changing her grip on Jamys’ thigh under the table to hold on to him as she asked questions she was afraid to hear the answer to. "You said that he earned his title the hard way, and he’s had to build a whole village. Is he eating well? He was always so thin, even with the extra portions from the kitchens. I’m worried he might have hurt himself working too hard."

"You can blame me for his injuries," Cerys said, bowing her head low for a moment before meeting Lilee’s worried gaze directly, one mother to another. "I was foolish and frightened at things I thought were dangerous, and I, I got myself into a good deal of trouble," she said, choosing her words with care.

"It was Ollie who saved me, but he nearly died in the attempt," she confessed. "If it weren’t for his friend Milo coming to the rescue, he might... might not have made it. It’s my fault for putting him in danger," she said. "So I hope, one day, you can forgive me."

"No," Lilee said, dropping her fork and pressing her hand to her lips. She’d seen the bandages and the brace on Lady Cerys arm and foot, and she’d heard the comment about Ollie fighting ’death itself’ for her, but she hadn’t thought that those injuries might mean that her Ollie had suffered something even worse. "Is he... is he..."

"He’s fine," Eira said quickly, reaching out to hold Lilee’s hand while Jamys wrapped an arm around her, silently lending his strength and support. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"Just a few hours ago, when we were unloading the river boats that brought us here," Eira continued. "He was right there with the others, hale and healthy as an ox, and twice as strong."

"No one could match his pace when it came to handling things that were heavy and cumbersome," Eira said, her face heating slightly as she remembered the sight of both Ollie and Liam working side by side like common laborers loading the carts. Her eyes had mostly been on Liam at the time, but Ollie was so impressive in his tightly fitted clothing that he was difficult to ignore.

"And I’m sure he’s gotten plenty to eat," Eira added, hoping to help soothe Lily’s fears. "Maybe it has to do with Lord General Thane’s training over the summer, or, or something else entirely," she said awkwardly. "But I wouldn’t call Sir Ollie skinny. He’s, um, he’s every bit as strong and fit as my father was when I was still a little girl, and even Sir Gavin likely wouldn’t be his match. You’ll see, tomorrow I hope, he really is doing very well."

"I see," Lilee said, though her eyes sharpened slightly as her mind finally noticed the way Eira was acting. It was subtle, for the most part, but then, she figured that highborn ladies like Eira were probably taught not to show things on the surface too clearly.

But Lilee could tell that there were things Eira wasn’t saying. From the slight stammer in the voice and the way her cheeks heated when she talked about watching Ollie loading the wagons, Lilee suspected that her Ollie had caught the eye of an exceptional lady, one who might soon become her daughter-in-law!

"It sounds like you have a very good impression of our son," Lilee said, picking up the cup of warm mulled wine. "So, please, don’t hold anything back and tell us everything you can about how he’s been..."