Chapter 168: A Shared Meal
"Lady Nyrielle suspected that Lady Ashlynn might want to see a bit of the city during the day," Captain Lennart said when Heila approached him with her lady’s request. "As long as we stay in the central districts and bring along a guide from the palace, things should be fine. I’ll see to it, Lady Heila," he said, offering the same kind of deep bow that he would have given Madame Zedya.
"You, you don’t need to be that formal with me," Heila protested. "I’m still just the same little Heila I always was. Having you bow like that, it, it’s too much."
"It isn’t, Lady Heila," the bearish soldier said with a smile. "Virve told me about you jumping into the lake to save Lady Ashlynn. For someone who never trained to be a soldier, that’s more than heroic enough to deserve some respect and admiration. A few of the young ones might envy you a bit, but no one thinks you’re unworthy."
Making preparations took longer than Ashlynn wanted, and Heila insisted that she drink an entire bowl of rich, meaty broth before entering the carriage. When they did arrive at the carriage, however, both women were surprised by the number of guards arranged in their escort. Not only were Virve and Captain Lennart present, but four more soldiers from the Vale of Mists and nearly a dozen from the High Fen ringed the carriage.
"This is a bit much, isn’t it?" Ashlynn said as Virve helped her into the carriage. She’d regained some of her strength but still felt rather weak.
"It’s an unfortunate consequence of last night," Lennart said helplessly. "High Lady Erna has enemies. After your very public introduction to high society last night, she’s worried that her enemies may strike at you in order to force a rift between her and Lady Nyrielle."
"I know you were hoping to treat me," Virve said with a complex expression on her face. "But it really would be safer to stay in the palace."
"No," Ashlynn said resolutely. "I can accept extra protection, but I need to get out and be among people. It’s either that, or I need to leave the city to visit farms or somewhere that has more abundant plants," she explained. When Nyrielle fed on her, she didn’t only consume blood, she also consumed magical energy.
A walk through the forest would be the best way to replenish that but they’d left the forests behind when they left the mountains. A crowd of people couldn’t give her the energy she needed but it could push away the loneliness she felt after waking up alone. If she could at least improve her state of mind, it would be easier to replenish her magic using the energy that was available in the city.