Chapter 410: A Devoted Fan (Part Two)
"Why don’t you tell us what it is you hope to become by learning from Lady Heila." Ashlynn’s question sounded simple, but to the young girl, answering it felt as frightening as she imagined it was for her father when he walked out onto the arena sands to face a strong foe.
Ever since her father told her that he’d arranged a chance for a meeting with the Mother of Trees and the Willow Witch, she’d been trying to think about what she would say. Now that the moment was upon her, her mind went blank and it took her several seconds just to remember the etiquette her father had taught her for speaking to powerful witches like Lady Ashlynn.
"Y-yes, your domino," Emmie said awkwardly, sitting up as straight and properly as she could and doing her best to look as calm and composed as her father was.
"It’s ’your dominion,’" Kurtz whispered in her ear.
"It’s fine," Ashlynn said, holding up a hand and stifling a laugh that would only have embarrassed the young girl. "You can call me ’Mother Ashlynn’ if you find it easer," she said. "Just relax and don’t worry about finding the right words. Heila and I are more interested in hearing what’s in your heart."
"You don’t need to be nervous, Emmie," Heila added, walking over from the small bar with a hot cup of tea and a small plate filled with buttery, sweet biscuits. "If you want to have a little nibble first while you think about your answer, that’s all right too," she added, taking a biscuit for herself before passing the plate over to her diminutive devotee.
Emmie’s eyes lit up instantly when she realized she could share a treat with Heila. She took the pate gently, almost reverently, before snatching one of the biscuits and eagerly biting off half of it in one large bite. Soft laughter from Kurtz, Ashlynn and Virve rippled through the room, but Heila seemed to take it as a challenge, finishing her own biscuit in a single bite and giving Emmie a challenging smile to see if she would follow suit.
A few minutes later, when the plate of biscuits had been reduced to nothing but crumbs and Emmie seemed to have relaxed, she turned back to Ashlynn to answer her question.
"Mother Ashlynn, did you know," she began in a soft, hesitant voice. "They say that the strongest members of the Horned Clan escaped across the mountains to start new lives here, and the only ones who stayed in the Vale of Mists were the ones who were too weak to make the journey."