Chapter 490: The Second?
A cool autumn wind blew down the mountain, dancing through the sparse, stunted pine trees and whistling through cracks in rocks worn down by year after year of heavy frost. Faint whisps of clouds drifted by overhead, parting to reveal a sliver of the moon, gazing down on the trio making their way through the woods by the silvery-green light of Heila’s witchcraft.
"A, a woman, my lady?" Ollie said, tugging at the lace collar at his neck that suddenly felt far too tight. "There’s no one, but, I mean... You and Lady Nyrielle are... and I.... Um," he stammered awkwardly, pulling a soft, musical chuckle from Heila.
"You’ve confused him, my lady," Heila said, hopping up on a nearby rock to give Ollie a teasing poke. "Mother Ashlynn is asking about your love life because, the life we lead, it’s a hard one," she said, her grass green eyes growing briefly cloudy before they warmed and the smile on her lips grew wider.
"I thought I was done looking for love," Heila added, her cheeks heating as she spoke. "At least, until the war ended. But... maybe something found me. She’s just asking if love already found you because she’s worried about you. She doesn’t want to see you living a lonely life."
"Oh, um, I see," Ollie said, wishing he could hide his burning face in the hood of a cloak or anything that would mask his embarrassment. "There’s no one, really," he said quickly. "Even when I was working in the kitchens, there wasn’t really anyone who had much interest in me. So, so you don’t need to worry about anything."
"No, I absolutely have to worry," Ashlynn said, reaching up to give Ollie’s cheek a playful pinch. "Have you seen yourself in a mirror lately? If you were a few years older and I didn’t have Nyrielle in my life, even I might swoon over you. But you’re prettier like this I think," she added, tapping his face gently with her hand.
"But when you’re this good of a man, you leave me with a very difficult decision to make, Ollie," Ashlynn said as she tugged him along with her. "Do I introduce you to Jocey? Or do I hide you from her. Because I think that pretty face of yours is going to be very, very dangerous once you make your debut as Sir Ollie among other humans."
"Jocey?" Ollie asked, struggling to keep up with the whiplash in the conversation. She hadn’t been interested in him but was she offering to play matchmaker? Where had this come from? "Wait, do you mean your sister? Lady Jocelynn?"
"The very same," Ashlynn said with a wistful smile. "You and she would be an amazing pair," she said as they walked. "You’re kind and brave, and I know that you’d protect her. She’s clever and she’s very good at helping people find ways to come together, even when they seem like unlikely partners. It’s just..."