Chapter 639: Sir Ollie’s Surname (Part Four)
"Is this how humans do things?" Kaisen whispered, leaning over to Milo since the archer from the Heartwood Clan seemed to be well acquainted with human traditions. "I thought that their lords named themselves after the places they are from. Is that not the case?"
"It’s the opposite," Milo said softly. "They name the places they rule after their ruling families. Their family names have to be earned with great deeds in moments like this, and they pass their glory down to all their descendants."
Milo hardly considered himself an expert on the subject, but he’d asked several questions of Lady Heila during the days they spent watching over Sir Ollie’s vigil and he’d been surprised to learn how intricate the customs of human nobility were and just how much being a part of the Blackwell family had shaped the Mother of Trees.
Some of those customs still seemed odd to him, but when he realized that Ollie’s title and name were something that he would be able to pass down to his children and his children’s children, it let him see this moment in an entirely different light.
Lady Ashlynn wasn’t just honoring Ollie with the title of ’knight’, she was helping him to establish a legacy that would endure long after his death, and ensuring that a peace of him would endure for generations to come. To bestow such a heavy honor said a great deal about how much the Mother of Trees valued taking care of the common people.
"I have chosen a name, my lady," Ollie said, looking up at Ashlynn and smiling widely. "I’ve made many friends in the Vale since coming here, but none have become as close to me or meant as much to me as those from the Heartwood Clan. I may not have sharp claws or teeth, or a powerful tail, but I still feel close kinship with them," he said, looking over his shoulder to meet the gazes of Old Nan, Milo, and Juni each in turn.
"They say that I helped them," Ollie said slowly as his vision grew hazy until he blinked away the moisture gathering there. "But they helped me find a place and a purpose when I felt more lost than even I realized. You will always be my liege lady," he added quickly. "And Sir Thane will always be my mentor as a knight."
"But when I think of ’home’," he continued. "I can’t help but think of a door carved with my own hands, and a room filled with treasures that remind me of my closest friends. So, if you will accept it, then I would like to be known as Ollie Heartwood from now on."
At the table for honored guests, Old Nan stood trembling, her claws biting into the wood of the table as she fought to stay standing while her heart raced within her chest and her tail thumped the ground in ever growing agitation. Next to her, Milo and Juni both reached out to wrap their arms around her as their tails joined hers in thumping the ground rapidly.
Seeing how overcome with emotion the trio from the Heartwood clan were, Achim raised his wooden cup high in the air before slamming it down on the table, tapping it down again and again and again in time with the beat of the Heartwood Clan’s tails. Soon, Kaisen joined him, followed by Helga, Commander Aspakos, and everyone else at the table for the guests of honor. A moment later, the sound of rhythmic thumping of wood on wood filled the air as every table in the hall took up the gesture, proclaiming their approval at the young knight’s name.