Chapter 641: Love That Breaks All Rules (Part Two)
"I have forgiven Ignatious for his crimes of many years ago," Nyrielle said in a voice that was colder than the air had been when Ashlynn held Frost Fang in her hands. "I have forgiven him, but even I couldn’t help him to forgive himself. For that, he required the help of the first person to join my Ashlynn’s coven," she said, turning to smile warmly at Ashlynn.
At this point, every person in the great hall sat perched on the edge of their seats, hanging on Nyrielle’s every word as they tried to imagine the kind of horrors an Inquisitor could have inflicted on a vampire to make them beg to see the sun. For many of them, their imaginations were several times darker than what had actually transpired, but that only made their image of the monster named ’Ignatious’ more terrifying.
A few of the warriors present nodded uncomfortably at Nyrielle’s words when she said that she had forgiven him. After all, any weapon that could threaten her progeny was a weapon worthy of using against their enemies, even if it was someone who had been her enemy in the past. As long as he had been brought to heel and could be counted on to turn his terrifying skills on the Lothians and his former brethren in the Church, then they didn’t care what crimes he had committed in the past. All that mattered was his ability to inflict harm on their current enemies, and much could be forgiven so long as he piled up enough victories for his mistress.
But what then was this notion of forgiving himself?
"When I arrived," Ashlynn said, stepping forward to take over where Nyrielle had left off. "I said that there were two people who made me feel like the Vale was more than just a place to escape my former husband and plan my retribution," she said, glancing briefly toward Thane before she turned her gaze to the table of honored guests where Heila’s father sat with other members of her family.
"Like Ollie, she is someone of humble origins with common duties," Ashlynn explained. "But I have never before seen so much courage and kindness packed into such a diminutive figure as I have in the woman who became my Willow Witch and the first witch to join my coven."
Sitting at the table of honored guests, Helga began to shift nervously in her seat, looking briefly around the hall as if to reassure herself that Heila wasn’t standing among the servants while she listened to Lady Ashlynn speak. Her hand clutched tightly at Kaisen’s as she felt the weight of the Mother of Trees’ gaze grow even heavier as she very clearly focused on their small, little family out of all the honored guests sitting at their table.