Chapter 706: Protect Her from Herself
The sitting room that Heila led Isabell to was like nothing the woman had ever seen. A crackling fire burned in a large granite hearth, filling the room with the faintest trace of cedar woodsmoke and enough warmth to forget that winter had nearly arrived outside.
The furnishings, from the plush sofas to the low table between them, were all crafted from the finest materials. Exquisite care and attention to detail had been lavished on each piece, with decorative carvings of intricate knot-like patterns on some and more organic, leaf and vine motifs on others.
The thing that truly took Isabell’s breath away, however, was the sweeping view of the Vale of Mists provided by a wall of windows that was made almost entirely of glass. Not just any glass either, but large tiles of perfectly flat, perfectly clear glass that only barely distorted her view of the misty forest outside and the ancient fortress below.
"Your room faces east," Heila said, smiling as she watched the other woman stare out the window in amazement, not realizing that it was the engineering of the wall and the quality of glass that had actually captured the engineer’s attention. "Sunrises are dull in the winter, but in the spring and summer, when the sun catches the mist, it’s very pretty."
"And you think I’ll be here come spring to watch the sun rise?" Isabell said, turning away from the window and raising an eyebrow at the diminutive witch.
"Lady Ashlynn hopes you will," Heila said politely. "And so do I. But right now, you’re a guest, and a friend who is very important to her," Heila said as she strode across the room’s thick, soft rug to open the doors of a large wardrobe. There were several outfits hanging there, but even with four or five changes of clothing, the wardrobe felt half empty, as if it was waiting for someone to finish moving in.
"Lady Ashlynn hated feeling like she didn’t have any choices when she arrived here," Heila explained as she retrieved a pair of outfits from the wardrobe. "She felt like everything was taken away from her and she didn’t have control of her life anymore."
"Ollie should arrive later today with your things, but until then, I have several options of dresses or tunics with skirts for you to choose from," Heila said as she laid out one elegant dress and another outfit that felt more practical. "And if you tell me what you’d prefer for breakfast, I’ll send a message to Georg to make something special for you."
"I can see why she might have found this to be a bit much," Isabell said, crossing the room to look at the outfits that Heila had selected for her. Both were made of a soft, satin finished silk that was such a dark, inky black that Isabell wondered if the clothing had ever been washed or if it was brand new and prepared specifically for her.