The Vampire & Her Witch

Olwyna beamed like the sun as Lady Ashlynn, no, Empress Ashlynn, called on her husband to serve as an example to others.

She’d cycled through every emotion imaginable in the weeks since Carwyn lost his duel against Barsali and was taken prisoner by her Dominion’s forces. Since then, her husband had not only returned to her, he’d become a trusted member of Empress Ashlynn’s retinue.

But most importantly, by pledging his loyalty to Dame Sybyll and Empress Ashlynn when he did, he’d been able to receive the support of the Willow Witch to ensure that their babes were born safely.

As far as Olwyna was concerned, she had married the perfect man, and if he did nothing else for the rest of his life beyond caring for her and their children in their small frontier village, she would count herself as the most fortunate woman alive. But it seemed that Empress Ashlynn had more in store for her husband, and she leaned forward eagerly, waiting to hear what it was.

”Sir Carwyn is a model of what few could achieve under the laws and customs of the Kingdom of Gaal,” Ashlynn began. ”Skilled with the weapons of a knight, heroic in battle, but more than that, intelligent and capable as a custodian of his people.”

”Sir Carwyn has invited craftsmen from across the march to resettle in Raek village,” Ashlynn said. ”He’s funded the construction of new mills, worked with his wife to improve the value of their harvests, and he’s earned both the respect and the trust of his people.”

”His people trust him so much,” Ashlynn added with a twinkle in her eyes. ”That when he returned home with a squad of Eldritch soldiers to protect the village while the rest of our forces marched on Hanrahan, his villagers opened their gates and welcomed them into their village. That kind of trust can’t be bought with gold, nor demanded with brutality and threats. It’s earned in a dozen hard choices, and thousands of small ones, and I can think of few lords who embody what it means to rule a village better,” Ashlynn said.

”You flatter me, your Dominion,” Carwyn said, though the wide smile on his face and his puffed-up chest were at odds with his humble words. ”I’ve been blessed by wise parents who taught me well and patient villagers who gave me a chance to try something new, even if the new thing was a little frightening,” he said, glancing briefly at Barsali before returning his gaze to Ashlynn.

”You’ve done well, Sir Carwyn,” Ashlynn said warmly. ”But, if I’m honest, you’ve also failed in one of the most important charges of a village’s knight protector. If we’d pressed an attack after you fell in battle, the consequences to your home would have been dire.”

”It’s true,” Carwyn acknowledged, deflating slightly. ”I was completely outmatched by Captain Barsali. In ten duels, I’d have been lucky to win one, and in the only one that mattered, I lost,” he said, lowering his head.

”And this, Sir Carwyn, is why the Bloodroot Empire will not demand its lords to master both the care of your people and their protection,” Ashlynn said. ”You’re a strong warrior, Sir Carwyn, and I have no doubt you’ll become stronger still once you begin to learn eldritch methods of fighting. But your greatest gift is your compassion and the way you care for your people, and I would see you put your focus there rather than on your weapons,” Ashlynn said.

”Lady Olwyna,” Ashlynn added, turning to Carwyn’s heavily pregnant wife with a gentle smile on her lips. ”I hope you won’t mind if I tell your husband to stay home to tend to his family and his villagers more.”

”Your Dominion,” Olwyna said, reaching out to take Carwyn’s hand in hers. ”You’ve already done so much for us, but this... I would sing your praises for the rest of my days and name one of the babes for you if you ordered him to stay home more often,” she said with a bright smile.

”I’m honored, but if you name one of your children after anyone, it should likely be Heila, or Barsali,” Ashlynn said, nodding to the serpentine warrior who had been the first to realize she was carrying twins.

”For now, Sir Carwyn,” Ashlynn said as her tone grew more formal. ”You stand relieved of your duties as Knight Protector of Raek. Instead, from today forward, you shall be known as the Gardener of Raek. You are charged with caring for your people, administering the lands surrounding your village, dispensing low justice within your borders, and helping your village to prosper.”

”Can you accept your charge, Gardener Carwyn?” Ashlynn asked.

”Gardener,” Carwyn said softly, rolling the familiar word over on his tongue as he considered what it meant for such a humble word to become a lord’s title. Caring for his people and tending to the village, helping them to grow and prosper... The title sounded strange, but the meaning behind it filled his heart with joy, and he nodded as he knelt before his empress.

”I accept my charge gladly, your Dominion,” Carwyn said formally as he bowed his head. ”For the rest of my days, as long as I’m able, I’ll care for my people and my village.”

”Good,” Ashlynn said, gesturing for him to stand. ”But now that you’ve taken up the station of a Gardener, your village needs a Warden to protect it,” she said, turning her attention to the serpentine warrior sitting across the table from Carwyn.

”Captain Barsali,” Ashlynn said, switching from the King’s common tongue to Eldritch and allowing the people Hugo had placed at each table to translate for those who couldn’t speak the Eldritch tongue. ”You challenged a lord to a duel and defeated him in honorable combat. By Eldritch tradition, you have the right to take Sir Carwyn’s place as the Gardener of Raek Village.”

”When it happened,” Ashlynn said, smiling as she watched Barsali’s tail go suddenly still. ”I promised you that I would offer you a different village in place of Sir Carwyn’s village. Now, several villages in the Verdant Hills have lost their knight protectors, and I could easily offer you one of them.”

”Instead,” Ashlynn said. ”I wonder if you would be willing to become the second lord of Raek Village, to serve as its Warden. You would be charged with protecting the village from anyone who threatens it.”

”I know that you’re a champion at heart,” she added with a smile as she recalled her days in High Fen City watching gladiators like Barsali fighting in the arena for glory and pride rather than battles of desperate survival. ”But as the Warden of Raek, I would expect you to train a number of villagers to fight beside you if needed. What say you, Barsali? Can you accept this charge and settle in Raek to rule alongside Gardener Carwyn?”

”Accept it?” Barsali said as he rushed around the table to lower himself down next to Carwyn. ”Your Dominion, I will forever forsake the sands of the arena to protect friend Carwyn’s village, his family and his people,” Barsali said as he placed the tips of his claws over his heart.

”Even though it is cold in winter, I will call his village home and fight beside its people for the rest of my days,” Barsali promised. ”You have my heart and my sword to command as you see fit, your Dominion, but protecting friend Carwyn’s village... No command could make me happier.”