The Vampire & Her Witch

When Jocelynn finally reached the courtyard at the base of the tower, she was surprised and mildly disappointed to learn that Ollie wasn’t alone.

A carriage stood ready to carry them into Vale City, driven by a horned soldier who looked like a cross between a well-trained footman and a personal guard. Not that Ollie needed a guard for anything, or that Jocelynn needed one while she was in Ollie’s company. When Jocelynn arrived, Ollie was chatting companionably with the soldier, as though they were old friends and there hardly seemed to be any space between them.

It was the woman beside the carriage who gave Jocelynn pause.

”Princess Jocelynn,” Lady Eira said as she offered a polite and perfectly respectful curtsy. ”I hope you don’t mind my presence. Sir Ollie mentioned that you would be shopping today and that you might need a companion to help you with dressing.”

”You didn’t need to trouble yourself,” Jocelynn said, pausing several feet short of the carriage as she looked between Eira and Ollie in an attempt to figure out how this had happened. ”I’m sure that Anne or Mary could help if needed,” she said, letting her gaze settle on Ollie.

”Sorry, it’s my fault!” Ollie said, looking sheepish. ”I wouldn’t have troubled Lady Eira at all if Dame Sybyll had come back to the Vale, but since she returned to Hanrahan, I couldn’t ask Cossott to come along. Heila said she needed Emmie, but she suggested Lady Eira since Ashlynn wouldn’t need any help the next few days, so...” he said, shrugging helplessly as his voice trailed off.

”Cossot and Emmie,” Jocelynn said, frowning at the unfamiliar names as she tried to recall who each of them were and what would have made Ollie seek them out.

”Oh!” Jocelynn said a moment later in sudden understanding. ”So you went looking for a squire for me,” she said with a light, musical giggle that instantly diffused the tension in the courtyard.

It had never occurred to her that she would need a squire, but from Ollie’s perspective, it probably made a great deal of sense. After all, he’d said that approaching the Trial of Witchcraft the way a knight approached their vigil would be a helpful way to prepare.

In Gaal, it would have been unthinkable to assign a squire to assist a lady like Jocelynn, but the Bloodroot Empire wasn’t Gaal. Dame Sybyll’s squire was a woman, and Lady Heila had a squire of her own. So, if she was going to borrow help preparing for a knight’s vigil... It made a sort of sense.

”I don’t mean to impose,” Eira offered. ”If you’d prefer for me to fetch your attendants...”

”No, no, this is fine,” Jocelynn said. In a way, it was almost cute. ”You can be my squire for the day,” she said, flashing Eira a smile brighter than any that had graced her lips in several weeks. ”But I will still demand that Sir Ollie escort me as a knight,” she said, turning to the flame-haired young man and holding out her arm.

”Of course, Princess Jocelynn,” Ollie said, stepping up and giving an exaggerated version of the most courtly, old-fashioned bow Thane had taught him. ”Our carriage awaits...”

Jocelynn almost expected another carriage like Ashlynn or Nyrielle’s, but Ollie’s was a different thing entirely. There was no paint or gilding anywhere on the exterior, but the door had been carved from a single piece of wood, and Ollie’s Cypress Tree had been carved into the wood in exquisite detail.

The interior was different as well. Soft silk curtains of a rich, jade-green covered the windows, and the upholstery was made of the same luxurious fabric. There were no intricate mechanisms like the ones seen in Ashlynn’s carriage, nor hidden compartments with refreshments. Instead, the interior was much like Ollie’s cooking: simple, with a minimum of ornamentation, and exceptionally well made.

”So, where are we going?” Jocelynn asked Ollie once Eira entered the carriage, taking the seat next to her and closing the door. ”Do I need a fancy new dress for the ritual?”

”Fancy is probably the wrong idea,” Ollie said before he stopped to consider things carefully. ”Actually, maybe it isn’t wrong. I’m not saying it’s right either,” he said quickly. ”But it’s something you should choose well.”

”For my vigil, I dressed very plainly,” Ollie explained. ”It didn’t have to be plain; it could have been fancy. What helped me was that it was part of an ancient tradition that I respected. Humility was one of my virtues, and the modest clothing helped with that too. I don’t know if letting Sir Thane punch me helped at all,” he added with a light chuckle. ”But we did that too.”

”So the important thing is that whatever I wear has meaning to me,” Jocelynn said, nodding in understanding. ”A fancy dress or a simple one, either is fine. Then, couldn’t I use something from my wardrobe that’s already precious to me?”

”You could,” Ollie said, though he looked hesitant. ”But you’re going to lie in the dirt for several days. I didn’t think you’d want to destroy anything you thought was really precious, so I figured it would be better for you to have something made just for this occasion.”

”Three days isn’t much time to make a fine dress, Sir Ollie,” Eira mentioned, realizing that he might not understand what was involved with creating a garment befitting a noblewoman, much less a noblewoman of Jocelynn’s stature. ”Princess Jocelynn might have to settle for having something tailored...”

”It’s fine,” Ollie said as though he wasn’t concerned at all. ”We’re headed to a shop run by a family from my village,” he explained. ”You haven’t seen how quickly Nightweavers can work when something is important,” he added with a wide grin. ”If it’s too fancy, they might fall short, but again, if you’re going to be lying in the dirt for a week...”

”I don’t think I need anything fancy,” Jocelynn said thoughtfully as her fingers brushed across the pouch at her waist where she carried one of the most precious things she owned. ”As long as they can get the colors right, I think everything will be fine...”