The Vampire & Her Witch

The carriage was compact but well-appointed, designed for four passengers to sit facing each other in relative comfort. The leather seats were soft and worn smooth from years of use, and the interior had been warmed by small cast iron heaters filled with glowing coals from the camp’s cook fires, making it blessedly warm compared to the frigid morning air outside.

”Here, Sir Ollie,” Eira said gently as she helped the young knight to settle into one of the seats that faced forward so he’d have a good view out the window if he wanted it. ”Let me get a blanket for you, you’re still cold to the touch,” she said in worried tones as she sat in the seat next to him, retrieving a blanket from underneath the seat across from her to drape across his lap.

”You don’t have to worry so much over me,” Ollie said with a feeble smile. ”I’m used to the cold. I just,” he started to say, only to be cut off by a loud grumble from his stomach. ”I, um, I guess I could use something to eat, if there’s anything,” he said sheepishly.

”That, I have for you,” Liam said, taking the seat across from Ollie, even though he should be sitting next to him. Liam didn’t really care where he sat, but for two young gentlemen, sharing a carriage with two unmarried young ladies, the last thing he wanted was for Eira or Morwen to feel like they’d been taken advantage of on this trip.

”Here,” Liam said, ignoring concerns about propriety for a moment in order to take care of his traveling companion. ”All of the hot food is packed away already, but when I got the carriage ready, I stocked it with plenty of things to nibble on for the trip to Maeril,” he said, pulling out a small covered basket.

”Oh, Morwen can help with that,” Eira said, quickly moving out of the seat next to Sir Ollie in order to sit next to Lord Liam as soon as she noticed that her friend had finished talking to the baroness. ”Morwen, you don’t mind assisting Sir Ollie with breakfast, do you?”

”Breakfast?” Morwen asked, blinking briefly in surprise when she noticed that Eira had saved the seat next to Sir Ollie for her. It felt a bit... bold, and for a moment, Morwen almost asked to switch with Lord Liam so she could sit next to Eira... she’d still be right across from Sir Ollie, and that would be good enough... wouldn’t it?

But then she remembered what Lady Mairwen had said, along with Eira’s comments about how the ladies of the court would react to Sir Ollie once his identity became both known and accepted... This really might be her only chance to see if there was even a spark between them, so she screwed up her courage and took the seat next to Ollie before reaching out for the basket in Liam’s hands.

”I know it isn’t much compared to what you’re probably used to,” Liam said awkwardly as he realized what Eira’s intention had been from the beginning. Between his parents and Lady Eira herself, they were hardly being subtle since he returned, but there was very little he could do about it without making things even worse, at least for now.

”The cured sausage isn’t as good as Master Georg’s,” Liam admitted as he remembered the feast of small bites he’d been treated to when he first found himself in the Vale of Mists after Lord General Thane had whisked him away from Maeril. ”But if you enjoy garlic, it pairs well with the hard cheese, and the bread is fresh. There are a few winter apples in there, too.”

”I’m sure it’s fine,” Ollie said, looking at the basket that now rested in Morwen’s lap. ”You know I don’t really eat Georg’s fancy dishes that often.”

Morwen set the basket on the seat between them and pulled back the cloth covering to reveal the contents. The bread was still warm from being near the cook fires, and the cheese had been cut into a rough wedge.

She found a small eating knife tucked in with the food and pulled it out, suddenly very aware that both Eira and Liam were watching her, though Sir Ollie had slumped against the corner of the carriage as they started rolling toward their place in the growing line of carriages and wagons that would soon be departing.

”Let me help you with this,” Morwen said, trying to keep her voice steady as she began cutting thin slices from the cheese wedge. ”You shouldn’t have to manage cutting and eating while the carriage is moving. Not when you’re so tired.”

Ollie started to protest; she could see it in the way he opened his mouth, but another rumble from his stomach undermined whatever he’d been about to say, and instead he just nodded with a slightly sheepish expression.

”Thank you, Lady Morwen,” he said instead of protesting. ”That’s very kind of you.”

Morwen felt her cheeks warming as she worked, carefully cutting the cheese into neat slices and then doing the same with one of the sausages. She arranged them on a piece of the dense bread, then hesitated for just a moment before holding it out to him.

”Here,” she said, her voice coming out softer than she’d intended. ”Try this first, the way Lord Liam recommended with the cheese and sausage together.”

Ollie took the offered bread from her hand, their fingers brushing briefly in the exchange, and Morwen felt an odd little flutter in her chest at the contact. She quickly looked down at the basket, busying herself with preparing another piece while he ate.

The bread was dense and slightly burnt in a few spots from cooking over campfires, but Sir Ollie seemed to appreciate it anyway, making a small pleased sound as he chewed.

”That is good,” Ollie said, savoring the slightly sweet and nutty flavor of the cheese as it combined in his mouth with the rich, fatty sausage that tasted strongly of garlic and fennel. ”Is the sausage lamb?” Ollie asked as he tried to place the flavor.

”It is,” Liam said with a smile. ”And the cheese is sheep’s milk. We’re not producing enough of it yet to sell much outside of the March, but I’ve been hoping to cultivate a reputation for more than just our sheep’s wool. Though I imagine we won’t be shipping much of this to Keating or the Royal Capital in the years to come,” he said with a wry smile and a slight chuckle.

”That’s their loss,” Ollie said with genuine pleasure in his voice. ”I think this is every bit as good as what Georg makes,” he added. ”And even if the bread is a little over toasted, it’s still quite a bit better than some of the kitchen scraps I lived on while serving as a kitchen boy in Lothian Manor...”