The Vampire & Her Witch

”... Sir Ollie is treating you the way he treats the other people who belong in his world...”

Jocelynn didn’t know how to respond to Eira’s statement. It felt right, but oddly, it brought her little comfort. Part of her, she realized, wanted to be special in Sir Ollie’s eyes. But then, Ollie was a man who had risked his life to rescue Lady Cerys, a woman he barely knew, a woman who hated and feared witches, because it was the right thing to do.

Perhaps this really was just an instance of Sir Ollie doing what he would do for anyone...

Jocelynn sank lower in the tub, allowing the warm water to wash away the soap and as many of her worries as she could.

Sir Ollie and her sister lived in a world that was surprisingly bright for one so heavily influenced by vampires. At times, it felt too bright for someone like her to exist in. And yet, the idea that she might belong in that world and that she would have a place in it after her Trial of Witchcraft filled her heart with a kind of warmth that she treasured.

Jocelynn finished washing in silence while her mind struggled to sort through everything that had happened today. From the surprise breakfast to the dress fitting, the Ancient Oak, and the finishing of Crimson Promise, every moment had presented her with something different that touched her heart.

”A witch is defined by her desires...” Jocelynn murmured as she stood up from the bath, accepting a soft, warm towel from Eira.

Ashlynn had been very clear about the sources of a witch’s power and how they used it. Desire mattered a great deal.

So what did Jocelynn desire?

She wanted a place in the bright world that her sister and Sir Ollie were building. She wanted to believe that she could belong there alongside them. But it seemed so far away and...

A knock at the washroom door interrupted her thoughts as Ollie called out that supper was almost ready.

A few minutes later, once she’d dried herself off and dressed, Jocelynn and Eira returned to the sitting room where Sir Ollie was putting the finishing touches on a sumptuous-looking feast.

The scent of warm, freshly baked bread filled the air, and a golden loaf sat on the table, still steaming and fresh from the fire. Next to the bread, two large plates waited, each one holding a small roasted bird, wrapped in crisp bacon and nestled on a bed of golden potatoes and onions.

”You asked me to cook my favorite thing,” Ollie said as Jocelynn stared at the roasted birds. ”This is it. Whole roasted pheasant, wrapped in bacon. It’s stuffed with sausage, apples, cranberries, onions, chestnuts, fennel and sage,” he added as he held out a hand to escort Jocelynn to her seat.

”The birds are small enough to hang on an iron skewer,” he explained as she took her seat. ”The potatoes and onions sit in a pan on the coals where they can catch the drippings from the pheasant and the bacon. It’s a rich meal that the Lothian kitchens would serve up at Midwinter for knights who were standing a Midwinter Watch.”

”I never got to eat a whole one,” Ollie admitted sheepishly. ”I hope you don’t mind that I made one for myself too.”

”Not at all,” Jocelynn said quickly, though a crease formed between her brows and a frown formed on her lips when she realized that there wasn’t a place setting for Lady Eira. There was plenty of food. She doubted that she could eat an entire roast pheasant by herself, especially one that had been wrapped in bacon, stuffed and served with a generous portion of golden potatoes, and yet Ollie had set the table for two...

”This one is for you, Lady Eira,” Ollie said, reaching for a wicker basket covered by a small cloth. ”It’s the largest of the three birds I roasted, so there should be enough for you to share with Lady Morwen when you get back to your chambers,” he said.

Ollie pulled back the cloth to reveal a covered clay pot that would keep the bird and potatoes warm while she carried it back to the rooms that she and Morwen shared in a different wing of the ancient fortress. There was even a second loaf of bread, freshly baked and still steaming, tucked into the basket beside the clay pot.

”With Morwen?” Eira asked, caught off guard by Ollie’s offer.

”She’s been with Heila all day,” Ollie said with a shrug. ”Georg said that he sent them hand pies and pastries, but it sounds like she spent half the day concocting potions to help Samira and Lady Olwyna. Potion making is like cooking but a thousand times more sensitive to timing so I doubt they stepped away for a real meal all day,” he explained.

”You’ve helped a lot today, Lady Eira,” Ollie said. ”And so has Lady Morwen, so please, tell her I said thank you, and I hope you both enjoy the meal.”

”Of course,” Eira said, smiling as she accepted the basket. She was certain that Morwen would be delighted by the meal. Just knowing that Ollie had thought of her and prepared the same meal for them that he’d prepared for Princess Jocelynn would mean a great deal to the young lady who hoped to attract Sir Ollie’s gaze.

But Ollie’s words made it clear that there wasn’t any special affection associated with the dish. She and Morwen had worked hard today, just like Princess Jocelynn had, and Ollie had cooked for all of them... Because that was who he was and how life worked in his world.

”In that case, I’ll be going,” Eira said, giving a one-handed curtsy. ”Princess Jocelynn, will you be needing me tomorrow?”

”I don’t know,” Jocelynn said, turning to look at the only witch in the room. ”Will I?”

”Not tomorrow,” Ollie said. ”But the day after, when you make your final preparations. We’ll start with a visit to Master Thoralle’s shop to collect your dress, so if Lady Eira can have a carriage ready that morning, that would be good.”

”Of course, I’ll make certain that everything is ready,” Eira promised before she made her exit, leaving Princess Jocelynn alone with Sir Ollie to enjoy a private meal for two.

Jocelynn sat at the table across from Ollie with the stuffed, bacon-wrapped pheasant before her. The smell of fresh-baked bread, savory herbs, and rich, roasted meat filled the air, blending with the faintest trace of woodsmoke from the fire in the hearth. Outside, the mists of the vale had closed in and the night was cold and darker than any she could remember seeing.

It could have been a perfect moment, a romantic dinner for two, shared with a heroic knight who had protected her from the monster named Owain Lothian and went on to do so much more for her. It was a moment that belonged in a fairy story, like Captain Ewan and the Lighthouse Lady.

Only... It wasn’t that.

She was in her sister’s sitting room, preparing to share a meal with her sister’s knight, and while Sir Ollie had done so much for her... All of that had started from the orders her sister gave him.

The worst part of it was that she didn’t want a romantic moment. After everything she’d gone through with Owain, the part of her heart that longed for a fairy story romance had shriveled and died... Jocelynn didn’t even think she missed it. Chasing love had brought her far too much tragedy.

But there was something she wanted. A question she needed an answer to even though it felt selfish to ask. But she had to know, because a witch was a creature of desires, and at the moment, there was something she desired very deeply.

”Sir Ollie,” Jocelynn said hesitantly as Ollie took his seat across from her. ”I have a question to ask you. It, it may sound rude but... it’s important. Will you indulge me?” Jocelynn asked.

”If it’s important, just ask,” Ollie said with a gentle smile. ”I can always say no if I need to.”

”It’s just that,” Jocelynn started. ”You’ve done so much for me, and I’ve done nothing for you at all. So, I wanted to know why,” she said, forcing herself to confront the question with Ollie directly, rather than speculating any further.

”Are you doing all this for me?” Jocelynn asked. ”Or are you going so far to help me for my sister’s sake? I, I understand if it’s the latter,” she added quickly. ”I just... I just need to know...”