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"Of course, I will treat Lady Heila with the greatest respect," Ignatious said, nodding briefly at Lady Nyrielle before he seemed to vanish from the spot where he stood, appearing in the blink of an eye at the table for the guests of honor where Helga and Kaisen had made their stand.

"That includes caring for Madame Helga," Ignatious said, smiling as he extended a hand to the diminutive horned woman whose cheeks had begun to show a hint of pink that suggested even she could be embarrassed by her own actions.

"Please, let me help you back to your seat," Ignatious said smoothly, as though there was nothing out of the ordinary about an honored guest standing on a table at the front of the banquet.

"You see?" Helga said lightly as Ignatious helped her down. "I told you that he’s a good man who cares for our little Heila."

"I’ll be the judge of that," Kaisen said as he hopped off the table, giving Ignatious a pointed look.

"If you break her heart..." he said with the same level of menace he’d used when his oldest daughter came home with a man who had captured her heart.

The next instant, however, his mind seemed to catch up to his mouth as he realized exactly who he was attempting to intimidate.

Instantly, his face drained of color, and he wobbled slightly as if the world had tipped under his feet.

"I’m sure that Sir Ignatious will treat her well," Achim said as he caught his son and helped him back into his chair. "Lady Nyrielle’s progeny may have bellies full of hatred for their enemies, but they’ve never once turned on any of our own.

Whatever happened in the past, I’m sure that it’s all over now, or he wouldn’t have returned. "

"It’s fine," Helga insisted, gently patting Ignatious on the arm as though he were already her son-in-law. "Don’t fuss over us old things, go be with her now," she insisted.

At the high table, Zedya and Lennart had already moved to their own positions, leaving a space between Zedya and Thane for Ignatious, but when Ignatious moved to take his own place after escorting Heila to her seat, Ollie stood up to stop him.

"Take mine," Ollie said with a gentle smile. "I don’t mind sitting with Sir Thane for the evening," he said, giving Ashlynn a brief look, though he was certain she wouldn’t mind the shuffle in seating arrangements.

"He’s learning from you, my darling," Nyrielle teased quietly. "Cutting in line, trading seats, doing as he pleases. He compliments your coven well."

"He knows what really matters," Ashlynn countered softly before she stepped forward to address the audience once again.

Soon, they would be able to relax and enjoy the banquet and the celebration together, but there were still a few important announcements to make that would ripple across the Vale of Mists while they began their attacks against the Dunns and the Hanrahans.

"Tonight, we have much to celebrate," Ashlynn said, pitching her voice to be heard over the murmurs of the crowd.

"Sir Thane has ascended to the position of Lord General, and his student, Sir Ollie Heartwood has formally become a knight. Sir Lennart has become the first of Madame Zedya’s progeny, and we have all borne witness to the love that binds them.

Sir Ignatious has returned from exil,e and Lady Heila can stand proudly before her family as the Willow Witch," Ashlynn said, acknowledging each person in turn.

"Already, the addition of multiple witches and the birth of a new vampire has transformed the strength of the Vale of Mists," Ashlynn said.

"But do not believe for a moment that this is the limit of things.

As the Mother of Trees, it is in my nature to plant seeds and nurture their growth, and both my coven and the strength of the Vale will continue to grow," she said, gesturing once again to the heavy, iron-bound doors.

This time, it was Virve who strode into the hall, walking side by side with the only member of Ashlynn’s coven who could make the bearish woman seem small.

For the formal banquet, Virve wore an outfit that combined the softer, feminine side she’d shown during the excursion to the festival, along with echoes of her nature as a fierce warrior.

She’d traded the flowing dress for loose, pleated skirts and a fitted bodice, but the pieces were clearly separate and easier to move in than Ashlynn or Heila’s elaborate outfits should she have the need to fight.

Over her hips and shoulders, intricate silver chains had been woven together until they formed delicate chain mail tassets and pauldrons crafted from delicate, precious metals.

On her feet, she wore silver sandals in the style of gladiators from High Fen City.

The entire ensemble made her look like a warrior princess following in Nyrielle and Heila’s footsteps, but her rich mane of coppery hair and the fierceness in her gaze made it clear that she was a warrior born rather than someone who had only taken up arms in times of need.

Standing next to such an intense presence, Hauke could almost have been overlooked if it wasn’t for his height and the brilliant shine of his Iridescent horn.

The frosty aura that surrounded him seemed to part around Virve, and his footsteps were light on the cedar boughs covering the floor, as if he didn’t want to offend anyone by crushing them beneath his feet.

Several people in the audience began to whisper about the new arrivals as they instantly noticed what may have been the most significant difference between them.

While Hauke had draped himself in dull grays accented by a crisp white scarf, reminiscent of the snow covered mountains of the High Pass, it was the absence of a witch’s hat that drew the most attention.

"Is it because of his horn?" one guest asked quietly, hoping curiosity wouldn’t be taken as offensive, while the two new arrivals walked toward the front of the great hall.

"How can that be? Lady Heila has horns and wears a witch’s hat, and this newcomer, she has cutouts in her hat just for her ears. Maybe he’s a vampire? But he doesn’t look like Lady Nyrielle’s progeny..."

"On a Frost Walker, how could you tell?" a third person asked. "He’s already cold as ice, and his fur is as white as Commander Savis’s. He could be a vampire..."

The speculations rippling through the great hall died down as soon as the odd-looking pair reached the dais at the head of the hall, bowing briefly in greeting to the Mother of Trees before Ashlynn spoke to introduce them.

"Captain Virve is unique among my coven," Ashlynn began.

"The Ancient Oaks have stood watch over the Vale of Mists for longer than the Eldritch people have found a home here, and when the time came, I could think of no one better to bear a seed of witchcraft offered by the oldest of these ancient guardians," Ashlynn explained.

"But Virve is more than simply my Oak Witch," Ashlynn continued with a wide smile.

"She is also the captain of my personal guard.

.. a force that, at the moment, consists only of her," she said with a wry chuckle.

"I spoke of planting seeds and growth, but lone saplings struggle to grow strong while seedlings gathered together can become a mighty forest," she said, nodding at Virve.

"What Captain Virve represents to all of you," Ashlynn said with a gentle, welcoming smile. "Is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity..."