Chapter 1322: The Truth of the Vale

Conversation in the carriage flowed on, but Ollie heard very little of it after Liam started explaining the things he’d seen in the Vale of Mists and during the Battle of Hanrahan. The carriage was warm and cozy, and the gentle rocking motion combined with the comfort of a full belly to lull Ollie to sleep.

Next to him, Morwen carefully packed away the remainder of the cheese, bread, and sausage before pulling a blanket up to Ollie’s shoulders and carefully slipping a small pillow between his head and the wooden wall of the carriage.

Ollie’s color had improved considerably, and he was no longer cold to the touch, but he still looked exceptionally... vulnerable as he dozed to the gentle swaying of the carriage, as if there wasn’t an ounce of strength left in him after the miracles he’d performed over the past few days.

"Lord Liam," Morwen began softly after she finished tucking Ollie in to rest. "How was life in the Vale of Mists? Was it a hard place to live? Did... Did Sir Ollie suffer even greater hardships there?" she asked. Her brow furrowed with worry, and her dark eyes glittered with moisture as she tried to imagine what it must have been like for him, separated from his family and thrust into a life among the dem-, among the Eldritch.

There was so much she wanted to know about the young knight, and each thing she learned only left her with more questions. One thing was clear, however. While some men became cold or cruel when they suffered hardships, the struggles that Sir Ollie had faced only made him kinder, to the point that he would risk his life for a woman he barely knew.

"The Vale of Mists is a very different place from what we’ve been led to believe," Liam started slowly. "And it’s undergoing a transformation right now because of Lady Ashlynn’s desire to establish a peace between humans and the Eldritch. But even before she returned from across the mountains, I’m told that the standard of living in Lady Nyrielle’s fortress was very high."

"Sir Ollie enjoyed a status in the Vale of Mists that I can only compare to a Baronette of the Royal Court," Liam explained as he tried to find a way to draw parallels between the utterly foreign Eldritch ways of organizing themselves and something that Morwen and Eira could understand.

Baronettes were technically knights with similar lands and holdings, but their status was half a step higher because they were the direct vassals of the royal family. They commanded more wealth than any of the frontier barons could manage, and they lived lives of comfort in their well-established fiefs that even the Lothian Marquis might envy.

"There’s nothing ’primitive’ or ’barbaric’ about how the Eldritch live in the Vale of Mists," Liam continued. "I mentioned Master Georg’s cooking earlier, and Sir Ollie was very kind to call our sausages and cheese as good as the ones he dined on in the Vale of Mists, but those might be the only places we can produce something comparable to the refined dishes that Lady Nyrielle’s Master of Kitchens creates..."

As the carriage rolled on, Liam spent the next several hours explaining the wonders he’d seen in the Vale of Mists, from Master Georg’s cooking that had been elevated to a form or art to the streets that were completely free of trash or filth, Liam was as glowing in his praise of the Vale of Mists as he was critical of their own barony.

Liam had been impressed by the greater levels of wealth, development, and sophistication that he’d experienced in Keating Duchy while he attended the academy there. He’d made it his life’s ambition to see Dunn Barony elevated to a similar stature, both for his family and all of their vassals.

But in Liam’s eyes, the Vale of Mists would soon be a glittering jewel even greater than Keating. The quality of Eldritch goods was superior to anything he’d ever seen in the Kingdom of Gaal, and the city that Lady Ashlynn was building outside of Lady Nyrielle’s ancient fortress represented the bold vision of someone who would live for hundreds of years.

She didn’t hesitate to invest in infrastructure that wouldn’t be needed for two or three generations because she knew how hard it would be to go back later to expand things like underground cisterns or to improve the treatment of sewage. She could already see a day when the city would have ten or twenty times as many residents as it did now, and she planned for roads that could accommodate such a large population, as well as spaces for commerce and industry that had yet to take hold in the Vale.

The more he spoke, the more both women understood why Lord Liam had become such a strong advocate for joining with Lady Ashlynn and the Eldritch. This wasn’t just a simple capitulation to the seemingly overwhelming might represented by Lady Ashlynn’s armies, her coven of witches, or Lady Nyrielle’s vampire progeny. This was a chance to obtain what the Dunns and many of their vassals had been working toward for generations, since the founding of the barony.

By the time Ollie roused from his nap, several hours had passed, and the sun was already sinking toward the distant mountains in the west.

"Good morning, Sir Ollie," Liam said warmly as he saw the young man’s eyes slowly opening. "Were you able to rest comfortably?"

"I, I was," Ollie said, though his face heated when he realized that someone, likely Lady Morwen, had tucked him in and even gave him a pillow to rest his head on. "How long was I asleep?"

"Most of the day," Morwen said as she reached for a waterskin and filled a small cup for Ollie. "I hope our conversation didn’t disturb your sleep," she said as she offered him the cup, noticing for the first time the faint traces of scars on the back of his hands from the embers of cook fires when he took it from her.

"No, I didn’t hear a word," Ollie said as he took the cup and drank deeply. "Thank you," he said as he returned the empty cup to Lady Morwen. "For this too," he added, touching the blanket and the pillow.

"O-of course," Morwen stammered, her face heating slightly as her fingers brushed his once again when she retrieved the cup from his hands.

"Sir Ollie," Eira said from the opposite side of the carriage. "Lord Liam was telling us about the Vale of Mists while you slept, but I wonder if you might be willing to answer a few questions for us? If you’re up to it that is," she added quickly. "We’re just very curious about how things work with the lords and ladies of the Vale."

"I was explaining how things in the Vale worked differently than they did in the Kingdom of Gaal," Liam said. "As near as I can tell, after Lady Nyrielle and Lady Ashlynn, Lord General Thane seems to be invested with the greatest authority, but he has no fief of his own, and neither do any of the other members of the Vale’s Court, other than you, Sir Ollie."

"And Dame Sybyll too, I suppose," Liam added, looking slightly embarrassed at his oversight. "Now that she’s laid claim to Hanrahan and Airgead Mountain. But that only happened recently."

"I don’t mind answering questions," Ollie said, adjusting his position on the soft, leather seat to peek out the window. They were getting close enough to Maeril that he could see herds of sheep dotting the hillside outside the window, and occasional farmhouses dotting the landscape. More than that, he could feel Lady Ashlynn’s comforting presence ahead of them.

By the time they arrived, it would be close to sunset but that wouldn’t mean much to Ashlynn. He was certain that she’d noticed how close to death he’d come and she must be fretting for him, even now. Thankfully, it wouldn’t be long now before he could see her to explain what had happened in person... and to receive the scolding he was certain she’d deliver once she’d reassured herself that he was well.

"In the March," Ollie began as he turned away from the window. "People are born into the nobility, and it’s rare that anyone other than the eldest son inherits their father’s title and fief," Ollie said. "But in the Vale of Mists, the villages are mostly overseen by an elder, or a group of elders, that each village chooses to govern them. They value the wisdom that comes with age for small communities."

"But that only works because Lady Nyrielle allows it," Ollie added. "For the Eldritch, the strongest person in the nation is responsible for protecting everyone else within their borders. The people governing the villages don’t have to be the strongest champions in their village because Lady Nyrielle, her progeny, and her soldiers all act as protectors of the Vale in the way that the knights of Gaal act as protectors of villages."

"Beyond that, everyone has a role to play," Ollie said. "My teacher, Sir Thane, has the Voice of Command. It’s a unique power bestowed on him by Lady Nyrielle that makes it all but impossible for people to defy his orders. He wouldn’t be the Lord General just because of that," Ollie added as he saw a look of concern on the faces of the women in the carriage.

"He’s a knight who fought in many wars," Ollie explained. "He was a knight even before he became one of Lady Nyrielle’s progeny. So he has the wisdom and experience to lead others. He taught Dame Sybyll, too."

"So he achieved his position of authority because he’s very capable," Eira said, nodding in understanding. "Then, is Dame Sybyll one of his vassals? A captain in Lord General Thane’s army?"

"No," Ollie said, shaking his head slightly. "Dame Sybyll is one of Lady Nyrielle’s progeny, and she has her own role to play as Lady Nyrielle’s Executioner..."